Finesse News Network's Gear Guide: Doc's Goofy Jig, Joe Hebert's Silly Willy Swim Jig, Geoff Ehrlichman and Lee Oung's Swivel Jigs.

After John McKean of Pittsburgh read the blog entitled "Stacey the Jika Rig King," he wrote an e-mail on Oct. 13, telling the folks on the Finesse News Network about the Doc's Goofy Jig and the swivel jig that Lee Oung of Tampa, Florida, employs for catching  pompano.

McKean said, " I think Lee Oung and his pals down in Tampa have some finesse tactics that we can  use up north in freshwater." Consequently, McKean has been working on a bass-and-panfish version of the Goofy jig and swivel jig. And he employs with  spinning outfits spooled with four- and six-pound-test line.  He dresses them with a shaved-down, rabbit-hide eel.

He noted that he sent some of his freshwater creations to Oung, who reported that McKean's freshwater models work in saltwater, too.

McKean says his freshwater renditions of Doc's Goofy Jig and Oung's  swivel jig are "more advanced than the fledgling jika rig, and more applicable to guys in the Finesse News Network."

In the months to come, we hope to write more about McKean's freshwater renditions of these of these popular saltwater jigs.

Below are some photographs and details about the Doc's Goofy Jig, Joe Hebert's Silly Willy Swim Jig and Teaser, Geoff Ehrlichman's Swivel Jigs, Do-It Molds' ear-ball jig, and Lee Oung's swivel jig with a Mickey Mouse face.

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Here are two photographs of Doc's Goofy Jig and teasers. In the top photogrpah, the teasers are attached with split rings. In the second photograph, the Goofy Jig and teaser are attached by a loop knot.

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Another rendition of Doc's Goofy Jig  is the Silly Willy Swim Jig and Teaser, which is made and sold by Joe Hebert of Spring Hill, Florida,  and proprietor of  Captain Joe Fishing.

Herbert proclaims on his Web site  that "these jigs catch everything from redfish, trout and dolphin, to perch in the Great Lakes."  Herbert says "the added attraction of the teaser will give you a few more bites on an otherwise average day of fishing."  For more information see http://www.captainjoefishing.com/

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Here's a photograph of  two of Geoff Ehrlichman's Swivel Jigs.

Ehrlichman's  Swivel Jigs are made in five sizes: 1/4, 3/8, 7/16, 1/2 and 5/8 pounces. Ehrlichman's jigs are too heavy for Midwest finesse anglers, but jika-rig anglers might be interested in experimenting with the Swivel Jig. The head of the Swivel Jig is an ear-ball sinker. The ear-ball sinker and  teaser are attached by a  swivel. The teasers are made from EP Silky Fiber on a stainless No. 1 Mustad 34007 hook or Tiemco 811S hook.  Instead of a teaser, Jika rig anglers can attach an offset, wide-gap hook dressed with a soft-plastic beavertail bait, and they can paint the ear-ball sinker green-pumpkin or brown or other black bass hues.

Ehrlichman resides in Slidell, Louisana, and in a Dec. 7  e-mail, he wrote: " I grew up on South Beach. So, my interest in making lures is primarily for Florida saltwater species.  My Swivel Jig has evolved into one of Florida's best pompano jigs.  I also make one of the best bucktails for snook and my cobia jigs are selling all over Florida from Pensacola to Jacksonville.  My lure business is only a one-man operation.  I have a steady flow of orders and not looking to expand." For more information  see: http://www.geoffsjigs.com/Swivel-Jigs.html

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Here's a photograph of Lee Oung's swivel jig or ear-ball jig. Both have  Mickey Mouse's face painted on the ear ball. The teaser on the left ball-ear jig is attached with split ring. The one on the right is attached with a  swivel.

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Do-It Molds sells a mold that anglers can use to make  an ear-ball jig similar to the one that Ehrlichman and Oung use to  make for their swivel jigs. Do-It calls it an ear ball lure.  According to the folks at Do-It, the ear ball lure is one of the most popular jig heads in Eastern Europe.  Do-It recommends that  anglers  attach a hook to the ear ball with a split ring, and then they should dress the  hook with either live bait or a soft-plastic bait. When anglers retrieve the ear-ball jig, the bait swings from side to side, and  during a pause in the retrieve,  a buoyant soft-plastic bait, such as the ElaZtech baits made by Z-Man Fishing Products, will rise alluring off the bottom and eventually stand on its head. From the perspectives of many  veteran and knowledgeable black bass anglers, this standing-on-its-head presentation   has inveigled untold numbers of  largemouth, smallmouth and spotted bass across the decades.   For more information see: http://do-itmolds.com/shop/index.php?route=product/category&path=1_9_50

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