DECATUR — Jigs are tried and true utensils

for catching fish of many species

in Arkansas, from trout requiring

tiny jigs to lead-heavy ones used

for striped bass.

In crappie fishing, many of

Arkansas's better crappie anglers

use only jigs. One form of jigs,

whether using plastic skirts or

trailers or using hair or feathers, is

the micro jig. These are the little

ones which tend to be associated

with trout fishing, but they will

work at times on crappie, bream

and other species, even large

mouth bass.

Professional bass fishermen, at

least most of them, usually have ahandful of small jigs in one of their tackle boxes. These tend to be 1/8th-ounce in weight, but sometimes 1/16th-ounce. They are difficult to cast with standard bass fishing reels.

There isn't a discernible time when these tiny jigs should be brought into action unless it falls into the "match the hatch" technique fly fishermen use with trout. The same game plan can work with bream. Find them dimpling the surface, feeding on small insects, and a micro jig might be just the ticket to get bream hitting for you.

It won't work all the time, but it's a technique worth keeping in mind and gearing up for.

Sports, Pages 6 on 08/12/2009