Review of the Clam Drop Jig
Summary: This little gem by Clam is in my view the preeminent tear drop shaped tungsten ice fishing jig on the market today.
4
Recommended
The Clam Drop Jig is the preeminent tear drop shaped tungsten ice fishing jig on the market today. While there are many similar jigs on the market this one seems to be the best of its kind.
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I included the Drop Jig by the famous Clam company in my list of the best ice fishing jigs, and for good reason! I have probably caught more fish on this jig than any other over the least three seasons.
The Clam Drop Jig is not to be confused with the Clam Drop Kick Jig or the colorful bejeweled Epoxy Drop. I have covered both on other parts of this site. They are both good jigs, but they are different from the more classic Drop Jig.
About the Drop Jig
The Drop Jig is small but powerful. It is so because it is made from tungsten. Tungsten is now becoming more popular than lead in fishing lures like jigs. That’s because it is much heavier than lead. A small amount of tungsten will sink more than a larger amount of lead. Tungsten is also more environmentally friendly than lead which as we all know is pretty bad stuff, especially when it gets into the water.
You can fish the Drop Jig in a wide variety of situations. I always tip it with some kind of bait. Usually that means two or three maggots but other times I’ll go with a single wax worm. I have had more luck catching trout when the jig is tipped with a wax worm but I don’t know if the worm is the reason for that. It may just be that I was using wax worms while fishing in places with more trout!
The Drop Jig is a good jig for catching rainbow trout, brown trout and brook trout under the ice. It also works on a myriad of other species ranging from panfish like bluegills and crappies to perch and walleyes. I have even caught suckers on Drop Jigs while ice fishing! I can’t say that about any other lure I have ever used.
Variations
Gold is my go to color for the Drop Jig. In fact it’s my go to jig most of the time. If I’m on the ice and unsure of what to use I almost always tie on a gold drop jig in size 12 to start. If not I’ll put on a Drop Kick Jig or a Slender Spoon in firetiger.
Of course the Drop Jig also comes in a number of other colors and they all have their place. The usual suspects apply to the Drop Jig just like any other lure. So dark colors work well on dark days. Bright colors work well in deep water. Glow has its place too.
I think the shape of the jig makes it more appealing to light biting fish. While it will definitely catch aggressive biters like roaming cold water trout it really comes into its own with fish that aren’t necessarily actively hunting. Rather than a big bulky bait with sharp edges, the Drop Jig looks like a little piece of food that can be easily sucked in without much effort. Fish looking to maximize their energy notice that kind of thing.
The only real downside of the Drop Jig is that it is so dynamic that it can miss the waves sent out by an ice fishing flasher. When you’re using a small Drop Jig and fishing deep you sometimes won’t see much of anything on the screen showing the jig unless you bounce it around under the water. It isn’t totally invisible but it comes and goes as waves bounce off of the jig.
Still the quality of the Drop Jig and its ability to catch fish makes it worth purchasing. My box is full of these things.
The Clam Drop Jig is available from Amazon.
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