New Mop Jig Skirts for BIG Jigs, Spinnerbaits and Buzzbaits

In spring 2006, bass pro Davey Hite bounced a big rubber jig, uniquely styled with extra long, super thick strands according to local custom, to win the Elite Series event at Clark Hill Lake on the border of South Carolina and Georgia near Augusta.

Now, the term "big rubber" jig may make you think Hite used a flipping jig, but not quite. You've surely seen flipping jigs before, but chances are, you've probably never seen jigs like Hite threw in that tournament.

One story reported that Kevin Van Dam (who was Hite's travel partner at that tournament) dubbed them "mop jigs" since the living rubber strands were thick enough to swab the deck with them. Other stories quoted Hite who called them "softballs" due their huge bulk and shape.

Big rubber is something that was so out of the ordinary for 99% of anglers back then. All that changed when Hite beat one hundred of the world's elite anglers with big rubber. Hite's success made it instantly of interest to every avid bass angler who suddenly wanted to know all about big rubber, and this article covers the topic nicely:

• Big Rubber Jigs Story by Russ Bassdozer

Big rubber just may have fallen off the radar screen again since then, except that Alton Jones recently won the Bassmaster Classic in February 2008, and Jones has been reported to be using big rubber mop skirts on his jig heads to win the Classic. This has created a renewed interest, and you can be sure to hear more mention of big rubber soon.

Especially with the Bassmaster Elite tour coming back to Clark Hill again real soon (which will be on May 1, 2008), you can bet some big rubber softballs are going to get batted around there by the top tour pros there.

The mop skirts below are of a similar style as the original living rubber skirts. They feature long, big, wide strands, bulky profiles - but are made of silicone rubber instead of latex rubber.

These silicone rubber mop skirts are seven inches long with forty-five "double wide cut" strands.

Mop Skirt ~ Black Blue

Mop Skirt ~ Green Pumpkin

Mop Skirt ~ Fire Tiger

Mop Skirt ~ Chartreuse White Bone

Mop Skirt ~ Rainbow Trout

Size Comparison to Standard 5" Skirts

Examples below of:

1. Full Look. All strands end evenly. A little shorter and bulkier.
2. Layered Look. A little longer body and tail effect. more like a big baitfish.

You may achieve either of these looks by rigging the skirt with the short hairs to front (layered look) or with long hairs to front (full look) when you put it on a jig, spinnerbait or buzzbait.