These are basic but I�ve never ask or searched or thought about it much. Are jighead weights the total weight of lead/tungsten and hook? Does a 1/4 oz jig weigh .25 oz in its entirety or is it made with a 1/4 oz jighead?

If you throw a 4.3 Keitech Swing Impact Fat on a 3/8oz head , you need a rod rated for at least 3/4, correct (assuming accurate rod rating).

I don't worry about rod ratings too much. Obviously I'm not throwing an arig on a 6'6 mh rod but I wouldn't worry about throwing the setup you mentioned on a 1/2oz rated rod. Most rods have a wide range unless they are medium to lightweight rods

Like he said, I don't pay much attention to the rod's rating.

There is no industry standard set for lure manufacturers. One spinnerbait labeled 3/8 oz may be 3/8 oz total with blades, wire and all while another spinner marked 3/8 oz may weight closer to 1/2 oz with all the components combined.

Soft plastics baits weigh quite a bit. Adding a 4.3 Keitech swimbait to a 3/8 oz head will definitely weigh more than 3/8 oz but I would think closer to a 1/2 oz total.

If it throws well and feels good, it's rated correctly.

Took it from this post of plastic weights.
http://www.tackletour.net/viewtopic.php?f=51&t=63535

I agree with not relying on rod printed weights. I see them as guidelines. You just want to be sure not to overload or underload the rod for max efficiency. Know your rods and how they react because there is no standard to actions and power either with manufacturers.

Most of my half oz jigs (including skirt) actually weigh a little more 0.6-0.7oz

I picked up an accurate digital scale that goes up to 30oz from Amazon for around $15-20

Very useful when sorting out a bunch of random weights and jigs in the tackle box

Correction
It�s $8 and weighs up to 20oz

I carry one of these in my line bag to weigh loose tungsten in order to sort through and store properly, they are great! Takes the guessing out of it, I do however get nervous with it in my line bag because I am constantly going through South Texas checkpoints, no drugs in the vehicle but could for sure slow me down should they come across it, never has happened but I'm always ready to explain.

Don't take this wrong... Well, yeah, go ahead and take it that way.

That sounds extreme. I have a general idea of the weight of my weights, and that's all it need. I look for a specific fall rate, if it isn't right... Cut and re-tie. Mind you, I am no expert angler, but if you are serious about the extent to which you look at how many grams a weight is, you are on a whole different level than me.

I never really read the rod. If I tie a big jig on, I�ll feel it pretty quick and learn not to use it on that rod again. I couldn�t tell you the ratings on any rod that I have but i could tell you whether it will work with a lure you are tying on. I figure the accuracy of the recommended weights was about as accurate as the action of a mh between brands.

Good info. Very interesting to know. You can see the Yamamoto Senko is quite a bit heavier than the copies due to the high salt content.

5" GY senko weighs 10.9 grams
5" YUM dinger weighs 10.0 grams

What sounds extreme? I was just curious about the weights. I figured they were not very accurate. I�m not doing anything specific with. However, the mental note I am making is that the next time I go to order a $250 $450 rod and there are two similar offerings in the line with overlapping weight ratings . . . well, I�ll probably remember that I very seldomly fish things in the 1/8 - 1/4 range, etc.

I think I saw weights for lipless baits out there somewhere - those things were all over the map.

That was sent as a response to "InThEClear" who indicated he carried that scale with him to weigh and sort his weights...