John,  How do I get a hold of a few of those crabs. I am willing to trade some home made feather and hair jigs. Those crabs look very cool.

Hola amigos

Got a new web site started that might be of interest to all the tyers here. Check out Jigcraft.com for some  jig tutorials and a jig photo gallery.

I've been using these little lindy jigs on trout all winter, anybody ever use them on bluegill ?

the little orange jig in the middle is a 1/100th on a #12 hook

I've used similar, but could not land gill. Bass and trout, but not gill.

HAVEN'T TRIED THESE YET. LOOK GREAT FOR TROUT. THE 1/32 TROUT MAGNET IN BLACK AND CHARTREUSE HAVE BEEN KILLER ON BIG BLUEGILL AND CRAPPIE THIS SPRING. WHEN EVERYTHING ELSE FAILS, PUT ON A 1" GULP MINNOW IN SMELT COLOR. NEVER FAILS.

Thanks for the info Hugh. Ordered that just a few days ago, along with a few items that Jeffrey had pointed out to be hot items. Will be arriving just in time for my next outing with my in-laws next week.

Very cool pattern.  Will surely try to make up a few of these little babies once I find out where I can obtain some of the hardware.  Sculpit heads ect.  Thanks for sharing.  Bob

Here is the most effective blue gill rig I've ever used. It has a slow sink rate and the bluegill hit it hard.  Very effective in shallow water.  I guess they think its a grass shrimp. The exude nymph in moss green/pearl color is made by Mr. Twister. The only tying required is the size 10 Gamakatsu keel balance hook to your tippet.  The thin wire hook makes it easy to extract both from the bluegill and any vegetation.MY%20FAVORITE%20BLUEGILL%20RIG.jpg

Ok, my wife asked me what I want for our anniversary next month, and I want to learn to tie jigs, and some flys for gills.Other than a vise, what basic tools would I need to get started tying these with? 

Hi all I'm planning on purchasing a new vice. I have never used a Rotary Vice and was wondering what you guy and gals might use. I would be interested in a used rotary for a starter if anybody has one for sale. I've been tying for many years. I'm moving to the UP of Michigan to retire in April and just fish and hunt and just enjoy live...... (plan on tying allot of new flies.

Rick I don't know if I can help you much cause I just got started tying this year. If you don't want to spend the farm I'll tell you what I can up with. I didn't want to spend a lot of money cause I'm retired and didn't know if I would like tying flies or no. I bought a DANVISE and if I were to only get a few years out of it I'm money ahead. Now I can't compair it to any other vise cause this is the only vise Iv'e ever used and I'm quit impressed for the price I paid I think I gave 68 bucks for it. Once I decided which vise I wanted I found a decent price on the internet. What ever vise you get I'm sure you will enjoy the rotary function. Hope I haven't confused more that helped.

I have an ancient looking fly tying kit from a garage sale, and the White River Tying kit as a present from my coworker. They both work well. If you have the cash, and something to really sink your teeth into, how about checking out Regal vises?

I HAVE a regal vice and on my third one! Bought the first one 25 years ago and 2nd one 10 years ago. NOPE THEY DIDN'T WEAR OUT , sold em for what I paid for em and used em both for years first . Got my last one and won't sell it cause they'll probably quit making em or something.

  I paid for the first vice after a week of tying with money made from bugs I made. THEY LAST A LONG TIME and are made right here in the good ole US OF A!!!!! There is a knock off model and they are alot cheaper than the genuine article , but the principle is the same as to how they work.

Thanks guys for the in-put ..... decisions decisions --- now the work begin all the research to figure out what vice will fit my tying preferences. No doubt the rotary is the way to go and it seams that you get one from the value price Danvice (that has good reviews) up to the regal and crazy money for the high end Renzetti.... and others. I'm also looking at the Peak  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CjgGLvVZTRk w/ a investment of $149.00 . I'm retired like Dick and funds are limited and you can if need there are allot of upgrads that can be added to the Danvise.

Hi I have a HMH vise thats made 10 miles from where i live,also a Nor-Vise  the nor vise is my favorite for dubbing so fast and simple to do, the vise is very user friendly.both vise"s are built like a tank  good luck. Sleepy <((((/p>

Tried a couple of LedHeds Auto's they done so well for me while I was on vacation at the lake last week. There not painted I just wanted to see how close I could come to the original minus the sickle hooks so I have to order some 1/32 oz jigs with sickle hooks. I think they are fairly close.

Hard to believe something this small would be so effective a fish magnet of sorts.

Excellent tye. Yu've added a bit of a streamer to the tail. More attraction.

Those look real good, Dick!!

Leo I just don't think I trimmed them off enough.

They are just fine in length Dick. I've provided longer tails, and they work just as great.

Nice lookin jigs.I've been messing around with them too.The ponds we've been fishing have Crappie in them and I've been getting more Crappie than Gills on them.

When I used them over vacation a week ago for the 1st time they caught everything. The only thing I did was add a Gulp Wax Worm.

Dick..we got those massive hybrids yesterday on 1/32 oz Autos I tied and I lost two big fish last week on them in another pond. Ledheds innovation in jig tying is one of the best I have seen in many, many years.

I only have 1 color(chartreuse) tied on 1/64 oz heads that I've tried so far.I tied some 1/32oz clear/sparkle and chartreuse that I haven't tried yet.I bought some white skirts and want to tie some of those.I was thinking of trying some black but don't have any skirts to use.I usually tip mine with maggots.

Steve, I've seen waters and color dependent. However, the universal color scheme as been olive, dark olive, chartreuse, and pink chenille, and the touch of the perl/artic krystal flash for synthetic materials.

The 1/64oz is a gray zone for sinking type. It's either 1/32oz during the late spring through mid fall for the fast and furious actions as the waters warm up, or the 1/80 or 1/100 oz for the pick and enticing on hard bites. Jim Gronaw and Jeffrey Abney provided the most detailed data that I've collected based on flies maker and flies users. More and more flies are being used in various water, like LedHed and Allen are coming forward with more insights with unique reports and  between cool and warm waters now.

Try to follow them and use what they offer as patterns and schemes. I've selected a few go-to designs, and update variation. Tipping will be the last to go to, which is either larvae of bettles, waxworms, or small offering of small hybridized worms. Good luck and report in.

Jim I know. He sent me a few to try and they are fish catching machines. I did tip them with Gulp Wax Worms and me and Cheyenne caught plenty fish last week on vacation.

Playing around had a few hooks to use up and came up with this, named it the Nasty Piller unless someone can think of a better name I'm open for suggestions..

Nasty Piller..It looks like something coming out of a bad end, and the tentacles are just *shrug* These look like the Nasty Horde

Oh yes how I remember them days. The reels have come a long way since my 5500C.

Thanks bill I think a more fitting name is the birdsnest. Oh by the way thanks for bring back them old memories.

Got busy at the tying bench this afternoon and came up with a new pattern for me from "Bluegill fly fishing and flies" by Terry and Roxanne Wilson

It's called a Hum bug

Hook: standard straight eye 6- 10

Body: Light colored chenille

Back: Black chenille

Thread: black

Legs: To match the colors you use.

Great flies Bill. Love the 2 tone and all them legs.

BILL THOSE HUM BUGS LOOK TERRIFIC AND SHOULD BE GILL SLAYERS FOR SURE , GREAT LOOKING BUGS BUDDY.......

Great pattern, Bill. The Humbug is one of my faves, and I find it less of a hassle to tie than the Wilson's own Bully Spider.

I also like the contrasting color scheme, personally believing it to be a trigger feature. I thin my Humbugs down a little by using small chenille, to give them a slim profile. Good looking H-Bugs - those are gonna catch fish, guaranteed.

great looking flies

great looking bugs

I agree with everyone else, those are some good-looking bugs!

great looking bugs !  nice color patterens!

Thanks all, I've got to get some yellow chenille to make a few look like bees and I think some with a pink color to them would work as well.

These are un-weighted, David..do you put lead wire in yours?  I was thinking about making some to sink.

The Humbug, as originally tied by the Gaines Company out of Florida, is unweighted (supposedly you can still order them from the company). They are part of that outfits series of flies called "The Grubby Bugs." The others in the series are :

Grubby Gert, the Marabou Miss, and the Nifty Nat.

The Humbug can be weighted however, and I have done it to make it sink faster.

Thus, they could be useful in the summer months when the fish go deeper. An alternative would be to use sinking lines sinking tips or weighted leaders.

So I wanted to try some really tiny jigs and I bought some tungsten jig heads on size 14 hooks. They are shown below; 4 glitter finish, 2 pearl. First thought I have is to do a very simple white marabou tail with red thread on one of the pearl heads and maybe just give it Sharpie dot black eyes. BORING, but I bet it would catch fish. Soliciting ideas...

good idea Andy;; let us know how they work for you!

I'm sure your right about catching fish. My go to color 99 percent of the time is white pearl but that just me.

Right colors, wrong material.  Instead of the white marabou, try using some barred Mallard Flank.  Just a few of the feather barbs, not the entire feather.  Maybe something for flash, like some Flashabou and/or Krystal Flash.  The pattern is an old one, called a "Flash Duck".  I've done a few, haven't really had a chance to fish them.  Supposedly, they catch anything that swims.

You could do the same thing I did on my Electric Chickens.  Tie in a marabou tail, then a small barred duck feather on each side of the tail.  Once it gets wet, the duck feather becomes translucent, and lets the color of the marabou beneath it show.