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 Finesse
jigging with the Keitech Tungsten Rubber Jig Model I
(continued)
 The
Skirt: Keitech
likes to be unique and makes use of custom materials and components. The Rubber
Jig Model I uses Keitech’s SR-40 custom rubber to produce a fine profiled jig.
The skirt is perfectly cut and the entire jig is made up of 200 to 220 strands.
After the silicone skirts are squarely cut the strands are then hand tied by
their staff. This way the rubber strands are placed on accurately and when in
the water produces the most flare.
Another look at the fine strands used on the
Tungsten jig
As you can tell from our
underwater photos of the Keitech Tungsten Rubber Jig Model I, as the lure stands
still at the bottom it flares nicely. Any underwater current will give motion to
these fine skirts. When swimming with a trailer the body of the jig remains in a
nice form.
Please excuse the mis-focused
photo but you can see how the jig is when it's swimming. The skirt still
produces a nice body profile
Durability:
As expected I didn’t have any issues with the Keitech SR-40 fine strand silicone
skirt, and I never really have with any other jigs I have tried in the past. The
two major areas that usually have flaws are the jighead, the head itself and the
hook. These are the two main focus of our durability section.
Though better
for flipping and swimming this jig looks deadly bounced on the bottom
First the Keitech jighead,
The tungsten material is super hard and we didn’t notice any deformation after
extended use, even after unintentional and intentional casts at rock walls while
fishing. These heads are painted with a very thin coat of special paint and
process that makes it very durable. Only after months of testing did we notice
only the bottom of the jighead had scratches yet there was no flaking of the
paint.
The hook is
small but it's tough and sharp
As previously mentioned
Keitech uses a custom Gamakatsu hook for their Model I jig. These hooks are
sharp and remain so after catching many bass. This Keitech Tungsten Rubber Jig
is meant for finesse fishing and though the hook is small the wire gauge on the 3/0 hook is plenty thick
for its intended application and more. I employed the hard hooksets used by many
bass anglers and was never able to bend the hook, that’s of course without
setting extremely hard that it would break my eight pound test line.
A close up of the hand-glued weed
guard
Application:
Because the Keitech Tungsten Rubber Jig Model I is made of a more dense
material, its head can be made smaller. The jighead is small in size but the
profile is still there thanks to the fine skirts, and it makes a great
finesse jig. It can be fished in deeper waters but it excels in shallow
waters targeting largemouth, smallmouth, and spotted bass around downed trees
and other vegetation. The streamlined head design makes this Keitech jig better
when used for flipping or as a swimming jig with a trailer attached to provide
more action.
Put a trailer on the Keitech jig
and swim it for aggressive bass
Ratings: (We've re-calibrated our ratings standard for 2008 and have included a key at the bottom of the following matrix as a guide):
|
Keitech
Tungsten
Rubber
Jig
Model
I
Ratings (?/10)
|
| Construction/Quality |
Japanese
craftsmanship
giving
it a
great
construction
with
quality
components
and
material |
8.5 |
| Performance |
This is
a great
finesse
jig for
flipping
into
cover
and
swam.
Good for
shallow
waters
but the
larger
size
will get
deep
though
not the
best for
bottom
fishing
due to
the head
design |
8 |
| Price |
Might
look
expensive
for a
jig, but
it falls
right on
the
money
for a
Tungsten
made
jighead
of this
quality |
7 |
| Features |
The jig
features
the
basics
but the
weed
guard is
hand-glued,
the
skirt is
made of
a SR-40
material,
a custom
hook,
and of
course a
tungsten
jighead |
7 |
| Design (Ergonomics) |
Designed
with a
streamlined
head to
punch
through
cover or
move
about
the
water
better |
7 |
| Application |
A
finesse
jig for
shallow
waters
either
swam or
flipped |
7 |
|
Total Score
|
7.41 |
Ratings Key:
1 = terrible : 2 = poor : 3 = lacking : 4 = sub par : 5 = mediocre : 6 = fair : 7 = good : 8 = great : 9 = excellent : 10 = unbelievable!
For More
Details
of the
updated
rating
system
visit
our
explanation
here |
Pluses and Minuses:
|
Plus Minus
|
| J
Lead-free
Tungsten
jighead |
L
Undistinguishable
advantage
to
hand-glued
weed
guard |
| J
Non-deforming
head |
|
| J
30%
smaller
than
lead
heads of
the same
weight |
|
| J
Quality
build |
|
Conclusion: If
you’re a bass angler you must fish a jig. It’s one of the most effective methods
of catching bass and jigs are versatile allowing the angler to target fish at
all depths and structure. As more and more Japanese made fishing products are
making it onto the United States shores, so are lures such as jigs. Keitech, new
to many, is a Japanese lure company that brings us an assortment of quality
lures. The Tungsten Rubber Jig Model I was the first offering by this company to
find it’s way into the TackleTour HQ. This jighead is molded out of
environmental friendly Tungsten material with a sharp custom Gamakatsu hook.
Because of the tungsten material the jighead is extremely tough. Extended stress
and impact against other solid materials never did deform this Keitech Tungsten
head, and because it’s tungsten its profile is 30 percent smaller than lead
jigheads. The head design is made so the jig excels at being flipped into cover
or as a swimming jig. The Keitech Model I jig has great craftsmanship, good
overall performance, and has an extremely durable jighead. If times are tough
and you need to catch a few bass, go with a finesse jig like the Keitech
Tungsten Rubber Jig Model I.
Special Offer!!!
For the month of May 2008,
ExtremeLures.com is giving
registered TackleTour members a 10% discount on ALL Keitech brand Jigs, Hogs,
Worms, and more including the Keitech Tungsten Rubber Jig Model I and II. When checking out input the discount code:
keitechtackle10
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