Panfish hair jigs...

[DitchPanda]

So I obviously know that marabou jigs have been around forever but was wondering about nicer, more refined jigs. Anybody tie there own jigs for bluegills in particular? Any good sites to buy nice bluegill hair jigs?

[Jig Man]

These guys have great fnf jigs.  I’ve ordered from them.

https://punisherlures.com/products/float-fly-hair-jigs

[DitchPanda]

56 minutes ago, Jig Man said:

These guys have great fnf jigs.  I’ve ordered from them.

https://punisherlures.com/products/float-fly-hair-jigs

While those do look like fine jigs I believe they are more geared for bass. 1\16oz and size 2 hook is much too large. I'm thinking more like 1\64oz or less and size 10-12 hook.

[MN Fisher]

17 minutes ago, DitchPanda said:

1\16oz and size 2 hook is much too large.

Says who? 1/16oz with #2 hook is my first choice for bobber/jig setup for crappie. If they're being finicky, I'll drop to a 1/32 with #4, but I've also gone up to 1/8 with a #2.

[Further North]

Take a look at mop flies.  Killer on panfish, trout, even bass.

Tied with just a bit more weight, they'd easily be castable with a panfish rod.

 

[DitchPanda]

10 minutes ago, MN Fisher said:

Says who? 1/16oz with #2 hook is my first choice for bobber/jig setup for crappie. If they're being finicky, I'll drop to a 1/32 with #4, but I've also gone up to 1/8 with a #2.

Says me. In the original post I stated for bluegill in particular. If all I wanted was a plain old large jig with an oversized hook I'd stick to crappy wal mart marabou.

[Further North]

The little buggers on the right side of this picture have worked really well of smallies in rivers.

I'd have to guess they'd do the same on bluegill.

 

 

These are made for a fly rod, with a 3/32" tungsten bead on a jig hook; the material is FNF Creeper.

The tying process looks very much like this:
 

 

...and once you're good at it, it's two, three minutes from start to finish.

Swap that hook for a jig, adjust overall length to whatever you like.

There are a ton of similar materials out there, some from this company.  They work, they are fast, and they are inexpensive.

 

[Fallser]

Don't underestimate what a bluegill can get into its mouth.  I mainly fly fish for them, and the flies I use for them are all tied on size 6 hooks.  It eliminates catching dinks, most of the time.   These are some I tied on 1/32 oz jigs with size 6 hooks.  Didn't get a chance to fish them this year, but plan to use them next spring with my fly rod for panfish and bass.

These are all tied with buck tail.  The problem when you get down to size 10 or size 12 jigs is finding hair to tie them with.  Squirrel or calf tail would probably work but the colors are limited.  If you could find jigs in that size(1/64th and smaller) made on an Aberdeen jig hook, which has a longer shank, it might be doable, but even tying marabou on that size is iffy.   

This one took a size 6 foam bug.

 

[Eric 26]

Both the  Zonker and Chicken Jig work very well for the panfish in my local retention ponds. I’m not sure if they are are widely available as I bought them in one of my local tackle shops. The paint has held up perfectly on the Chicken Jig vs the generic 2 on the top. If you’re interested I can see if there is any more information on the Zonkers jig.

Edited December 15, 2022 by Eric 26
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[DitchPanda]

20 minutes ago, Fallser said:

Don't underestimate what a bluegill can get into its mouth.  I mainly fly fish for them, and the flies I use for them are all tied on size 6 hooks.  It eliminates catching dinks, most of the time.   These are some I tied on 1/32 oz jigs with size 6 hooks.  Didn't get a chance to fish them this year, but plan to use them next spring with my fly rod for panfish and bass.

These are all tied with buck tail.  The problem when you get down to size 10 or size 12 jigs is finding hair to tie them with.  Squirrel or calf tail would probably work but the colors are limited.  If you could find jigs in that size(1/64th and smaller) made on an Aberdeen jig hook, which has a longer shank, it might be doable, but even tying marabou on that size is iffy.   

This one took a size 6 foam bug.

 

Oh I'm not underestimating them in any way...I've caught plenty on Ned rigs with size 6 or 4 hooks. I'm just saying in general a smaller hook seems to be more efficient at hooking bluegills.

[Bluebasser86]

Not exactly what I'd consider fancy, but they are fish catching machines. 

https://www.lurenet.com/lindy-little-nipper

[DitchPanda]

40 minutes ago, Bluebasser86 said:

Not exactly what I'd consider fancy, but they are fish catching machines. 

https://www.lurenet.com/lindy-little-nipper

I'm surprised you don't make your own!

[Bluebasser86]

15 minutes ago, DitchPanda said:

I'm surprised you don't make your own!

I do but they're ugly and I wouldn't feel comfortable selling them to anyone. I haven't taking the time to really learn how to make a hair jig that looks nice yet despite having all the equipment to do it. 

 

I loved the Turner Jones Micro Jigs but they're long out of business I believe. I still have quite a few in my fly box, wish I could get more. 

 

These are a popular one for the guys to trout fish with down in the Ozark streams. Haven't ever tried one but they come highly suggested. 

https://zigjig.com/product/micro-jigs/

[Fallser]

1 hour ago, Bluebasser86 said:

I loved the Turner Jones Micro Jigs but they're long out of business I believe. I still have quite a few in my fly box, wish I could get more. 

If Lurenet is selling those jigs for $2.49 each, I need to get in the jig tying business.  Yours' have to be better than those.  I googled the Turner Jones Micro Jigs.  Based on the picture in the article where I found them they must be tied on size 14 or smaller jigs.  It's an interesting article.  He didn't tie them but used shrink wrap to hold the material(a single strand of hen hackle) in place.  I just threw a bunch of that material away.

[Bluebasser86]

3 hours ago, Fallser said:

If Lurenet is selling those jigs for $2.49 each, I need to get in the jig tying business.  Yours' have to be better than those.  I googled the Turner Jones Micro Jigs.  Based on the picture in the article where I found them they must be tied on size 14 or smaller jigs.  It's an interesting article.  He didn't tie them but used shrink wrap to hold the material(a single strand of hen hackle) in place.  I just threw a bunch of that material away.

The Little Nippers come in a 2 pack, so they're pretty reasonable. 

 

The Turner Jones jig is a great little jig. Haven't found anything close to it.

[DitchPanda]

37 minutes ago, Bluebasser86 said:

The Little Nippers come in a 2 pack, so they're pretty reasonable. 

 

The Turner Jones jig is a great little jig. Haven't found anything close to it.

Surely there's at least one or two good tyers on here that could make you something very close

[Bluebasser86]

3 hours ago, DitchPanda said:

Surely there's at least one or two good tyers on here that could make you something very close

Lots of very good jig makers have tried to duplicate them but nobody has managed that I'm aware of. The heat shrink/seal on the head instead of tying and their tiny size makes them pretty tricky.

[Bigassbass]

I have spent a fortune on jigs and never done any good catching brim, but I tear them up on live bait and small hard minnow plugs.