Stand-Up and Be Counted

Stand-Up and Be Counted

Northland^® Fishing Tackle’s new Tungsten Stand-Up and Short Shank Stand-Up Jigs increase your count of walleyes, smallmouth bass, and more.

BEMIDJI, Minn. (September 5, 2024) – Northland’s tungsten tsunami continues to swell with the introduction of the new Tungsten Stand-Up Jig and Tungsten Short Shank Stand-Up Jig, adding to numbers of tungsten models created over the past few seasons. Following in the footsteps of the original Fire-Ball Stand-Up series, these new tungsten offerings further improve upon finesse bottom jigging techniques.

“They stand right up and create a natural presentation,” said Northland ambassador and walleye tournament ace Tom Huynh, who we caught up with live-on-the-water jigging walleyes. Be it tank testing or studying in the clear shallows, Huynh is a student of lure behavior and a master at replicating prey species. And he says the new Tungsten Stand-Up Jig and Tungsten Short Shank Stand-Up Jig set the baseline for authenticity.

“With a buoyant plastic, like Northland Eye-Candy, the combination perfectly replicates a baitfish feeding on the bottom,” said Huynh. He credits the 45-degree hook angle for causing the plastic to replicate reality. Baitfish don’t feed vertically – they approach the bottom at an angle.

Huynh is literally hung-up on accuracy, choosing the most natural Eye-Candy shapes and colors. He most often fishes the Eye-Candy Minnow, in both 3- and 4-inch versions depending on the situation. Huynh’s second choice for walleyes is the Eye-Candy Grub followed by the Jig Crawler. But he expects the new Eye-Candy Leech to quickly move up his depth chart.

The realness continues with how the buoyant Eye-Candy plastics behave when paired with the new tungsten stand-ups. “It’s so natural,” he said. “The tails constantly move when you’re jigging, even just quivering the bait on the bottom. Because of natural lake currents, you can actually hold your rod perfectly still and the Eye-Candy plastic keeps moving just a little.” Now that’s seductive.

Here’s a stunner. Huynh says the mere approach of fish creates momentum in the water and moves the bait. And that extra flicker of action often triggers an attack.

GLO MOONLIGHT

GLO WATERMELON

OLIVE

BLACK

Not surprisingly, Huynh’s quest for perfection doesn’t end there. He thoughtfully matches the color of his Tungsten Stand-Up Jig and Tungsten Short Shank Stand-Up Jig to its Eye-Candy counterpart. His top two combinations are a black tungsten stand-up with black Eye-Candy and olive jig (color he co-created with Northland) with pumpkin. Huynh’s other two winners are a black head with Eye-Candy in Fathead or Smelt colors. Notice, the theme never changes. It’s all about emulation.

More on color selection… Huynh says black is effective in all situations, all water color conditions, as it offers a natural silhouette that fish are used to encountering. Olive, he says, blends in perfectly with weeds, centering attention on the Eye-Candy or live bait, not the jig head. Huynh also says a recent study determined that walleyes are keenly attracted to green.

Which tungsten jig he selects is dependent on the length of his Eye-Candy pairing. Huynh fishes the Tungsten Stand-Up Jig on 4-inch plastics and the Tungsten Short Shank Stand-Up Jig on 3-inch Eye-Candy offerings.

Huynh also contends that bigger, smarter fish are more apt to inhale the tungsten stand-up and Eye-Candy. “They’re curious, and the tungsten jig and Eye-Candy combination is something they likely haven’t seen before.”

Now Huynh does admit that a lively minnow pinned to the bottom on a tungsten stand-up jig is also effective, the bait angled upwards at 45-degrees with its tail pumping.

Huynh also uses very specific gear to fish the Tungsten Stand-Up Jig and Tungsten Short Shank Stand-Up Jig. All spinning, he works a 6’ 3” DAIWA TD EYE rod for what he calls “target shooting” – precision casting to fish revealed with his forward-facing sonar Garmin unit. He will extend out to a 7’ version of the same rod when long bombs are required.

Huynh’s reel selection is interesting, too. Where the average angler might select a typical 2500 size reel, he prefers the control of the smaller 1000 size, operating a DAIWA KAGE LT, and looking forward to fishing the improved version, which hits the market soon.

For line, Huynh spools 10-lb. DAIWA J-BRAID x8 Grand to which he ties an 8-lb. DAIWA J-FLUORO Leader.

GLO MOONLIGHT

GLO WATERMELON

OLIVE

BLACK

Another multispecies wizard, Northland pro Brian “Bro” Brosdahl, chimed in. “The new Tungsten Stand-Up and Tungsten Short Shank Stand-Up Jigs fall so fast you can get away with a smaller size.” For reference, if you’re accustomed to fishing a ¼-ounce lead jig, you can fish a 1/8-ounce tungsten jig, and still reap the rewards of improved sensitivity.

“The hooks are incredibly sharp, too, and the jigs match up perfectly with Eye-Candy plastics,” Bro continued. “The buoyancy holds the jig upright. It looks real and sits at the perfect angle for a solid hookset.” Bro’s live bait options for the tungsten stand-ups are leeches, nose hooked minnows, and leeches. His preferred terrain for tungsten stand-up jigs are short weeds, gravel, and rocks.

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ABOUT Northland® Fishing Tackle

In 1975, a young Northwoods fishing guide named John Peterson started pouring jigs and tying tackle for his clients in a small remote cabin in northern Minnesota. The lures were innovative, made with high quality components, and most importantly, were catching fish when no other baits were working! Word spread like wildfire, the phone started ringing… and the Northland Fishing Tackle® brand was in hot demand! For 40 years now, John and the Northland® team have been designing, testing and perfecting an exclusive line of products that catch fish like no other brand on the market today. Manufactured in the heart of Minnesota’s finest fishing waters, Northland® is one of the country’s leading producers of premium quality jigs, live bait rigs, spinnerbaits and spoons for crappies, bluegills, perch, walleyes, bass, trout, northern pike and muskies.