Made by hand, made to fish
Unlike most of the iron on the market, Salas jigs aren't produced overseas — they're hand-made in Southern California, poured and painted in the Salas family's own foundry. Don't expect perfection on the paint job or the rings; as Mark put it, they're made to catch fish, not look pretty. The cosmetics are secondary. The effectiveness is legendary.
The heavy iron
The 6X and 6X Jr are the bread-and-butter basics for bringing up yellowtail — and they travel well: New Zealand and Australian kingfish, Hawaiian and Gulf amberjack, and bottom fish everywhere eat them just as readily. The PL68 is the classic deep-water piece — for years it was THE big iron among long-range tuna fishermen, and the glow version with a single tuna hook remains a proven performer on larger-grade fish. The CP105 and the 7X Jr heavy versions fill out the yoyo family, with chrome finishes available when the fish want flash.
The surface side
The 7X fishes like the bigger surface irons — long cast, short sink, steady wind — and rewards the angler who puts in the time to find the right retrieve. The J-Pot is the easy one: a swimming action that takes very little practice, and it's deadly on yellowtail, barracuda, and striped bass alike. East Coast guys — don't overlook these. The surface lures do great things on stripers, and if our yellowtail eat the big white iron like candy, your amberjack will too.
If you're new to fishing the iron, call the shop — getting the retrieve right matters more than the color, and we're happy to get you started.
