My fishing partner and good friend Tommy Vaughn, the originator of the Rooty Tooty 309 crappie jig is bringing back a new and improved version of this iconic fishing lure. Tommy's late father Billy, one of the founding fathers of vertical jigging, honed his skills in the 50's at the newly formed Santee Cooper lakes located in South Carolina. For those not familiar, these lake are choked full of cover. Trees, stumps, logs, and grass are abundant throughout the watershed. A special technique was needed, hence the birth of vertical jigging. A long rod with plenty of backbone to drag the fish from the heavy cover, line as heavy as 20 pound test that could handle the abuse of the structure being fished, and a jig with an extra strong hook that wouldn't bend under the stress of a heavy fish being manhandled were needed to be successful. The rods and line were available, as most know crappie jigs, for the most part have thin wire hooks. When Tommy came along, he began tinkering with tying his own baits. He knew what was needed to fish the heavy structure and came up with a jig that was suitable for the task, born was the Rooty Tooty 309! The originals consisted of a rubber skirt and a few base colors that were very popular with the locals. With demand high, he chose to start selling them and was doing quite well when mass produced mini jigs hit the market and the hand tied jigs just couldn't compete cost wise.
With the introduction of silicone sheeting material, and every color combination known to man now available, Tommy again started tying jigs. The hooks are still very strong, but are much thinner in diameter. He and I have been using them over the last two years perfecting color combinations, jig head shape, weight, and hook sizes that are proven successful. I've been a member on Crappie.com during that time span and have posted thousands of crappie caught using these baits. Once all is in order, they will again be on the market. I've recently posted some jig pics on this sight and will soon become a member sponsor to promote their sales in the near future.
With the introduction of silicone sheeting material, and every color combination known to man now available, Tommy again started tying jigs. The hooks are still very strong, but are much thinner in diameter. He and I have been using them over the last two years perfecting color combinations, jig head shape, weight, and hook sizes that are proven successful. I've been a member on Crappie.com during that time span and have posted thousands of crappie caught using these baits. Once all is in order, they will again be on the market. I've recently posted some jig pics on this sight and will soon become a member sponsor to promote their sales in the near future.
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