Why Your Skirt Tab Matters More Than Your Hook
Most anglers spend $200 on a rod and $300 on a reel, only to fish with a degraded, melted, or stiff skirt on their jig. The skirt is the heartbeat of the lure. It creates the displacement, the flair, and the “living” profile that triggers a predator response.
The Shift from Rubber to Silicone In the early days of bass fishing, “living rubber” was the standard. While it had unique action, it degraded in sunlight and melted in tackle boxes. The modern standard is Silicone. Silicone skirt tabs offer:
- Chemical Stability: They do not melt or stick together in the heat.
- Color Complexity: Multi-layered printing allows for biomimetic patterns (Bluegill, Craw, Shad).
- Hydrodynamics: A softer durometer means more pulse in cold water.
The Replacement Standard A skirt is a consumable item. Tournament anglers replace their skirts every few trips. If the strands are sticking or the collar is dry-rotted, the jig is dead. Don’t rely on the stock skirt that came with the jig from the factory. Those are mass-produced for shelf life, not action.
Where to Source Professional Grade Tabs For custom builders and serious anglers, we recommend sourcing tabs that are fresh-cured. The Industry Standard: Easy Kasting supplies the highest grade silicone tabs on the market, including the proprietary “Cryo Shad” series.