While reading through this month's offering, I noticed that most of the articles were centered around the use of one specific bait -- the "lowly" jig. I use the term "lowly" because that's how it's considered. If you were to look through all the advertisments in all the print magazines, listen to them on radio, and watch them on TV, all the other types of baits get much more attention. After all, what can you do with a jig? When was the last time you saw an ad for a simple, naked lead-headed jig?

And yet, if you were to ask all the pros what their choice would be if they had only one bait to use, you would hear a resounding "JIG". I know because in a past life, I organized a number of fishing seminars and put that exact question to the pros we had presenting. Heck, even Al Lindner concurred!

The fact is that the "lowly" jig can immitate almost any forage in the water, be it fresh or salt. And what could be simpler than a hook with a weight already attached? Just add some roe for river salmon or steelhead, euro-larvae, worms, leeches, grubs or minnows for almost any fish, plastic trailers such as twister-tails, lizards, worms and craws for bass and pike, nylon, rubber or mylar skirts, pork, and even corn or weiners... the list goes on and on. You can even tie them like flies with yarn, feathers, hair or whatever you like.

'YA GOTTA ADMIT -- their darned versatile! But it's hard to design creative advertising around something so simple and so inexpensive. After all, the next incredible bait that comes down the line will not be developed to catch fish. Heck no! Fish don't buy lures. It's YOU they're after.

Stories abound here in North America of the Indians dragging pieces of wood across the lakes with simple flint, iron and bronze hooks, and catching bellies full of fish. Now, granted, there were more fish, less anglers, no boat traffic and no pollution, but to test the theory, I put a couple of treble hooks on a 4 inch length of an old broom handle and caught one bass and two pike in 4 hours.

The bottom line is that no tackle box is complete without a large section devoted to jigs and trailers -- no matter what fish you're after. In fact, I have a separate soft-sided tackle outfit that houses nothing else. So don't ever consider the jig "lowly". And while you're at it, stock up!

Until next month...
(tight lines, get it wet, good fishin', see you on the water, etc., etc.).

Scott M. Binnie, Managing Editor