Jig hooks and jig heads: Trimming the skirt

Fish mood / water	Skirt	Cut
Aggressive, warm water, stained	Full skirt, longer strands flaring past the hook	Leave it, or trim only strays
Neutral, clear water	Trim even with the hook bend	Compact profile, less flare
Cold water, pressured fish	Trim 5–10 mm (1/4–3/8") below the hook bend and pull 10–20 strands	Small, slow-falling, subtle
Bulk without weight	Leave the skirt long and trim the trailer instead	Falls slower on the same head
Faster fall (punching, deep)	Trim short and thin	Less drag, drops through
Uneven tips	Cut a few strands 1 cm (3/8") longer than the rest	Flares like legs on the pause

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Jig hooks and jig heads

Hooks whose shank bends at the eye so a head can be poured on: the bare jig hook, and weighted jig heads for soft plastics classified by head shape and build (ball in four builds, strolling jigs by mechanism, football, swing, stand-up, Ned in four builds, shaky, darter, swimbait, underspin, tube, weedless, grass), because each fishes differently; and the skirted jig itself, by head shape (casting, flipping, football, swim, finesse, punch).

Jig hooks and jig heads