Micro Jigs for Fly Fishing Trout and Panfish
The short answer: a quality micro jig is one of the best "flies" you can put on a fly rod for trout and panfish. Zig Jig micro jigs come in 1/64, 1/80 and 1/124 oz, and they're tied to the same standards as our full-size jigs, on hooks that won't straighten out on a good fish.
Why we started making micro jigs
Most micro jigs on the market are tied on cheap gold hooks that bend out easily. Our friends who guide fly anglers on the White and Norfork rivers in Arkansas and the Green River in northeast Utah kept losing customers' fish to them, and they pushed us to make a better one. We did, and we won't sell anything we wouldn't fish ourselves.
Four ways to fish a micro jig
1. Under a strike indicator
Dead-drift it like any nymph. The indicator controls your depth for the whole drift, and the goal is to present the jig at the same speed as everything else drifting past the fish.
2. Without an indicator, like a Woolly Bugger
Fish it on a tight line and strip it, or pop it vertically. You control the depth and add action, and both retrieves catch a lot of fish.
3. As a dropper under a dry fly
Hang a micro jig under a hopper, a Chernobyl ant or any big dry fly. Several guides we know fish them this way, especially on the Green River in Utah, with tremendous success. Many of their customers call us after their trip to order their own.
4. Vertical for crappie and bluegill
Micro jigs are deadly on panfish. Use a long rod or a fiberglass crappie pole, let out just enough line to reach the depth the fish are holding, and drop the jig into a brush pile or treetop. Let it sit. The marabou pulses in the water, and the fish just can't stand it.
Proof that small jigs catch big fish
James Carver landed a 32-inch, 22 lb San Juan River brown trout in New Mexico on a 1/64 oz Olive Zig Jig micro jig. See more in the gallery.
Frequently asked questions
What sizes do Zig Jig micro jigs come in?
1/64, 1/80 and 1/124 oz, 12 per pack.
Can I fish micro jigs on a spinning rod?
Micros are light to cast on their own, so on a spinning rod most anglers fish them under a float. For 1/32 oz and up, the Crossfire rod is built for it.
Do micro jigs work for bass?
Yes. They catch trout, bass, crappie and bluegill.