Our Alpha Jet trolling heads ship as heads only, so you can rig them with the skirts, hooks and leader you already trust. If you've rigged a chugger or jet head before, this will feel familiar. If you haven't, here's the whole process, then a few notes on each of the seven heads.
What you need
- The head. Every Alpha Jet head has a through-hole for your leader, a ribbed collar that grips the skirt, and recesses for stick-on 3D eyes.
- A squid or vinyl skirt sized to the head (see the size chart below). Double skirts work well too.
- Monofilament or fluorocarbon leader rated for the fish you're after.
- Crimp sleeves and a crimping tool matched to your leader.
- A single hook (or a double-hook rig if that's how you fish).
- Optional: stick-on 3D eyes, a bead or two, and chafe tube for the hook eye.
Pick the right size
| Size | Head length | Face (standard heads) | Leader hole |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lite | 46 mm | 22 mm | 3.2 mm |
| Medium | 60 mm | 29 mm | 4.0 mm |
| Large | 74 mm | 36 mm | 5.0 mm |
The Slim heads (Smoke Trail Slim and Hex Jet Slim) have the same lengths and leader holes, with faces about a quarter narrower, so they take smaller skirts.
Your leader should slide through the hole easily. The crimp sleeve has to stay outside the head, so don't worry about it fitting through.
How to rig it, step by step
- Add the eyes first (optional). Press stick-on 3D eyes into the recesses on the sides of the head while it's clean and dry.
- Slide the skirt onto the head. Work the open end of the skirt over the ribbed collar at the back of the head until it sits snug. The ribs hold it so it doesn't creep back while trolling. Trim the skirt tentacles later once you see where the hook sits.
- Thread the leader. Run the leader in through the face of the head and out the back, then on through the skirt.
- Add a bead (optional). A bead between the head and the hook keeps the crimp from pulling into the back of the head and lets the head slide freely.
- Attach the hook. Slide on a crimp sleeve, pass the leader through the hook eye (with chafe tube if you use it), back through the sleeve, and crimp it.
- Set the hook position. Pull the leader so the hook sits inside the skirt with the point near the end of the tentacles. Too far forward and short strikes miss. Too far back and the skirt won't hide the hook.
- Finish the front. Crimp a loop on the front end of the leader for your snap swivel, or tie it on the way you normally do.
- Test it boat-side. Drop it in the water at trolling speed and watch it for a few seconds. It should track without spinning and leave a bubble trail. If it spins, check that the hook isn't hanging off to one side.
Tips for each Alpha Jet head
Smoke Trail
A round head with a deep cupped face and four side jets. It's our most all-round head: the cup grabs water and pushes it out as a long smoke trail of bubbles behind the skirt. A good first head if you only try one.
Smoke Trail
Smoke Trail Slim
Same action in a slimmer body. Pair it with smaller skirts and lighter tackle for mackerel, bonito, mahi and blackfin.
Smoke Trail Slim
Hex Jet
Six flat sides help it track straight at higher trolling speeds, and four corner jets throw a heavy bubble trail. It was built with wahoo spreads in mind, so this is the one to try when you're pulling fast.
Hex Jet
Hex Jet Slim
The straight-tracking hex body with a narrower face. Use it when you want that stable high-speed track on smaller skirts or lighter gear.
Hex Jet Slim
Eight Port
A nearly flat face with a ring of eight small vents. Instead of a big splash it gives a steady, even fizz that stays about the same as your speed changes. It's a good steady head to keep in the spread while you experiment with the others.
Eight Port
Star Jet
A five-point star with a scooped face and a jet in each valley. The uneven face makes it dig in, dive and pop back out with a splash, so it has the most erratic action of the seven. Give it a clean spot in the spread so it doesn't tangle with its neighbors.
Star Jet
Whale Nose Popper
A rounded body with a slanted, cupped face that throws water up and out for a big surface splash, plus two jets underneath for bubbles. Its job is noise and commotion on top, to draw fish up to the spread.
Whale Nose Popper
Building a spread
A simple way to start is to run a different action off each rod and let the fish tell you what they want that day: something splashy like the Whale Nose or Star Jet, a steady bubbler like the Smoke Trail or Eight Port, and a straight tracker like the Hex Jet if you're running faster. Once one head starts getting bit, swap more of the spread over to it.
The easiest way to try them all is the Alpha Jet Spread Pack: one of each of the seven heads in mixed colors, in the size you pick.
Care
The heads are 3D printed in UV-resistant PETG/ASA, so they hold up to Florida sun and salt. Rinse them with fresh water after each trip and let them dry before you put them away. Swap skirts whenever they tear. The head will outlast a lot of skirts.
Want a head in a size or shape we don't list, or your boat name on it? Ask for a quote. We print custom lures in-house, and you can read more in custom 3D printed fishing lures and trolling lure heads compared.
Chris, Owner
Alpha 3D Printing Co., Largo, FL