When talking “best of skipping jigs,” there are a few baits that must make the list. The makers of all good skipping jigs follow the same basic recipe. There’s a common head design with a horizontal eye and kind of a scoop shape to the head, with most of the weight on a planing surface.
There’s a medium weedguard coming out of the head to cover the hook, making the jig as snag resistant as possible while still allowing for effective hooksets. Most skipping jigs come equipped with a fairly stout, round-bend hook. Molded onto the hook you’ll find a soft plastic trailer keeper. And then to complete the jig, a rubber or silicone skirt is locked in on the collar of the jighead.
Skipping jigs also keep to a pretty tight lane when it comes to color selection. You won’t find many whites, chartreuses, pinks or shad patterns. The basic consensus when skipping a jig is that you’re targeting fish that are relating to bream, bluegill, crawfish or some other, dark prey. So most skipping jigs come in some variation of green, brown or black with little splashes of brighter colors mixed in, like chartreuse, orange and purple.
OUR PICKS FOR BEST SKIPPING JIGS
- Nichols Lures Skipper Jig
- Strike King Tour Grade Skipping Jig
- Greenfish Tackle Skipping Jig
- Berkley Skippin’ Jig
- V&M Pacemaker Skipping Jig
NICHOLS LURES SKIPPER JIG
The Nichols Lures Skipper Jig may be a sleeper for some, but it’s been front and center for me personally for several years. It’s a workhorse, and the kind of bait that will actually leave you with no need to look elsewhere. So much so in fact that for this best-of list in particular, I had to reach out to other anglers and members of our team to make sure I wasn’t missing any of the other best skipping jigs that were out there.
- Price: $4.99
- Colors available: 11
- Best size for skipping: 3/8 ounce
STRIKE KING TOUR GRADE SKIPPING JIG
This one was high on Sealock’s list. The Strike King Tour Grade lineup of baits are better than the average bait across the board. So it’s no surprise that the Tour Grade Skipping Jig is a front-runner as well when talking about the best of skipping jigs. Worth noting, this jig has a screwlock bait-keeper, as opposed to the barbed bait-keepers used with most other skipping jigs. This keeper certainly holds standard soft plastic baits in places better, but it is good to keep in mind that this style keeper will not work with super tough and stretchy baits, like those in the Z-Man ElaZtech lineup.
- Price: $5.29
- Colors available: 7
- Best size for skipping: 3/8 ounce
GREENFISH TACKLE SKIPPING JIG
This grassroots brand has made a big name for itself in recent years, especially in the jig market. Their Greenfish Tackle Skipping Jig has become one of the industry staples and is a perfect representation of what it takes to be a quality sipping jig. What sets this jig apart from the others in this genre? How about 26 color choices. This vast color selection embodies the vibe of Greenfish Tackle, standing out from the crowd with a custom, made-to-order feel, all the way down to the hand-tied skirt.
- Price: $5.49
- Colors available: 26
- Best size for skipping: 3/8 ounce
BERKLEY SKIPPIN’ JIG
The Berkley Skippin’ Jig (like the Strike King Tour Grade Skipping Jig) is another good example of a big company getting a niche bait right. There are times when the R&D departments of industry leading brands have so many baits in the works that they slip up with a bait like this, one with critical design elements and made for very specific purposes. Not the case here. Berkley put together a great bait with their skipping jig, and even infused the skirt with their Powerbait formula, perhaps giving this jig an edge on some of the other best of skipping jigs.
- Price: $4.99
- Colors available: 10
- Best size for skipping: 3/8 ounce
V&M PACEMAKER SKIPPING JIG
Available in primarily dark, but far from bland color choices, the V&M Pacemaker Skipping Jig is another bait that gives off the impression it was hand-tied in a garage somewhere by the 2013 Bassmaster Classic Champ himself. Cliff Pace is a jig fishing fanatic who has spent countless hours tinkering with hundreds of jigheads, molds, skirts and hooks. Those years of expertise and effort are all packed into this little gem of a jig.
- Price: $5.49
- Colors available: 8
- Best size for skipping: 7/16 ounce
