The Cat's Out Of The Bag!

[roadwarrior]

We'll see...Maybe Siebert Outdoors could make a few.

[kickerfish1]

I checked with Mike a few years ago and he said he wasn't comfortable tying hair jigs. Perhaps things have changed since. I know it more costly and more time consuming.

[roadwarrior]

Not available from Siebert Outdoors. Any other suggestions on where to have a few built?

[Shanes7614]

Not available from Siebert Outdoors. Any other suggestions on where to have a few built?

Sounds like a PM to Ck is in store. Lol

[smalljaw67]

A lot of anglers believe bass will only strike hair jigs when it's cold, almost like a "last possible resort lure".  I'm not really sure why that is though as that has not been my experience.

In the past I've caught a decent amount of largemouth with them fished under a float (or by swimming them) in the heat of summer on lakes. 

Hair jigs are possibly the world's oldest artificial lure, and they work the same reason a large streamer works when fly fishing for bass.  Very good imitations of bait fish but with a subtler action than plastic swimbaits.

 

What makes hair so good when it is cold is the subtle movement, it is very natural and you can't get that with plastic. Yes, plastic does move in cold water, but the movement is not natural because, the fish are cold blooded and it takes a significant amount of heat for the muscles in the fish to have full movement. So when plastic gets stiff, it moves in a wide, unrealistic way, hair on the other hand doesn't get stiff in cold water and the little movements of the hair resemble fin movement and it act more realistic. Now, it doesn't mean that it isn't going to work in summer or warmer water, it just means other presentations are better, and if you look at how the pros approached the ledge fishing, they started out with a crankbait, then went to swim baits or big worms and then before they would leave a spot, they would break out the hair jig, it wasn't first on the list. I tie a 3/.8oz buck tail jig for warm water use, nothing fancy, just a little flash and I use it with a grub trailer and swim it along rocky bottoms, it is basically a buck tail version of the swim jig, it bulks up the grub and it has a baitfish profile and that is what the secret of buck tail is, when it is tied on to a head and then put in the water, it looks like a minnow. My swim jig is for 2 bodies of water I fish that are clear, I use a mix of white and gray buck tail and a smoke colored grub as the trailer, but I wouldn't throw that bait first, that is when other techniques aren't working and that is based on experience, when I learned to tie hair jigs I used them non-stop for a few years and I found that while they do work in warm water, other baits do better.

[Crankinstein]

My home lake has some huge gizzard shad in it as well as a few ledges I haven't figured out yet so I'm definitely going to look into fishing some of these. Thanks for the info!!!

[Dwight Hottle]

There is a gentleman on here that goes by WRB that has caught some monster bass on hair jigs. They do work.

[Shanes7614]

There is a gentleman on here that goes by WRB that has caught some monster bass on hair jigs. They do work.

How is this possible? He's stated that bass do not feed off the bottom.

[BassTravis]

Thanks! I'm really addicted to tying now. I've weighed in two 20+ LB. bags recently on jigs I've tied. Haven't won but been in the money. It's still extra special to do well on your own lure. I make them from pouring the head to finish. I made a huge order for hooks and other stuff today so everybody that wants can give them a try. I'm also tying some that will be downsized for other types of water. I saw that Mann's had the copyright on the original Preacher Jig. They were 14.99 at BPS. Ridiculous! They didn't really have enough bucktail to hold a good profile once wet.

I would like to give them a try!  I've never fished a hair jig, but would like to try!

[CeeJay]

What makes hair so good when it is cold is the subtle movement, it is very natural and you can't get that with plastic. Yes, plastic does move in cold water, but the movement is not natural because, the fish are cold blooded and it takes a significant amount of heat for the muscles in the fish to have full movement. So when plastic gets stiff, it moves in a wide, unrealistic way, hair on the other hand doesn't get stiff in cold water and the little movements of the hair resemble fin movement and it act more realistic. Now, it doesn't mean that it isn't going to work in summer or warmer water, it just means other presentations are better, and if you look at how the pros approached the ledge fishing, they started out with a crankbait, then went to swim baits or big worms and then before they would leave a spot, they would break out the hair jig, it wasn't first on the list. I tie a 3/.8oz buck tail jig for warm water use, nothing fancy, just a little flash and I use it with a grub trailer and swim it along rocky bottoms, it is basically a buck tail version of the swim jig, it bulks up the grub and it has a baitfish profile and that is what the secret of buck tail is, when it is tied on to a head and then put in the water, it looks like a minnow. My swim jig is for 2 bodies of water I fish that are clear, I use a mix of white and gray buck tail and a smoke colored grub as the trailer, but I wouldn't throw that bait first, that is when other techniques aren't working and that is based on experience, when I learned to tie hair jigs I used them non-stop for a few years and I found that while they do work in warm water, other baits do better.

 

Hey Smalljaw thanks for taking the time to share your preferences and experience with hair jigs.  Much appreciated

[RoLo]

I use only real bucktail. I guess I'm lucky cause I got some really nice ones with long hairs(5-6 in.)

 

Way to go Chris.

Just like you've stated, the demand for real bucktail has dried up.

As a result, real bucktail is now being replaced by "craft hair", the same stuff used for hair on toy dolls.

Problem is, synthetic bucktail hair (craft hair) is solid, but the tail hairs of deer and bear are 'hollow'.

 

Roger

[craww]

Even though its not theyre intended use, the spro phat fly in 1/8 is an absolute killer for numbers as cast and retrieve bait. 7' Medium spinning rod and 6/15 braid. Cast as far as possible, fast retrieve w/little english imparted on a tip up retrieve to mimic a baitfish darting. Drives pickeral nuts too.

I like youre bait, Ive not really persued it, but have often wanted something solid white around 7-8" for a fast retreive over shallow vegetation. The larger bucktails available in retail stores are always an ounce or more, just a little too heavy and quick sinking for the early early spring shallow bite.

[CJ]

Not available from Siebert Outdoors. Any other suggestions on where to have a few built?

 

I don't want to break the rules of the forum but a PM to me is a good stone to turnover.

[CJ]

Way to go Chris.

Just like you've stated, real bucktail has dried up.

As a result, real bucktail is now being replaced by "craft hair", the same stuff used for doll hair.

Problem is, synthetic bucktail hair (craft hair) is solid, but the tail hairs of deer and bear are 'hollow'.

 

Roger

 

You're dead on Roger. Craft hair soaks up water and won't hold profile as well as real bucktail once wet. Bucktail also floats which has become key to my latest endeavors. The fish on Ky Lake have been beat up as of late. The current has been turned way down positioning fish down off the side of the break or very near the break. Slow dragging a football jig tied with the right formula of bucktail, hackle, and flash has turned out to be deadly. As smalljaw has stated; natural lures entail action that can't be matched by artificial and show the bass something different.

[RoLo]

Delving in my angling reports, I found a couple sources of bucktail jigs:

 

Kalin Hand-tied Bucktail Jigs
http://www.cabelas.com/product/Kalins-Hand-Tied-Bucktail-Jigs/1514353.uts?Ntk=AllProducts&searchPath=%2Fcatalog%2Fsearch.cmd%3Fform_state%3DsearchForm%26N%3D0%26fsch%3Dtrue%26Ntk%3DAllProducts%26Ntt%3Dbucktail%26x%3D10%26y%3D6%26WTz_l%3DHeader%253BSearch-All%2BProducts&Ntt=bucktail

Bug-A-Roo Bucktail Jigs
http://www.northlandtackle.com/Product/product.taf?_function=detail&_ID=1031

 

Also in my archives was Jensen Bucktail jigs and Wright & McGill Hand-Tied Bucktails

but unfortunately it seems that those two are no longer available.

 

Roger

[HoosierHawgs]

How is this possible? He's stated that bass do not feed off the bottom.

The OP says he swims his hair jigs... Would that be on the bottom?

[smalljaw67]

Way to go Chris.

Just like you've stated, real bucktail has dried up.

As a result, real bucktail is now being replaced by "craft hair", the same stuff used for doll hair.

Problem is, synthetic bucktail hair (craft hair) is solid, but the tail hairs of deer and bear are 'hollow'.

 

Roger

 

I do well with craft fur jigs, it is a different action as it moves more fluidly and it compresses a lot more, I compare its movement to that of marabou. Deer hair is hollow, buck tail is NOT hollow, that is a common misconception, only the bottom hairs on the tail are hollow, then as you move up it is only the portion of the hair that is in the hide that is hollow. Anglers fishing deep impoundments are different than the guys that fish rivers, us river guys fish buck tail when the fish are very inactive because it has very little movement and we are fishing 10' deep or less a lot of the time. The impoundment guys use buck tail when fish are active because it falls faster because of the minnow type profile it creates when it gets wet, if the hair was hollow it would fall much slower and would not be used for deep water fishing except on large 1/2oz or heavier heads which isn't gret when fishing in cold water. I use to believe the same thing until Bob Clouser filled me in a long time ago, I asked him why he used buck tail for the Clouser Minnow since it was hollow and he gave me the scoop, he told me it is a common misconception that a lot of anglers have, they assume because the body hair is hollow that the tail is as well and it isn't, only the bottom hairs and a small porion of the upper hairs and that part gets trimmed off so it doesn't count as he puts it and I take what that guy says as gospel as he knows hair better than I do.

[CJ]

. Deer hair is hollow, buck tail is NOT hollow, that is a common misconception, only the bottom hairs on the tail are hollow, then as you move up it is only the portion of the hair that is in the hide that is hollow.

 

I learn something new everyday. They are still very bouyant and don't collapse in water as does craft hair. I'm sure each has it's time and place.

[CJ]

The OP says he swims his hair jigs... Would that be on the bottom?

 

I use atleast 2 different presentations. The best and most common is what you will see KVD do in this video link, CHECK OUT THIS VIDEO!:             

 

http://www.bassmaster.com/series/go-pro/4282222399001

 

Then Edwin Evers shows you a little different presentation with his first fish here:

 

http://www.bassmaster.com/series/go-pro/4276548646001

 

Really simple, you throw it out there and let it sink to the bottom then crank it a few times then kill it. The fish will usually hit it on the fall but I've had strikes at all  3 phases of the presentation. The first fish KVD catches in this video picks the jig up off the bottom after it has fell back down from the eratic retrieve. I've had fish hit it during the retrieve but most of the time they wouldn't get it until I killed it.

 

The other presentation that I've caught fish on that were busting on the surface was to immediatley start my retrieve as soon as the lure hits the water and use more of a twitching and yo-yo type retrieve.

[RoLo]

I do well with craft fur jigs, it is a different action as it moves more fluidly and it compresses a lot more, I compare its movement to that of marabou. Deer hair is hollow, buck tail is NOT hollow, that is a common misconception, only the bottom hairs on the tail are hollow, then as you move up it is only the portion of the hair that is in the hide that is hollow. Anglers fishing deep impoundments are different than the guys that fish rivers, us river guys fish buck tail when the fish are very inactive because it has very little movement and we are fishing 10' deep or less a lot of the time. The impoundment guys use buck tail when fish are active because it falls faster because of the minnow type profile it creates when it gets wet, if the hair was hollow it would fall much slower and would not be used for deep water fishing except on large 1/2oz or heavier heads which isn't gret when fishing in cold water. I use to believe the same thing until Bob Clouser filled me in a long time ago, I asked him why he used buck tail for the Clouser Minnow since it was hollow and he gave me the scoop, he told me it is a common misconception that a lot of anglers have, they assume because the body hair is hollow that the tail is as well and it isn't, only the bottom hairs and a small porion of the upper hairs and that part gets trimmed off so it doesn't count as he puts it and I take what that guy says as gospel as he knows hair better than I do.

 

Based on what I've been told by fly tiers, the bright white hairs are the most popular with anglers,

but are not the best hairs to use. The whitest hairs along the bottom of the tail are the least resilient,

and tend to kink like straws. The highest floating and most active tail hairs are the crinkly brown hairs

at the base of the tail. These are the hairs that give a bucktail jig its natural, unique bellowing action.

The only other materials that rival bucktail hair is bear tail hair and marabou, and all for the same reason.

All three materials contain trapped air pockets that give the dressing buoyancy and pulsation (breathing action).

 

The 'craft hair' used for toy dolls is not hydrophobic like animal hair, but tends to wick water.

Although the action of synthetic bucktail is excellent, it lacks the same buoyancy and bellowing action of natural hair.

Billy Westmoreland was the only angler to catch 3 smallmouth bass of 10 or more pounds.

Billy's favorite lure was his famous Hoss Fly, a 1/16 oz jig dressed with polar bear tail hair (hollow hairs).

The original Hoss Fly is now defunct, but a knockoff made by Punisher Lures uses craft hair and was renamed

"Aspirin Head Jig". Below are alternate jig dressings, but only bear hair and deer hair offer hollow hairs:

 

>> Squirrel Tail        Very fine restless hair but not hollow. Slippery to tie (very popular with crappie pundits)

>> Foxtail                Arctic fox is the most common species of fox used for foxtail hair

>> Coontail             Roadkills offer the cheapest source of coontail hair  ;-)

>> Rabbit Hair        Rabbit makes the best long streamers (e.g. bunny strips for pike)

>> Kip Tail              The tail from a calf

 

Roger

[CJ]

Excellent info Roger!

 

One thing to note as far as what big production companies offer is that this type of lure is tough to mass produce and actually have a fish catching machine. It's a lot like some crankbaits, you would have to go through a few to get a special "fish catcher". I took me with the help of a local guide and a fishing partner literally months to find the right "formula" for these jigs. After several trips from the tying bench to the swimming pool to the lake to get everyone's opinion and review, most importantly the fish's approval, we finally came up with we thought was the best jig. Sure any jig can catch active feeding fish but a good jig can make the most inactive and highly pressured fish bite. Even the placement, length, and which way to turn the hackle feathers was very critical. I think this is a lure that will always be left in the hands of a custom builder. I'm still constantly tweeking a few things and learning small details to make it even better. I'm also working on smaller more finesse types for smallmouth(though SM like what I've come up with here) and jigs better suited for other fisheries outside the TN river chain.

 

Chris

[smalljaw67]

Excellent info Roger!

 

One thing to note as far as what big production companies offer is that this type of lure is tough to mass produce and actually have a fish catching machine. It's a lot like some crankbaits, you would have to go through a few to get a special "fish catcher". I took me with the help of a local guide and a fishing partner literally months to find the right "formula" for these jigs. After several trips from the tying bench to the swimming pool to the lake to get everyone's opinion and review, most importantly the fish's approval, we finally came up with we thought was the best jig. Sure any jig can catch active feeding fish but a good jig can make the most inactive and highly pressured fish bite. Even the placement, length, and which way to turn the hackle feathers was very critical. I think this is a lure that will always be left in the hands of a custom builder. I'm still constantly tweeking a few things and learning small details to make it even better. I'm also working on smaller more finesse types for smallmouth(though SM like what I've come up with here) and jigs better suited for other fisheries outside the TN river chain.

 

Chris

 

The smaller type used for smallmouth are what I specialize in. I use rabbit, buck tail, marabou and craft fur in my jigs and I often use a combination of buck tail and rabbit, and it is usually done with a rabbit strip tail and a buck tail body. If the picture shows up you'll see a jig that I've been working on the last 2 seasons with a lot of success. It is a 3/16oz mushroom head with a large shuck (type of chenille) under body, a rabbit tail and a buck tail outer body, it works really well as is but we are always looking for improvement.