Matt's right, that brown/purple, is indeed a TNT Wadda! To answer Tony's original question, that certainly is my favorite and I'd recommend it to anyone.
To answer Mac's question, there certainly are a lot of brand jigs out there that work. And one mans reasoning for the best flippen jig, may not be the same as the next. But here's mine and hopefully this will give ya a base in yer process of choosing your next favorite flippen jig.
First and foremost, under most applications, an Arkie head style jig is prefferred for most flippen applications. It just performs better around a wide variety of cover and structue than other jigs heads. It's less likely to get stuck in rocks, rolls up and over branches, floats through the grass, and with the flatter head surfaces, falls slower than other jig heads. All desireable traits in a flippen jig. Cone like or bullet jig heads work really well when flipping into dense vegitation, but I do just fine with the Arkie.
Secondly is the skirted material. I prefer the round rubber. It's much more durable than silicone, and doesn't break down under the sun's UV rays. It's also much more bouyant than silicone. One advantage in silicone though, is if ya want color patterns and options, there's a much wider array of choices with silicone. I pesonally prefer to simplify and only use straight brown and or black. Although, we have provided an array of colored combos with the TNT Wadda jigs. Also, you want a jig that is hand tied with thread. Rubber collars or wire wraps tend to fail. With the rubber band like collars, they deteriorate after a short period, especially when left in the sun. Wire collars will rust in time. Both of these will lead to a flip and or bite, that returns with no skirt, just the jig head! I also prefer a skit that is longer. This provides a longer, slimmer profile as the bait is falling, yet a much bigger profile as it rests on the bottom and the skirt expands and flairs outwards.
The next thing is your hook. There are several points here, in reguards to hook choice, that I think are important. First and foremost is the line tie. There are two types, a perpendicular tie or a parrallel tie. This is the relationship of the circular line tie eye to the hook shank. I personally prefer a parrallel tie, simply due to the minor detail that your line is always going to be in line with the hook shank and point. With the perpendicular line eye, yer knot can slip left or right of center, hence causing the bait to glide left or right, or not guide it properly on the hookset. Second thing is the line tie to hook shank angle. Most jig makers use a 90 degree hook angle, I prefer the 60 degree hook angle. You will git a more open hook gap, in relation to the lead head, with the 60 degree hooks. Allowing for a more successful hookset and penetration.
The last detail of the hook is the actual size. A lot of guys prefer a big 5/0 or 6/0 hook in their jigs. BobbyD makes an outstanding big hook Flippen jig! I prefer a smaller, sharp, solid 4/0 hook like the Mustad Ultra Point used in the Waddas and Rodstrainer jigs. When using the slightly smaller hooks, you have less hook gap, hence when ya stick a fish in it's jaw, the hooks will wedge better and are less likely to be thrown or pop loose. With a bigger hook, you've got to react fast and set REAL hard to penetrate. The larger hook will creat a bigger hole going in, then with a thrashing head, a bass can toss that 1/2 oz jig to and fro, creating an even bigger tear. The gap is now so big, the jig is free to be tossed around, and more likely to pop free, causing lost fish and broken hearts.
The last thing to look for in a good flippen jig is a fiber weed guard. Avoid jigs with wire or a double plastic legged guard. They are not limber enough for flippen. Most jig manufactures are using the 20 stranded guards. Typically these too can be stiff and always require trimming. I prefer the smaller diameter 40 stranded weed guards. They are more limber, less trimming is required, yet they are more than suitable to protect your jig from getting hung up at the hook point. One note about trimming your fiber guards, it is best to remove several guards at the base of the head, thinning out the entire guard, versus trimming it right at the hook, creating a shorter, yet much stiffer guard than what ya started with.
In the big scheme of things with flippen jigs, each one of these is really a minor detail. Yet each of these details, are geared to improving the anglers success at catching fish on jigs. Very few jigs available today, have all these details addressed and incorporated into it's design. The TNT Wadda was designed with all these features in mind. We've also added a few minor details like the custom painted heads with the unique glitter pattern, the two red eyes(which is something I learned and incorporated from Korny and the R&B jigs) and the use of only red thread.
There are a lot of good jigs on the market today. There are a few great ones out there. I recommend, much like reels, rods, boats and tournament orgs, that ya git yer hands on several brands. Try each of them. Fish em hard. You'll soon find out which jigs are just good jigs, versus those that are GREAT jigs! Just be sure, ya got either a BobbyD's, Rodstrainer or TNT Wadda, you will then be in that "Great" catagory of hand tied Flippen jigs.
) jigs! Although I am going to start tying my own very soon(as soon as I get the hooks thats all Im missing now!)
till we can be repaired, and hitting a couple of shoreline accesses. --Still pitchin' and tossing Robo's.