Pup's Jig Works

The Color Purple

2012-01-26T23:24:00.001-05:00

Tied a couple of purple jigs for largemouth bass. I can't go fishing for them without purple lures in my tackle box.

Used LashMax yarn in place of hackle. The bottom-right jig is a "bivisible" tied half-n-half purple and black. Looking for a potential "slow fall" from that one.

Jigs are 1/8-oz. ball heads with # 2 hooks.

Yarn-Skirted Spinnerbaits

2012-01-22T23:13:00.002-05:00

Put these together together today. My first spinnerbaits. Hope to fish these for smallmouth bass this spring.

Materials:

LashMax Yarn - Caffeine
Coats Trilobal Polyester Thread 40-wt. - Chona Brown
Harbor Freight Powder Paints - red, black, & yellow
Custom unfinished spinnerbaits
Eyes made from hot glue, black acrylic paint, and tin foil
Loctite Super Glue Gel to attach eyes
Devcon 2 Ton Epoxy for topcoat
Laker Ball Bearing Snap Swivels
Hammered silver Colorado blades

The unfinished spinnerbaits weighed 1/8 and 3/16 of an ounce. Each has a 1/0 hook.

Olive Naturals For Bass

2012-01-20T09:22:00.000-05:00

Tied these bugger-styled jigs for bass. I hope that the saddle hackles will slow their fall when cast and counting down. Used marabou plume as the tail material because of its undulating action.

Materials:

Wapsi Strung Rooster Saddles - olive/natural
Orvis Marabou - olive
Danville FW 210 +Plus+ Thread - olive
A 1/8-oz. ball head jig with a #2 bronze hook
Harbor Freight Powder Paint (2:1 yellow/matte black mix) - olive

Red Raider

2012-01-12T14:37:00.003-05:00

Last night, I tied this red and black creature with a "Fish Head Jig" that was produced by a very fine jig maker hailing from Louisiana. The jig's name, "Red Raider", came about while thinking up the jig's color scheme and about West Texas, Lubbock, and Texas Tech University, specifically. Why not? Makes sense, right? ;)

Materials:

A 3/16-ounce "Fish Head" jig fitted with a 2/0 black nickel sickle hook
Boot lace
Darice Craft Fur - red and black
Caron Glimmer Yarn - black
LashMax Yarn - Black Star
Gudebrod 6/0 Fly Tying Thread - black, 125 denier
Devcon 2 Ton Epoxy
Orbit Powder Paint - clear
Harbor Freight Powder Paint - matte black and red
Eyes are homemade from black acrylic paint, tin foil, and hot glue

And, in case you might be thinking so, Bobby Knight had nothing to do with this. :) ;)

Two-Toning With Chartreuse

2012-01-02T20:20:00.001-05:00

Received some new-to-me powder paints over the weekend. So, I went to work. Here are a couple of 1/8-ounce ball heads with number #2 hooks.

The top jig's color is black over green chartreuse and the bottom jig is black over yellow chartreuse. Used green chartreuse "troll hair" and yellow chartreuse Targus Foxxfur for belly fur. Black-colored Darice Craft Fur comprises the dorsal area.

Painted the jig head base coats with Pro-Tec Powder Paint in green chartreuse and yellow chartreuse colors. Tapped some Harbor Freight black powder onto the heads in order to create a black dorsal appearance. Finally, I dipped the jig heads into Triple Thick Gloss Glaze to provide a clear protective coat over the acrylic eyes.

Two-Tone Jig Colors

2011-12-31T00:13:00.000-05:00

The bottom three jigs are my initial trials/examples. I added a coat of black powder paint to the top of the yellow jig heads in order to produce a two-tone effect.

Will be attempting several with green and yellow chartreuse base coats later this weekend.

Black 'N' Blues

2011-12-30T13:25:00.000-05:00

Tied these on 1/8-oz. ball jigs with # 2 hooks.

Materials:

A 2:1 mix of Orbit Powder Coating (clear) to Harbor Freight Powder Paint (black matte)
LashMax Eyelash Yarn - Black Star
Wapsi Streamer Hair - Saltwater Blue
Darice Craft Fur - black
Gudebrod Fly Tying Thread 6/0 - 125 denier

Superpede

2011-12-28T22:25:00.000-05:00

A creepy crawler for bass.

Materials:

Eagle Claw 249WA-1/0 hook
Boot lace
Small dumbbell eyes - unknown weight
Lion Brand Suede - Coffee
LashMax Eyelash Yarn - Caffeine
Coats Trilobal Polyester Thread (40-wt.) - Chona Brown

Total length is about 3.5 inches.

Holiday Ties

2011-12-26T20:17:00.000-05:00

Tied a few "spider grub"-styled kreature baits and some assorted craft fur minnows. Mixed a new-to-me powder paint color called "Cotton Candy Confetti". I think that it's a nice-looking combination of glitters and clear powder paint.

Hope you had a great Christmas and best wishes for the New Year.

The Ultimate Bobbin Threading Tool

2011-12-03T22:07:00.000-05:00

Price: $0.00

Palm Tree Knockoff

2011-11-19T17:20:00.000-05:00

About the Kinami Palm Tree

My knockoff version tied with body reversed:

Materials:

Kiwi Boot Lace
Eagle Claw 249WA-1/0 hook
Lion Brand Suede Chenille - Olive
Premier Yarns LashMax - Kryptonite
Coats & Clark Machine Embroidery Thread (40 wt.) - Dk. Olive & Electric Green

Slimmer than the plastic bait, this knockoff could be fished weightless or with a 1/16-oz. bullet head sinker. Personally, I don't care to fish with more than a 1/8-oz. sinker ahead of soft plastics in the rivers and lakes that I fish.

Soft plastic baits provide good possibilities for designs.

Egg-Sucking Kreature Bait

2011-11-18T22:16:00.000-05:00

Patterned similarly to an egg-sucking leech fly pattern. Total length is about 3.75-4 inches.

Materials:

1/8-oz. ball head with #2 bronze hook
HF Powder Paint - orange (red/yellow mixture)
UTC Ultra Thread 140 denier - black
Lion Brand Suede Chenille - Ebony
Darice Craft Fur - black
Kiwi Leather Boot Lace
Premier Yarns LashMax - Black Star

Hair Jig Fishing - Tackle & Technique For Bass

2011-11-17T16:47:00.005-05:00

Here's an In-Fisherman Blog article that a friend of mine co-wrote recently. Lots of good information here, particularly for Midwestern anglers.

The manifold virtues of the small hair jig, according to Brian Waldman

Now, I know where to find good jig trailers too. :)

Light Kreechers

2011-11-12T22:11:00.000-05:00

This is a bait that I've been tying a lot of lately in order to prepare for next spring's smallmouth bass fishing. It's somewhat similar in appearance to soft plastics like the Yammamoto Fat Ika or any of several skirted Chompers.

Each is tied on a 1/8-ounce ball head with a #2 bronze hook.

Comprised of eyelash yarn, chenille, and craft fur, my "Kreecher" jigs are meant to be fished along lake and river bottoms.

Crappie Prep - Pinkies and Red-N-Whites

2011-10-31T22:34:00.000-04:00

Here are several ties that I've prepared for November crappie. White craft fur has worked well for me recently.

Each jig weighs about 1/16 of an ounce and has a #4 red hook.

A Swim Jig For Schooling Shad Situations

2011-10-27T16:49:00.004-04:00

Earlier this month, I purchased a "new-to-me" eyelash yarn from Jo Ann Fabrics. It's called Lion Brand Fun Fur Exotic. The color is "silver fox". This material moves nicely in the water. Its silver color is very shiny.

I've combined it with a multi-toned gray craft fur that I purchased from Jo Ann on the same day. Visually, I like the pattern's appearance and its looks in water.

Pictured below are simple craft fur ties on the left as well as my shad-styled swim jigs. The jigs are 1/8-ounce with #2 hooks.

Have had initial success with the swim jigs on largemouth bass in Eagle Creek Reservoir of Indianapolis.

More Chenille Flukes & Worms

2011-10-27T16:31:00.000-04:00

Tied the following lures before my trip to Tennessee. Had good intentions of using them there, but the situations did not warrant it. Hopefully, I still have a chance this fall to fish them in proper situations.

Have discontinued using bungee cord rubber in favor of leather boot lace. It has an action similar to the rubber when wet. Also, note that I've begun tying two-tone worms with chartreuse tails.

Recent Fishing Trips - October 20-23 & October 26

2011-10-27T14:53:00.004-04:00

Took a trip down to Hixson, Tennessee with the intention to visit my in-laws last week. Well... most never saw me as my wife told me to go fish. And fish I did. :)

Spent all four mornings of October 20th through the 23rd fishing below the Chickamauga Lake Dam on the Tennessee River. A sportsman's paradise. There are many different species of gamefish to catch there and what a productive river!

Spent most of my time fishing near bridge abutments. White bass were schooling and willing to bite. Spotted bass provided some good battles too. I caught a few largemouth bass, yellow bass, bluegill, and two of my largest black crappie of the year. Unfortunately, I do not have photos of the crappie. This became a fishing trip for me, so sorry about the lack of photos. I fished! :)

My crappie were easily better than 12 inches long. By how much? I'm unsure. I caught them on hand-tied craft fur jigs (1/8-ounce) similar to those pictured below, but with red hooks.

I could not entice the white bass with these surprisingly. Most of those were caught on Yum Mystic Minnows.

Pictured below are two of my white bass catches. The first is slightly smaller than my average catch. The second is one of the brutes. I believe that I caught about 15-20 white bass each morning. Many were similar in size to the fish in the second picture.

That's a three-inch long swimbait lying across the fishes mouth. This was truly a nice-sized fish which put up a heck of a battle.

Here is a photo of one of the "fishermen" fishing next to me during the trip, a much better fisherman than I.

Finally, I did a little shore casting over at Eagle Creek Reservoir in Indianapolis last night. Caught a total of 33 white bass and 8 yellow bass in just under two hours. Fished a black-bodied, silver-bladed UV Roostertail Spinner (1/8-ounce). Often, the fish hit the lure just as it entered the water. My largest was a white bass of about 12 inches in length. It was nice to catch so many white bass since I did not catch any true bass other than yellow bass there last year.

The rest of the lures that I fished:

Pictured clockwise from top left:

Yum Mystic Minnow
1/6-ounce white Roostertail
1/8-ounce white Roostertail
1/8-ounce black UV Roostertail
1/16-ounce black Roostertail
1/4-ounce yellow Roostertail
Captain Mick's Minnow Swimbait

LashMax Yarn Jigs for Bass

2011-09-30T22:14:00.000-04:00

Plum brown heads (Harbor Freight mix) with caffeine (dark brown) LashMax eyelash yarn tied in over the collar. Used brown and orange craft furs for the tail. Cinched everything down with brown-colored trilobal polyester thread.

Heads are 1/8 of an ounce with #2 hooks.

Ultimate Yarn Jig 'N' Worms

2011-09-23T04:11:00.003-04:00

I've been tying with eyelash yarns for the past two months. A fellow tyer mentioned that one of my yarns might make a nice replacement material for silicone skirt applications. The yarn is durable and has very good movement in the water. So, I agree. :)

Here are a couple of my latest "mover and shaker" ties.

The hooks are offset slightly from the chenille and rubber tails, so there's plenty of gap available for hooksets. Jigs are 1/8-ounce ball heads with #2 hooks.

More jig ties with new and different eyelash yarns are on the way... I hope that you'll stay tuned.

It's Not A Fluke... More Flukes!

2011-09-07T19:57:00.002-04:00

I really enjoy tying these now that I'm in control of both, the thread and the weedguard. ;) Used two more "new-to-me" yarns this evening. The first fluke pictured is tied with a #6 yarn called Northland Lofty Chenille (honey color pattern). The second is tied with a fuzzy #6 chenille yarn called Bernat Fab Faux (sable color pattern).

This fluke has an Eagle Claw 249WA-1/0 hook. It's about 6" long.

This one was has an Eagle Claw 249WA-3/0 hook. It's 6.5" long.

I field tested one of my other flukes recently with a medium spinning outfit consisting of a 6 foot rod and a reel spooled with 6-lb. copolymer line. I was able to cast it a pretty fair distance with it wet. :)

Forget about casting one of these dry unless you use a fly rod outfit of about 8-wt or more. ;)

Fluke Jr.

2011-09-05T23:26:00.002-04:00

This one measures 5 inches long. I purchased two skeins of Northland Lofty Chenille (Bulky #6) recently that looked good for baitfish patterns. This particular color is called "Maplewood".

Used sage-colored craft fur for the tail. The hook is an Eagle Claw 249WA -1/0. It rides with its hook point downward and has a wire weedguard to resist snagging.

Little Posting, Lots O' Tying...

2011-09-03T18:03:00.001-04:00

Spent some time tying many jigs during August. Some of the jigs appear in the following photos:

The jigs are 1/8-ounce ball heads with #2 hooks. Used eyelash yarns in a variety of designs. Added craft fur tails, flashabou, and safety pin spinners to many of the ties. I consider these jigs a specialty of mine and hope that you find them interesting.

No Trailers Required

2011-08-12T22:30:00.000-04:00

Created these tonight using brown Disco eyelash yarn and orange craft fur. Each is tied on a 1/8-ounce ball head jig with a #2 Aberdeen hook.

This is one of my favorite "craw" color patterns for smallmouth bass.

Super Leech II

2011-08-12T14:09:00.000-04:00

Here's another Super Leech tied with orange craft fur and brown Disco yarn.

I hope to fish this one in the local river for smallmouth bass. This sure looks like a big fish bait to me.

Super Leech

2011-08-10T17:19:00.000-04:00

It measures about 5 inches long. Tail is tipped with black-colored Darice Craft Fur. Body is Bernat Disco Eyelash Yarn palmered over the bungee cord rubber strip that is tied onto the hook shank.

Jig head is a 1/8-ounce ball head with a #2 bronze Aberdeen hook. The head is painted with matte black Harbor Freight powder.

Just For Grins - If I Had Sponsors Like A Professional Fisherman...

2011-08-07T15:03:00.002-04:00

Who might they be? This is a list of companies producing jig tying tools that I really like. See any surprises here?

Red Worms

2011-08-04T21:03:00.000-04:00

Tied on 1/8-ounce ball head jigs with #2 hooks. Used a chenille print yarn made by Lion Brand. The color is called canyon.

The jigs are nearly 6 inches long. I feel that these may make pretty good river bass or walleye baits.

Pup's Super Fluke

2011-08-01T23:45:00.000-04:00

It's not a jig or a fly per se. I tied this with Rozetti Velvet chenille, pink craft fur, and a strip of 1/8" wide bungee rubber.

The hook is an Eagle Claw 249WA-1/0. It rides with its hook point down. I use this style of hook when fishing soft plastic flukes for river bass.

This fluke is pretty light, but should gain some weight when wet. It measures just under 6 inches long.

Reviving A Flawed Implement

2011-07-31T09:18:00.001-04:00

Last winter, I purchased a pair of curved cuticle scissors sight unseen. I expected them to be of the same dimensions and quality as my primary scissors of the same make and model. These were to be my replacement pair when my primary pair wears out.

Well, I was disappointed. The blades are a little wider and one of the points was blunt. I put the scissors away and bought another pair made by a different manufacturer. A couple of days ago, I was cleaning out my scissors drawer when I spotted them. Several thoughts later, I grabbed a triangular file and took action.

Took an approach similar to sharpening lawn mower blades and filed down along the curve of the blade with the blunt point. Then, I filed along both of its sides to create a pinpoint tip. My result? Well, the blades remain a little thick to my liking, but the points are needle fine. It's now a wonderful pair of scissors for trimming hair and cutting thread at knots.

I used just my hands to hold the scissors and file. Though, my bench vise could have made my effort a little easier.

Up My Sleeve: Nail Polish

2011-07-27T16:31:00.003-04:00

So much of my web site is devoted to show and tell, that I think it's due for a little more "content". Today, I'll mention one of my tricks for painting jig heads with nail polish.

Nail polish is one of the cheapest and easiest of paints to obtain for coloring jig heads. Though, it's not durable and requires a clear coat to avoid chipping off. Powder and vinyl paints are better choices for durability. However, if you have a durable clear coat, nail polish provides some of the most interesting and artistic of colors.

I use a two-part, thirty-minute epoxy to clear coat jigs painted with nail polish. One of the best and most readily available is Devcon 2 Ton Epoxy.

I buy nail polish when it's on sale at nearby department stores. Often, popular makes and colors are reviewed on web blogs devoted to beauty and cosmetics. Two that I find quite useful follow below:

What's great about these blogs is that they describe mixing colors together to achieve some very interesting color combinations. Frequently, they will describe how many coats of a particular polish are necessary to produce an opaque color on the human nail. This is handy when you want solid, non-metallic colors on your jig heads. Newer lead is shiny after all.

I hope that you find these sites interesting and useful if you paint your jig heads with nail polish.

Approaching Green Pumpkin - Paint

2011-07-20T16:50:00.000-04:00

I feel that this jig head's paint looks very close to the popular green pumpkin color. The photo was shot with a combination of fluorescent and incandescent lighting.

The jig head is painted with a mix of Harbor Freight's matte black and yellow powder paints in about a 1:1 ratio. This picture doesn't do it a true justice either.

Or...maybe my mind is playing tricks on me. ;)

Ball Head Jig-N-Worm

2011-07-17T22:56:00.001-04:00

Tied this jig-n-worm on a 1/8-ounce ball head with a #2 hook. Its total length is about 5.0 inches.

Materials:

Darice Craft Fur - orange
Lion Brand Suede (#5 chenille yarn) - coffee
Bungee cord rubber - 1/8 of an inch wide
UTC Ultra Thread (140 denier) - dark brown
Harbor Freight Powder Paint - brown-colored mixture

Plan to fish this one as a bottom bouncer for river smallmouth bass.

Yet Another Jig-N-Worm

2011-07-16T15:24:00.000-04:00

Tied this one expressly for my local river. It's intended for smallmouth bass. Though, it measures 6 inches long.

Used a bulky #6 chenille called Rozetti Velvet. It's good-looking material I think. The jig head is painted a brown color that I mixed from black, yellow, and red Harbor Freight powder paints.

These are fun to tie. Well, except for the craft fur tail that is... ;)

More Jig-N-Worms

2011-07-13T22:53:00.000-04:00

Tied a couple more jig-n-worms this evening. The blue firetail is about 7.5 inches long and the green with black tail measures 5 inches. Used large #5 and #6 chenille yarns made by Lion Brand. Plan to fish the blue one for largemouth bass and the green one for both largemouth and smallmouth bass.

Each jig is tied on a 1/8-ounce football head with a #1 or a 1/0 hook.

Firetail Jig-N-Worm

2011-07-08T21:32:00.001-04:00

Used thick bungee cord rubber to extend the purple chenille body. Tied in craft fur as the firetail and whip finished over the rubber. The football head is painted with nail polish to match the #5 chenille and topcoated with two-part epoxy.

Thought that this might make a good tie for the largemouth bass in my local reservoir.

Another Rosy Red Minnow

2011-06-30T22:15:00.000-04:00

Here's another 1/8-ounce rosy red jig version that I tied recently. Tried a bit of pink over orange craft fur on the body with grayish-silver fur to represent some fins. The head is a salmon pink powder color that I mixed recently.

Rosy Red Minnow

2011-06-25T12:24:00.002-04:00

This is my impressionistic rosy red minnow with its black fins for added contrast. Tied on a 1/8-ounce ball head with a #2 hook. Plan to give it a try on the local smallmouth and largemouth bass.

This jig's length is approximately 3 inches.

Rosy red minnows are fathead minnow variants sold as aquarium pets, gamefish forage, and are popular as bait.

More Grays

2011-06-18T22:00:00.001-04:00

I finished tying my remaining gray heads this AM. Below are the two that I tied.

The top jig is reverse-shaded, i.e., white back, gray middle, and black belly. The bottom one is a "large profile" tie. I combined black, white, and gray fur along the hook shank. Though difficult to see in this photo, there is a mix of strands of each color along the entire length of the jig body. This particular jig might not move through the water as attractively as the others, but maybe it will lure in a larger fish with its fuller profile. ;)

Contrast Jig

2011-06-18T10:20:00.000-04:00

Tied this one solely with the idea of contrast in the body profile. Selected black, gray, and white colors. I do not know how this will look in water when jigged.

Used a 3/16-ounce ball head with a #1 hook and craft fur.

To me, it's a little like viewing a black and white television image. However, fish don't watch television. ;)

Gray Siren

2011-06-12T09:12:00.000-04:00

Tied a little something that I hope will appeal to river bass. Used a 3/16-ounce ball head jig with a #1 hook. The rubber legs are cut relatively short and keep the hook upright.

Materials:

Black and white HF powder paints mixed to gray color
Black and white acrylic paints for jig eyes
DecoArt Triple Thick Gloss Glaze for jig head topcoat
Darice Craft Fur - gray
Herrschners bulky #5 chenille - gray
Coats Extra Strong Upholstery Thread - driftwood color

Marabou Crappie Jigs

2011-05-25T20:15:00.001-04:00

Tied on 1/16-oz. ball heads with #4 hooks. I used marabou feathers instead of craft fur as "full body material" for a change of pace. I like the ease of working with craft fur. Marabou took a little getting used to.

Materials:

Zucker Feather Products Marabou - white
Harbor Freight Powder Paint - white
UTC Ultra Thread (140 denier) - fl. fire orange
Rustoleum American Accents Latex Enamel - orange glow
Black acrylic craft paint
A 1/16-oz ball head jig with a #4 red hook
Devcon 2 Ton Epoxy for topcoat

More Powder Paint Mixing

2011-05-11T23:14:00.000-04:00

Here's one other combination that I made last night. Mixed a 1:1 ratio of Harbor Freight's respective red and white powders to create a "pixelated" soft pink color. Then, I tied a couple of thread-bodied jigs for crappie.

Basic Powder Paint Mixing

2011-05-10T08:49:00.000-04:00

Did a little mixing recently with some basic powder paint colors. I thought that the results of the mixes came out well. Though, I'm not sure that the camera shot agrees with me.

The two chartreuse jigs at the top have burnt orange heads. This color is formed by mixing Harbor Freight's red and yellow in a 1:1 ratio. The gray jigs in the picture have heads with a "pixelated" gray color formed by a 1:1 mix of Harbor Freight's white and matte black powder paints.

Both colors look pretty good to me at a distance. I thought that these examples might be of interest to someone wanting to get started mixing and painting with just a few colors. Harbor Freight's powder paint is relatively inexpensive and sold by the pound.

Crappie Ties WIth Holoshimmer

2011-04-29T23:41:00.000-04:00

Tied several 1/16-ounce jigs tonight with Sulky Holoshimmer, a terrific metallic-looking film. Used the downy portions of white turkey feathers for tails. Each has a #4 bronze hook and is powder painted.

I plan to fish these at a nearby reservoir over the next few weeks.

Walleye & Panfish Jigs

2011-04-24T13:41:00.003-04:00

Tied these with an assortment of threads and a floss. Used Sulky Holoshimmer, Gütermann Metallic, Kreinik Braid, and UNI-Floss. Each is tied on a 1/16-ounce ball head jig with a #4 hook.

They could represent minnows, leeches, other small fish, or large insects.

Used portions of strung turkey and chicken feathers for jig tails.

Assorted Ties

2011-04-20T18:32:00.000-04:00

Used chenille and eyelash yarns to produce these. Each is tied on a 3/16-oz. ball head with a #1 red Aberdeen hook.

Beginning at the bottom left and moving counterclockwise:

Christmas Crayfish - Tied with large #6 green chenille; Green and red eyelash yarn
Night Minnow - Sparkling black chenille and eyelash yarn
Green Crawler - Green chenille and eyelash yarn; Black rubber legs
Applesauce Jig - Red head and tail; Green apple-colored chenille body

Classic Temperate Bass Jigs

2011-04-19T23:15:00.000-04:00

Tied these red and white-colored jigs expressly for white bass. Each weighs 3/16 of an ounce and has a #1 red Aberdeen hook.

I refer to these as "classic" since each is tied with white hair (craft fur) on a white head and wrapped with red thread. Two jigs include strands of red flash. This red/white color combination is very popular throughout the US for temperate bass, particularly striped bass and hybrids.

More Yellow Jigs

2011-04-13T21:10:00.001-04:00

I'm revisiting yellow perch. These weigh about 3/16 of an ounce and have #1 red Aberdeen hooks. Once again, I painted the heads with the Harbor Freight yellow powder paint.

These are "magnum" versions of my yellow perch jigs. I really like them and can't wait to use them.

Yellow Color Combinations

2011-04-13T12:26:00.000-04:00

Thought I'd experiment last night with combinations of yellow. Jigs are 3/16-oz. with #1 red Aberdeen hooks.

Materials:

Caron Glimmer (#5 chenille) - black, mango, and willow
Bernat Disco Eyelash Yarn - Glad It's Night and Jungle Jive
Coats Trilobal Polyester Thread (machine embroidery) 40-wt. - Temple Gold
Black and white acrylic paints for eyes
DecoArt Duraclear Polyurethane Varnish for topcoat
Harbor Freight Powder Paint - yellow

Show 'n' Tell - Acrylic Eyes and Polyurethane

2011-04-04T18:35:00.000-04:00

I did a little powder painting this weekend. Went 2 for 6 while using a lighter as a heat source. :D Will use my heat gun when the bench in my garage is fully ready. ;)

I added eyes to the jigs using acrylic paint, applied three coats (dips) of polyurethane, then "heat" set the jigs with a hair dryer. Was satisfied with everything until...

I finished drying my jig pictured at the top of the photo.

Acrylic paint often forms what I refer to as a "pimple". It is a tiny mound in the paint which recedes as the paint dries. Often, a pimple will collapse into a tiny "hole" when fully dried.

My point to this post is... make sure your eyes are fully dried before you apply a polyurethane topcoat. The topcoat will collapse into the pimple's hole when the underlying jig eye is still wet. Sometimes, the result is what I've shown by my gray jig pictured above. A collapse occurred at the bottom of the pupil.

Riversmallies.com - Returning?

2011-04-01T12:10:00.001-04:00

My site is dedicated to jig tying. However, there will be times when I will mention other noteworthy items.

Riversmallies.com may be returning. It was a genuine repository of smallmouth bass fishing knowledge with posts and articles about lures, techniques, and equipment. Time will tell.

Another Bug-Eyed Wooly Fishhead

2011-03-29T20:46:00.001-04:00

Here it is. A similar jig, but without the ash-colored roving and has rainbow/pearl flash instead of red. Used red trilobal polyester thread on the collar.

The Bug-Eyed Wooly Fishhead

2011-03-27T17:49:00.004-04:00

I recently obtained some very nice unfinished "fish head" jig heads, so I decided to work with them this weekend. Here's what I've come up with so far, the Bug-Eyed Wooly Fishhead.

Materials:

Low-temperature glue gun with clear glue sticks to form 3-D eyes
Hole punch - 1/4-in. diameter
Black acrylic paint for eye pupils
A 3/16-ounce "fish head" jig with a 1/0 black nickel sickle hook (I think... ;) )
UTC Ultra Thread 140 denier - olive
Flymasters Wapsi Flashabou Accent - red
Clover Natural Wool Roving - moss green and ash
Maybelline Express Nail Polish - go go green (jig head)
Sally Hansen Hard As Nails - cardinal (gills and back of jig head)
Devcon 2T Epoxy for topcoat

This new-to-me style of jig head inspired me to seek and try out a different type of hair. I like the way the hair formed and looks around the hook. It appears relatively dense. I hope that it has good action. Being dense, it certainly forms a nice profile.

Wool absorbs water and sinks like a rock. So, this jig will be used for swimming and hopping. The key here will be limited stopping time.

The 3-D eyes are new to me as well. I crafted my own using pointers from David Jaroscak. You can find them in this link.

Tiring Of Ugly Bugs?

2011-03-25T17:42:00.002-04:00

Well, here are eight more. Each is tied on a 1/8-oz. ball head jig with a #2 bronze hook.

Their elastic legs have great action in water. Remember...bungee cord. ;)

More Ugly Bugs

2011-03-16T23:40:00.002-04:00

Here are a couple that I tied from bungee cord rubber and thick green chenille. One has very thick black legs that are somewhat stiff and smell like new tires. :D I'll see how it fishes...

I do like the bottom jig's flexible legs. However, the bass will judge it... ;)

Ugly Bug 2011

2011-03-11T17:53:00.002-05:00

Received an assist from a bungee cord to tie this jig. The elastic made for pretty nice legs I think. No googly eyes or silver elastic legs on this version.

Materials:

Unpainted 1/4-oz. Northland Gum-Ball Jig with 1/0 hook
Caron Glimmer #5 chenille - apple
Bungee cord elastic
Machine embroidery thread (trilobal polyester) 40-wt - electric green
Sally Hansen Hard As Nails - cardinal
Black and white acrylic paints for eyes
PermaPoxy 5-Minute GP Epoxy for topcoat

This jig is one of my favorites to make/tie.

Jig Crafting Tips

2011-03-09T22:17:00.001-05:00

Here are a couple of tips that I found useful recently.

When nail polish thickens with age, thin it with 100% acetone nail polish remover. Add several drops to a bottle of nail polish and then mix it before next use. Watch air bubbles travel quickly to the surface as clear nail polish thins. Apply it in a well-ventilated area.
Isopropyl alcohol effectively removes indelible ink (Sharpie marker) from skin.

Burnt Pinkies and Burnt Bluebacks

2011-03-09T22:01:00.001-05:00

Tied on 1/16-oz. ball heads with #4 red Aberdeen hooks.

Strayed away from craft fur to use some lambs wool and streamer hair. The lambs wool has a little burnt orange in its tips which I find interesting. Plan to try these out on the local reservoir crappie and white bass this spring.

Redfins II

2011-03-05T21:55:00.000-05:00

Tied these on 1/8-oz. ball head jigs with #2 hooks.

Materials:

UTC Ultra Thread 70 denier - gray brown
Darice Craft Fur - silver and black
Westrim Craft Fur - red
Diamond Cosmetics Jazz Nail Polish - silver
Black and white acrylic paints for jig eyes
PermaPoxy 5-Minute General Purpose Epoxy for jig head topcoat

Black-N-Grays

2011-02-28T18:56:00.007-05:00

Tied in hopes of hooking and landing a few walleye from my local reservoir. These are 1/8-oz. ball head jigs with #2 hooks.

Materials:

Darice Craft Fur - black and grayish silver
UTC Ultra Thread 70 denier - black
Black and yellow acrylic paint for jig eyes
Orvis Krystal Flash - gold
Black nail polish
Two-part epoxy for jig head topcoat

There's Something About This Kreature...

2011-02-23T18:22:00.004-05:00

...bait that I like (brown color). I hope that the bass will like it too.

Materials:

Darice Craft Fur - brown and fawn
Brown and copper-colored silicone skirt tab
Lion Brand Suede chenille yarn - mocha
Coats & Clark trilobal polyester thread 40-wt. - chona brown
A 1/8-oz. football head jig with #1 bronze sickle hook
Avon Nailwear nail enamel - "bare necessity" color
PermaPoxy 5-Minute epoxy for jig head topcoat

Sage 'N' Red-Colored Kreature Bait

2011-02-19T22:24:00.002-05:00

Thought this one might attract a few bass. Used a 1/8-ounce football head jig with a #1 bronze hook. Sage-colored craft fur and chenille comprise the body and tail. Red craft fur provides a contrast in hue. The silicone skirt tab contains red, black, blue glitter, and sage colors. The jig head color is olive-brown.

Silicone Skirt Tab - Olive Jig

2011-02-19T07:16:00.001-05:00

Tied this one using Lion Brand Suede again. This time it's an olive-colored body. Orvis Polar Fibre (olive) makes for a really nice, long, soft tail on this jig.

Isn't it about time to go fishing?

Red Bugs

2011-02-14T21:54:00.003-05:00

Tied a couple of these critters using Lion Brand Suede chenille yarn. The color is canyon. I believe it's been discontinued. It's a heckuva nice-looking color.

Used a reddish-brown and black silicone skirt tab and brown craft fur to complete each tie. Jigs are 1/8-oz. football heads (glossy-brown) with #1 bronze sickle hooks.

Silicone Kreatures - Sculpin Pattern

2011-02-13T00:08:00.000-05:00

Tied a couple of kreature baits this evening for early spring bass fishing. I plan to fish these in the river near my home.

It's tough for me to see the body color very well. I used a basil-colored #6 chenille manufactured by Lion Brand that is pictured below.

Other materials include:

Deluxe craft fur - black
Olive trilobal polyester thread 40-wt
Lemon-lime and black-colored silicone skirt tab
1/8-oz. football head with #1 sickle or round bend hook
Santee nail polish for jig head - black
PermaPoxy 5-Minute Clear for jig head topcoat

Spotted Bass Jig

2011-02-05T10:28:00.001-05:00

Another idea for using a Sharpie. Spotting a lateral line.

Thought a juvenile spotted bass (or adult) might serve as a pretty good model for a drab green and white jig. One that might be useful when fishing for river bass. Used sage green, white and black craft fur on this tie with olive trilobal polyester thread for wraps.

My spotty lateral line looked better before I combed the jig. A bad hair day I guess.

I need more practice at this one.

Yet Another Perch Tie...

2011-01-30T18:25:00.001-05:00

This one has a bit of olive color added dorsally.

Also, I used some gold-colored trilobal polyester thread around the jig collar in place of black flat-waxed thread.

Had enough of these perch ties already? ;)

Another Yellow Perch Jig

2011-01-28T21:44:00.000-05:00

Tied this one on the advice of another jig tyer.

I liked the advice. :)

Yellow Perch Jig

2011-01-28T07:33:00.001-05:00

This one is patterned after a yellow perch. Tied it on a 1/8-oz. ball head jig with a #2 hook.

I hope to tie other prototypes of different sizes in the near future.

Here's How It's Done

2011-01-26T16:20:00.000-05:00

Here are a couple of nice videos made by Walleyejigger5 from YouTube.

That's all there is to it Folks. :)

Old School & Purple-Barred Ties

2011-01-24T22:30:00.001-05:00

I really don't know why I like the color of the top two jigs in this photo so much. Maybe, it's because of the colors of the feathered trebles on old musky lures or the spoons and spinners that I've fished successfully for northern pike.

I think that I'll try to test the red/yellow and red/white colors a bit this spring. Many of the old lures from Grandpa's tackle boxes had red and white color patterns. So, It might be worth fishing these color combinations. Grandpa was a pretty good angler as I recall...

There's something about barred patterns that look attractive to me. I hope that they'll attract gamefish as well. I chose purple and white because of my confidence in purple color for largemouth bass and walleye.

Each jig weighs 1/8 of an ounce and has a #2 bronze hook.

Green & Yellow

2011-01-22T00:02:00.000-05:00

Tied a couple of green and yellow jigs tonight. Each weighs about 1/8 of an ounce and has a #2 hook. Wanted to try a new fabric marker. My result was...well...

...OK, I guess. The marker left the jig's yellow fur somewhat stiffer-feeling to me. I need to let it dry lying flat overnight, so perhaps I'll comb it out sometime tomorrow. I'd like to create better bar markings in the future with more practice.

The top jig is simply kelly green tied over yellow craft fur, so no drying time there. ;)

Barring Practice & A Tinsel Jig

2011-01-19T18:30:00.005-05:00

So, last night I decided to try to pattern another jig using a black Sharpie marker. I chose a pattern I'll refer to as reverse countershading. Countershading is a concept applied to aquatic organisms that are dark-colored on top (dorsally) and their colors lighten gradually as you look toward their bottom or belly (ventrally). It's a theory that these organisms are less visible to predators when viewed from below against a light sky. Also, it serves to make them less visible to predators when viewed from above against darker backgrounds. Well, I'll modify this concept. Why not design a jig to represent the opposite of this concept in order to gain an angling advantage?

This jig may be somewhat camouflaged by its bars when at rest in weedy or dark surroundings. However, it becomes increasingly visible as it moves through lighter surroundings. The contrast between the black and yellow colors seem significant to me. Granted, I'm not a fish. ;)

The second jig has a single strand of gold tinsel along each side to provide light-reflecting flash against the black silhouette of its craft fur body.

Black-N-Yellow Hair Jigs

2011-01-18T21:33:00.001-05:00

Black and yellow...not just for bees...

Used a black chisel point Sharpie to produce the bottom jig's barred pattern. I have to practice more with it. Each jig is tied with a 1/8-oz. ball head having a #2 hook.

Materials:

Black and yellow craft fur
Black Ultra Thread - 70 denier
Sanford chisel point Sharpie marker - black
Black and white acrylic paints
Two-part epoxy for topcoat

Vise Selection Article

2011-01-16T22:14:00.000-05:00

A pretty good article in my opinion. Covers the "what to look for in a vise" based upon what you want to tie. Great for those who want to learn about vise function and terminology.

Get A Grip

Minnow Heads For Multiple Species Of Fish

2011-01-14T18:51:00.001-05:00

Here are some new ties using 1/16-oz. Arkie minnow head jigs with #4 hooks. Tails consist of turkey and chicken feather. Bodies consist of Sulky Holoshimmer and Lion Brand Suede. The heads have a nice reflective holographic finish beneath their epoxy topcoats in my opinion.

Approaching Green Pumpkin

2011-01-10T17:45:00.002-05:00

A popular color among smallmouth bass fisherman. There is some variability in its hue and tone among lure producers. I created my own versions of this color through these craft fur ties.

Combined are brown, sage green, and black craft furs. Each jig is tied on a 1/8-oz. football head with a size 1 or 1/0 black sickle or round bend hook.

More Craft Fur Jigs Tied Over The Holiday

2011-01-05T20:50:00.000-05:00

Tied these recently after Christmas. Used "holiday-colored" paint and tinsel in a few of the patterns. Each jig weighs about 1/8 of an ounce and has a #2 round bend hook.

Panfish Jigs

2011-01-05T20:05:00.001-05:00

Each jig has a thread style body tied with braid, metallic thread, or film. Tails are turkey feather, chicken feather, or blood quill marabou.

The jigs weigh 1/16 of an ounce and have either a #4 round bend or a #6 sickle hook.

Tinsel Time

2010-12-29T17:20:00.001-05:00

Visited my local Target store last evening. Picked up four packages of Christmas tinsel (icicles) for 50% off or $0.50 per package. Five-hundred icicles per package. Colors include gold, silver, green, magenta, and blue. Its design is similar to holographic tinsel.

Here are closeups of two jigs tied with the tinsel yesterday evening. Used 1/8-ounce ball heads with #2 hooks.

A useful material that may be discounted at many other stores during Christmas clearance sales.

Tips for Tyers

2010-12-28T17:14:00.001-05:00

Here are a few that keep me tying smoothly:

I use acetone nail polish remover to thin clear nail polish as it ages. This reduces its thickness and the "spider webs" created when brushing it onto thread.
Keep a lint roller handy on your table or bench. Fur and feathers often wind up on your clothing. The roller makes for a quick and easy cleanup before you leave your work area. Sometimes, I'll even use it to quickly clean off my table top.
Save soda cans. These are perfect platforms for mixing two-part epoxy. Use the bottom of a can for mixing the resin and hardener. Be sure to remove its pop-top to ensure that it stands level. Dispose of the can properly after use.

White Bass Jigs

2010-12-15T17:42:00.010-05:00

Tied several jigs for white bass fishing. I plan to try these out at my local reservoir. I've found that walleye seem to like them too, especially the all-silver ones.

Inside the Bat Cave...

2010-12-01T20:47:00.002-05:00

Here's where I keep my tying tools and materials...

And...here's where I keep my testing tools for the finished products. ;)

Thanksgiving Weekend Fishing below the Chickamauga Dam near Hixon, TN

2010-11-30T20:43:00.153-05:00

Arrived back Sunday from a wonderful trip to visit my in-laws in Hixon, TN. Spent a little time after the Thanksgiving Day festivities fishing below the Chickamauga Lake Dam on Friday and Saturday. Chickamauga Lake is part of the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) chain of lakes located on the Tennessee River. The area is nothing less than a sportsman's paradise to me. There can be some pretty good fishing below the dam for a variety of species, most notably large stripers, catfish, and smallmouth bass. Often, there's a sense of "potluck" anticipation as you really don't know what you'll be catching there.

Fished about 2.5 hours on Friday and maybe 4.5 hours total on Saturday. Both Friday afternoon and Saturday morning were excellent as the river level was up. Plenty of bait fish were moving around the abutments located at the railroad bridge, just downstream from the dam. I found some nice eddy water there and proceeded to cast with a curly-tailed grub around the base of the nearest abutment.

I became very surprised when I began catching temperate bass. As a matter of fact, those were the only fish that I caught during my trip. I wound up both days catching a total of 20 fish. Not bad, considering I didn't move from the spot during my time fishing below the dam. This was my best fish, a white bass, but the photo doesn't do it justice. It was a large white bass. At least, one much larger than I usually catch at my nearby reservoir.

Did I mention the lures that I used? Normally I'd only discuss my jig ties on this blog, but a fisherman's gotta do what he's gotta do... so, I fished the swimbaits that I have extreme confidence in to search for gamefish in areas I seldom fish. BTW, I caught my largest yellow bass of this year there and should have taken a photo of it. Come to think of it, I don't know of too many anglers that get excited about yellow bass (my cop out). ;) I do wish I had a photo of it to show. :( Here are the jigs I used:

From top to bottom:

1/8-oz. ball head with a 3-in. Galyan's Performance Series grub in pumpkinseed color.
1/8-oz ball head with a 3-in.YUM Mystic Shad in MS-Shad pattern.
Captain Mick's Minnow Swimbait.
5/32-oz. silver-haired ball head jig tied by "moi". :)

I caught the most fish on the Captain Mick's bait. The YUM shad came in second and my hair jig third. Though, my largest yellow bass came on the hair jig. ;) I abandoned the pumpkinseed grub as I witnessed no one else catching any black bass along the shoreline. I believe that I made the right decision there. ;)

Overall, the fishing was similar to tidal fishing I'd done in years past. A rising river produced good fishing for the temperate bass. The slowdown and eventual shutdown of bites came with the river's falling water level during Saturday afternoon.

The Whip Finish Using a Matarelli Tool

2010-11-16T15:05:00.005-05:00

Here's an awesome link that shows how to tie a whip finish knot on your jig with a Matarelli whip finishing tool. The whip finish is thought by many to be the most secure knot for fly (and jig) tying.

Whip Finish with Matarelli Tool

However, some jig tyers do not need a "bridge" tool to assist with tying the knot. If you've ever played pool, you'll understand what I mean. ;) I mentioned the method of tying the whip finish by hand on the site back in 2009. It's worth revisiting.

Whip Finish by Hand

Try both methods sometime to see what you think. :)

Simple Bass Minnows

2010-10-23T19:41:00.000-04:00

Simple Silver Hair Minnows For Bass

Materials:

5/32-oz. ball head jigs with #2 bronze hooks.
Darice Craft Fur - silver (not gray or gray/silver).
Black UTC Ultra Thread - 70 and 140 denier.
Silver and/or chrome paint for head - the type is your choice (jig head is epoxy covered).
Black and white acrylic paint for eyes.
5-minute two-part epoxy for jig head top coat.

This is one of my favorite hair jig designs for fall bass fishing in clear water. These are effective swimming jigs that are about 3.5-3.75 inches long.

Jig Ties For Fall - Natural Selection

2010-10-05T19:48:00.000-04:00

A natural selection.

So, I tied a few for this fall and winter. Thought mostly of minnows, leeches, and gobies. A couple of brown crawfish ties appear for completeness. A drab green is so versatile. Think goby or crawfish.

Things I like about...Ultra Thread

2010-10-05T19:20:00.001-04:00

Strength
Color-coded spool labels state and relate to denier (red = 70, yellow = 140, and green = 210)
A handy color-coded end cap pinches the thread's tag end for storage and also relates to its denier

I like coded standards. Good stuff here.

Silver Flake Hair Jigs and Sugar?

2010-08-20T17:24:00.002-04:00

I'd been a little disappointed with glitter not showing up very well in my photos. So, I went ahead and purchased some large silver glitter (Sulyn Industries) and created some silver flake jig heads. Each hair jig is a 1/8-oz. ball head with a #2 hook.

Well, I'm not overly excited about the result. But, while I coated the heads with my epoxy and glitter mix, I was reminded of a "Sugarhead" jig. This was a crappie-sized marabou feather jig that I purchased many years ago. It had a head coating that looked like granulated sugar. I plan to design a similar jig with glitter flakes sometime in the future. :)

Ever hear of, own, or use a "Sugarhead"? I tried a keyword web search for this jig and turned up zero hits. :(

Schlappen Ties for Bass

2010-08-06T14:26:00.003-04:00

I really like this feather. It really looks "buggy". Provides a nice profile when combined with hackle or other feather tails. Tied on 1/8-oz. football heads with #1 hooks.

Crappie Dot Com Steelhead Jig Swap - Part 2

2010-07-31T14:17:00.001-04:00

Finished tying these on Thursday evening.

Each is tied on a 1/8-oz. ball head with a #2 hook. I believe that I'll call this pattern Citrus Drink Mix. ;)

Crappie Dot Com Steelhead Jig Swap - Part 1

2010-07-31T14:10:00.003-04:00

This is my first group of ties submitted to a Crappie Dot Com jig swap of steelhead jigs.

Watched a couple of videos on tying Schlappen feather jigs. I've used Schlappen before, though not in the manner shown in the videos. The west coast guys in the videos are real pros at tying these. Mine look nowhere near as good as theirs. I've got a ways to go with this style.

Taught myself some important points about feather selection and learned how to turn these feathers over the shank from the videos. Not all Schlappen feathers are created equal. Watch out for feathers with twisted plumes!

This is turning out to be a very good learning swap for me. :)

Red Heads

2010-07-21T16:45:00.001-04:00

Red Heads

Used 3/16-oz. ball heads with #1 hooks. Intended for swimming among young gizzard shad and bass.

More Glitter Head Jigs

2010-07-20T23:09:00.000-04:00

More Glitter Head Jigs

But, where is the glitter? :(

More Pepper Heads for Smallmouth Bass

2010-07-17T22:22:00.007-04:00

More Pepper Heads for Smallmouth Bass

Tied a few more Friday evening. Added a little flash to some sage-colored ties with pepper heads as well as another black-n-gray.

Pepper Heads for Smallmouth Bass

2010-07-17T22:19:00.000-04:00

Pepper Heads for Smallmouth Bass

I'm going to try my level-headed best to get out and fish for smallmouth bass next week. So, in preparation for that, I tied a few jigs this evening.

Three-sixteenths of an ounce on #1 hooks. I plan to trail a Baby Guido Bug behind the brown and orange ones and a Falls Minnow behind the black-n-gray. Actually, the black-n-gray jig weighs about 1/4 of an ounce and has a 1/0 hook.

Worked with some black-colored NST glitter to create pumpkin pepper and silver/gray pepper heads.

Picture Test of Flake/Glitter and a Question

2010-07-15T17:35:00.004-04:00

Picture Test of Flake/Glitter and a Question

What is a good way to photograph flake/glitter shine? I don't seem to do it very well. :(

Redfins for River Bass

2010-07-15T17:30:00.023-04:00

Redfins for River Bass

Materials:

Northland Gumball Jigs (1/4-oz.) with 1/0 hook
Sally Hansen Nail Makeup - pure chrome.
Cover Girl Continuous Color Nail Polish #130 - quicksilver.
Naturalstar Glitter - red.
PermaPoxy (30-minute) topcoat.
Darice Craft Fur - silver.
Westrim Craft Fur - red.
Plaid black and red acrylic paints.
UTC Ultra Thread (210 denier) - red.
Britelace - silver holographic.

More Hair Jigs for Bass

2010-07-15T17:25:00.003-04:00

These are a few ties that I plan to use this fall for local largemouth and smallmouth bass. Each is tied on a 1/4-oz. ball head with a #1 hook.

Also, I hope to fish these in the Indiana waters of Lake Michigan. The big lake has a healthy goby population that serves as forage to its smallmouth bass. So, I hope that the smallmouth might find these tempting.