Another Bug...

This jig has a spike-like tail of leather.  Its body is made of a dark green chenille.

Materials:

• A 3/8-ounce football head jig with a 3/0 hook
• Lion Brand Thick & Quick Chenille Yarn - basil
• Pro-Tec Powder Paint - orange mixture (hot pink + green chartreuse in a 1:1 ratio)
• Tandy Leather Factory Premium Leather - brown
• Kiwi Boot Lace - brown
• Danville Flymaster Plus Thread (210 denier) - olive
• Coats & Clark Machine Embroidery Thread (40-wt.) - dark olive

Chocoate-Caramel Bass Dessert

I hope that this jig becomes a dessert, or the main course, for hungry bass. ;)

 Materials:

• A 3/8-ounce football head jig with a 3/0 hook
• Kiwi Boot Lace (quartered) - dark brown
• Tandy Leather Factory Premium Leather for spike tail
• Lion Brand Suede Yarn - caramel
• UTC Ultra Thread 140 denier - rusty brown
• Harbor Freight, Pro-Tec, and Orbit Powder Paint - caramel mixture (HF red + PT green chartreuse + Orbit clear in 1:1:1 ratio)

Canyon Craw Bug

Tied this one last night using a fairly interesting chenille yarn that shows combinations of reddish-brown hues.  I've used it before on other jigs.  It looks pretty good on this type of jig, I think.

Materials:

•  A 3/8-ounce football head with a 3/0 hook
• Kiwi Boot Lace - dark brown
• Harbor Freight Powder Paint - plum brown mixture
• Lion Brand Suede Chenille - canyon
• UTC Ultra Thread 140 denier - rusty brown

Saving For Tennessee's Temperate Bass

Tied this craft fur jig over the weekend for the brutish white bass of the Tennessee River.  If a striped bass should hit it, well then, I'd better be living rightly. ;)

Its tail is made from red leather.  Though thicker, I have some off-white and purple-colored leather that I've yet to experiment with.

This jig weighs about 1/4 of an ounce and has a 1/0 bronze hook.

Whip-Tailed Ugly Bug

I love to tie these and hope to fish one very soon.

Materials:

• A 3/16-ounce ball head jig with a 1/0 bronze hook.
• Kiwi Boot Lace (quartered) - dark brown.
• Tandy Leather Factory Premium Leather Scrap - brown.
• Lion Suede Yarn (Lion Brand) #5  - coffee.
• UTC Ultra Thread 140 denier - rusty brown.
• Pro-Tec Powder Paint - bright orange mixture (hot pink + yellow chartreuse @ 1:1 ratio)

Hogsucker Jig

Cut a zonker strip and tied two chinchilla coque saddles around some antique white chenille to produce this jig. It weighs 1/4 of an ounce and has a 1/0 hook.

The tool in the foreground is a seam ripper. It's useful for cutting your own zonker strips from rabbit pieces and whole pelts.

Extended Leather & Chenille Grub

No need for a long hook shank to tie a longer grub. ;)

 This one is about 4 inches long.  Its body is extended by Latigo Lace.

Mantis-Style Jigs And A Tick

Thought of the praying mantis insect and how most of these jigs resemble it.  Well, a little bit maybe?

The jig in the upper-right portion of the picture looks like a tick to me.  A closeup of a black "mantis" appears below.

Here it is performing a headstand, quite possibly like it might on retrieve. ;)

I plan to continue tying with leather in the near future, but will look to produce different styles.  It's been fun to work with!

Thread Snips - A Tool Review

I purchased a pair of thread snips recently from a local hypermart.  The snips are made by Fiskars.  They are approximately 4.75 inches long and are very comfortable to grip.  I had high hopes for them.

Some observations from using this tool:

• Blades are sharp and remain flush against each other throughout the cuts.
• Blades points are extremely thick and prevent precise cutting of tags away from finishing knots.
• Blades are too thick for extremely close trimming.
• Tool seems appropriate for trimming longer hair (e.g. deer hair) and shaping it into form on large jigs or flies.
• Cuts chenille yarn quickly and cleanly.
• Blades appear to be replaceable.

Keep in mind that this tool isn't made specifically for fly or jig tying.  It will perform well for trimming threads from clothing or furniture and has a variety of sewing and floral craft uses.

In conclusion, I found it to be unsuitable for trimming thread tags on knots.  So, I will continue to use fine-point cuticle scissors for that purpose.

Recent Personal Favorite

My personal favorite bug...

I enjoyed tying this one.  It's one of my favorite color combinations and styles.

Materials:

• Kiwi Leather Boot Lace (quartered) - dark brown.
• Lion Brand Suede Yarn - coffee.
• A 3/8-ounce football head jig with a 3/0 black nickle hook.
• UTC Ultra Thread (140 denier) - rusty brown.
• Harbor Freight Powder Paint - plum brown mixture.

What Am I Thinking?

There may be a madness to my method. ;)