Had bought some tungsten jigs very early this year and neglected to separate them from my lead jigs. Now they are mixed together and wonder if there is there a way or a test to determine which of them are tungsten? They look the same...

This is gonna sound weird but lift up the skirt and scratch the part you suspect may be lead with a small knife. If it is tungsten you won't be able to scratch it.

You could also try using sound. I'd think if you tap them against a hard surface you'll be able to tell which is which

Lead will dent, tungsten wil.not.

This ^




This ^





And this ^

Why is tungsten better?

Thanks guys! I tried the sound but couldn't tell difference. Will try the scratch and dent methods ---- they gotta work!

It’s denser, so the equivalent weight will be smaller. It also transfers feel better than lead.

While you have the skirt up may try sniffing it too to tell if it’s good enough for a bass to bite it if not may wanna spray it!

Tungsten being better can be subjective. With lead being a softer metal there are cases in which it produces less sound and could be a benefit over tungsten. In other cases the smaller profile and more pronounced sound of tungsten could be a benefit over lead.

Also, a little anchovy oil helps, too.

Knew that was coming.

Weigh them and that should give you a clue. The hook and skirt can disguise the weight a little but I can tell the difference between my 1/4, 3/8, 1/2 and one ounce jigs by the size of the head.

Rig up 2 c-rig one with lead the other with tungsten drag them both across gravel or shell beds you will feel the difference.

Haha, if you can’t tell a difference what’s the difference? $5?