Homemade steelhead jigs

[plunkme]

For those who tie their own jigs after making them do you guys clean them? I notice that the marabou feathers I buy are died so the dye always bleed and I was wondering if it scares away fish or anything.. Any pointers when making my own jigs?? I'll post pics when I can.

Thanks

 

[Troutier Bassier]

Use the soft part of Marabou and When you start tieng it on yer hook place it to the side then kinda roll it to the center. Then layer with different colors of course.

 

[Troutier Bassier]

Not bad, I dont know much about cleaning them though. Sorry

 

[metalmania]

I clean mine with lemon joy then air dry them to keep the hooks from rusting. Any bleeding of the dye will not spook the fish.

 

[JeannaJigs]

Never worried about the colors bleeding, it's gonna happen, no matter what you do or what you tie with. I find marabou and rabbit fur bleed out the quickest, schlappen seems to bleed out a little less. I do wash 'em though, like has been said, with lemon joy. I'm not sure if it improves my catch ratio or if it's just paranoia, but, I figure, scent control doesn't hurt.

 

[steelhead_stalkers]

First I have ever heard of cleaning jigs. They work just fine being fished and fished and fished, even when they are looking ugly. Then you can fish them some more and there is a good chance you will keep catching fish. :lol:

 

[BlackBass]

First I have ever heard of cleaning jigs. They work just fine being fished and fished and fished, even when they are looking ugly. Then you can fish them some more and there is a good chance you will keep catching fish. :lol:

Welll listen up then You can clean your jigs after tieing them. The reason behind this is simple, some fur feathers have more oil on them then others. Ever notice when your jig drys out after fishing , how some of them look stiff and like S&&^, while some go back to being nice and fluffy just like they looked before they got fished, this is because of the oils in the material used to tie some jigs. Wash your jigs in lemon joy soap, let them soak in the sink and then rinse and let dry. You will see the difference

 

[Mike123]

It sounds silly, but I swear I get bit more if I wash my jigs the night before in Lemon Joy... I know one thing, it doesn't repel bites!! :dance:

 

[steelhead_stalkers]

I know scent control helps a lot! I am sure you guys are on to something but I cannot imagine my numbers going up to much from doing it. I have never really seen much build up on my jigs after fishing them, I just sit them out to air dry and they look like new again. Could it be the type of marabou I am using? Its probably the most expensive marabou you can buy, it does not bleed hardly at all and keeps its color. I only fish my jigs for two fish at most then tie on a new one. The oils could also be something that affect jigs tied over seas more because who knows what kind of conditions and places they are tied in.

I will give it a try and report back on how it works. :dance:

 

[bigsteel]

if you wanted you could use one of these,,,,little electric dryer

 

[JeannaJigs]

if you wanted you could use one of these,,,,little electric dryer

I was given one of these! Unfortunately, it's broken and I'm not mechanical enough to repair it

 

[bigsteel]

bring it to the drift off,,maybe we could fix it....theres a guy i know who blowdries his flies after he gets home...very time consuming..

 

[plunkme]

thanks for all the great info guys, now another question when making jigs what is the rule of thumb to how far the feathers should hang off the end of the hook? like if the feathers are too far out the bend of the hook will it cause a miss strike?

 

[steelhead_stalkers]

I use little baby jigs so they have no problem getting the whole jig in their mouth, not sure about the 1/4oz jigs though.

 

[FishFinger]

thanks for all the great info guys, now another question when making jigs what is the rule of thumb to how far the feathers should hang off the end of the hook? like if the feathers are too far out the bend of the hook will it cause a miss strike?

This isn't gospel, rather a "rule of thumb" that is applicable in for most jigs. Keep the length of the tail fibers equal to the hook gap.

This isn't always the case, say for instance a design which uses an "intact" schlappin quill. Single or double feathers are often added a 2xs the hook gap while the hackled material maintains a 1xs the hook gap.

 

[here2fish]

...theres a guy i know who blowdries his flies after he gets home...very time consuming..

I do this and it only takes a couple of minutes to get the whole box. I dont take them out and hit them individually rather blowdry the whole box.

 

[GDBrown]

How to dry jigs!

How to dry jigs!

I put mine on the dashboard of the truck and they are dry by the time I get Home. :shock:

Am I doing it wrong? I have to learn the right way I guess.... Somebody teach me quick!

GD

It's late and I'm loopie.

 

[bigsteel]

I put mine on the dashboard of the truck and they are dry by the time I get Home. :shock:

Am I doing it wrong? I have to learn the right way I guess.... Somebody teach me quick!

GD

It's late and I'm loopie.

im gonna steal your idea gdbrown.....i never even thought of that

 

[JeannaJigs]

Lol I hook up on my pop out dash cupholder thinger, and leave 'em hanging there until I get home. Works great.

 

[RLK]

I don't clean my jigs with a soap, I just rinse them off with clean water. I have also found that sometimes when the colors run you just might find a better shade. Try palmering your feathers for a cleaner more flowing presentation