Marabou Jigs: The Complete Guide to Marabou Trout Jigs
The short answer: a marabou jig is a jig head with soft marabou feathers tied behind it. Marabou "breathes" in the water, so it looks alive even when the jig is sitting still. It's one of the most effective trout jigs ever made, and it catches walleye, crappie, bass and much more. The White River Zig Jig is a hand-tied marabou trout jig with an offset head that zig-zags on the fall instead of dropping straight down.
What is a marabou jig?
A marabou jig has three parts: a weighted head molded onto a hook, a collar of thread, and a tail of marabou feathers. Marabou is extremely soft and fluffy, so the slightest current, wind or twitch of the rod makes it pulse and flow. To a trout, that looks like a baitfish, sculpin, leech or crawfish.
Why the head shape matters
Most marabou jigs have a round head. A round head drops straight down and spends very little time in front of the fish.
The Zig Jig's offset head was designed to fall differently. As it sinks, it zig-zags like wounded prey, so it stays in the strike zone longer. That matters because about 90% of strikes on a Zig Jig come on the drop, usually at the bottom of the fall or as it nears the bottom. See how the Zig Jig works.
What size marabou jig for trout?
Pick the lightest jig that still gets near the bottom in the current you're fishing.
- 1/124 to 1/64 oz micro jigs: clear, skinny water, spring creeks, pressured fish, and fishing under a float or strike indicator. Shop micro jigs
- 1/32 to 1/16 oz: low water and lighter current. 1/16 oz is a great all-around size.
- 1/8 oz: the go-to size on most tailwaters, including the White and North Fork rivers in Arkansas.
- 3/16 to 1/4 oz: high water from dam generation and deeper runs.
- Heavy Duty (1/32 to 1/4 oz, 2x hooks): big trout and heavy current. Shop Heavy Duty
- Super HD (1/4 to 1/2 oz, 2x hooks): big water, big lakes and saltwater. Shop Super HD
Best marabou jig colors
Darker colors are a dependable place to start, and white is the color to match shad. These colors have all landed trophy fish for our customers:
- Black/Olive: a 23.65 lb, 34-inch Lake Taneycomo brown trout in Missouri, and a 21-inch brown in Colorado.
- Olive/Orange: Dale Johnson won the Company Tournament in 2024 and again in 2026 on the same 1/8 oz jig.
- Black/Chartreuse: a 29-plus-pound San Juan River brown trout on a 1/16 oz jig.
- Olive: a 22 lb, 32-inch San Juan River brown on a 1/64 oz micro.
- Chrome/White Tinsel: a 27-inch, 8 lb Beaver Tailwater rainbow.
- White: a 9.5 lb brown below Bull Shoals Dam, and the color to throw during a winter shad kill. Read the winter guide.
Want your own combination? Build your own Zig Jig and pick the head, thread and marabou.
How to fish a marabou jig
- Pop and drop: cast across the current, let it sink to within 3 to 6 inches of the bottom, pop it, then drop the rod tip and reel in the slack as it falls. See the step-by-step guide.
- Under a float or strike indicator: drift a light jig at a set depth and let the current work the marabou.
- On a fly rod: strip it like a Woolly Bugger or hang a micro as a dropper under a dry fly. See the micro jig guide.
- Vertical: drop it straight down into brush for crappie and bluegill.
For the right rod, the Crossfire is a 6'8" ultralight jig rod built for this kind of fishing.
What fish will bite a marabou jig?
Every species of trout, plus walleye, crappie, smallmouth and largemouth bass, northern pike, grayling and salmon. On our Super HD jigs, customers have caught mahi-mahi, tarpon, redfish and more in saltwater. See the catches on our Trophy Wall.
What makes a good marabou jig?
A cheap jig fails fast: paint chips off, feathers pull loose, thread unravels and hooks straighten on a good fish. Look for:
- A tough finish. Zig Jig heads are powder-coated to stand up to rocks and gravel.
- A strong, sharp hook. We use Mustad Ultra Point black nickel hooks, and Heavy Duty and Super HD jigs have 2x-strong hooks.
- Plenty of marabou. More marabou slows the sink rate and keeps the jig in the strike zone longer.
- Hand-tied quality. Every Zig Jig is hand-tied in the USA.
Where marabou jigs come from
Marabou jigs have deep roots in the Ozark tailwaters of Arkansas and Missouri. The Zig Jig was developed on Arkansas' White and North Fork rivers. Founder Richard Cross got hooked on jig fishing below Beaver Dam in the mid-'90s, set out to design a better head, and started selling White River Zig Jigs in 2000. Read our story.
Frequently asked questions
Is a marabou jig a fly or a lure?
Both. Spin anglers cast them on light line, and fly anglers fish lighter ones under an indicator or as a dropper.
Can I fish a marabou jig in catch-and-release water?
Yes. A Zig Jig has a single hook, so pinch the barb and it's legal in single-barbless-hook water. See the barbless guide.
Where can I buy Zig Jigs?
Online here, or at tackle shops, fly shops and resorts in Arkansas, Utah, Colorado, New Mexico and California. Find a dealer.