How to Make Walleye Jigs
Walleyes are one of the most sought after game fish by sport fishermen. Walleyes are such a popular game fish that they have been introduced as a transplanted species in lakes and rivers where they are not native. There are many methods for catching walleyes using various lures, crank baits, and live bait; however the most popular method is jigging. Bucktail jigs are easy to make and less expensive than those purchased in shops. Materials can be purchased from tackle and fly shops or from on-line sportsman stores.
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Things You'll Need
- Fly vise
- Fly tying bobbin
- Mono-cord fly tying thread
- Fly tying scissors
- Round lead head jig hooks
- Chenille – medium thickness
- Bucktail
- Hair stacker
- Bodkin
- Fly head cement
Instructions
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1
Purchase round lead head jig hooks in 1/4, 3/8, and 1/2 oz weights. Pick out a variety of bucktails in natural, as well as red, yellow, orange, green, and blue dyed colors which are the most popular colors. Include in the purchase medium thickness chenille and mono-cord fly tying thread in the same colors as the bucktail.
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2
Set up the vise on the edge of a table and lock the bend portion of a jig hook in the vise’s jaws. Depending on what hand the tier is point the head of the jig toward the strong hand.
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3
Decide on the color bucktail the jig is to be tied with and load the bobbin with that color thread. Hold the end of the thread against the shank of the hook just behind the jig head and begin wrapping the thread over the end of the thread to lock it down. Wrapping away from the tier wrap the thread around the hook’s shank all the way to where the bend of the hook begins, stop here and wrap the tread back to the head and let the bobbin hang from the hook.
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4
Tie the end of the chenille onto the hook’s shank with three wraps of thread 1/8 inch behind the head. Wrap the chenille around the hook’s shank, keeping the wraps tight against each other, back to where the thread wraps end above the hook’s bend. Stop here and wrap the chenille back to the head and tie it off with three wraps of thread, cut the chenille off flush with the hook shank.
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5
Slip the inside tube of the hair stacker into its outer shell and stand it up. Pinch a 1/4 inch thick clump of bucktail hair between the thumb and forefinger and cut the hair off against the tail’s skin. Hold the hair tips tight and pull any short loose strands out of the butt end of the hair and dispose of them.
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6
Drop the hair into the hair stacker tips down, hold the top of the stacker so the inside part does not pop out and tap the base of the stacker down on a hard surface three or four times. Lay the stacker on its side and carefully slip the inside part out and pinch the protruding, now even, hair tips and pull them out of the stacker.
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7
Lay the butt ends of the bucktail hair on the top of the hook shank so the ends just touch the back side of the jig head. The tips of the hair should extend past the bend of the hook an equal distance as the back of the bend is to the point of the hook. Wrap the thread tightly over the butt ends six times creating a level thread collar 1/8 wide from the backside of the jig head.
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8
Cut a second clump of bucktail hair and repeat the procedure as before and tie this clump on the underside of the hook shank, extending the tips the same length as the top hair. Wrap the thread back and forth over the butt ends of the bucktail hair until no hair is showing and a level 1/8 inch collar is created up against the back of the jig head. The number of thread wraps will be dependent on how many it takes to cover the ends of the hair.
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9
Turn three half hitches, one at a time, over the jig head and down onto the collar, pull each hitch down tight into the thread collar. Let the bobbin hang with the thread still attached, dip the needle end of the bodkin into the fly head cement and liberally coat the thread collar all around. Let the cement dry for a minute and then cut the thread off flush with the collar. The jig is finished.
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Tips & Warnings
It is necessary to wrap the bare hook shank with the thread to give the material a surface to cling to. It is not necessary to make the thread wraps tight against each other; by wrapping in both directions with gaps between the wraps the shank will be adequately covered.
Experiment with different color combinations of bucktail, chenille bodies, and thread.
Pieces of bucktail can be purchased, it isn’t necessary to buy a whole tail of each color.
Jig hooks can be purchased with the heads already painted; however if you buy hooks with unpainted lead heads you can paint them yourself. The best way is to use a tackle grade lacquer in any color. Hold the jig by the hook bend and dip the head into the paint rather than brushing it on. Hold the jig, head down, until the paint stops dripping and then hang it by the hook to dry.
If lacquer is used for painting be sure and use it in a well ventilated area as the fumes can make you sick in confined areas.
Do not let children play with the jig heads as the hooks are dangerous and the heads are made of lead.
References
- “The Complete Book of Tackle Making;” C. Boyd Pfeiffer; March 1999
Resources
- Photo Credit walleye image by Elena Vdovina from Fotolia.com
