Hair

[addictedangler]

Your question is not a one size fits all type. One guy like blonds the other red heads. I think you get my point. I will buy synthetic materials on line with out seeing them. However natural materials such as hair and hackle is better purchased by looking at it before buying it. There is big different in hackle for different applications. Quality dry fly hackle to make dry flys is stiff, repels water and comes from rosters.Necks can cost a few dollars to over a hundred. Tails from deer or calf's can have long hair or short hair (not long enough depending on what you are tying). Also most calf(kip) tails have some black hair at the base of it. If you can use the short black hair great if not look for one that has the least amount of waste. Also some hair will be hollow. Especially deer body hair. This is to keep the animal warm and repel rain. However it flairs when used and will be a problem for new tyers trying to use it on jig or streamer patterns. Going to a fly shop or at least talking to the shop owner can be a big help especially for beginner tyers! A good starting tip is go to your local craft store or Walmart and get some synthetic fur. It is cheap and in many colors. Liftbite is giving some very good advice.

[skiptomylu]

Here are a few kip tail jigs and I know this stuff is very good at catching crappie!

Skip

[redear]

kiptail takes a lot of patience and determination to learn how to tie a good looking jig, to me it is worth it. I have gone the craft hair route too and was using hair from punisher, I couldn't catch near as many fish on the synthetic, but maybe my fishing method using jigs under a float had something to do with that. kiptail is stiffer than craft hair and these two materials make totally different jigs.

[skiptomylu]

kiptail takes a lot of patience and determination to learn how to tie a good looking jig, to me it is worth it. I have gone the craft hair route too and was using hair from punisher, I couldn't catch near as many fish on the synthetic, but maybe my fishing method using jigs under a float had something to do with that. kiptail is stiffer than craft hair and these two materials make totally different jigs.

Absolutely right on all accounts. I never believed in kip tails at all, but once these guys talked me into trying to copy their jig head and tie kip tail, I learned how well it works. When I got the first two samples of the head I painted and tie them, then tied one on under a cork and went down to my bank just to see. I put it in just arms length away, then saw a spot I thought maybe better? So I pulled it out and started to swing it to that other spot and saw just as it cleared the water a flash under it. So not being stupid I put it right back in and a few minutes later I had 3 crappie and the smallest was 14", lol! I became a believer!

redder these heads help in tying as when I got him to make the mold we talked about what I wanted and I told him I wanted a collar that was small and had a flair at the end to help control the width of the thread. I do have more of these than I will ever use. They are close to 1/16 oz.

Skip

[plateboater]

The addiction will just continue for you. Last year spider rig central il with 1/48 lip tails two tone style and crushed them for about two weeks. Redear is giving you a good download. I do use them on 1/16 and down. I have been experimenting more using tail fabric from Joanns similar to the reds jigs discussed on the boards. Keep experimenting

[ClancyS89]

here’s a few kips I tied the other night real quick... still getting used to it... it’s a little different than bucktail when it comes to judging how much hair you need


Sent from my iPhone using Crappie.com Fishing mobile app

[plateboater]

I use less and can pinch one color on top and pinch another small section to make a two tone as a thought. Those should hunt

[Gill Fisher]

If you're tying in kip tail, tie in a small bunch about the size of a match stick at the time. You can also put a little super glue on the hook shank right where you are going to actually tie the kip tail to the shank for added security. If you need more hair, tie in a second bunch just in front of the first bunch. To keep from having hair sticking up on the jig head that you will need to trim away, trim the hair to length BEFORE you tie so that the butt ends are just short of the jig head and tie them in there. Hold the hair until you have made several wraps with your tying thread. There is no need to trim the hair if you don't get hair up on the jig head. Kip tail is sort of crinkle-y and hard to stack but with a little practice, you will find that kip tail is no problem at all.

Take care

GF

[redear]

good job Clancy! those jigs look good too, and I know that Louisiana and Mississippi crappie anglers use those chenille and kiptail jigs to great effect. Up here in Virginia though where I fish the chenille and hair jigs don't work as well as a threadneck kiptail jig which is hair only like the ones skip showed us, I use them under a small float with a crappie nibble in silver sparkle here lately, will catch anything in the lake.

[redear]

Skip I do like those jigheads and every time you show them I have the urge to make a one cavity mold of that head except I would move the hook back a little so I could hang it on a loop knot and get a horizontal presentation under a float.