Greenville, SC – The Bassmaster Classic is often called the Super Bowl of Bass Fishing, so why not break out the Pigskin? That’s what Alton Jones did, and his throws of BOOYAH’s new Pigskin Jig resulted in enough catches to earn Jones the title of Bassmaster Classic champion – along with a check for $500,000.

Jones used a ¾-ounce Pigskin Jig and a ½-ounce AJ’s Go2 Jig, both of which will be available from BOOYAH this spring, as his primary weapons to bring 49 pounds, 7 ounces to the scales in Greenville, South Carolina’s Bi-Lo Center Feb. 22-24. 

Jones also spent a little time jigging a ¾-ounce Cotton Cordell CC Spoon, the same bait he used to find most of his key spots during the tournament’s official practice period. The CC Spoon produced an almost immediate limit on Day 1 to get things started, but the bulk of the fish Jones weighed came off the Pigskin Jig and AJ’s Go2 Jig, both coupled with a Black Blue Flake 3 ½-inch YUM Chunk and fished at a painfully slow pace.

The Pigskin Jig utilizes BOOYAH’s existing Football Jighead, but is built with a hand-tied skirt that combines round rubber and silicone strands. AJ’s Go2 Jig has a similar skirt but is tied on the head used for BOOYAH’s popular Boo Jig. Jones used a few different colors during the tournament, but his top producer was Ozark Craw, which utilizes brown and purple strands. 

“The fish I was catching were right on the bottom, and an extremely slow presentation was critical to getting bit,” Jones said. “The skirts of the new jigs, combined with the profile and claw movement of the YUM Chunk, created a perfect imitation of a slow-moving crawfish.”

Jones fished both jigs on 14-pound-test Silver Thread Fluorocarbon, and he said the line was critical. “Any heavier, I wasn’t getting bit. Any lighter, I couldn’t get the fish out of the trees.”

Alton Jones is a five-time BASS winner, with more than 1.58 million dollars in career BASS earnings. 

BZ Viewers, here is the first look at the lures Alton Jones used to capture the 2008 Bassmaster Classic on Lake Hartwell: