opinions on jigs

[snagd]

I have a question for any one who will respond.I plan on doing some experimenting tying jigs up until this point I have just tied chennille/marabou jigs.What I was wondering is what are some good color combinations and does anyone prefer bucktail jigs over these or does one seem to work better than the other at times. I use soft plastics ninety percent of the time but would like to start fishing jigs a little more. Any advice I could get would be appreciated.

[Oregon slabman]

I used to use a little jig called the Crappie Killer. It was bucktail tied on a small bent vinyl coated jighook. There were times that it would outfish marabou.
I used to clip some white hair off my brittany and tie some jigs up. They worked when the fish were really biting but not as well as marabou or bucktail.
Try the same color combinations that you like with your plastics. Fish the jigs you make with the same confidence as you have in your plastics and they will produce.
On days that the bite is off I like dark jigs. Black, cinnamon and different shades of grey marabou on 1/32 heads have a natural look that fish like. A few strands of crystal flash tied in adds to the effect.

[Rock Bottom]

I use the kip tail for tails and pearl chennile for the body. I like the Chart tail with black head and body and the chart head and body with a black tail. I also like to do the same with chart and red. If you really like the marabou try some arctic fox hair. It is real fine and flutters like marabou without the bulk.

[Darryl Morris]

I started using fishair (synthetic bucktail) and found it was too stiff. Then I was turned onto kip tail or calf tail. This is what I now use - http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/te...h-results1.jsp

I make very few color combinations but the most productive here seem to be white head/red thread neck/char tail; gray head/red thread neck/gray tail; and orange or pink head/black chanele body/char tail.

[ifish]

Snadg,
I have been tying some using mylar tubing and flashbou . The shine on these work great in stained water.Here is a great fly tying site that has lots of great ideas. http://www.flyanglersonline.com/

[fishdoc]

been tyin white bucktails for 30 yrs and catch literally thousands of crappie on them each yr...you mite come up with something better but i haven't!!!

[CrappiePappy]

been tyin white bucktails for 30 yrs and catch literally thousands of crappie on them each yr...you mite come up with something better but i haven't!!!

Hey "doc" ... I started my "jig fishing for Crappie" career, using the old "Doll Flys" ... white head, red thread, white tail - probably 1/8oz in weight. I can't tell you how many Crappie & White Bass those jigs produced for me, back then :D (1950's-1960's)
Flash forward a few decades .... and now I'm using more plastics than hair. Luckily, I'm still catchin 'em. But, you're right ... them "old time" jigs are still catchin their fair share !! (and they really haven't been "improved upon" ) ............ cp

[badbrad]

Guys I'm new at tying my own jigs, I found that if I can't be on the water then preparing things for when I do get there is the next best thing. I've been tying jigs with white hackle, usually 1/8 oz (red head), and have tied some 1/16th with pink and chartruese maribou. My fishing experience with them has been limited so far but I have caught fish on them. The best part about it is my 12 year old son and 8 year old daughter love making their own jigs. I let them tie whatever they want and help them whip-finish em off. They are so proud whenever the put the finished jig in their tackle boxes. I can't wait to see them actually catch a fish on a jig they made.

[willsjwills]

try the old standby--grey squirrel tail. older than dirt, but works

[kygorski]

If you can find it, theres this stuff called craft fur, its not very long, and there is another product called polar fleece, this is longer but costs a little more.Then also get some tinsel, combine these things, and you will have a jig that has more action than plastic, and is more durable than maribo, cabelas or net craft have these things, try it and you'll never tie anothwer jig with any other material, at least I havn't and I started tying jigs in the 1960s, from feathers and bucktail,kip tails, these synthetics are the best thing I have found.