Making Swim Jigs

[Mac10]

Making Swim Jigs
I'm using number 5 Clam Shot from Bass Pro crimped onto an Eagle Claw 1/0 size jig hook. It's about a sixteenth ounce jig after powder painting the head. Be sure to use the pliers when crimping coming from over the top of the jig pointing in a downward direction....will seal the seam better than crimping from underneath.

After that, I slip on a small piece of semi-flexable tubing....comes in a variety of colors, but I prefer using the cloudy white glow in the dark. It's pony bead lacing from the kid's craft section at Hobby Lobby....sold in a fifteen foot coil made by a company in MA.

I slip the small 3/16 inch tubing over the point and barb by pushing and twisting at the same time and slide it just around the bend before applying a scant amount of gel super glue on the hookshaft just up from the lead head....I then spin the tubing as I move it forward to spread the glue inside the tubing piece. When in place, this short piece of tubing creates a tying collar.

I use Ultra Thread, the spool with the 280 number on the end. I make several wraps on the collar and then add 6 strands of silicone. I buy the silicone strips and trim each end to free the strands, I then cut the strands in half and use these as my jig skirts. I don't line the 6 strands up perfectly even, but leave them staggered a little and make them just a hair past the hook bend......after wrapping to secure the strands, I bend the front strands back and trim them even with the longest of the tail strands. I then dress the jig with holographig flashabou....most often with either silver or gold. I use three strands at a time putting some on each side of the jig, and some on top. Flashabou is long enough that three strands will provide ample glitter by tying and clipping, tying and clipping....I do all my tying on top of the jig and sides....enough strands will hang down in the water in use anyhow.

Color.....I like to use a variety of colors, but tend to do the following, I use pearl, white glitter, tied on first, then on top, a metallic gray with silver flake, and on top I use a darker or different color for contrast....that make two strands of he white pear, two silver glitter and two darker such as black or black/purple. Some depends on the color head....if the head is white belly, chartreuse upper, I'll probably use the pearl first, then metallic silver, then chartreuse/pepper. It's just a personal preference thing....

Using the jigs....we use 6 lb test and usually tip the jig with either a small white grub or a live minnow. Just last week, Dave caught a couple nice smallies casting a rocky bank using a minnow on a jig that was chartreuse headed, white belly, silver metallic sides and an amber/pepper top with gold holographic flashabou. I've tied quite a few of these since he had such good luck on them.

Finishing the tie....sorry I forgot this until just now. Some folks put several half hitches on the jig and dab with a little head cement or nail polish to finish, but I've found that gel super glue is the way to go....neat, fast and easy, no fumes. I used to tie using the half hitch, but found out something I think is neat by watching a lady tying float and fly jigs at the Knoxville fishing show. On her vise, tied to the bottom of the shaft she had a piece of fishing line, probably 14 lb test line and on the free end of the line she had tied a loop. She'd put the loop between her curled index finger and had drawn her thumbnail along the loop several times to curl the loop. When she was ready to finish her thread collar, she'd lay the loop across the collar and wrap from the front end of the jig to the back end of the collar and then wrap going forward to the lead head....she'd clip the line leaving about three to four inches of thread. She'd hold the thread wraps to the jig with one finger placed behind the jig and insert the thread through the fishing line loop and pull it tight....now, with the other hand she'd pull the fishing line loop though the thread wraps and out the other side. She then clipped the thread tag end off and applied a little glue to the threads.....she had a little craftstick she ran across the gel to flatten and spread it out a bit and she was done.

I'm told this is how rod makers finish their wraps when building rods....it really leaves a neat way to finish.

Using the jigs......with the jig tipped with a white grub, we've caught largemouth, smallmouth and rainbow trout. With the jig tipped with a live minnow, we've caught smallmouth and catfish. With the jig trolled slowly without tipping, crappie.

A tip. If your water is roiled, heavily stained or muddy, wacky righ the grub or minnow. Stab the grub from side to side though the body or hook the minnow near the dorsal fin.....going through the water sideways will make more commotion.

The appearance of the grub......by using just six strands of silicone, the jig will look deceptively unfinished and too scantily tied. Trust me, It works well being made just this way...leaving plenty of room for the silicone action to do its thing. I know it looks funny, but we've enjoyed a goodly amount of success fishing them just as is.

Hope you enjoy making and using the swim jigs. Good Fishing, Mac

[weaverml34]

You got pictures Mac10?

[carolina-rig-01]

yeah i am kinda lost...

[Mac10]

Go to tackleunderground.com, click on Forum, then scroll down to Member Submitted Tutorials......Bruce, the coordiinator, took pictures of step by step jig making, and put together the tutorial. Same wording as above, only with pictures added. The title of the tutorial is Making Swim Jigs....He really did a nice job.

[Rebbasser]

Dr. Mac-n-stein strikes again!

How you doing, amigo?