SWIM JIG Legend
Monsoor ’ s signature swim jigs were born out of necessity : He created his “ perfect ” swim jig to suit his tournament needs .
PHOTO BY ROB MATSUURA
Each and every swim jig that Monsoor uses is built by his hands . While commercial versions matching his strict standards are now available , Monsoor is insistent on only using baits he makes , one by one , at his kitchen table . He builds over 3,000 jigs throughout the year , each as perfect as the last . Every element of the lure has been closely contemplated , designed and tested on thousands of bass ( or subsequently rejected ) until excellence was achieved .
It ’ s hard to trace which detail gave Monsoor the most trouble to get right . One would assume finding the correct hook would be no small task , but he insists that nearly every detail – the head shape , skirt material , paint type , even the softness of the bristle weed guard – required years of trial and error to perfect . While the build process seems tedious to most , for Monsoor , it ’ s an extension of his passion , his relaxation to some degree , and a way to keep his mind fishing 12 months a year .
IN THE BEGINNING
When Monsoor won his first tournament swimming a jig , there was no such thing as a “ swim jig .” The year was 1986 , and he had known for nearly a decade that his hometown bass were suckers for a jig fished fast . Using a modified Hildenbrandt model , he searched for a better way . Working closely with a mold fabricator , Monsoor first addressed the immediate problem in front of him : head design .
“ The head is down-pat and has been since the beginning ,” Monsoor remarks , somewhat surprisingly .
As he later discovered , getting any variable of lure-making right the first time is a rare occurrence .
“ The weight is back and in the belly of the head , and there ’ s a keel ,” he adds . “ It ’ s shaped like a boat , that way it swims straight ; there ’ s absolutely no wobble or roll .”
Molded within the head of Monsoor ’ s jigs is a standard skirt collar and a specialized trailer keeper .
“ It ’ s a wire keeper ,” he explains . “ Not too light where it will bend , and not too heavy . I shape each wire keeper by hand .”
The carefully thought-out head is , of course , molded around an even more strategic hook .
EVERY SONG NEEDS A HOOK
“ The hook is the whole reason I designed this thing ,” he says . “ I tried all the hooks I could find ; I had to use them to know .”
Monsoor ’ s biggest hurdle was to determine the exact bend for the jig ’ s vertical eye .
“ Now that was a marathon ,” he quips . “ It had to be a 28- degree bend . I knew because I bent every single hook by hand .”
Starting with Texas-rig worm hooks , Monsoor perfected the bend , then went looking for a supplier that could match it . What he found was a requirement to buy hooks in 100,000 lots , and many made with the wrong material ,
48 MAJORLEAGUEFISHING . COM | APRIL-MAY 2021