Saltwater Bucktail Jig
Deer hair, lead and a hook. It has outlasted everything.
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A bucktail jig catches striped bass, fluke, redfish, snook and almost everything else that swims near the bottom, and it has been doing so for as long as anyone has been recording it. The reason is the hair. Deer hair is hollow, so it flares in the water and collapses on the pull, which produces a pulsing, breathing profile even when the jig is sitting still.
Why the Saltwater Bucktail Jig stands out
The hair works when the jig is not moving
A plastic skirt is inert on the pause. Bucktail keeps opening and closing with the smallest movement of water, which is why the strike so often comes when you have stopped doing anything.
Depth is set by weight, not by design
Carry a range of head weights rather than a range of lures. The same jig fished at a quarter ounce on a shallow flat and at two ounces in a rip is two completely different presentations, and the fish will tell you which one you needed.
Add a trailer in current
A soft plastic or a strip of squid or pork behind the hook adds profile and scent and slows the fall. In heavy current, that slower fall is often the whole difference.
At a glance
| Type | Bucktail jig |
|---|---|
| Material | Natural deer hair |
| Best for | Striped bass, fluke, redfish, snook |
| Tip | Carry several head weights |
The verdict
If you fish salt from a boat, a jetty or a beach, own a box of these in three weights. Nothing else covers as much water or as many species for as little money.
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