Quality vs Quantity

Hello there! So you’re curious about what makes quality jigs (like the ones from Codalures) different from the cheap, mass-produced alternatives? 

Pull up a chair—let’s talk jigs. Imagine you’re chatting with a buddy who’s passionate about fishing, and they spill the beans on why some jigs just catch more fish and last longer. It boils down to a simple idea: quality over quantity. High-end jigs are built with care—hand-tied skirts, hand-powder-coated and baked paint jobs, premium hooks—while mass-produced ones often cut corners. The result? Quality jigs not only perform better on the water, but they also hold up fish after fish, trip after trip. Let’s dive into the differences in plain language.

When we talk about quality jigs, it’s all about the little details that mass producers often overlook. Think of it like the difference between a home-cooked meal and fast food. Sure, both fill your belly, but one is made with love and the other is churned out in a hurry. Here are some key areas where craftsmanship shines:

• Skirt Attachment (Hand-Tied vs. Bands): The skirt on a jig gives it life-like motion. Quality jigs use hand-tied (wire-tied) skirts, meaning each skirt is secured with wire by hand, one at a time. This method keeps the skirt snug and durable. Mass-produced jigs? They usually slap on a rubber band (collar) to hold the skirt​. It’s quicker and cheaper, but those rubber collars can degrade and break over time​. Ever had a jig come back with no skirt at all? That’s a common fate of a cheap banded skirt—over time the band dry-rots, and one day you reel in a “naked” jig with the skirt gone​! With a hand-tied jig, you won’t have that problem. The wire won’t rot or slip, so your skirt stays put cast after cast​. This means more time fishing and less time fiddling with your lure.




• Paint Finish (Powder-Coated & Baked vs. Dipped): Ever notice how some jig heads start chipping after hitting a few rocks or fish? Many mass-produced jigs are just dipped in paint or given a quick coat to look good on the shelf. The paint can be thin or not properly cured, so it flakes off easily. Quality jigs are different – they’re usually hand powder-coated and then baked for a tough finish. Baking after powder painting bonds the color to the lead head, making it way more chip-resistant​. In other words, a premium jig’s paint job won’t peel off just because you had a busy day casting into heavy cover. That means your jig stays realistic-looking and rust-free longer, which can help you catch more fish (plus, it just looks nicer in your tackle box!).




• Hooks and Hardware: The business end of any jig is the hook. High-quality jigs come with sharper, stronger hooks from reputable brands (think Mustad, Owner, etc.), so they won’t bend out or dull easily. Cheaper jigs often use thinner, weaker hooks to save cost. The difference hits home when you hook into a big bass – a quality jig hook sinks in deep and hangs on, whereas a flimsy hook might straighten and let that lunker get away. Quality jigs also feature sturdy weed guards and corrosion-resistant snaps or ties where needed. For example, Codalures outfits their jigs with heavy-duty hooks and even beefed-up blade attachments on their bladed jigs for maximum toughness​.




• Design and Testing: Craftsmanship isn’t just about materials; it’s about design. A lot of mass-produced jigs are generic molds pumped out by the thousands. High-end jig makers (like Codalures) fine-tune their designs through research and field testing. The head shape, balance, and skirt profile are optimized for real performance, not just easy manufacturing. That means a quality jig is more likely to swim true, resist snagging, and “feel” right on the line. For instance, the Codalures team spent months custom-designing their bladed jig (the “Coda Vibe”) so that the blade starts vibrating immediately on the retrieve and the jig doesn’t roll on a fast swim​. Many cheap bladed jigs require a hard jerk to start vibrating or tend to tilt and roll, which hurts the action. With a well-designed jig, you get consistent performance right out of the package.

Real-World Benefits on the Water

So, all these fancy construction details sound nice—but what do they actually mean for you on the water? Let’s paint a picture. Say you’re an angler who’s still learning the ropes (or maybe you’ve been around a while but never gave much thought to your tackle). Here’s how using a quality jig can make a difference in your fishing success:

Durability = More Fishing Time: 

With a quality jig, you’re not constantly dealing with skirts sliding down or falling off. No more pausing to fix your lure after every other cast. Rubber collars on cheap jigs can slip, especially if you’re doing something like skipping a jig under docks—after a few skips, the skirt on a low-end jig might start to slide down the hook, making your lure look goofy. A hand-tied skirt stays in place, so you can keep casting confidently. And when your jig’s paint doesn’t chip, you don’t end up with a bare lead head that might spook fish or rust your hook eye. Bottom line: less tinkering, more fishing.

Consistent Action: High-quality jigs are reliable. 

Cast after cast, they behave the way they should. The skirt on a well-made jig will flare and undulate in the water just as designed, because it’s secured properly and made of full, premium silicone strands. That lifelike action can be the difference between a fish ignoring your lure or inhaling it. If you’ve ever had a day where one specific lure was the star of the show, you know consistency matters. Quality jigs give you that repeatable performance. Each one is like the last in build, so if you have a favorite model (say, an all-purpose jig or a finesse jig you trust), you know any replacement will perform similarly. With cheap bulk jigs, the performance can be hit or miss – one might run okay, while the next has a bent hook eye or off-center weed guard that messes up its presentation.

Confidence Booster: 

There’s a mental edge to using gear you trust. When you tie on a jig that you know was meticulously made, you just feel more confident. You can focus on the fishing, not worrying “Is my skirt still there? Is the hook going to hold?” That confidence often translates into better fishing. You work the jig a bit more attentively, set the hook with authority, and overall fish the lure the way it’s meant to be fished. It’s hard to quantify, but ask any angler who’s used a hand-crafted lure—they’ll tell you confidence is a real thing. When you have confidence in a bait, you fish it harder and longer, which often leads to more bites.

Better Hookup Ratios and Fewer Lost Fish: 

Because quality jigs tend to have sharper hooks and more effective designs, you’re likely to hook more of the fish that bite. That means if a bass mouths your jig, there’s a better chance the hook finds home and stays there. And when that fish digs for cover or jumps, a strong hook won’t straighten out. The result: more fish landed, fewer heartbreaks about “the one that got away.” Over time, that can mean the difference between an average day and a personal-best day on the lake.

Long-Term Value: 

It might seem like those bargain-bin jigs save you money, but consider how often they need to be replaced. A skirt falls off, you toss the jig. Paint chips and it starts looking like a chewed piece of lead, you toss the jig. Hook dulls or rusts, you toss the jig. With quality jigs, you’ll use them far longer before any such issues arise. Many anglers have a few favorite jigs that have caught dozens of fish and are still going strong. In the long run, investing a bit more upfront in a well-made jig can actually save you money (and hassle). Plus, there’s the value of the fish you catch because the lure performed when it mattered—priceless, right?

The Codalures Difference: Crafted for Performance

Let’s get specific. Codalures is a great example of a company that embodies the “quality over quantity” philosophy. These guys build their jigs like they actually fish with them (spoiler: they do!). Every jig in their lineup is made with an attention to detail you won’t find in generic big-box brands. Here are a few hallmarks of how Codalures makes their jigs and bladed jigs:

• Hand-Tied Skirts on Every Jig: Codalures hand-ties all their jig skirts with 26-gauge coated copper wire, one at a time​. They even joke, “Don’t get caught with your skirt down,” because they know a secure skirt means you won’t lose fish due to a slipped band​. This wire-tied approach means no dry-rotting bands and a skirt that stays fluffed out in a natural profile underwater. It’s a bit labor-intensive, sure, but it’s done for you, the angler. In their own words, they go the extra mile on each jig because they care about on-the-water performance, not just cranking out volume​. That right there says it all.

Custom Heads and Premium Finishes: Codalures designs proprietary head shapes for their jigs to improve how they come through cover and how they present to fish. For example, their “Apex” all-purpose jig has a head that’s streamlined for versatility—you can swim it, drag it, or flip it, and it excels in all those uses. All their jig heads are hand-poured (not mass molded overseas) and then powder-painted by hand and baked for a super durable, glossy finish​. They’ve literally built jigs to be fished hard. Bang them on rocks, yank them through weeds—these heads resist chipping and keep looking sharp. Codalures’ emphasis on durability means their jigs can stand up to heavy use (which is exactly what we anglers dish out when the bite is hot).

• Top-Shelf Hooks and Components: When you pick up a Codalures jig, you’ll notice the hook quality immediately. Depending on the model, they use beefy Mustad UltraPoint hooks or Owner 4X strong hooks that are tournament grade​. These hooks are chosen to handle big bass and tough fights. The weed guards are tuned to be effective (keeping snags away) but not so stiff that they impede your hook-set. On their bladed jig (the Coda Vibe), Codalures didn’t cut any corners: it features a patented blade attachment (the Queen’s Tackle Switch Blade, licensed from Z-Man) that connects directly to the hook eye, plus a 75-pound test rated snap for the blade​. Translation: the blade won’t break off or stop chattering even when you rip it through grass or hook something huge. The immediate vibration and lack of blade wobble on the Coda Vibe give you a reliable thump on every retrieve – a huge advantage in drawing strikes. Not many mass-produced chatter-style jigs can claim that level of tuned performance.

• Range of Purpose-Built Models: Codalures offers several specialized jigs, each made with the same attention to quality. Whether it’s the “Twig” Brush Jig for thick cover, the “Flat Rock” Finesse Jig for finicky bites, the “Pig Skin” Football Jig for dragging deep structure, or the “Talisman” Swim Jig for covering water, every one of them is constructed to maximize performance in that scenario (and of course, all have wire-tied skirts and tough powder-coat finishes). This means you can pick the right tool for the job without worrying if it’s going to fall apart on you. You get consistent quality across the board.

What does all this mean? 

It means Codalures jigs are ready for battle as soon as you tie them on. They’re built by folks who love fishing jigs and it shows in the product. As their motto puts it, these lures deliver “unmatched action, durability, and results—because every cast counts”​. When you’re out on the water, every cast really does count, especially when chasing that personal best bass or trying to fill a limit in a tournament. Knowing your jig is up to the task lets you focus on making that cast count.

Quality Over Quantity, Every Time

At the end of the day, the difference between a quality jig and a bargain-bin jig is like the difference between a trusty old friend and an unreliable acquaintance. The quality jig won’t let you down. It’s there for you, ready to perform, fish after fish. Yes, it might cost a bit more than the knockoffs, but the confidence and results it brings are worth every penny. You’ll fish better, have gear that lasts longer, and ultimately catch more fish with a well-made jig.

Next time you’re stocking up your tackle box, remember this chat. Don’t just ask “How many jigs do I get?” – ask “How well are these jigs made?”. When you invest in quality jigs, you’re investing in better fishing experiences. It’s as simple as that.

Call to Action: Ready to elevate your fishing game with some truly quality jigs? Check out Codalures’ lineup of premium hand-tied jigs and bladed jigs on their website. Whether you’re a beginner looking for your first reliable jig or an intermediate angler aiming to up your bass fishing success, give their gear a try. Tie one on, hit the water, and experience the difference that craftsmanship makes. Your future self—gripping a rod bent by a big fish—will thank you!