Hair Jigs

[joeD]

Dremels, rabbits, glue, jig heads, needle noses, gold strips, vices, marabou.

Impressive to say the least.

The chances of you catching a trout with your creation? Not good.

But carry on , good soldier. Hope springs eternal.

[Mitch f]

Joe, if you don't think hair or feathers can catch a trout, you haven't seen what they have been selling at the trout parks for the last 40 years. My take on it is the ones you tie yourself catch more fish than the store bought ones. At least you can use better hooks! You're dead wrong, the chances of catching any species of fish with a hair jig is very good, especially trout. You can't fish flukes all your life man!

[Gavin]

I've caught several 20"+ trout on hair jigs..Usually in the middle of the day when nothing else is working.

[drew03cmc]

If I read this right, he is asking for ideas on hair jigs for SMALLMOUTH, hence this being in the SMALLMOUTH forum. Joe is having trouble reading Mitch...cut him a break.

I have never fished a hair jig for smallmouth, but I have for trout and they are dynamite under the right conditions.

[Gavin]

I toss the same jigs for trout & smallmouth.

[stlfisher]

Can someone explain the difference between a hair jig and let's say a maribou jig? Is it just the materials?

You fish them under a float for smallmouth or fish like them like a normal jig? Trailer optional?

[drew03cmc]

Hair jigs are hair, and often on a heavier jighead, possibly containing accents of rubber legs or zonker strips while marabou jigs are normally just marabou (dyed feathers) on a jighead. Hair jigs can be fished just like a bass jig, bottom bouncing, swimming, etc.

[Gavin]

There are two kinds and the term hair jig is often used synonomously..Type 1-Hair jigs you fish like soft plastics...most of the ones I posted are of that type, Type 2)Float & Fly Jigs- are tied on minnow heads and meant to be suspended under a cork. The little blue, gray, yellow, & white jig I posted up is a float & fly jig.

[Blazerman]

For smallmouth I always have a jig and trailer tied on to one of my rods.

But in November, I switch to a hair jig with and without a pork rind trailer.

I have found as the water get colder the rubber jigs have less action. But cold water doesn’t affect hair jigs. Also, during winter when streams are low and clear, I do a lot of site fishing. A hair jig can be jigged in front of a suspended fish to entice a strike when nothing else will.

When using a trailer, I work them very slowly in deep pools usually around large rock and boulders. Many times all you feel is a tick or very slight tap when a fish picks up the bait. I have caught some of my biggest fish on these baits.

I will admit though that I don’t tie them. Mine or store bought. That would be type 1 that Gavin refers to.

[Al Agnew]

Actually, to me a "hair jig" is anything made from something other than the normal silicone, so I include marabou jigs in the hair jig category. In the past I've tied jigs with combinations of marabou and bucktail, or marabou and rabbit.

Hair has more action than silicone or rubber in cold water. Although that might not be a good thing all the time. Sometimes the bass are more interested in lures that don't wiggle and wave very much in cold water. However, I've always had better luck with the silicone jigs in warm water, and with hair jigs in cold water...maybe it's just me.

I think the biggest key to jigs in the winter is the size. You want them to be fairly small. Same thing seems to go for tubes, use smaller ones in the winter.