I agree with most of the comments already made plus I would like to offer just a bit more insight.
Attached is a photo of the styles of Tog jigs I typically use.
Although for some strange reason there are rare days when it seems one color may produce more, I would largely attribute that to the skill of the individual fisherman. Having said that I do tend to favor colors that are fairly close to the bait you are using. Hence, since I use mostly green and occasionally white crabs, I look for colors that closely match those shades. The 3 jigs on the right side, from top to bottom, are black/orange, green/orange, and yellow/orange combinations. On the left side the top is straight orange, middle is dark green with a touch of black on top, and the bottom is orange/black striped. BTW, I ran out of the white/brown colored jigs last fall so that might be a hint!
When it comes to shapes, here is where things can get a bit more specialized. In general, I think most of us favor the flat style jig where the hook bend and point rest upright on the bottom. All the jigs illustrated in my photo have this characteristic. However, the jigs on the left side have a narrower profile. We all know that the best Tog drops are often the stickiest. If you find yourself losing a ton of the flat style jigs, sometimes switching to a narrower profile jig will help you minimize the loss. When I first started Tog Jigging about 8 or 9 years ago there were much fewer jig styles available. I initially bought a half dozen of some very rudimentary flat style jigs. The lead head was flat as a coin and the hook came straight out of the narrow profile. No way this jig was presenting the hook in an upright fashion. Still, I managed to land at least 2 DD fish on these early jigs, and I distinctly recall using a couple of them for more than 2 seasons without losing many to the rubble. Hence my suggestion for a narrower profile, at times.
Another key point already made concerns hook size and sharpness. Pay very close attention to the gauge of the hook used, Most Tog jigs are fitted with 3/0 or 4/0 hooks, but you want to make sure they are 2X strong. Fine wire hooks can definitely bend out on a powerful Tog run. Also touch up the points frequently due to the constant contact with hook dulling rocks.
Finally, like most types of fishing, using the lightest weight you can while still maintaining bottom contact helps to enhance the overall presentation. As was also mentioned earlier the whole concept of Tog jigging is to present the bait on such a light delivery system that the fish does not notice something is odd and quickly inhales the baited hook.
Ther are several vendors at the Ward Melville show with all kinds of offerings for Tog jigging. I too have successfully used the All-American Tackle jigs and Benny is very competitive on his pricing. The Magic Tails and Tidal Tails products are available from a wide variety of vendors. Last year I tried some Tog jigs from Anytime Tackle, a LI based company, and they also make a very nice quality product.
If you still want to learn more, I am sure that at least one or more presenters will have seminars covering the art of Blackfish Jigging!
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