The Hairy Side

[shipahoy41]

of fishing a jig. I know a lot of you think that marabou and hair jigs are old-school. There are tube purists on this board and I am sure there are those who only use "fresh meat" like minnows or wax worms when crappie fishing. Let me tell you, IMHO, why I like to use a modified float and fly presentation. For those of you who are so inclined, I invite you to add to this list. By the way Blue and Chartreuse or pink and chartreuse are deadly combinations on crappies.

1. I have faith that they will last long after the minnows have died in your bucket.

2. They a natural like minnow undulation and profile.

3. They will not become brittle like plastic will do in colder water.

4. Strands of krystal flash imitate fish scales which attracts fish.

5. You can believe me when I say it "breathes" with the slightest movement in the water.

6. I absolutely love the sport of catching a crappie on something that I made. :D:D:D:D

[skiptomylu]

The good thing about crappie fishing is there is a time and place for all the different baits. I use my hand tied Jigs most of them time, but on occasion it's hard to beat a blue and with tube, but the same is true for a blue and with jig.

Summer hits and I fall to minnows and jigs in combination and the bigger fish come on the jig.

Your and mine as well as others that tie jigs make a product that will out last minnows and and soft plastic by a mile and that is the confusion with some that have not tried a hand tied jig. They may not realize how many fish they can catch on the same jig without changing tubes or what ever soft plastic. So while our jigs may cost more per jig than tube jigs they also will out live a tube by far and have some actions that soft plastic just can do.

So there is a time and place for all of it IMHO.

Skip

[Sandwich Maker]

To each his own, but I like the fact that I can put a handful of handtied jigs in my pocket, grab my rod, and I'm good to go. Water wagon, tube, walk along a dock, or crawl in the boat.