“Flair Hawk 101″

                       “Flair Hawk" 
                                                         By: Eric Gates

Nylon jigs, there are as many ways to fish them as there are different styles and colors.  No matter how you like to fish them, the fact remains they catch BIG fish.  Let’s focus on flairhawks for BIG snook.  For something as simple as a leadhead with some nylon tied to it there is a lot to consider when choosing the right jig for the right situation.

Color

We’re going to keep this very simple, if you’re fishing in a river around a bridge or an outgoing tide at an inlet use a chartreuse jig.  If you are fishing on the beach or in clear water conditions use a jig with white nylon, preferably with a little sheen.  Snook will hit a jig based on profile and action more than color, but for those who want to complicate things, your jig should blend into its surroundings and stand out all at the same time.

Jig Styles

The two most common flairhawk jig styles are the skimmer jig and the bullet style jighead.  Both work well in most situations, however snook hit based on profile and action so there are some things to consider.  Are the snook feeding on finger mullet or some type of bait with a narrow profile?  If they are, a jig with a narrow profile is what you want to use.  If they are feeding on croaker or something with a larger profile, a jig with more flair and a larger profile is the way to go.  When the snook are feeding on crabs you want to bang the bottom with a skimmer style jighead.

Weight

Perhaps the most important factor in choosing which jig to pull out of the box.  Snook hit based on profile and action, but a snook won’t hit what it can’t see.  Put the jig in the strike zone and your odds of catching a snook goes up three fold.  There is a definite learning curve here and you will lose jigs in the process, but getting the jig at the right depth and location at the right time is the big secret to jig fishing. There is an up side to hanging up on the bottom…when you find the hang-ups there is a good chance you have found where the snook are hanging out.  Present the jig properly around these hang-ups and the snags turn into big snook!