To answer your questions is a plain jig as good as haired or twister tailed. NO! Not even close. Pickup twister tails (2 3/4") for your plain jigs and experiment for yourself. Or/Oar let the believer in a plain jig use it. While you use one with a twister tail tipped with a minnow. I use Chart, Green, Purple, Orange, White as a general rule. I believe you will also have better success with a minnow vs. nightcrawler. Your trying to aggetate the fish into biting. Nightcrawlers are more of a feeding bait.

Try both ways and see what happens. Research is only great if you believe the results.

Good Luck and Good Fishing