Tungsten Fly #2

(Continuation from "The Tungsten Fly")

The last article was on the VMC Tungsten Fly, but many different ice fishing tackle manufacturers
make tungsten fly lures. For example, Northland makes a tungsten fly lure called the Northland Tungsten Larva Fly Jig. This lure is different than the VMC Tungsten Fly jig because it was designed to have a vertical presentation rather a horizontal presentation. Although a very disputed topic within the ice fishing community, personally, I feel that vertical jigs are better suited for picky fish. A very small sized Tungsten Fly Jig will have a slow descent rate due to the buoyancy of the hair. In this way, a Northland Tungsten Fly Jig in a very small size would be my lure of choice to catch finicky, shallow water bluegill and crappie. The Northland jig is also available in much smaller sizes - to as small as 1/100th Oz. - and is available in many different colors that better replicate natural forage. My preferred color for the Northland jig is 'bloodworm', which has red hair and a metal bead.

Bloodworms are a popular forage in the lakes I fish, and the predominate forage in lake basins where I fish is bloodworms and other very small macro - invertebrates that live in the mud bottoms. I am unsure if bluegill and small panfish actively pursue baitfish and larger offerings during lethargic winter periods.

2 VMC 1/64th oz. flies on the left

When fishing the Northland jig, I prefer to employ a natural, slow moving cadence in order to entice a more natural, feeding strike from fish; whereas, when I am using the VMC Tungsten Fly, because of its more dense hair, heavier weight, and horizontal presentation, I generally opt. for a more active bouncing cadence that replicates a baitfish. The cadence that I employ on the VMC jig is very comparable to the cadence that I would employ, on a traditional Tungsten/lead jig.

Northland Jig on the Right

Another pro that I have observed in my initial employment of the Northland jig, is that it has a larger hook, despite having a much lighter weight. In my professional opinion, I feel as though this larger hook, although possibly made of a lighter wire, is sufficient enough in landing the panfish which I seek. Because of this increased hook size, there is a larger shank and gap in the hook, which allows for ample amounts of bait to be put on the Northland jig(a critique of the VMC jig was that the hook shank was too small to put bait on). Despite having a very small shank that will not accommodate large bait offerings, the VMC lure really shines with a 'smidge' of plastic on the end of the hook: the tip of the tail of a TriggerX Spike Worm.

The Northland Tungsten Larva Fly Jig is a more versatile jig than its collages: more colors and weight options. Furthermore, it is  a more subtle presentation than a horizontal jig - due to its vertical presentation; however, the VMC jig still has its place and purposes.

The VMC jig, although having less color choices, offers glow options, as well as the Metallic Rainbow color, which is by far my favorite name of a color, and one of my best producing colors of jigs. Furthermore, the Tungsten fly is my confidence bait, and it consistently preforms with regards to quality and quantity of fish.



Links for purchasing:

https://www.fishusa.com/product/Northland-Tungsten-Larva-Flies ($2.99 for a pack of 1 jig)

https://www.fishusa.com/product/VMC-Tungsten-Fly-Jigs ($4.79-$5.29 for a pack of 2 jigs)




Thanks a bunch for reading,
Paul 1.18.18