Hair jig fishing help needed

[casterus60]

Hi all. This year I'd like to start fishing hair jigs. Can you guys please tell me how can I fish them in ice out shallow waters? Which ones work for you?

Thanks

Adam

[TnRiver46]

Can’t help with ice but black ones are always good. Slow steady retrieve without jigging is underrated but if the water is super cold I would leave it laying on the bottom and bump it along 

[casterus60]

Ok. Thanks. What size for shallow water 1/8, 1/4?

[JediAmoeba]

Are most people using slip floats for them?  I always caught a lot of crappie with them that way but never bass

[Mr. Aquarium]

Crawl then. I tie hair jigs in ned heads. So they stand up but the natural hair is slowly moving.   Cast out. Let it hit bottom. And slowly twitch 

[A-Jay]

I fish these and in a very similar manner.

A-Jay

 

[Jig Man]

I fish a lot of hair jigs that I make.  I use a lot of colors depending on the time of year and water conditions.  I swim twitch mine most of the time.  I rarely let them come into contact with the bottom.

 

 

[WRB]

I fish hair jigs the same as silicone skirts and living rubber skirts, hair IMO feels and looks alive to bass and works year around.

Tom

PS, <<<avatar bass and all 5 pb's listed caught on hair jigs.

[TnRiver46]

2 hours ago, JediAmoeba said:

Are most people using slip floats for them?  I always caught a lot of crappie with them that way but never bass

I will use a bobber if I’m tired of catching fish and I want some down time......... that’s just me though, plenty of people around my region win bass tournaments all winter long with float n fly 

[OkobojiEagle]

Ice out brings the clearest water and slowest metabolism of fish... long casts & very slow retrieves of very light baits.  1/8 oz or less jig weight, tied with buoyant material(s).  Long limber spinning rods throwing 6 or 8lb braid mainline with a 10lb low stretch nylon leader to help control depth at such a slow retrieve speed.  Retrieve as steady as possible in the bottom 1/3 of water column and also try retrieves in the top 1/3.

 

oe

[Deeare]

Are you guys using a trailer?   If so what?

[TnRiver46]

1 minute ago, Deeare said:

Are you guys using a trailer?   If so what?

When it warms up I will sometimes. grub, craw, or chunk 

[OkobojiEagle]

28 minutes ago, Deeare said:

Are you guys using a trailer?   If so what?

The hair/hare jigs I tie are complete at the vise... no plastic trailers needed.

 

oe

[Ivey]

Love to see a photo, I tie also 

[FryDog62]

Hair jigs up here in the frozen tundra after ice-out are actually fairly popular.  They really were back in the day before plastics came along - for walleyes and bass.  Most here fish them on long rods 7-8 feet light power with 6 lb test (sometimes less) and 1/16 oz if you can get away with it, otherwise 1/8 oz.  Black seems to be the color of preference, no trailer.  Slow steady retrieve, or hop/twitch along the bottom.  Although finesse in nature, can elicit bone-jarring strikes!

[casterus60]

Thanks guys for responses. 

Adam

[Hooligan]

Seriously under-rated tactic for ice out feeshes. 
That said, skip the hair and tie a 5x full marabou jig for ice out up to about 48 degree water. Then transition to hair. 
I am odd man out, I like my hair tied really sparse. Like almost no body to it at all. Just the faintest profile and swimming slow. I’ll fish them under a float on a 7-6 Medium Light, but only in a really light chop. Otherwise it’s all in the rod. 

[OkobojiEagle]

11 hours ago, Hooligan said:

 5x full marabou jig

I want to be sure in my head... 5 wraps around one jig shank not 5 plumes wrapped around one jig shank?

 

oe

[Hooligan]

14 hours ago, OkobojiEagle said:

I want to be sure in my head... 5 wraps around one jig shank not 5 plumes wrapped around one jig shank?

 

oe

Take a regular marabou jig and tie it about five times thicker. It could be four to five plumes if you cut out the blood quill and the tip. I tend to not strip a quill, cut out the center tip and stack them in. It provides a natural taper.