The Terminator company is known and respected by fishermen for their Titanium constructed spinnerbaits. Now they offer fishermen another secret weapon in the form of a bass jig.

The bass jig is very simple in design. It is just a hook with a lead head and an eyelet, with a rubber skirt. It is made to imitate a crawdad. I have had many no-fishermen ask me if I can really catch a fish on it, that is how ridiculous it looks to those not in the know.

I think the jig has been the best kept, yet most open, secret in bass fishing circles for decades. Just about everyone knows about them and how often they are the winning bait at tournaments, yet not everyone is fishing jigs. Why not?, you might ask, I'll tell you.

They are not simple or easy to fish, fishermen have to pay close attention to their line at all times when fishing a jig. They can not see the strikes like they can with a topwater lure like a Rebel Pop-R or Zara Spook or Rapala. The fisherman doesn't cast it out and simply bring it in like a Crankbait or a Spinnerbait. The Jig is fished on or very near the bottom of the lake, out of sight, and it is fished very slowly when fished properly. Sometimes the fisherman has a hard time distinguishing between a bump on the bottom from a rock or submerged tree or a bump from a bass.

The fisherman slowly lifts the rod tip and sets it back down in a jigging motion, lifting the jig up and off the bottom. When lowering the tip, one should reel in the excess line that has just become slack after the tip was lifted. This is repeated over and over until the cycle is broken by a hit or the cast is done. It is extremely important when fishing the jig to keep the line tight at all times. When a fish hits the jig, it feels just like a tap, tap, tap, on the line. The first tap is the bass flaring his gills and sucking the lure in. The second and third taps are the bass munching on the bait, trying to crack it open like it would to a crawdad.

If the jig has added scent on it, which I recommend, the bass will usually hold on a little longer and might even try to swim away with it. But if it isn't really hungry or if it decides something just isn't right, it will drop the jig even faster than it picked it up. That is why it is so important to keep the line taut and pay close attention when jig fishing. The fisherman needs to set the hook immediately when the tap or hit is felt.

The Terminator Finesse series of jigs will catch Largemouth Bass but I think they are more favorable for
Smallmouth Bass. I have had much better luck catching smallmouth bass with them because of their small size and species specific orientated colors. Smallmouth are more attracted to browns and brighter colors, just like most of the colors in this series of lures.

Weight:
They run in size from 1/8 ounce, 3/16 ounce, 1/4 ounce and the new 3/8 ounce. They are much smaller across the board compared to the rest of the field but they are made to these sizes for a reason. Most fishermen use a 1/2 ounce jig as a standard, pitching 3/4 often and as heavy as 1 ounce jigs in really thick matted cover. Terminator offers the Finesse line of jigs specifically for smallmouth or times when the bite is slow and the fisherman needs to down size. During cold fronts the fish really slow down on feeding. They are more apt to hit a smaller bait then a larger one and only the fishermen who take this into account have success.

Colors:
They are offered in Black/Blue, White/Crystal, Black/Brown Pumpkin, Pumpkin/Pepper Green, Watermelon, Skeets Secret, Blue Olive, and Brown Purple. Skeets Secret is named after professional angler Skeet Reese. It is a Green/Pumpkin with about five strands of Brown/Orange Crawdad. It is tremendous on river smallmouth. My favorites are the standard Black/Blue, Skeets Secret, and Blue Olive. All of the Terminator Finesse Jigs come with a black head. The paint usually wears off after a long day on the water or a couple of days depending on the bottom of the lake. If it is rocky or sandy mixed with gravel, the color will come off by the end of a long day. If the bottom is weedy and murky, the black head paint will last much longer. Don't worry if the paint wears off, I have thrown one with a silver head for weeks without any lack of bites and fish.

Other Features:
This Jig is made with a Lightwire Mustad hook. This is nice for fast penetrating hook sets. It can be bent, but it is very difficult and won't be bent on a fish, more like a stump or rock. Terminator would not make a lure without adding something made from titanium, in this lures case they made the weed guards out of titanium. I have never been a fan of weed guards on my jigs so I cut mine off. Jigs collect weed where the line meets the eyelet, not so much on the hook. I think the weed guards get in the way of a solid hook set and can give a fish some added leverage for throwing the bait, so I remove them.

I do however add a Pig Trailer to all of my jigs. This gives the bass something more to hold on to and chomp down on. They also will hold any added scent such as Yum or Smelly Jelly. Last but not least, they will give the jig a little more realistic look by making the jig look longer with claws.

Price:
The MSRP for the Terminator Finesse Jigs are $3.49 each. Bass Pro Shops offers them on their website for a dollar cheaper at $2.49 each. Cabelas does not carry them for some reason. I have never found them at Wal-Mart.

Click on my other Fishing Reviews:
Lures:
Strike King Premier Spinnerbaits
Strike King Redeye Spinnerbait
Rebel Pop-R, Pop, Pop, SPLASH
Jitterbug, That Old Classic
Storm Wiggle Warts Lures
Gary Yamamoto's The Kreature, Ugly Kreature
Zoom Lizards
Zoom Salty Chunk Trailer

Recommended: Yes