Tying my own jigs

[Ryan]

Im very intrested in making my own tackle but since Im not a fly fisherman (yet) i figured i could make my own jigs. I know there are a few people on the site who do and i was wondering if i could have some insight on where to start. Thank you

[robsabloke]

Hi Ryan...
There are several fly and jig tyers on this site. I tie my own jigs and a few flies, along with my boy Jon Jon. It is a very enjoyable part of fishing... especially if you are in North country and can't get onto the water all year long.

There is a very different feeling about catching a fish on a fly... and the feeling is intensified even greater when you tie the fly yourself.

I have a good friend that introduced me to jig tying several years ago. He has all the melting pots and literally makes his own lead head jigs etc. This is great fun and can save you money if you get into very serious tying.

My advice is to start with a few purchased lead head jigs from Cabelas etc... and start small.

Fly tying can become a very expensive hobby. The materials alone can get quite exorbitant... to say nothing of the Tools... So be selective... look through several magazines and decide what it is you want to tie (jig or fly)... then pick a pattern that you want to tie and try your hand.

Fly tying is like cake making.... there is a recipe for what ingredients go into the cake and in what order, there is also a recipe for what ingredients go into a fly or a jig and in what order they should be added.

There are many techniques that you will have to practice in order to get your fly tying down to an art. I have some of my first attempts at trying a Hares Ear Nymph... and some I tied several years later.... The first ones look more like woolly buggers than Hare's Ears.... thankfully with practice my Hare's Ear actually resembles one these days.

The point I'm trying to make is don't try to run before you can walk... take your time, read magazines and books, get a few videos... there are several great ones out there... and for me they made understanding fly tying much easier than trying to get it out of a book.

Fly fishing is a wonderful way to spend a few hours... more if your lucky. I have been fishing for years and taught my boy Jon Jon to fish at an early age. What made fly tying an incredible experience for me was my boy and I learned it together. It wasn't just Dad teaching Son... it was Dan & Son learning this whole new way of catching fish and practicing those crafts together. He actually became a much better caster than me and ended up showing me the mistakes I was making... What a wonderful treat for a Dad... to have his son show him what he was doing wrong.

Enjoy... learn as much as you can before you go to the water.... practice casting techniques in the park (don't use a hook... just a piece of wool or something) get as accomplished as you can before getting to the water.

As with everything else... but especially with fly tying and fly fishing... you will get out of it.... what you put in...

Good luck

Tight lines

Rob

[Bryce]

Hey i just wanted to say they i also tie my own jigs.It is very enjoyable to tie your own jigs andd then catch fish with them. My dad taught me and his dad taught him so it has just gotten passed down. I have known know for about a year. We make our own jigheads as well using a lead pourer and do-it molds. I was just tying 1/16 oz bucktail jigs. I recently started tying jigs with chenile and marabou. It is fairly easy it just takes some practice to do it neatly. I would just suggest reading up on it or watching videos. There were some ok vids on youtube that you should check out.

[Joe B]

hey ryan I started tying my own jigs just a month or so ago and I am defintely a novice but I have caught fish on a joeb jig so that says something. If you go to basspro.com and type in white river fly shop fly-jig tying kit you will be on your way for about $60. I just used some other jigs and copied a few for practice and then imagination is the limit.

[Michael J. Searl]

Lots of good advise here. I had an interesting talk with a commercial jig tyer .He done thousands every year for crappie walleye, and bluegill. The thing I found interesting is that he uses a little 3" bench vise to hold the hook. He said it gives him a small flat to rest his hand on while working with material. Keep it simple!!! ole Mike

[James Feasel]

find someone who has lost interest and use their stuff to start. my father-in-law gave me some stuff that got me started. maybe you can find someone who will share with you. it's always nice to test drive before you buy. i just tie jigs. before i bought a fly vise i used a pair of vise grips welded to a c clamp. for a beginner, maribou is easy to work with.

[Jim Gronaw]

Hey Ryan...cool that you want to start tying jigs for panfish and other species. I can give you a little insight as I have been tying my own and marketing some locally for about 15 yrs. They are collectively called 'RiverCritters' and are for bass and panfish. I will try to post some patterns on this site soon so you can get an idea of what has worked for me, at least in my part of the world. They are also featured in this months In Fishermans 'Panfish Guide'

I like hair jigs more for crappies than bluegills, and I like 1/16 oz as the all round jig size, but will drop to 1/32 or 1/64 oz to tie, if the fish seem to want a smaller package. I stick with a lot of basic color schemes, but favor chartreuse and pink patterns more for crappie. For gills, I like basic black and brown patterns. My gill jigs are 1/64 oz down to 1/124 oz and are designed to sink very slowly on 4 lb spinning gear. I tie alot with craft hair and bucktail to achieve a very slow and tantalizing 'fall rate' as the lure decends through the water coluimn.

For my crappie jigs, I use mylar and flashaboe to achieve scale pattern and will sometimes tie jigs in combo of craft hair and marabou. I also tie hairjigs for bass to imitate crayfish and golden shiners.

It is a hoot to catch fish on your own creations, as well as some trophy class panfish. Keep it simple to start and try to find someone in your area who can teach you at least the basics of tying, so you won't get frustrated early on. Good Luck! Jim Gronaw

[Howard Webster]

Mike
I use alot of marabou I get some great stuff at Joanns fabricand the wife loves the company when she shops there

[Jim Gronaw]

Hey Ryan...I put a couple of pics up of the jgs that have worked well for me, but Mike is right about over done jigs. Crappie sometimes favor a flashy look, but gills almost alway want a plain brown package. Some times the most bland looking jigs are the lure of the day and most of the biggest smallmouth bass I have caught on my jigs were very simple, almost amatuerish in appearance. Hope this helps...Jim

[Ryan]

Thank you to everyone! This information is great. Ill be sure to post pics once i finally get the money to buy supplies and have time. and also of my first big gill!

[shooter]

the fly tying group has been updated to include jigs ,so feel free to post pictures and info on those jigs too.

[Jay Fogle]

Hi Ryan

Check out the site http://www.indianinfo.net
Go about halfway down the main page and on the right is a small black rectangle that has a link in it to "Fly fishing, fly tying, and lure making" - click on that and it will take you to a page to sign up (it's free but you have to join to see the content).

There's a LOT of info in that section of that site.
Good Luck
Jay

[Jay Fogle]

Many make a good point on overdressing jigs!

I catch more gills on simple jigs and flys (these kinds of flys are really jigs -just very small ones)
- usually with brown dubbing or a dull body
- a weighted (barbell weight) miniature wooly bugger in olive is my favorite because it usually seems to catch the most - of course my son "appropriated" my entire supply recently but that's ok - means I get to tie some more. :)
- copper johns or just a "john" without the copper seems to work pretty good after the spawn too