Jig Painting Advice

[Wayne SW/MO]

I gave all that up and I've never looked back. I hang my jigs on a metal coat hanger and spray them with primer. After they are dry I spray, think rattle can, with either green or brown camouflage paint. The paint holds up great and the heads are the color they should be, dull bottom critter.

[hknfsh]

I agree with the heck with it route.....fished with plain 'ole jig heads with no paint for years too. But it does pass the time to create your own baits...make 'em look enticing...and have the satisfaction of catching fish with them. Doesn't hurt as much to break off an 80¢ jig either.

[Pepe]

heat guards that slip over the weed guard when you heat them up for powder paint.

I have found the heat guard sleeves ruin the fibers. Got some in a drawer somewhere and don't plan to use them again. Teflon pins is the way to go if you plan on making a lot of jigs. If you are only doing a few, some worm oil on the metal pins allows the paint to be knocked off

[Mitch f]

You could always take it a step further and don't use a brush weed guard. I pretty much only make twin wire weed guards anymore. That way you can separate the wires to form a V which protects both sides of the hook. The football head resists flipping on it's side anyway and the weed guard kind of force the jig head upright so there's a better chance of hooking the fish in the top half of the mouth. The trick is that you don't buy a weedless mold from Do-it, buy a regular mold and hack saw a thin slit where the weedguard should go. When you powder paint them you don't need to worry about heating the wires or not, doesn't matter if you do. You could even use the trick Danger Close suggested about the worm oil on the shafts of the wire. Buy Mason wire that's 7 strand stainless woven wire used more musky leaders. Make sure its about .021" diameter for lures up to 3/8 oz or so, then .025" diameter wire for heads that are heavier.

[Dutch]

You don't have to use a saw. The ones that I have done similarly, I just taped a wire where I wanted the wg to be and closed it very tightly in a vise. That indented the aluminum so I can lay my wg in and mold them in place.

[Mitch f]

You don't have to use a saw. The ones that I have done similarly, I just taped a wire where I wanted the wg to be and closed it very tightly in a vise. That indented the aluminum so I can lay my wg in and mold them in place.

That's great advice Dutch!