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Old 03-17-05, 12:21 PM   #1
mblk181
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Default Making jigs from dollar store dusters

Making your own crappie, bass and walleye jigs can be fun.....

For Crappie and Bass, I've been tying small to medium jigs using artificial (plastic fibered) dusters from the dollar store. For a Crappie jig made to jig or troll, I start with a jig hook, the 90 degree bend type in size 6. I crimp on a round split shot (without the ears for re use) and make certain it's properly crimped on by using the pliers to mash reaching from the top down. Leaving some body to the shot, I then paint the body with a coat of white acrylic craft paint, then two coats of either chartreuse or hot pink. When the colored paint is dry, either use a coat of clear nail polish or epoxy resin to give the paint a final clear coat. Don't put the eyes on yet...do that step last. I start with the hook in the fly vise upside down with the jaws covering the point of the hook.

Take a pinch of fibers and cut them from the duster....lay them across the hook equally in each direction and tie them on....when secure, say about 6 tight wraps, you can add another color fiber on top and wrap another 6 wraps with the thread.......now, fold all the frontward facing fibers to the rear and secure with the thread.......to finish the body of the jig, turn the vise over so the hook is upright, take a few fibers and slip them straddling the hook bend and tie those also, double these topmost fibers and finish the wrap.......securing with 3 or 4 loop knots...paint the thread with clear nail polish and let dry.......you can simply lay them on the bench to dry.....when dry, take a Sharpie Permanent Marker and Mark the eyes.

It's fun, for example to start with yellow fibers and then after securing, add a layer of white, then double both...your jig now has a yellow belly, a white body with a yellow shoulder....then turning it over to add a little green.

I use regular shears to trim my crappie jigs......I cut a V shape at the back making the overall body appearance to be that of a diamond with slightly rounded points...very slightly..... If I have fibers sticking out the sides I trim the sides at angles as well.....

These jigs will take on a permanent kink if left in the tackle box as is, so each gets its own small resealable baggie, available at most craft stores.
The baggies also keep the nice vertical attitude of the fibers.

If you use a full sized duster, the fibers won't be refined, that is to say, some will be wider and therefore the jig will take on a rugged effect. If you can find the Mini Dusters, they are of equal fibers and finer in appearance of the finished jig. Note: If you try to tye without doubling the fibers, they will quickly work loose.....just too slick.

For bass jigs, I don't trim to the diamond shape but leave the fibers as is...I usually tie them on 1/8 and 1/4 ounce leadheads. If you want a metallic head and have some shiney lead jigheads, simply color with Sharpie markers, then gently apply a coat of nail polish.

In both jigs, I like to tie some sunfish patterns....I end up with a little red on the bottom and then a goodly area of yellow, topped with green and a little blue. For bluegill, I use a bottom of white mixed with a wisp of yellow, then a fair amount of green. I add the dark spot where the gill plate would be with a dark blue marker. Baby Bass, white belly and green back. Perch get a white belly with a couple orange spots with the marker, a green back with black marker bars. It really isn't necessary to tie to a pattern emulating baitfish, just something I get into from time to time.

If tipped with a minnow, I don't know why the bass jigs wouldn't work for walleye as well.

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