If you ask Bobby Bergren, he’ll tell you that tungsten and lead jigs each have their place in every ice angler’s tackle box.

Tungsten jigs

Tungsten excels at many different ice fishing scenarios. I opt for tungsten jigs first because they drop fast. The fast drop lets you hop from hole to hole until you find fish. I also use tungsten when fishing in heavily weeded areas––the tungsten jigs can kind of “punch” through thick vegetation when lead jig heads simply cannot.

When the bite is on, you need to make the most out of those transition times, as they typically offer only a small window of time. Tungsten jigs drop fast and can give you extra critical time needed to capitalize on feeding frenzies.

When the bite is tough or the main forage for fish is small, tungsten shines, because it has the needed weight to drop quickly but still offer a smaller profile than your traditional lead-headed ice fishing jigs.

Lead jigs

Even though it seems that tungsten is far superior to lead, don’t go out onto the ice without lead jigs!

Lead works best for fishing depths of up to 8 feet, but especially shine in the 4- to 5-foot range. In shallow waters, lead is the go-to because it typically has a slower fall rate than tungsten. Sometimes a slow-falling lead head ice jig will outperform tungsten, even in deeper water.

A slow-falling jig becomes an important part of your arsenal after you’ve fished an area with tungsten and caught a lot of the aggressive fish, and the fish have become wary of your bait. Switch to a rod loaded with a lead-headed jig, and drop it down slowly and gently. You will trigger bites that the brash tungsten jigs fail to capture.

The lead ice fishing jig market offers virtually every size, color, and attractors. With lead, the options are limitless, and you can find all the best colors and sizes. Lead ice jigs don’t break the bank either, so you can walk out of your tackle store with a fistfull of jigs and be able to cover every jig needed for bluegills and crappies.

When it comes to lead ice jig brands, I like K&E Moon Glow jigs, Fat Boys, ice jigs with hair, and about everything offered by Custom Jigs & Spins.

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