Ultralight Micro Jigs – Hand-Tied Lures for Perch, Trout and Coarse Fish

What are micro jigs?

Micro jigs are very small spinning lures for ultralight tackle. Each one is hand-tied from fly tying materials on a jig hook with a tungsten bead. Elsewhere the name "micro jig" often means a small jig head for soft lures or a small metal jig for sea fishing – ours are complete lures, ready to fish and made for freshwater fishing.

Ultralight lure fishing is growing fast, and micro jigs are one of its basic lures. They catch perch and trout, and also coarse fish that few anglers used to target with lures: rudd, roach, bream, chub and ide. With good micro jigs in your box you can fish almost any water – river, pond or lake.

Which micro jig for which fish?

Micro jigs with larger tungsten beads are heavier, so you can cast them further and fish them more aggressively. Perch like this and are often caught on micro jigs. A good choice here is a mop jig – a micro jig tied with mop chenille.

The lightest and smallest micro jigs have 4.0 mm tungsten beads. They are a great choice for fishing on the drop: the most cautious fish need a very slow presentation and respond well to such light lures.

Patterns that imitate nymphs and larvae – stonefly, mayfly or caddis – catch the most cautious and selective fish, such as crucian carp, tench and even carp.

For larger jigs, see our perch jig lures and trout jig lures.

Hand-tied on barbless hooks

Most of our micro jigs are tied on barbless Hanak hooks, so you can release a fish quickly and without the extra damage a barb always causes. We tie them from natural and synthetic fly tying materials.

Compared with small soft lures on jig heads, micro jigs are more durable and you can fish with them for longer.

If you are new to ultralight lure fishing, we also offer a micro jig set with a selection of proven patterns.

How to fish micro jigs: line, leader and retrieve

Because micro jigs are so light, the right tackle matters: a suitable ultralight rod, very thin line – monofilament (e.g. 0.12 mm) or braid (e.g. 0.04 mm) – and a small reel with a smooth drag.

The end of the line is important. With braid, use a leader, ideally fluorocarbon of about 0.14 mm. With mono, choose a thin, good-quality line of 0.10–0.12 mm. A snap adds unnecessary weight and makes the jig fall faster, so if you do not need one, tie the jig directly to the line.

A micro jig is very versatile, so try different presentations. In waters without many snags you can fish the jig right along the bottom. Bites are then much more delicate and take some practice to detect. A nymph or larva imitation works very well here.

When you fish for rudd, crucian carp, bream or even tench, retrieve as slowly as you can, with pauses, and give the jig an occasional gentle twitch with the rod tip.