So you’re looking for a jig with a little something different that the bass haven’t seen?
On top of that, you want something that can be used for more than one technique because the waters that you fish have varied structural elements that require more than one approach?
The Jackall Spade T.G. Jig could be the answer for some of these nagging issues. What makes this jig more versatile than many of its competitors?
Let’s run down a quick list of features that Jackall built into the Spade T.G.
The technical features
The first and most obvious is the skirt material that they use. It is pre-bent so it looks more like the legs of a crawfish underwater than a more traditional, straight skirt. This also enhances the presentation during any pause or stop in your retrieve.
When it flares, it’s almost as though there are a bunch of spider like legs spreading out from the center of the jig reaching for something to gain traction on and walk away.
There is plenty of material from the factory so if you choose, you can thin it a little for a more finesse style presentation.
While this is an obvious departure from the standard jig, the Spade T.G. further differentiates itself by making use of tungsten for the head. We all know that using tungsten means that the head will then be smaller than a lead head of the same weight as well as be more sensitive which provides more feedback to us as anglers.
Yes there are other tungsten heads out there, but the shape of the Jackall jig is the feature that allows it to wear more than one hat. Looking at the head straight on, it is designed very much like a spade in that the bottom of the head is a gently curved triangle with the sides getting smaller up to the weed guard which is held firmly in place, encased in the tungsten.
How the Spade T.G. can be used
This head design allows it to swim through cover very well without getting hung up so it acts like a swim-jig. If you want to use it as a football head, just allow it to hit the bottom and crawl it along like you would any football head. The advantage here is that this jig will rock gently back and forth as you pull it along due to the angle of the line tie as well as the shape of the head. The T.G. Jig doesn’t feel out of place pulling this double duty.
The other thing that this jig does is present your soft plastic in a natural stand up position. If you’re into using a craw trailer, it will stand up looking like its in a defensive position without rolling over.
The weedguard can be used just as it is out of the package but we still prefer to give ours a little bit of a haircut prior to tying them on. Jackall has come up with a good balance of give for the hook-set as well as making it stiff enough to keep it fairly weedless.
The only modification we employ with the weed guard is to trim it at an angle as opposed to leaving all the fibers the same length.
Does this really do anything for the jig? Who knows, but it is one of those habitual practices that we always find the time to carry out.
Sizes and colors
For the time being, the Spade T.G. Jig comes in two sizes, 3/8 and 1/2. Both sizes share the same skirt colors which, in our opinion, are very well thought out and provide a good base for any number of colors of soft plastic trailers.
We have fished nothing but the 3/8 as of now and have been happy with the results. The 3/8 is smaller in hand than you would think. Its size brings to mind a finesse jig which it can be used for but its action is more one of a larger jig.
What we mean by this is that its action, the speed of descent and its ability to attract bites from larger fish are consistent with a jig that provides a larger profile.
If there is anything that we wish would be changed on the Spade Jig is the hook size. While it hasn’t proven to be much of a problem, we can’t help but think that a slightly larger hook would be an improvement to this jig.
This is not to say that the hook is weak in any way. We haven’t been able to bend it out on any fish that we’ve caught or snags that we’ve managed to get it into which we can’t say the same for all of its competitors.
The Spade T.G. Jig is a pleasure to use for its intended purposes. The only area that it really doesn’t present as an option is as a flipping jig. While you can flip with it, flippin’ doesn’t take full advantage of the features that are built into it.
The Jackall Spade T.G. Jig is another well built, well executed bait from the Jackall folks that can only be appreciated by experiencing it.
| Jackall Spade T.G. Jig | |
|---|---|
| Overall Rating |    |
| A versatile, unique in appearance jig | |
See ya’ on the water …
