Review of the Marmooska Jig
Summary: The Marmooska is one of the most sought after ice fishing jigs ever sold. It's not pretty but this jig has what it takes to catch fish.
4
Recommended
The Marmooska Jig by HT enterprises is one of the most sought after jigs by hardcore ice fisherman. It’s not a work of art by any means but it is legendary for fishing the hard water.
Apparently the first jigs of this kind came from Russia where they were called marmyshka. That name came from a word used to describe small insects in the water that fish mostly found though sensing their movement. That’s the legend anyway.
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That could help explain why the HT Marmooska Jig is the stuff of legends. I remember about a decade back before ice fishing gear was so easy to buy on the internet. Guys would sign up for orders of Marmooska Jigs at my local tackle shop in hopes of getting their hands on some of the infamous little lures.
Marmooska jig history
They used to come on cards with each individually wrapped jig pulled off when purchased. But at my local shop guys would order whole cards so they could get a wide variety. Nowadays that’s not required since you can order a whole variety of Marmooskas over the internet directly to your door with a click or two. But many hardcore ice anglers continue to feel the same way about Marmooskas as they did in the past.
I can’t be sure but I think the Marmooska might have been the first tungsten ice fishing jig sold widely across the United States. In any event the now well known HT company stepped up the Marmooska marketing game at some point. Then they started selling a wide variety of lures under the Marmooska imprint. So there are now “Marmooska spoons” and other lures with the name, but in my mind, and the minds of others like me, the Marmooska is a specific type of jig.
Marmooskas are still reliable
Marmooskas were originally hand painted. I don’t know if they still are. When they were it was pretty obvious. The paint was usually not symmetrical and the dots painted on for eyes would be in different places. That was part of the charm if not one of the reasons they caught so many fish. Some of the Marmooskas I see sold today have more professional paint looking paint jobs but I am glad the traditional type of Marmooska Jig is still around too.
If I didn’t include the Marmooska Jig on my list of the best ice fishing jigs that’s not because the jig isn’t great. It was simply based on the realization that some of the other more common jigs like the very similar K&E Skandia are probably just as good. Plus they’re a little better looking on the eyes.
Still, I continue to reach for my Marmooska Jigs year after year. And so do the other ice fishing veterans I hang around. The red and black and chartreuse and orange continue to be killers and put lots of trout, perch and crappie on the ice for me year after year.
The Marmooskas are unique in shape and paint. That might be all it takes to make them catch fish. On the other hand I am quite sure that nostalgia also has something to do with their continued popularity.
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