Posted by shallow bob on 02-08-2004 09:16 PM:

pig or plastic

Pork trailers can be a pain. Hard to setup on the hook, the jars leek and storing is no fun. Any one have input on how well the plastic trailers match up in the water.
Are they as effective?

Posted by CTbassmaster on 02-08-2004 09:31 PM:

Water temp is the main reason I decide between pork or plastic. Someone take it from here as to the why's.

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Posted by LandSvy06 on 02-08-2004 11:14 PM:

Here's the rule of thumb: colder water=pork, warmer water=plastic. My guess? Pork is bouyant, so the jig falls slowly- a plus in cold water. However, with the multitude of jig weights and styles available, you can get a jig to sink like a rock, or slow fall REGARDLESS of the trailer. Pick what you like! Some like plastic- more styles, less hassle. I like pork- worth the trouble. It does not tear, or come off the hook, and it has always produced large bass for me!

Posted by shallow bob on 02-09-2004 06:20 AM:

Good information. The one thing I like about the pork is just how slow you need to move it to impart alot of action on it. I guess that might also help in cooler water.
Thanks

Posted by jpsurf on 02-09-2004 07:03 AM:

Pork,if it didn't

Crap up on the deck, in the heat of the summer.I would use Pork all season.The action with pork is just so much better than plastic.When a bass grabs it they have a tendacy to hold onto to pork longer,versus plastic,due to its realistic feel,& movement in the water.
I use both,theres just a time & place for when I'll use 1 or the other.

Posted by patx on 02-09-2004 09:24 AM:

Also understand that the colder the water is, the stiffer the plastic becomes. For instance, in generally warm water (60's and above), the claws on a #97 Hula Grub seem to work very weel. It really does not take much action to make them move. In colder water, you really have to hop the bait in order to get the claws to move much. This is a problem.

You need to be very subtle in cold water and you cant be when you are too worried about moving a bait. Thats the perfect time for pork.

Im with the group here - if I could, I would fish pork almost exclusively, but its all the things around the pork that discourages me (drying up, impossible to get off the hook, trying to find that little pre-puched hole that Uncle Josh makes, etc.) from using it much.

Pat X

Posted by LandSvy06 on 02-09-2004 10:08 AM:

fish size average?

Hey, guys- is it just me, or do jig/pig fish average 2-3" bigger than other producing lures? (esp. soft plastics)? For me, it's like the fish in a lake immediately grow when I go pig.

Posted by earthworm77 on 02-09-2004 10:31 AM:

Jigs are notorious for producing larger fish on average but you may get less bites as a trade off. I like plastic for most of my trailers. Pork is very messy and I use a buch of super soft scented and salted handpours to combat the extreme cold. I think it works well for me.

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Posted by CTbassmaster on 02-09-2004 11:05 AM:

PatX, that was the info I was talking about. You hit it square. Also if you could PM me your # so I could give you a call. I talked to Delvisco last week when he was in New Orleans with a question I had and he said you could probably help me out. Thanks in advance.
Jason

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Posted by Scully on 02-09-2004 11:39 AM:

non-sequiter......

I will agree that cooler water temperatures make plastic baits less pliable. With that said let me ask, whats wrong with that?

In the early spring when water temps are in the mid 40's, it doesnt make sense to use a pork trailer. A pork trailer has much more action than a plastic trailer. IMHO it represents an un-natural movement when water temperatures are this cold.

Have you ever seen crawfish move when they first come out of the lake bottom in the early spring? VERY slow. Its one of the reasons why you find really big bass so shallow in early spring....an easy meal. The largest bass I have ever caught...an 8'10, 8'04 and and a 7'10 were all caught using plastic trailers in early April.

If you impart too much action to your bait, it just doesnt appear natural. I want the bait I am using to be as natural looking as possible. For example....a sting ray grub is much more effective in cold water than a cicle tail grub BECAUSE of its subtle movement. The same can be said for a "true" (nothing on it) hair jig.

In the spring I have watched bass inhale my jig when its barely moving. I have aslo watched them back away slowly if I impart too much action to the bait. The ONLY time I feel a pork trailer may be superior to a plastic trailer is when I am flipping grass pockest and the bass are suspended in those pockets. Again, just my humble oppinion.

Scully

Posted by Bass Stalker on 02-09-2004 12:23 PM:

Pork vs. Plastic

Scully--Your observation is right on the money...I totally agree with you !

I stopped using pork about 10 years ago and I never noticed a difference. IMO, the ONLY advantage with pork was the added salt and flavor...that's no longer an issue with the advent of modern day plastics...besides, I like to thread the entire body on the hook which I can never do with pork !

Ronnie

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Posted by earthworm77 on 02-09-2004 12:58 PM:

Here's the New one:

Two part pour: Head has a harder plastic to prevent tearing, the tails are a little softer for added flexibilty. Plenty of salt and garlic too. Should be ready in a couple of weeks.

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Posted by fishinut on 02-09-2004 03:39 PM:

That tailer looks real sweet. What colors will you be making them in?

I generally stick with plastic all throughout the spawn, summer and fall. I will however switch to pork if a severe cold front comes through and I can't get them to bite a big jig with plastic. I combat that with a small jig and pork.

I'm gonna try pork in all seasons this year though....

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Posted by earthworm77 on 02-09-2004 03:53 PM:

All you need is black so I will likely start pouring black! I may branch out to other colors and I'll do custom of course.

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Posted by Paladin on 02-09-2004 05:09 PM:

PORK OR PLASTIC

I used to use only pork but converted to plastic about 8 years ago with one exception......night fishing. I found it to be a royal pain to change trailers that became torn or had a claw ripped off. A #1 pork frog will hang in all night; or at least until you lose the jig.

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Posted by Branden on 02-09-2004 06:00 PM:

Earthy--Is it me, or does the picture that you posted above look very similar to a Wacko Bat Tail trailer?

Scully--Wow, I never thought of that as a reason to use plastic, but the more I think about it, the better I like it.

Branden

Posted by Craig N on 02-09-2004 07:13 PM:

I'll take plastic...they are so advanced now; with thier scent, color, texture, action and durability that they are the only way to go. Most important of all though...fish what you have confidence in, because a jig trailer that you believe in will probably have as much an impact on catch rates as the perfect one for the situation.

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Posted by JOHN G on 02-09-2004 07:52 PM:

the real magic is in the technique: when I do jig, I use yammie hula grubs exclusively as trailer on relative short jigs and they seem to be as magical as pork was lo, many moons ago.......

however, this I do believe: in cold water, the take can be subtle beyond subtle and anything that might make the fish hold onto it a little longer, can increase your chances of recognizing and setting the hook....

there is no doubt in my mind that yammie salted material tastes just as good as the pork to the fish.....

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Posted by jpsurf on 02-11-2004 05:14 PM:

Pork is a pain

For you guys that think pork is a pain to get on & off the hook.

Posted by jpsurf on 02-11-2004 05:14 PM:

Another shot

HMMMMM

Posted by earthworm77 on 02-11-2004 05:20 PM:

It is almost the same trailer

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Posted by MarkNJBass on 02-12-2004 09:35 AM:

Pork all the way

Uncle Josh pork is a pain in the neck....Super Pork isn't. Plastic is ok...pork is the best!!! Don't neglect scent either.

Posted by earthworm77 on 02-12-2004 09:38 AM:

I was talking with Northbass last night and he brought up a great point on the uncle Josh jig /pork keeper thing that JP posted. What happens when you set the hook? Does the contraption collapse? If not, the fish will never get into the hook bend and is likely to throw the bait.

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Posted by jpsurf on 02-12-2004 10:22 AM:

writeup by Jeff Bruhl

Have you ever owned a pair of comfortable shoes? A pair you could wear all day and feel assured they would get you through the day with ease. Uncle Josh has taken the old pork jig and turned into a comfortable pair of shoes.
I am by no means a super pork jig fisherman. I always had trouble getting the pork trailer on and off the hook. Often I would impale the hook into my finger struggling to thread the pork trailer onto the jig. The end of the day would find me rolling around the boat deck trying to separate the trailer from the pork jig. After a few attempts, I would give up and cut the pork off the hook.

Uncle Josh has changed that with their new pork jig with the FASTCLIP system. A wire clip holds the pork in place, makes the adding and removing of the trailer very easy, and keeps the pork from interfering with the hook set. With a ‘why didn’t I think of that’ design, the new pork jig will put pork trailers back into your tackle box.
The FASTCLIP works great on plastic trailers, too. A large hook can wear a hole or tear a plastic trailer easily. The plastic trailer stayed in place through heavy cover. However, I prefer using a pork trailer on the new pork jig because it stays on the bait all day. This saves time and money by eliminating the need to constantly adding a plastic trailer. Uncle Josh produces many different colors and styles of pork that you are sure to find a favorite.

Although the pork jigs come with many choices of skirts, the skirt can by changed to your favorite skirt with no difficulty. Like most anglers, I have become accustomed to a favorite color skirt. At first glance, I thought I would not be able to remove the skirt. However, the skirt snaked on and off the pork jig quickly.
Pork jig comes in three styles to match most fishing situation. A round head is on the finesse pork jig made by Uncle Josh. The hook is a light wire model made for light line and finesse situations. A flipping head uses a stronger hook and an eye positions to slide over cover. The weed head is a narrow head matched with a strong hook. The design of the weed head slips through patches of weed and grass as it searches for bass. With weights ranging from 1/8 to 1/2, the many styles of pork jigs by Uncle Josh will fish any water from coast to coast.

The pork jigs performed well from Venice, Louisiana to my local waters near Madisonville, Louisiana. Every pork trailer went back into the jar at the end of the day. No sore fingers, cut pork trailers, or missed fish due to a fouled hook point. Uncle Josh has added new pork colors. Green pumpkin, watermelon/red flake, June bug, root beer, and peacock pork increase the number of possible combinations. The new pork jig by Uncle Josh is a great as a comfortable pair of shoes but not as hard to find.