We wanted to switch gears a little to review some products made for trout fishing. We’ve mentioned trout fishing in the past for a few reasons. One of which, it is a good way to introduce someone new to angling because we’re dealing mostly with stocked fish. So what do we have in the way of lures to target trout?
In some of our past articles we talk about the lures that we always have tied on, ready to go to start our day. One of those is a mini-jig. This brings us to the subject of today’s review, the Lip Ripperz Jig.
The Lip Ripperz Jig
If you’ve never used a mini tube jig, you may not be familiar with how to fish these and how effective they can be at getting strikes. These things are available in lots of weights, colors and sizes. One of the most popular is a 1/16 ounce jighead with a 1 1/2 inch tube.
The Lip Ripperz is that size with a small pin tail worm in a matching or complementary color threaded onto the hook. This increases the visual profile, slows the rate of fall for the lure as well as gives it a unique quivering action on the retrieve.
The Lip Ripperz’s are packaged 4 to a pack that comes in a clam shell package to protect the hook and keep the plastic from getting torn up as it sits on the shelf.
You can see from the pictures that there is an eye painted on the front of the jig to mimic a small bait fish.
How We Fish It
The way that we like to fish these is to throw them out, count them down a few seconds depending on the depth that we want to fish, then begin a slow yo-yo retrieve. While that is the standard method, these jigs also lend themselves to other options.
One that we found worked surprisingly well was to count the jig down then begin a similar retrieve to using a top-water, walk the dog style bass lure. Thanks to the small pin tail worm on the back of the Lip Ripperz, this results in a darting action that got several strikes.
We use these on light equipment with line of no more than 4#. If you’ve never fished for trout, they have great eyesight and can be more than a little line shy. Furthermore, this gives you the best distance when you cast. The other advantage is that you don’t overpower the jig which will kill some of the action.
You can tie directly to the eye of the hook but if you’re going to do that, we would recommend using a loop knot or you can use a small snap. Either of these methods allows the jig more freedom of movement for a more natural presentation.
The good, the bad and the …
The plastic used in the Lip Ripperz is soft and flexible to give it the most natural feel when a fish bites. The downside to this however, is that the jig can and will get torn up after several aggressive fish.
We used these jigs, getting constant bites, until there was almost no plastic left on the jighead. Once that happens, all you have to do is thread a new tube on and you’re back in business. Replacement packages are available for both the tube and the worm.
The Lip Ripperz jig is easy to use even for an absolute novice to fishing. The fun part is when they catch their fish and discover what a thrill it is!
Our most memorable trips to this day always involve taking someone fishing who has never been. Watching them hook and land that first catch never gets old. But I’m getting off topic …
The Lip Ripperz jig is a simple product for anyone to use, gets strikes even when the fishing is tough, is available in lots of color patterns and performs consistently.
The downside is the durability of the plastic. You have to wonder though, if it weren’t as pliable as it is, would the fish go after it as much? We may never know.
| Fishing the Lip Ripperz Jig | |
|---|---|
| Overall Rating |    |
| An easy, fun, effective lure for trout | |
See ya’ on the water …
