Will Wetline

Smokinal, I mold, paint and tie them. Open links for pics and info from previous posts: https://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/topic/135465-bucktail-jigs-for-smallmouth-bass/?tab=comments#comment-1507536 https://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/topic/172926-hair-jigs-for-cold-water-smallies/?tab=comments#comment-1957446 https://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/topic/200137-a-gift/?tab=comments#comment-2238963 The past several winters I've been learning how to use different lead free alloys in "no lead" Massachusetts, improving powder painting technique, and getting a grip (so to speak) on tying bucktail and other materials that come under the "hair jig" category. It's all very time consuming but also gratifying to see improvement and to unhook a good smallie from my winter's work.

Hair Jigs and Ned rigs kept me busy on the Quabbin from April through June.

Thanks, MickD. I rely on brown and black. White has worked well too. I'll be tying some olive for 2018.

Maybe Bassmaster Fred, who rarely has free time, will find some next spring to throw some hair at a smallie or two. The box is a Plano 3607 with 1" foam in the bottom which is slit every 1/2". The 1/4" foam in the top will keep the jigs in place in a chop.

Thanks for the well written report, MTPanda. Great trip!

Real nice fish under tough conditions. A tip of the hat to you, sir.

Fabulous fishing, A-Jay. Glad conditions were that good.

oe is right. However, if you want to enjoy this craft, expect to spend several hundred dollars getting set up with quality tools. At the very least, buy a rotating vise and a ceramic tip bobbin. If you're just starting out, it's helpful to take a tying course even though they're geared toward trout flies. Maybe before you invest in tools, sit in on a class and watch how the instructor handles the materials. Right now, go to YouTube and enter "smalljaw jig tying" which will take you to smalljaw67's channel which is, as far as I've found, the best source on the Internet of tying info for bass fisherman.

Yes, I tie several patterns. I have what I call a "staging" bench, a 4' X 2' folding table, on which I spread out my bucktail and flash materials and then just put different colors and materials together until I find patterns I like. Then they go to the tying bench. Consistency is what I'm striving for and am finally starting to get. When I first started, a couple hundred jigs ago, I'd look at the closed window with certainty that my vise had the weight to go through it, no problem. I got up and left the room until I cooled down then came back and tried to analyze the particular difficulty. Gradually my ties improved with patience, practice and perseverance - and study. I'd find videos on the Internet that were helpful and I'd review them, some several times. Here are a few I particularly like: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=27mwz6JcV64 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W5ewaCNSZVk&feature=em-subs_digest-vrecs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Efo7gblZj0s By picking up on details in videos you can find solutions to problems which will collectively improve your technique and develop your style. If you work patiently you'll find over time that you'll find a pace that's optimum and your work will proceed smoothly. I'll go so far as to say that jig tying at its best is a meditative activity. Alright then! I've intentionally been this long winded because it's the beginning of the tying season and I know there are fishermen out there who are thinking about getting into the craft and I want them first to understand that some amount of patience and practice lead to very satisfying results.

Thanks, A-Jay. The hooks are what's recommended for the Poison Tail mold, Mustad 91768 NP-BN. These are medium wire and have had an excellent hook up ratio with the 8 lb. copolymer and medium action rod I've been using. The jigs in the photos came from the 1/4 oz. cavity. The alloy I used is about 85% the weight of lead. Molding, painting and tying will keep me more or less sane until spring. Winter well. WW

The rods are in the rack and the vice is on the bench. Here are a couple of photos of recent creations intended for Quabbin Reservoir's smallmouth next April: The heads are cast from Do-it's Poison Tail mold. Alloy used is 88% bismuth/12% tin. Powder paint is cured at 300º for 45 minutes. The adhesive backed eyes are further secured with a coat of HARD as NAILS polish. Thread is UTC 140 denier which most jig tiers consider light. My head cement is unconventional as well: Caliber Super Glue liquid (thin formula). My wrapping procedure is to start at the top and then apply a drop of glue. If I'm heavy handed I absorb the excess with a small piece of paper towel immediately. Next I tie a side and repeat with another drop of glue. The opposite side is next and then the bottom. Finally each side gets four strands of Wapsi Grizzly Accent. The last step is dragging a drop or two of super glue around the completed wrap with a scrap of paper towel. This renders the jig nearly bullet proof but, sadly, not rock proof (which other smallie chasers understand all too well). Here's a testimonial from a 4 lber:

I like both the fish and the hat.

That's mind-boggling . . . wow . . . huh!

Great day, Smokinal. Congrats!

Beautiful fish! Congrats.

It's fine to have a preference for one type of lure but important to become proficient in the presentation of the whole range of baits for your fishery. I'm thinking now of a late spring morning this past season when I really, really wanted topwater action. Conditions seemed perfect to me and I was at a proven location but the smallies would not come up. When I spotted a bass cruise by I put away the popper and picked up a rod with a small jig. Turned out there was a number in the area that picked up a jig from the bottom. Better to be versatile than stubborn.

What a well written report. Thanks, Tim!

When I tie one on I remind myself to "wait for the weight" before setting the hook.

Pewter is about 2/3 the weight of lead.

smalljaw67, you have been a tremendous help to me in my jig making experiences but I think in this one instance you have mixed up your metals. Re your above response, do I remember correctly that you were casting Rotometals 281 alloy (58%bismuth/42%tin) and had to melt the casting out of the mold? If so, the problem was with the bismuth, not the tin. I plucked this factoid from a long, scientific, Wikipedia entry on bismuth: "Bismuth expands 3.32% on solidification." Back on topic, I like Munkin's suggestion to pour tin. https://www.rotometals.com/tin-ingot-99-9-pure/ I have cast and powder painted 1/8 oz. Poison Tail jigs using A/C pewter alloy (92% tin/7.75% antimony/.25% copper) without any problems. I still use the Frankford Arsenal Drop Out mold release to ease removal of the finished casting. And, since this alloy melts at 563º F, there's no worry about powder painting.

Well done, gentlemen.

Love to Spook 'em.

Aptly stated, oe. There are differences among the three riggings mentioned and one may produce better than the others on a particular outing so change up and find out. We do experience the rare day when bass will whack almost anything, but most of the time I'm working whatever patiently, which is often key to success whether you're fishing the Lindner's jig and worm from the '60s or today's Ned rig with Finesse TRD. While I'm rolling . . . One of the Concise Oxford American Dictionary's definition of "finesse" is to "do (something) in a subtle and delicate manner." So, Mr. Doelman, understand that it's the attitude as well as the bait that makes a presentation work.

As I headed out today, I didn't really expect much. The weather forecast was for sunshine and 5 - 10 mph winds, but with Quabbin's surface temp at 74.1º at 7:00 a.m. I knew not to expect much hanging around the humps, flats and ridges that held good smallies earlier in the season. The game plan was simple: cover water and throw proven baits. I love the way smallmouth whack a Fluke on wind-blown banks and this bait accounted for two somewhat better than legal fish. And, after the water had warmed past 50º this season, my go-to has been the Ned rig. This worked for three more, decent smallies. The last fish made my day. With the boat anchored over 20 feet of water, I could lay out a long cast and drop a bait into half that depth. With the wind increasing and the clouds darkening I was thinking two things: I might get soaked and, of greater interest, this weather might make the bigguns move. Setting up on a fish as soon as I started the retrieve, it came right up and then settled in for a lengthy battle in deep water. It seemed like it took just this side of forever (at least three minutes) to winch her up and into the net. She weighed 3.96 lbs. Not long after our photo op, the scene looked like this: I stowed my gear and headed in smiling.