New school versus old school. The hottest lure category in bass fishing versus the tried-and-true jig. The urchin (or Coike) has been winning pro tournaments off boat docks, and the jig has been the best dock lure in history — so Tyler put them head to head on the same lake, in the same conditions, on the same docks, alternating one lure per dock. The final score was 10 to 2, and it was not the urchin. Here is what happened, why it happened, and where the urchin still beats a jig.
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The Scoreboard
| Lure | Fish | Biggest | Verdict for Shallow Dock Skipping |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jig | 10 | Around 3 lb | Winner — more skippable, more efficient, more bites |
| Urchin | 2 | Around 2 lb | Outclassed here — but still shines elsewhere |
The Bass Forecast app (Tyler is a co-owner) runs past, current, and future weather, water data, fisheries biologist research, and pro intel through one algorithm, then gives your GPS location a fish-activity rating from 1 to 10 — plus a forward-looking forecast no other fishing app offers. If next Wednesday rates higher than Thursday, that is the day to line up the babysitter.
How the Head-to-Head Worked
The rules were simple: one dock with one lure, then the next dock with the other, alternating all the way down the bank. Every dock got the best casts Tyler could make with whichever lure was in hand — if he saw a cast worth making, he made it with both baits over the course of the test.
The two lures were matched in color as closely as possible. On one rod, an Outkast Tackle Jackpot jig in bluegill with a craw trailer rigged horizontally for better skipping. On the other, a Hags Prickly Pear urchin on a Reneau Tackle hook. Both were fished on the same combo — a 6-foot-9 heavy rod with an 8.3:1 reel and 20-pound line — so the gear was never the variable.
Was it perfectly scientific? No — some docks had more wind, some had more cover, and not every dock holds a bass. But across a full bank of docks, the pattern that emerged was not close.
How It Played Out
The urchin actually drew first blood. First cast, first dock — a two-pounder that ate it on the fall, on a dock with almost no overhead cover, in the wind. One to zero, and it looked like the test might go the other way.
Then the jig went to work. It tied it up on the next dock with a two-and-a-half-pounder hooked squarely in the roof of the mouth, took the lead on a three-pounder, and never gave it back. Two to one. Three to one. Four to one. By the time the wind picked up and the test moved into rougher water, it was six to one, then eight to one. The urchin managed one more — a scrappy fish on the 19 mm — before the jig closed it out at 10 to 2.
Somewhere in the middle, a pike bit off one of the urchin hooks, and a spare blew off the deck onto the highway. When your test lure supply is that thin and the replacements are that specialized, that is its own argument for the jig.
Why the Jig Won
The score is one thing; the reasons are more useful. Five things separated them.
| Factor | Jig | Urchin |
|---|---|---|
| Skipping | Skips cleanly into tight gaps; precise cast control | Skips better than expected, but needs a low angle and an upward landing |
| Efficiency | Fast, repeatable, low effort all day | Takes real strength to whip under a dock — tiring over a full day |
| Sitting still | Happily sits on the bottom while you work it | Not designed to sit on the bottom; wants to be worked in the column |
| Drawing power | Pulled fish out from under docks to eat | Never drew a fish out; no followers even in clear water |
| Profile | Looks unmistakably like a bluegill | Looks like nothing these particular fish wanted |
This is the core of it. Skipping a bank of docks is power fishing — go, go, go, cast after cast. The urchin is at its best when you can slow down and let it sit and flare, which is why it excels on deeper docks and standing timber where you can work one spot properly. Asking it to be a rapid-fire dock lure asks it to be something it is not.
If you do skip one, do not try to sling it across the surface like a jig. Cast at a low angle and let it skip on an upward trajectory into the gap. It works better than it has any right to — it just takes more effort per cast than a compact jig does.
Where the Urchin Still Beats a Jig
A bad day on shallow docks does not undo what this bait does elsewhere — and Tyler is emphatic that the result should not scare anyone off the category.
The urchin has proven itself on largemouth in ponds and on big fisheries, and there is one situation where it is arguably better than standard soft plastics: bluegill and brim beds. It also belongs on deeper docks and standing timber, where you can let it hang and work it with the popping retrieve instead of racing it back to the boat. And its drawing power — the thing that did nothing on shallow docks — is exactly what makes it deadly when fish have room to come look at it.
The best retrieve for the category is a single or double pop — the one most pros use under docks and around standing timber. It flares the tentacles as much as possible while moving the bait very little horizontally, which keeps it in a fish's face and triggers the bite without pulling it out of the strike zone.
The Verdict
For the specific job of skipping shallow docks — the kind with grass around them and tight gaps to thread — the jig wins, and it is not particularly close. It is more compact, more cohesive, and more efficient, and on this day it simply got more bites. Tyler admits he probably could have predicted the outcome before filming; he ran the test because he wanted to know whether he was missing something.
He was not. The urchin catching fish beautifully at Guntersville and in ponds does not automatically make it the best tool for every scenario — and that is a healthy thing to remember about any hot new lure. Keep the urchin for the water it was built for, and keep a jig tied on when you pull up to a row of docks.
Want to actually learn the urchin instead of writing it off? Start with the complete urchin fishing masterclass — hooks, weights, keepers, and every retrieve worth knowing. And if storing these awkward baits is your next problem, here is the DIY urchin storage build.
Source: Based on video content from TylersReelFishing — “Urchin Vs. Jig… Which One Wins? (TRF Tackle Time)” · youtube.com/@tylersreelfishing
Q&A Flashcards: Urchin vs. Jig
Tap any card to reveal the answer. Great for reviewing before your next trip.