Crawford-Style Bass Minnow Ties - Silver/White/Black

Materials:

• Southern Pro Tackle, Inc. Unpainted  Wide Gap Crappie Jig - 1/8 of an ounce
• Original Buffalo Hay 'Hay-Lites' - black
• Devcon 2 Ton Epoxy for topcoat
• Black and white acrylic paints for eyes
• Rosey's Powder Coating - silver sand metallic
• Gudebrod 6/0 BCS Thread - black
• Mangelsen's Craft Fur - silver and white
• Two chinchilla grizzly hackles (one per side)
• Two white saddle hackles (one per side)
• Danville Flat Waxed Nylon Thread (210 denier) - black

 Each jig is designed with a reverse countershading pattern.

The Binkelman Jig - My Version

A jig produced by Gapen's back in the 1970s.  This is my version of the red-tailed chub.  Its name is a bit of a misnomer, as it would appear that the red fur is attached to the collar (or throat) of the jig.  To me, this wasn't exactly a fun tie.  Wrapping and trimming folds of Mylar (Flashabou) around the circumference of its collar became tedious to me.

Materials:

• Silver Flashabou or Christmas tinsel
• Westrim Craft Fur - red
• Blue craft fur with silver flash from a bolt (Jo Ann Fabrics)
• Two chinchilla grizzly hackles (one per side)
• Gudebrod 6/0 BCS Thread - black
• Danville Flymaster Plus Thread (140 denier) - blue
• Black and white acrylic paints for eyes
• Harbor Freight Powder Paint - red
• Devcon 2 Ton Epoxy for topcoat
• Southern Pro Tackle, Inc. Unpainted  Wide Gap Crappie Jig - 1/8 of an ounce

Kelly Craws

My latest Crawford-style jigs.  Each weighs about 1/8 of an ounce and has an approximated 1/0 hook gap.

Materials:

•  Darice Craft Fur - kelly green and brown
•  Black and white acrylic paints for eyes
•  Harbor Freight Powder Paint Mixture - black/red (1:1 ratio)
•  UNI Thread 6/0 - dk. brown
•  Orbit Clear Powder Paint mixed with emerald green glitter (extra fine)
•  Devcon 2 Ton Epoxy for topcoat
•  Barred saddle hackles - green and brown (2 of each)
•  Original Buffalo Hay 'Hay-Lites' - orange
•  Southern Pro Tackle, Inc. Unpainted  Wide Gap Crappie Jigs - 1/8 of an ounce

'Hay-Lites' is a decorative product that I've substituted for Flashabou. It's comprised of 100 percent polyester, so it's a Mylar film.  Looks great on the vise.  I sure hope it looks and moves well under water.  The wide gap jigs are new to me as well.  Scorpion tails with stingers! :)

Float-N-Fly Minnows

Tied a group of float-n-fly minnows this week.  I plan to fish them in the local river this winter.

My favorite sage green craft fur forms the back of each jig.  Barred-brown, grayish-white, and sparkling-tan fur comprises the bellies.  Pearl, pearl red, or fluorescent fire orange krystal flash adds sparkle laterally along the sides of the jigs.

I wanted natural-looking minnows, so chose subdued colors with somewhat earthen tones.  All jigs are tied on 1/16-ounce ball head jigs with #4 black nickel sickle hooks.

Simplicity

An easy jig to tie and it catches crappie.  No need to worry about craft fur taper or adding flash.  This jig fishes very well for me.

Materials:

• A 1/16-oz. ball head jig with a #4 black nickel sickle hook from Grandpa Bob's
• Rosey's Powder Coating - safety blue 90% gloss
• Orbit Powder Paint - clear
• Extra fine glitter - silver
• UNI Thread 6/0 - red
• Targus Foxxfur - flo. chartreuse

Targus Foxxfur has good length.  Use its scraps from other jig ties.  Plenty will be left over when tying small crappie jigs.

Baby Bass Chartreuse Jigs

For crappie:

Materials:

• UNI Thread 8/0 - red
• Rosey's/Harbor Freight Powder Paint Mixture - safety blue 90% gloss and yellow
• Acrylic paint for eyes - black and white
• Krystal Flash - black/pearl
• Hancock Fabric's Deluxe Craft Fur (bolt) - sage green
• Targus Foxxfur - flo. chartreuse
• Ball head jigs (1/16 ounce) with #4 black nickel sickle hooks
• Ball head jigs (1/20-1/24 ounce) with #4 bronze Aberdeen hooks
• Devcon 2 Ton Epoxy for topcoat

Skirted Super Flash Fly

Faceted beads in the tail make this one interesting in my opinion.  The clear beads give off quite a bit of reflection under fluorescent and incandescent lights.

Materials:

• Eagle Claw 249WA-3/0 Weedless Hook
• Googly eyes (2) 4mm
• Coats & Clark Trilobal Polyester Thread (40-wt.) - electric red
• Hareline Dubbin, Inc. Crazy Legs - black/red tipped
• Caron Glimmer Chenille Yarn - black
• Card Basics Coated Beading Wire (7 Strand, 0.3mm) - silver
• Hammered Colorado blade #1 - silver
• Ball bearing snap swivel #10
• Bullet Weights Rubber Grip Sinker - 1/8 ounce
• Faceted beads - red and clear
• Sinful Colors Professional Nail Enamel - clear nail hardener
• Loctite Super Glue Gel Control

Green Apple Flash Fly

Designed for use with light/ultralight spinning equipment.  This fly is weighted with a 1/16-oz. rubber core sinker.  Its silver blade will spin on the fall as well as during the retrieve.  Strands of baitfish emulator flash provide a shiny fluorescent chartreuse attractant over the chenille body.

Materials:

• Eagle Claw 249WA-3/0 Weedless Hook
• Googly eyes (2) 4mm
• Coats & Clark Trilobal Polyester Thread (40-wt.) - electric green
• Hareline Dubbin, Inc. Baitfish Emulator Flash - fl. chartreuse
• Caron Glimmer Chenille Yarn - apple
• Three translucent beads - chartreuse
• Card Basics Coated Beading Wire (7 Strand, 0.3mm) - silver
• Colorado blade #1 - silver
• Ball bearing snap swivel #10
• Bullet Weights Rubber Grip Sinker - 1/16 ounce
• Loctite Super Glue Gel Control
• Sinful Colors Professional Nail Enamel - clear nail hardener

Suede Leather Fluke

Purchased more suede leather remnants recently.  Included are gray pieces which I've never used before.  So for my freshman effort with gray, I designed this.

Materials:

• Eagle Claw 249WA-3/0 Weedless Hook
• Tandy Leather Factory Suede Leather Remnant - gray
• Coats & Clark Trilobal Polyester Thread 40-wt. - lt. slate and electric red
• Googly eyes 4mm (2)
• Coats Metallic 60/40 Nylon-Polyester Thread - silver
• Tulip Glitter Puffy Paint - silver
• Tulip Puffy Paint - black
• Herrschners Bulky Chenille Yarn - gray
• Loctite Super Glue Gel Control
• Sinful Colors Professional Nail Enamel - clear nail hardener

Brown Boa Bottom Walker

Materials:

• Brass dumbbell eyes - 1/36 ounce
• Realeather craft lace (latigo card, 1/8") - chieftain
• Bernat Boa Yarn - dark mink
• Eagle Claw 249WA-3/0 Weedless Hook
• Coats & Clark Trilobal Polyester Thread (40-wt.) - chona brown
• Bullet Weights Rubber Grip Sinker - 1/16 ounce

The rubber grip sinker is crimped to the hook shank behind the eyes.  A sapphire or emeryl file rounds off any sharp edges on the sinker.

Puffy Paint Bait

Tied this bottom bouncer last night and painted it using Puffy Paint.  It might be displayed in one of my wife's shadow boxes rather than my tackle box.

There's no chance of that happening... ;)

Materials:

• Gamakatsu Weighted Superline EWG Hook 5/0 -1/8 ounce
• Rosey's Powder Coating - olive gray 85% gloss
• Deluxe Craft Fur from Hancock Fabrics - black and sage green
• Sinful Colors Professional Nail Hardener  - clear
• Coats & Clark Trilobal Polyester Embroidery Thread (40-wt.) - olive
• Googly eyes (4mm)
• Nickel dumbbell eyes (1/20 of an ounce)
• Tulip Puffy Fabric Paint - red, black, and neon green
• Tandy Leather Factory Premium Leather Remnant - white

More Weighted EWG Baits

Tied these with thoughts of river bass in my mind.  They are fairly simple to tie.  Painting the leather with glitter is fun.  You can create a simple pattern that may remind you of a plastic worm from yesteryear.

Or, leave it alone and just fish it.  It's likely that the fish won't care. ;)

Materials:

• Tandy Leather Factory Suede Remnant - dark brown
• Coats & Clark Trilobal Polyester Embroidery Thread (40-wt.) - chona brown
• Gamakatsu 3/0 Weighted Superline EWG Hook - 1/16 of an ounce
• Harbor Freight Powder Paint - black and red mixture (1:1 ratio)
• Tulip Glitter Puffy Paint - green and orange

Baitfish

Materials:

• Coats & Clark Extra Strong Nylon Upholstery Thread - black
• Coats Metallic Thread (40-wt.) - silver
• Rosey's Powder Coating - olive gray 85% gloss
• Deluxe Craft Fur from Hancock Fabrics - sage green
• Gamakatsu Weighted Superline EWG Hook 5/0 - 1/8 ounce
• Darice Craft Fur - silver (discontinued)
• Hammered-silver #1 Colorado blade, split ring, and ball-bearing swivel
• Sinful Colors Professional Nail Hardener  - clear
• Spirit River Real-Eyes Plus 3/16" - nickel/pearl

If the hook point should nick the lure's blade while in use, I will reduce the size of its blade and/or split ring.

Spinfly

A bottom bouncer for smallmouth bass.  Cast it with a braided or fused line.

Materials:

• Gamakatsu Weighted Superline EWG Hook 3/0 - 1/16 ounce
• Spirit River Real-Eyes Plus 7/32" Dumbbell Eyes - nickel/yellow
• Harbor Freight Powder Paint Mixture - plum brown (1:1 ratio of red to black)
• Coats & Clark Trilobal Polyester Thread (40-wt.) - chona brown and electric orange
• Darice Craft Fur - brown and orange

More Current Tamers

 Materials:

• Premier Yarns LashMax - caffeine & kryptonite
• Harbor Freight Powder Paint Mixture - black, red, & yellow (2:2:1 ratio)
• Tandy Leather Factory Premium Leather Remnant - brown
• Coats & Clark Trilobal Polyester Thread (40-wt.) - chona brown
• Sinful Colors Professional Nail Hardener (03) - clear
• Northland Gum-Ball Jigs (1/4 ounce) with 1/0 red hooks
• Lion Brand Suede Yarn - coffee

Quarter-Ounce Current Tamer

Materials:

• Premier Yarns LashMax - caffeine & orange fizz
• Harbor Freight Powder Paint Mixture - black, red, & yellow (2:2:1 ratio)
• Tandy Leather Factory Premium Leather Remnant - brown
• Coats & Clark Trilobal Polyester Thread (40-wt.) - chona brown
• Sinful Colors Professional Nail Hardener (03) - clear
• Northland Gum-Ball Jig (1/4 ounce) with 1/0 red hook

Split-Tail Gray Finesse Jigs

Tied these for clear water conditions.  Each jig weighs about 1/8 of an ounce and has a #2 red hook.

Materials:

• Darice Craft Fur - gray
• UTC Ultra Thread (140 denier) - gray brown
• Tandy Leather Factory Premium Leather Remnant - black & off white
• Harbor Freight Powder Paint Mixture - black, white, & red (2:2:1 ratio)
• Krystal Flash - gold and pearl red
• Coats & Clark Trilobal Polyester Thread (40-wt.) - light slate
• Sinful Colors Professional Nail Hardener (03) - clear

Split-Tail Finesse Jigs

Materials:

•  Two 1/8-ounce ball head jigs with #2 red hooks
•  Rosey's Powder Coating - mandarin orange 95% gloss
•  Coats & Clark Trilobal Polyester Thread (40-wt.) - chona brown
•  UTC Ultra Thread (140 denier) - rusty brown
•  Darice Craft Fur - brown
•  Tandy Leather Factory Premium Leather Remnant - brown
•  Sinful Colors Professional Nail Hardener (03) - clear

The jigs measure approximately 2.5 to 3.0 inches in length.

Rum Raisin Bottom Bugs

Tied these up early this evening.  Used suede leather to form appendages.  Painted the heads with a "rum raisin" powder paint mix.

Materials:

• Two 1/8-ounce jig heads with #2 red hooks
• Harbor Freight Powder Paint Mixture - black, red, & white (2:4:1 ratio)
• Coats & Clark Trilobal Polyester Thread (40-wt.) - chona brown
• UTC Ultra Thread (140 denier) - rusty brown
• Tandy Leather Factory Suede Remnant - light rusty brown
• Darice Craft Fur - brown

Purple Blaze

Tied two fire tail grubs this evening. Each weighs about 3/16 of an ounce and has a 2/0 bronze hook.

Used Tulip Puffy Paint in purple and orange to color the tails.

River Grubs

Purchased some very good suede leather recently to create curly grub tails.  It's brown colored and pliable.  Makes an excellent 3.5 to 4-inch curly-tailed grub.  The jig heads are painted with a "new-to-me" combination of powder paint.  Can't wait to cast them into my local river.

Materials:

• Two 3/16-ounce ball head jigs with 2/0 bronze hooks
• Harbor Freight Powder Paint Mixture - red, yellow, and matte black (2:1:2 ratio)
• Tandy Leather Factory Suede Remnant - dark brown
• Lion Brand Suede Yarn - coffee
• Coats & Clark Trilobal Polyester Thread (40-wt.) - chona brown
• UNI Thread 6/0 - dark brown

Sparkletail Grub

This is my first attempt.  Plan to design a variety of grubs with different tail and body colors using fabric paint glitters.

 Materials:

• A 3/16-ounce ball head jig with a 2/0 bronze hook
• Tandy Leather Factory Suede Leather Remnant - black
• Herrschners Bulky Chenille Yarn - gray
• Harbor Freight Powder Paint - black and white mixed 1:1 to form a gray color
• Acrylic craft paints for eyeball and pupil - black and white
• Coats and Clark Trilobal Polyester Thread - light slate
• Tulip Puffy Paint Glitter - silver
• DecoArt Triple Thick for topcoat

Smokey Joe

I've often heard bass fishermen say, "Color doesn't matter, except when it matters" and that the presentation to a fish is the most important part of fishing.  We must cast our baits to the fish, meaning we think that they are there.  Otherwise, our effort is futile since we've presented our lures to empty spaces.

I say bologna to the color comment!  It seems to matter to me nearly every time I go fishing.  I've had plenty of days fishing where the same bait of a different color caught more fish for a fishing partner.  We'd fish in the same vicinity.  The fish were definitely there.  We'd use similar retrieves too.

Different bait types and their attractiveness are a subject for another forum.  Now, some will say that it may be a lure's contrast (light vs.dark distinction) between colors that matters, rather than simply it's color(s).

With all of this in mind, I considered tying a jig using the colors black and silver.  There's nothing simpler to me than those colors with regard to their prevalence in nature's aquatic environments.  Baitfish are often dark and silvery, a natural contrast in color.

Well, here's my Smokey Joe Jig.

Materials:

• A 3/16-ounce ball head jig with a 2/0 bronze hook
• Tandy Leather Factory Suede Leather Remnant - black
• Lion Brand Fun Fur Print - lava (black and silvery gray)
• Harbor Freight Powder Paint - black and white mixed 1:1 to form a gray color
• Acrylic craft paints for eyeball and pupil - black and white
• Coats and Clark Trilobal Polyester Thread - light slate
• DecoArt Triple Thick for topcoat

If I do not catch a bass on this jig, then I'll be convinced that one made with different colors would be better. ;)

Flood Control Reservoir Tailwaters And Outflow – Planning A Trip

Fishermen might ask the question, “When is it a good time to fish a tailwater fishery?”  My usual answer is “anytime you can”.  But, how will anglers know if the outflow conditions will be suitable to their fishing without making a trip?  One of the best ways that I’ve found is to examine the following web link.

http://lrl-apps.lrl.usace.army.mil/wc/reports/lkreport.html

This link is what I use to check the flow at or nearly below any reservoir spillway outlet.  I cut my teeth fishing the Salamonie River below the dam before this report existed.  Back then, I received flow information directly from the US Army COE Office or the Salamonie River State Forest Office.

Armed with this flow information, I matched it to my mental picture of the actual water being released at the outlet and water levels viewed downstream.  An entire summer spent fishing the tailwater gave me a pretty good history and mental pictures of what I'd expect to see for particular flow rates.

Monroe Reservoir Dam and Spillway

That said, most of us aren't able to fish these areas enough to develop a history.  I have my own set of general guidelines that seem to work for me.  These are based on fishing the Salamonie River below the reservoir dam and my limited experiences fishing the tailwaters at Cataract, Monroe, Mississinewa, Patoka, and Brookville Reservoirs.

• Flow < 100 cubic feet per second (cfs) = trickle.  Basins are generally stagnant.  If this rate has been measured for several days, expect fishing to be generally less than stellar for larger game fish.
• Flow > 100 and < 500 cfs = slow and steady.  Basins are OK to good.  If this rate has been measured recently after a cutback of flows > 1000 cfs, then fishing should be pretty good.  Downstream pools were previously elevated, allowing for fish movement to and from these pools.
• Flow > 500 and < 1000 cfs.  Fishing is good.  Downstream pools are elevated allowing for migrations of fish to and fro.
• Flow > 1000 and < 1500 cfs.  Eddies are becoming faster moving at the basins and are generally smaller as you proceed downstream.  Fish are restricted to these smaller areas closer to the bank.  It can be tougher to fish here effectively in my opinion.  However, fish seem to be migrating upstream during this period.
• Flow > 1500 and < 2000 cfs.  Fish are migrating.  Eddies are becoming fewer, thereby limiting the most fishable areas.
• Flow > 2000 cfs.  I fish somewhere else until the flow rate drops significantly.

Remember that each river or stream below a spillway has its own set of unique physical and geographical characteristics.  In general, Salamonie and Cataract have large basins below the spillway, which may remain fishable as flow rate increases.  Mississinewa, Monroe, Brookville, and Patoka seem more like very long tubes where fishable areas are more likely to decrease with increased flow rates.  These are some of my more important observations and considerations for planning my tailwater fishing trips.

 Monroe Reservoir Tailwater

A Build-Your-Own Rod Holder For Pier Fishing

Often there are times when anglers like to still-fish natural baits and have their hands free to do other things, like cast with another rod.  Great Lakes' piers are concrete structures that extend the shoreline beyond a port or harbor.  Those like the Michigan City Pier offer few places to brace and secure a rod and reel for hands-free, damage-free fishing.  A discussion of a portable rod holder's construction follows.  I hope that this item can assist you on your next pier-fishing trip.

Components:

• Attwood® 2in1™ Rod Holder (RH-46) or
• Attwood® Heavy-Duty, Adjustable, 2in1™ Rod Holder (RH-40)
• Attwood® Flush Mount Base (5022-6)
• 5-Gallon Bucket
• Bucket Lid
• Galvanized Pan-head or Round-head Bolts, Washers, and Nuts (4 each)
• 40-Foot Nylon Rope
• Spring-loaded Clip

Tools:

• Power Drill (?-inch)
• Hole Saw (1¼-inch diameter)
• Drill Bit for Bolts
• Slot (or Phillips) Screwdriver
• Adjustable Wrench
• Marking Pen or Pencil

If the bucket lid is brand new, you need to cover the bucket with it and then seal the lid by pounding its edge with a mallet.  Next, break the edge seal by grabbing the tab and pulling it completely off.  To remove the lid, grab each lid section and bend them upward in succession as you move your hands around it.

Pick a spot on the lid to place the base.  You can mark the lid’s mounting hole by placing the bottom of the base against the lid and then trace around the hole on the base.  Now, you are ready to drill the large hole for the rod holder mount.

Use the hole saw to drill the hole for the holder.  Once done, you can mount the base and mark the bolt holes for drilling.  Drill those and then secure the bolts with the screwdriver, wrench, washers, and nuts.

Now, you can attach the rope to the bucket handle by tying a secure knot (your choice).  I attached the other end to a spring-loaded clip to help with easy removal from the pier’s rebar and metal rungs.

Here are some photos of the finished product:

 

I like this system because it is easy to assemble and take apart.  The total cost of my bucket, lid, rod holder, and flush mount base was about $20.00.  To use this, simply attach the rope to the pier, then lower the bucket over the pier’s edge and fill with water.  Pull the bucket up and then cover and seal the lid.  Open the base hole cover, drop in the rod holder, and then twist to lock it.  Add one rod, lock it in the handle holder, and then go fishing!

Crappie Time

Tied these for spring crappie.

Each jig head weighs 1/16 of an ounce. Hooks are #4 black nickel sickles. Used a lot of Sulky Holoshimmer and marabou feather plumes on those. I've done well with shiny jigs and marabou in years past. Keeping my fingers crossed for good weather and fishing for upcoming weekends.

A couple of hair jigs are included for...just in case. ;)

Have to say that I like Rosey's Mandarin Orange and Silver Sand Metallic colors so much, they're going with me this weekend. :)

A Chartreuse Variety For Crappie

Combined craft fur and marabou in a couple.  Used Sulky Holoshimmer and trilobal polyester thread for the tie downs.

A couple are full cut.  Though, most are lean on material.  Will see what the fish like this weekend.  Headed to strip pit country due west of Indy.

Extended Body Grubs Revisited

Here are a couple of extended body grubs that I tied this evening.  Each was tied on a 1/4-oz. ball head jig with a #1 hook.

Materials:

• Tandy Premium Leather Remnant - caramel brown
• Lion Brand Suede Yarn - caramel
• Harbor Freight Powder Paint - brown mixture
• Orbit Powder Paint - clear
• Fine craft glitter - black
• Tandy Latigo Lace - use any color
• Extra fine craft glitter - green
• UTC Ultra Thread (70 denier) - black
• Coats & Clark Machine Embroidery Thread (Trilobal Polyester 40-wt.) - chona brown

Useful Tools

Here are a couple of tools that are, maybe, somewhat uncommon among fly and jig tyers.  The first one is a pair of reverse action tweezers.

This tool is useful for picking up googly eyes and then applying them to dumbbell eyes or recessed jig heads, each coated with super glue gel.  It does take a little practice though.  If you can use chopsticks, I think that your learning curve will be short.  Once comfortable with them, you'll find that it is much easier to maneuver the eyes over small areas than to use your fingers to do so.

The next tool is called an offset nail nipper.

I began trimming the unwanted lead from my jigs using a crafter's flush cutter.  Did so for a very long time, until I discovered this tool.  It offers better control of cuts than the flush cutter which has a tendency to pinch and remove more than I really want.  I can cut away burrs and barbs very precisely.  It makes for a better-looking jig head on which to tie.

More Leechy Worms

Tied these for my 10-wt. fly outfit or to fish with a 1/16-oz. bullet sinker pegged to my line.  The one to the left uses Bernat Boa Yarn in a dark mink print pattern.

Tequila Sunrise Leechy Worms

Found a really nice yarn with a "tequila sunrise" color pattern, so I tied these with largemouth bass in mind.

Materials:

• Coats & Clark Trilobal Polyester Thread - electric violet
• Bernat Boa Yarn - parrot
• FlyMasters (Wapsi) Flashabou Accent - red
• Pro-Tec/Harbor Freight Powder Paint Mix - dark purple
• Gamakatsu Weighted Superline EWG Hook 5/0 - 1/8 ounce
• Mason Hard Mono 80-lb. Test

Blue-Headed Grubs

Tied these for bass and walleye.  My neighborhood reservoir has both, so each will be field tested eventually. ;)

Materials:

• Two 1/4-oz. Northland Gum-Ball Jigs with 1/0 red hooks
• Rosey's Powder Coating - safety blue 90% gloss
• Lion Brand Suede Chenille Yarn - ecru
• Tandy Leather Factory Suede Remnants - off white
• Danville Flymaster Plus Thread (140 denier) - white
• Coats & Clark Extra Strong Nylon Upholstery Thread - white
• Black and white acrylic paints for eyes
• DecoArt Triple Thick Gloss Glaze for topcoat

Each jig's total length is approximately 3.5 inches.

Jig Tying - What to buy? The nuts and bolts of it...

I've extracted this information from some of my posts to other fishing sites.  I hope that this basic information will help those with an interest in getting started into jig or fly tying.

What to buy?  The nuts and bolts of it...

Some tying kits can be a waste of money.  Generally, these include a number of materials in very small quantities.  I started back into tying about nine years ago with a very inexpensive kit.  Broke the vise jaws on the fifth fly.  Most of the materials found their way to the bottom of my storage boxes, save some peacock herl and chenille yarn.

Here's the equipment that I'd recommend purchasing just to get started into tying to see if you like it.  Most of these items can be purchased at a drug, department, or craft store, with the exception of the vise, hooks/jig heads, bobbin, and hackle pliers.

• Vise - Get at least an AA, possibly off of eBay.
• Hackle pliers and/or forceps.
• Sally Hansen or Revlon cuticle scissors.
• Thread (40 wt. trilobal polyester) - Stay away from Rayon.
• Tweezers (Kiss RED or Tweezerman).
• Cheap Bobbin - By using the thread I mentioned, you shouldn't suffer many, if any, breakages
• Dubbing needle (Bodkin) - A pith needle from a dissecting kit or a fine point punch will do very well.  This tool can be used for applying glue/polish/cement and for tying head finishing knots like the whip finish.
• Hooks/jig heads.
• Clear nail polish - Used as a thread sealer in place of head cement.

Here is a photo of some items that I use regularly for jig tying.

• Flush cutter (A) - Used to remove jig collars and collar barbs.
• Cuticle scissors (B) - Cuts bulky hairs and fibers. 
• Fine point cuticle scissors (C ) - Cuts fine hairs from a jig or fly held in the vise.
• Forceps (D) - Grips hooks, feathers, and hairs.  A very useful all-around tool.
• Tweezers (E) - Pulls hairs and feather ends from finished flies and jigs for a well-trimmed appearance.
• Styrofoam (F) - Used to hold freshly painted jig heads.

I won't recommend any materials because they will depend on the type of jigs that you wish to tie.  You might go to Fly Anglers OnLine to look at their tutorials for beginners.  It's a very good web site.  They can show you what you'll need for tying, but forget about the suggestion of a bobbin threader.  If threading a bobbin is a problem, I can provide you a trick for that.

And...here it is.

Quarter-Ounce Silvery Jigs

Tied these for moving water and moderate retrieves.  Used a variety of materials.  Several can be obtained from a fabric or craft store.

Materials:

• Two 1/4-oz. Northland Gum-Ball Jigs with 1/0 red hooks
• Darice Craft Fur - silver
• Bernat Boa Eyelash Yarn - blue grey
• Zucker Feather Products Schlappen Feathers (3) - black
• FlyMasters (Wapsi) Schlappen Feather - white
• Coats Metallic Thread (40-wt.) - silver
• Danville Flymaster Plus Thread 140 denier - fl. blue
• Danville Flymaster Plus Thread 140 denier - white
• Rosey's Powder Coating - silver sand metallic

The silver metallic thread forms an abdomen on each of the jigs.  It is hidden behind fur and feathers.

Schlappen Jigs-N-Leathers For Smallmouth Bass

Materials:

• Tandy Leathercraft Premium Leather Remnant - brown
• UTC Ultra Thread 140 denier - rusty brown
• Two 1/8-ounce ball head jigs with #2 black nickel sickle hooks
• FlyMasters (Wapsi) Barred Schlappen - fl. fire orange
• FlyMasters (Wapsi) Strung Rooster Saddle Long - dyed brown/natural
• Gutermann Metallic Thread - copper
• Harbor Freight Powder Paint - red and black 1:1 mixture (plum brown)

Used two schlappen feathers per jig.  One jig has two brown saddles tied in, the other only one.  The copper-colored thread forms the abdomen that precedes the leather tail.

Leggy Jigs

Tied a couple of jigs with silicone legs.  They will be fished to entice black bass.

Materials:

• Two 1/8-ounce collared ball jigs with #2 black nickel sickle hooks
• Lion Brand Suede Chenille Yarn - ebony
• Sage-colored deluxe craft fur from Hancock Fabrics
• Coats Trilobal Polyester Embroidery Thread - olive
• Gudebrod Fly Tying Thread 6/0 BCS - black
• Rosey's Powder Coating - olive gray 85% gloss
• FlyMasters (Wapsi) Sili Legs - olive/black flake 

Trials Of "New-To-Me" Powder Paints

It's interesting to see how newly painted jig heads look with their hooks fully dressed with tying materials.  Each powder paint was purchased from Rosey's Powder Coating of Herriman, Utah.

Exhibit A:  Olive Drab RAL 6022 50%+ Gloss

Please pardon the leather "dust" on the trailer (tail).  Aside from that, I like this jig. Its paint is a pretty good "green pumpkin" color. :)

Exhibit B:  Silver Sand Metallic

As for this color, the jury is out for me.  It seemed to lose some of its sparkle during the oven cure.  Perhaps, I heated it for too long of a time period.  Rosey's web site suggests using this paint as a base coat application, which is a very good idea.  I could then topcoat with a translucent candy color which might insulate and preserve the sparkle beneath.  It's worth trying in my opinion.  This textured paint looks really great when first applied..

More "New-To-Me" Color Patterns For Crappie Jigs

Painted all of the jigs below with new paint.  Used Rosey's "safety blue" color to paint three of the jigs, then tied on black and white barred craft fur as body and tail.  The remaining jigs are painted with a combination of Rosey's safety blue, Harbor Freight's yellow, and Orbit clear gloss powder paints.  My mixing ratio is 1:1:1.  This combination makes a nice-looking "baby bass" green color.  The jigs have white and sage-colored craft fur tied in as body and tail.  Black krystal flash forms the lateral lines on each of these.

Jig hooks are #4 bronze Aberdeen.

Crappie Jigs With New Paint

Painted these with another "new-to-me" powder paint from Rosey's Powder Coating.  Each jig weighs 1/16 of an ounce and has a #4 black nickel sickle hook.

The paint color is called mandarin orange 95% gloss.  I think that it looks good with gray or white craft fur.  Do hope the crappie will think so too...

There's Nothing Quite Like...New Paint

Did a little painting today with a "new-to-me" powder paint that goes fairly well with my sage-colored craft fur.  The color is called "green gray".  I purchased it from Rosey's Powder Coating of Herriman, Utah.

This particular powder came as a "matte" (dull) finish, so I mixed some of it with Orbit clear to achieve a gloss.  I like the resulting jigs and look forward to fishing them.