Okay.....who all ties jigs here?

[5bass]

I'd like to try tying some jigs here at home. What do I need to get started? What is a good website to order stuff from? Also, feel free to throw out any tips you may have....

Thanks!

[Jig Man]

I'd like to try tying some jigs here at home. What do I need to get started? What is a good website to order stuff from? Also, feel free to throw out any tips you may have....

Thanks!

About $150 to start out

Lead-----------$2 per pound

Lead pot-------$50

mold-----------$25

hooks----------$20-100 per 1000

weed guard----$5 per 100

paint------------$2.50 per oz

skirt material---$20 per lb

I buy my stuff at Shorty's Hooks, Ztackle, Jans Netcraft, Barlows, Bass Pro, Cabelas, Do-It and Stamina.

[Siebert Outdoors]

I will warn you now!  Once you start you cant stop.  More molds, more paint, more types of baits.  Its an obsession.

Jigmans right on the parts

need collars or wire too.

eye busters is sometimes handy.

[5bass]

I should have mentioned that I just want to tie some jigs.....not get into the molds and all that yet. Dont have room enough for all that get-up. I am basically looking to tie some with thicker skirts. Its hard to buy a jig with a thick, full skirt anymore.

[jomatty]

i think the only thing you really need is a vise.  it sounds like you just want to tie rubber or silicone skirts and all you really need is a vise and one of those bobbin thingys.  thats all i have and when i want a thicker skirt with more poof i have no problems.  often i dont even use the bobbin thing and just use braided line which as best i can tell works just as well (aaron martins tip from some show i watched but it works well).

i like the jigs ive tied and they do seem to have some extra poof, so good luck.

matt

[Siebert Outdoors]

There's a few different ways to do it.  

Wire tie

String tie

rubber collar

I really like the wire tie over the other 2.  The collar is alot easier and less time consuming.  It just takes a cheap skirt plier bout 10 bucks and the collar plus skirt material.

The skirt is the most expensive part of the jig but the least labor intensive.  All in all it will balance out about equal between head and skirt if you figure in your time.  

If you buy just little amouts of skirting like I do you can figure a 66 strand skirt in barbwire will cost about 85 cents each.

[harshman]

Personally I like wire tying now better than rubber collars. I do however put the skirt in a rubber collar to start out with then slide it over th ehook to help hold the rubber in place . I then put it in a vise and pull out a 5"-7" piece of wire. I get small strand diameter wire from BPS Fly Tying section. Wrap the skirt 2-3 times then twist the wire and clip it about 2-3mm away from the skirt . Then clip off the rubber collar and your done. I think the wire makes a better looking bait and it holds up better under the conditions.

I usually get my skirts from stamina, but recently they have been behind on my orders so shop around.

Harshman

[dampeoples]

Do-It has released some kits this year that have all the necessary materials to tie a few, it's a great way to get your feet wet at a low cost (the kits are around $30), then you can buy what else you need from some of the suppliers listed above.

[larrybass]

Hey there FBL, nice to see another dude wanna tie his own killer jigs! 8-) I've tied a few jigs in my time and I've tried to streamline the process over the years.  One of my teachers, WAY back when was none other than Big Jim McLaughlin. I'm not braggin' here boys, just qualifying that's all.  

A vice (doesn't have to be expensive) and a Bobbin, like Jomatty mentioned, are your main tools. Some #10 thread on a spool that fits your Bobbin, in your favorite color, a little hunk of beeswax perhaps, if you can find it, or candle wax will do in a pinch and a bottle of fingernail polish from your local Dollar Store are the other items you need.  

Now friend, I've saved the BEST for last.   Skirt material! The mind boggles!    Over the years, I've tried to steer more towards the "old ways" and have tried to keep my lures as natural as possible. Plastics are great and I use them a lot, but I LOVE catching fish on natural stuff like say, fur and feathers and even a beat up old "real sheep's wool" sweater, sometimes... ;D

Seriously my friend. When you roll your own jigs, you get to have FULL control over everything! You can not only make whatever, thicker and bulkier but you can run the full gamut of being creative here.  Nothing escapes your scrutiny once you get onto it.  My big charge in fishin' comes from a fish eatin' one of my little natural jig-craw patterns, built with long, deer, body hair, with the matchin' long, chicken hackle "arms" out the business end! This plain lookin' little jig RULES! 8-) No trailers necessary. Man, I don't even have to juice these babies!

Once you get going, almost any Thrift Shop will sell you an old fur hat or coat even, for a few bucks. :  That will turn into like, a gazillion jigs. ;D Maybe you know someone that hunts deer? Even if you can only get the tail from them, you're set for another one hundred plus new killer jigs. If you haven't used "Bucktails" yet, you owe it to yourself to do so! Especially when the water's cold, like now. The natural materials will be way more active than ANY of the plastics in that cold water.  

I've been using an old pair of leather gloves I got at a yard sale for 50 cents, that are lined with Rabbit fur. I still haven't dug into the second one yet and I've made 133 Killer Croppy BBits with it so far...  ;D

It's kinda like you have become an artist FiveBasser, your canvas, is covered in the exact skirt materials of your choice...

Hope this helps ya out a little, friend. Let us know in here, how yer makin' out with yer new creativity there dude!

Tight lines,

lb

[BucketmouthAngler13]

I made a bucktail jig by tying squirrel tail fur to a really light jig head with thread. It works great! I havn't used it much, but from what I hear they can kill cold water bass. I'd like to make more, but I've been having trouble finding fresh roadkills... :-/            

I know some people think thats grose, but I think the natural blood stains really trigger the bass' feeding instinct. ;D

[5bass]

Thanks for the knowledge everyone. I have ordered a few things and will be getting started next week sometime.

[burleytog]

You'll be sorry!  

You've started down a path that can only lead to hopeless destruction.   ;D

[jomatty]

let us know how it goes and some pictures would be great

[Siebert Outdoors]

let us know how it goes and some pictures would be great

I agree.  I'd like to see your work.