Gapen Ugly Bug Jig | Anti-Snag Stand-Up | 1/32-5/8 oz - Black

Gapen Ugly Bug Jig | Anti-Snag Stand-Up | 1/32-5/8 oz

Black / 1/32 oz
$3.10
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Gapen Ugly Bug Jig | Anti-Snag Stand-Up | 1/32-5/8 oz - Black

Gapen Ugly Bug Jig | Anti-Snag Stand-Up | 1/32-5/8 oz

$3.10
Color
Size oz

Gapen Ugly Bug Jig

The Gapen Ugly Bug is the original anti-snag stand-up jig, created by Dan Gapen Sr. in 1969 to imitate crawfish and hellgrammites on rocky river and lake bottoms. The wide-forward, narrow-back wedge head pivots up and out of rock and sheds hang-ups about 85% of the time when you put pressure on the line. On bottom it holds about a 45° stand-up angle so fish can scoop it; when you jig it vertically, the same head rides level.

Use it for walleye, smallmouth bass, lake trout, crappie, and bluegill in current or still water. Tip light colors with minnows; tip darker colors with crawlers or leeches. Made in the USA.

Ugly Bug Size Advisor: Which Weight for Your Water

Pick the lightest Ugly Bug that still keeps you in touch with the bottom in your depth and current.

Weight Water depth Current / conditions Best for (species / technique)
1/32 oz 0–5 ft Still water, calm days Bluegill and crappie; slow fall or under a float
1/16 oz 3–8 ft Still to light current Crappie, panfish; under a float or a slow swim
1/8 oz 5–10 ft Light current River smallmouth, crappie, shallow walleye; casting rocky banks
1/4 oz 8–15 ft Moderate current or light wind Walleye and bass; casting or vertical jigging
3/8 oz 15–20 ft Steady current or wind Deep walleye and bass; vertical jigging in rivers
5/8 oz 20 ft and deeper Strong river current, heavy wind Deep walleye and lake trout; vertical jigging
  • If you lose bottom contact, go up one size; if the jig drags or hangs, go down one.
  • The wedge head pivots up and out of rock and sheds hang-ups about 85% of the time; when it does catch, keep steady pressure on the line and let it pivot free.
  • Tip light colors with minnows; tip darker colors with crawlers or leeches.

How to fish it: Ugly Bug size chart by species | Jigging an Ugly Bug for fall walleye | Fishing an Ugly Bug for river smallmouth

From the water

Black crappie held in hand, caught on a black Gapen Ugly Bug jig Close-up of a black Gapen Ugly Bug jig in the mouth of a fish Yellow Gapen Ugly Bug jig on river rocks in shallow water

Photos: Gapen field photos

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  • 5 stars: 46 (82%)
  • 4 stars: 8 (14%)
  • 3 stars: 2 (4%)
  • 2 stars: 0 (0%)
  • 1 star: 0 (0%)
Y
Y3Grub
Solid lure.

The black one worked well with bass and crappie. Nice natural look to it in the water

B
Bruce Johnson
Fantastic service!!

Fantastic service!!

T
Trent Baumann
Beefy hooks needed!!!!

Please replace the ugly bug hooks with beefier hooks. Current hooks are so weak or upgrade the whole jig with tungsten jig heads and heavier gage hooks.

M
Michael Esposito
5 star

Very quick service and delivery

S
Steve H
The Ugly Bug 1/4 oz.

Fantastic, actually terrible, the fish attack them so hard, they keep breaking my line.

P
Paul Halverson
Dan Gapen's Ugly Bug

Great service. I received my order sooner than i expected. I have read some of Dan Gapen books and am taking a Canada fishing trip this summer. Hoping the ugly bug jigs will work.

D
Dave Jackson
Ugly bugs

Good prosuct-as expected

T
Terry Palmer
Quality

Quality

G
Gary Bowers

The ugly bug is a good walleye jig that gets overlooked by most anglers. I like to tip them with half a nightcrawler.

T
Tadd Kasbeer
Nothing better than Ugly Bugs

A fantastic lure that really brings in the walleyes, smallmouth and northern. The only jip I use and it has never disappointed me.

B
BOB WILSON
Ugly Bug

Quality Product and timely shipping.

L
Loren Dickson
Ugly bugs

Quality fishing lures with quick shipping

B
Bill McDonald jr
Ugly bug

Walleye love this jig.

W
William McDonald
Ugly Bug 3/8 oz

I caught walleye on ugly bugs tipped with a piece of nightcrawler. Was disappointed that some of them melted in my tackle box. They were ugly big bodies.

G
Greg D
Ugly Bug

I’ve used the Ugly Bug for years now, I tip it with a bit of night crawler and bounce it off the bottom on the drop offs
Deadly for walleye and other species. I mostly use the 1/8 ounce size.

K
Kathy Link

Love your lures!!

G
Gapen Customer

Excellent service. Received order in a timely fashion.

K
Kevin Kavanaugh
Heaviest jig

I fish the bottom for walleye in lakes where the wind can be higher. It’s so nice to have a jig get me to where the walleye are without having to add a sinker. My dad used these jigs in Ontario for walleye and the fish bit on these ugly bugs so much it was hard to kee the soft plastic from getting completely chewed up. This is a great walleye lute that you can’t get in stores any more.

J
Joe Cumber

Fast excellant service.I have used Gapen ugly bugs since the seventys.They are hard to find these days ,so I go to the source.They still catch fish like crazy.

E
EVERT VAN DER HEIDE
Great little Bugs and Great service

The Ugly Bugs are beautiful. I'll see how they work later this summer. Everything came in a timely manner and the various items were well-marked. I'm very happy with the order!

J
John Brown
The Gapen Company

I had a very good experience dealing with this company. Very nice people.

G
Gapen Customer
Ugly bug

I used ugly bugs years ago and did very well with them during the mayfly hatch with small slow hops off the bottom and tipped with a small bit of crawler
Can’t find them in the stores anymore so I ordered online
I’m surprised that they are not that popular since they catch fish

D
Dean Briggs
Ugly bug order.

Everything arrived as ordered. I’m looking forward to trying them on walleye.

G
Gapen Customer
Bug lure

Looks good. Will try it out in the spring. Definitely will order more if successful. Like the smaller size.

D
Dan
Ugly Bugs

Although I haven’t yet used these newly purchased jigs l’m certain they will perform just like the ones I used fishing for Walleyes and Sauger on the Minnesota River about 45 years ago. I recently moved and the river is now only a few blocks from my house. I can already taste them. Ugly Bugs were my go to jig. A great product.

R
Robert Ginger

Have used this jig in the past with good results on smallmouth.......anxious to try it in Canada!

C
Christopher
Pink is the go to color

Cool bait had a couple of rainbow trout on yesterday.

B
Brant Nelson
ugly bug

great jig. Been using them since they first came out

G
Gapen Customer
recent purchase

Excellent company, product, and fast shipping.
will certainly do business with again. top notch!

B
Bill Thompson
Great walleye bait

I have been using the Ugly Bug for years. In fact I first bought my first ones from the Leuenberger Fly-In Resort in Ontario back just after Danny Gapen was fishing Lake Kagianagami with Ernie Leuenberger Sr.

They're still catching walleye 25 years later.

Yours in the outdoors,
Bill Thompson

J
James Rifenberg
Ugly Bug 1/4 oz .

Good product, easy to order, very quick delivery. Seamless, as online purchases are supposed to be. I am pleased.

M
Martin
Great find

I had used these MANY years ago, bouncing them off the bottom with a leech and the walleye loved them. When I ran out I couldn't find them anywhere and just happened to think of them lately and did a web search and there they were! The original black had white legs so I hope these are just as effective. Thank you

J
Jack Rogers
Love the Ugly Bug

I am hoping the Ugly Bugs are still killers. Fishing a river after a 10 absence. You website was fine. I would have given you 5 Stars but the prices for an old guy are pretty high. Jack