New Weedless Jig Idea

[Flysmallie]

It looks like the plastic bait may be flaring the hair out. If so the chenille isn't going to help hold it down. The only thing that would work is to tie it in as close to the head as possible and hope for the best.

Try running that thing under some hot water with the head pointing up. That will relax the fibers and give you a good idea at how it will look in the water.

[Ham]

EVERY jig will hang to some degree. Some casting angles are worse than others. You can learn ways to fish that have you hanging less BUT hangups are gonna happen. I'm not above swiming to get a jig back when the waters warm enough.

It's OK if you want to dress that jighead up, but it IS NOT necessary to do so.

[eric1978]

Thanks for all the pointers, gentlemen. I'm easily frustrated when I can't do something perfectly, so I'm gonna give it a rest for a bit and try another one tomorrow.

Wrench, thanks a lot buddy! I'll send you a PM with my address and I really appreciate your generosity. Some of those fly tying supplies are expensive! Buy a few colors of a few different materials and it starts to add up. It'd be nice to be able to experiment without having to take out a second mortgage to do it.

Ronnie, on the first one the plastic was flaring out the hair some because I had tied it too far back from the head. On the second one, the plastic doesn't affect the hair since it was tied close enough to the head to give the plastic some room. The hair just kinda flares because I tied it backwards and then flipped it over like you suggested. I got a lot of learning and practice to do. I don't even have a fly vise, I've been using my giant bench vise with the hook pinched between two pieces of wood to protect it.

Buck's Hot Dad, the hook is pushed all the way through the plastic and skin hooked. It shouldn't be any more of a problem to set than any other Texas rigged plastic. Thanks for calling me a retard...at least now I know we have something in common.

[Flysmallie]

Ronnie, on the first one the plastic was flaring out the hair some because I had tied it too far back from the head. On the second one, the plastic doesn't affect the hair since it was tied close enough to the head to give the plastic some room. The hair just kinda flares because I tied it backwards and then flipped it over like you suggested. I got a lot of learning and practice to do. I don't even have a fly vise, I've been using my giant bench vise with the hook pinched between two pieces of wood to protect it.

We we are going to have to work on that. I tie them like that all the time and the material doesn't flare out like that unless I have it bunched up against something. That something could be the thread wraps underneath. I can take some pics of what I'm talking about but it will be a couple of days.

[Wayne SW/MO]

Silicone would give you some colors not available in bucktail. It would be another option. I tie some of my jigs with both, silicone over a bucktail base.

[joeD]

Eric - Ever seen or fished a buzzbait? It's metal and silicone and makes a noise on top of the water that one doesn't see in nature. It catches fish though. I like to fish a white fluke. It's a piece of white plastic with a hook in it. One doesn't see something like that in our Ozark streams too often. But it's deadly. My point is, agonizing over a homemade lure by snipping this or wrapping that, to get the "perfect lure" may not even pay off. What looks good to us may elicit a yawn or worse, ridicule, from the fish. I'm not saying don't do it, but keep your "mistakes" and imperfect lures and fish them. They might be the ones to catch fish, and not your "perfect" ties. Let the fish decide. It's also just a fact of life that our Ozark streams are brutal on any weedless jig. I applaud your effort and I'm sure you'll no doubt be successful. Your creation certainly looks good.

[eric1978]

Eric - Ever seen or fished a buzzbait? It's metal and silicone and makes a noise on top of the water that one doesn't see in nature. It catches fish though. I like to fish a white fluke. It's a piece of white plastic with a hook in it. One doesn't see something like that in our Ozark streams too often. But it's deadly. My point is, agonizing over a homemade lure by snipping this or wrapping that, to get the "perfect lure" may not even pay off. What looks good to us may elicit a yawn or worse, ridicule, from the fish. I'm not saying don't do it, but keep your "mistakes" and imperfect lures and fish them. They might be the ones to catch fish, and not your "perfect" ties. Let the fish decide. It's also just a fact of life that our Ozark streams are brutal on any weedless jig. I applaud your effort and I'm sure you'll no doubt be successful. Your creation certainly looks good.

I know you're right Joe. It's just not my nature to half-butt anything....well, anything I'm interested in. I can't help but agonize over every excrutiating minutiae when it comes to fishing. For me it's part of the fun...details. One thing, though: I hardly ever use jigs unless it's wintery and cold. Usually in that case the water is really clear and the fish are generally picky. I like to give them something that looks really natural. In the summer the jigs pretty much just stay home.

Oh, and that white fluke...yep.

[eric1978]

Okay, so I think we got it this time, fellas. And so it is born, the Texas Rigged Smallmouth Jig.

[Flysmallie]

Those look great.

[Al Agnew]

Only thing I'd change about those last ones is to shorten the bucktail to where it only sticks out a little bit behind the hook bend. Otherwise, I think you've got it.

You may be a little disappointed in their "weedlessness", though. I think most hang-ups are not the hook point burying in something but the head wedging between two rocks. That pointy head might make that worse, not better. Supposedly football type jigheads are better for avoiding wedging...but I haven't found any head shape that won't wedge if you're in chunk rock. However, I like the texas-rigged idea for fishing in wood...those should be plenty snag-free in wood cover, lots better than wire or fiber weedguards.