We are going to show our age a bit on this “Under the Radar” but as oldtimers to this sport we have seen a ton of products. As bait junkies its easy to weed through the bad ones to find the good ones. Staying power is critical and staying in tune with innovation but never losing track of the things that got them there is a tell tale sign of companies who “get it”. One of the first jigs we ever tied on was an Arkie Jig. It caught bass then and is still catching them today. Ask a jig fisherman if he has heard of Arkie and we will guarantee a story comes with it. Arkie has been around for a very long time and will be around for a lot longer, that is for sure.
They were hand tied, came in the best fish catching colors and fish loved them. The first jigs were trailed with pork. Our favorites were Uncle Josh Spring Lizard pups and the Number 11 Pork Chunk. Old school by many’s description but still one of the best fish catching jigs out there.
The Arkie Jig had a very unique head design, built in tapered weedguard, extra sharp hooks and some of the best colors ever offered. They not only worked well in deep water applications but was a great flipping jig as well. Not much has changed today. Arkie is still a leader in jigs but they also have added a bunch of new products to their arsenal as well. Spinnerbaits, buzzbaits,trailers, swimbait hooks, lead heads, grubs and a host of other products dot their catalog.
Arkie has several models of bass fishing jigs today. They have silicone skirts, those with living rubber and even carry bucktail jigs as well. They have the Matrix,X-Press, Rattle Band as well as two different versions of bucktails.
We have some very fond memories of fishing with an Arkie Jig and hope to get a few more in the future.
Arkie products have won both the Bassmaster Classic and the Red Man All American.
Based in Springdale, Arkansas Arkie sponsors BASS Elite Series pro Gerald Swindle.
