Using thread as a body question

[yellowmattie]

I am new to tying and have made several chenille type jigs and am getting the hang of it. I was going to make a jig and just use the thread for the body color. I am using collarless jigs and had trouble with two things. One is the thread getting built up thick enough. I am using 210 Denier flat waxed and it takes a seemingly lot of thread to build up the body to an adequate thickness. Also the thread wants to slip down the hook. The thicker I try to build the body the more the thread wants to slip down the hook shank. Can someone give me some clues as to how to overcome these problems? Thanks

[shipahoy41]

You could try using a little hard as nails in between wraps....but as you said, it will take an awful lot of thread to build up the body. You could also try dubbing the thread itself. I guess it depends on the look you are after.

[Buckeye Mike]

A little trick i use when tying jigs, is to start your thread and give the thread a drop of Super Glue, works good. 1 thing you might try if you dont wont to use chennile, is floss, comes in many colors, Wal-mart has it, as well as craft stores, and its cheap. The only thing that i have tied with the way you are talking is hair jigs, and the jig that has the body. GOOD LUCK

[yellowmattie]

Shipahoy 41 in looking at your website for jigs you have several that use thread as the body or that is what I call it. You may just say the thread is wrapped to hold the marabou. Do you not build this up much? I did this and didn't have the problems I spoke of but the thread was not built up enough for my liking. Does anyone take a collared jig and cut any type of grub keeper off to create just a smooth collar and tie over this as this will build this neck area up more?

[mozingo1952]

When I bought my last batch of jig heads , I got collared with barb. I was thinking
I could use for plastics or tying. The heads I'm going to tie , I just flatten the
barb with pliers before powder painting.
working great so far



MO

[shipahoy41]

Originally Posted by yellowmattie

Shipahoy 41 in looking at your website for jigs you have several that use thread as the body or that is what I call it. You may just say the thread is wrapped to hold the marabou. Do you not build this up much? I did this and didn't have the problems I spoke of but the thread was not built up enough for my liking. Does anyone take a collared jig and cut any type of grub keeper off to create just a smooth collar and tie over this as this will build this neck area up more?

That was in the neck / throat area. In between wraps you will find a layer of hard as nails. Also, the layer beneath the neck was the end of the marabou tail plume. That gave the neck area that look. 95% of the jigs I tie are no collar, no barb. Occasionally you will find a customer that insists on a collar jig. 100% of the jigs I tie for myself are no collar.

[smoothlures]

To make a jig with a body the size of a chenille body with thread is a waste, IMO, especially when there are so many things that will give you a nice body for a lot less work and less material. If you're making a hair or marabou (no chenille) jig, then you use the thread to secure this and it's visible. Here's an example of one of my hair jigs.


Also, when you asked if anyone uses collared jigs to give it a bigger profile, I do on bucktail jigs because they're large and wouldn't look right without the collar. For smaller 1/80th - 1/8th oz. hair jigs, I don't. Here's the link on how to tie bucktail jigs.
How to Tie Bucktail Jigs (with lots of pictures)

Hope that helps.

[kendall2007]

there are a couple ways to tackle this.

1. Add your hair in stages. Start your thread and put down your glue and use a minimal amount of hair on the first wrap. Sinch it down and add hair. Rinse repeat till you have the right amount of hair and the build up you want. This is the most common way i use to build up. (BONUS) If you can get it to where you can do it in two steps of adding hair you almost create the visual of a fish tail.

2. Use flymaster 6/0 its a little thicker than 3/0 and takes less to get the build up.

3. Go to the end of the calf tail. Down at the end the hairs are a tad thicker and little corser of hair. They also for some reason have an aura of translusence(sp).

There are many ways to do this. I have so many how to videos to make i need to go and buy my own camcorder.

[yellowmattie]

I probably phrased the original problems wrong and I have a better understanding of what some of you are doing. Correct me if I am wrong but when you are tying a jig using thread instead of chenille you are not trying to build this up very thick. You are using the thread to create a colored neck instead of a body. When you are doing this what is the average number of wraps up and down you guys are making or are you just wrapping enough that you can no longer see the hair through the thread?

[shipahoy41]

Originally Posted by yellowmattie

I probably phrased the original problems wrong and I have a better understanding of what some of you are doing. Correct me if I am wrong but when you are tying a jig using thread instead of chenille you are not trying to build this up very thick. You are using the thread to create a colored neck instead of a body. When you are doing this what is the average number of wraps up and down you guys are making or are you just wrapping enough that you can no longer see the hair through the thread?

You want to make a very neat jig for customers and Crappies with glasses on. I will use a small bodkin on knitting needle to add one or two drops of "Hard as nails" during the thread wraps, and on the final completed jig. The number of wraps may be different if you are covering a marabou spine(s) or covering kip tail. Cover all the hair or marabou and/or spine until the neck looks neat. Just do it until you are satisfied.