Thread: First jig

Look at some of the lessons on FAOL! I know there are a lot of videos and they are easy to watch and all that, but the guys on FAOL have been tying flies for many many years and know what they are doing for sure! It's all reading and looking at pictures, but it's really where I learned most of my tying from as the videos were not around back when I learned and really I still think that is the best way! I know t's a bit different, but they tie in chenille and hackle and all kinds of materials and if you learn it there, you learn it the right way. Just my 2 cents!

Click on Fly Tying, then Beginning, and you can probable skip a couple of there first parts as it's about tools and such. Later look at the Intermediate and finally the advanced tying.
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I found that online the other day was reading threw it. Lots of great information.


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Good job, practice makes perfect, but the crappie are not as critical on workmanship.

I'll try to tell you how I collate the hair, or 'bou that I make tails with. Pull what you want to use and hold the bases of it in one hand, tips exposed. Now take the other hand and grab the longer tips of a few that are longer than the others and pull them out. Lay them in front of you, and repeat the process, laying the tips together so that now the butt ends are uneven. When you think you have enough to make a good tail, pull just a little more. It's easier to remove or not use some than to go back and get some more. Now pinch all of it together and hold the tips and middle in your off hand and take you scissors and trim the butts even to the length you want to use. As you pinch it to the shank and throw a couple of wraps around it, don't pull it tight just yet, you still have to check for even coverage. As you make sure that it's spread evenly to your taste, slowly pull the thread tighter and it will rotate around the shank as you do. Normal stuff. Now make sure the butts are where you want them to be, whether up against the head or wherever you choose. throw another 4 or 5 wraps and then a half hitch or two, and complete the collar or add the chenille or whatever. My preference is a collar about the size of the head in length, which eliminates the long skinny collar look and gets lots of action out of the tail material. Along the way, check to make sure that your wraps are tight enough by tugging a little on the tail material. If not, go a little tighter on the next one. You do good work and your jigs will catch fish, this is just some input to hopefully shorten your learning curve. I have tried hair stackers to achieve the tip alignment I speak of but it hasn't always done what I need and this works with any material. Keep us posted as we all learn form each other.......Skeet.