Hackney goes with a jig to hook bass in January

Greg Hackney has just the artificial lure to stick with patiently during one of the coldest months in Louisiana.

His No. 1 choice is the Strike King Hack Attack Flouro Flipping Jig, to which he adds a Strike King Rage Craw trailer.

“January, for me, is going to be a jig month. It’s my favorite month of all to catch them on a jig. I catch the biggest fish I catch all year in January,” Hackney said. “They bite a jig just so much better in January. I fish it thoroughly and slowly. That’s the way to catch big ones.”

Hackney, a bass pro from Gonzales and host of Sportsman TV, said he designed the jig to specifically be used with fluorocarbon line. 

Different scenarios

The 3/8-ounce model will be a major player in January, he said. Hackney uses the 3/8-ounce model most of the time because he prefers to use the lightest jig he can get away with when fishing light cover like cane and wood. The slower fall is effective then. 

Heavier models — the ½- or ¾-ounce jigs —- are ideal for punching, he said. However, wintertime punching with the jig is different than other seasons, as the matted vegetation has died down, so slipping the jig through cracks in the mat is more efficient.

“That jig has a zero-degree line tie. It’s almost like a worm weight. It goes through cover real well,” he said.

The zero-degree line tie also provides a direct, in-line transfer of energy for improved hooksetting capabilities with less line stress, he pointed out. 

Hackney’s two favorite colors are black/brown/amber and black/blue. He adds a California craw color for the former and a blue bug or blue sapphire color for the latter, although he does experiment with different colors.

He fishes the jig on 25-pound Gamma flourocarbon line with either a 7-foot-6 Lew’s Flippin’ Stick for the 3/8-ounce model or a 7-foot-11 Flippin’ stick for the heavier models. He also throws it on 50-pound Gamma Torque braid.