Crappie Ties WIth Holoshimmer

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

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

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

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

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

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

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?

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.