Decorating Jigs by Jeff Samsel

Tying jigs is far simpler than it’s often perceived, and baits don’t have to be perfectly crafted to catch fish.
Story and photo by Jeff Samsel



Catching fish on lures you create brings unique satisfaction, but the bigger advantages of tying your own jigs are practical in nature, and the skills and materials required are less specialized than you might guess.

The vice, which had been stowed in my basement for several years, came out to fulfill a specific need. I was writing an article about adding flash to lures, and I wanted a few flashy homemade jigs for a sidebar photo. I watched a few videos to remind myself about techniques, grabbed some tinsel from the Christmas decorations and created some jigs that were somewhat ugly but served the purpose.

I had fun tying my photo jigs, so I kept the vice handy and began scavenging for other tying materials. Soon I was using my Ugly Bugs (as I’ve dubbed any jig I tie) on the water and was even catching fish – and I was undeniably hooked. That was about a year ago, and now boxes of jigheads, spools of thread and every manner of fur and feathers nearly cover my desk.
I haven’t become an expert tyer and won’t attempt to teach proper technique. In truth, someone well skilled in the tying craft would likely cringe to watch me at work, and some bugs I tie are still legitimately ugly. The fish don’t seem to mind, though, and in a year I have learned quite a bit of practical stuff.

Why Tie?

In my mind, the biggest advantage of tying your own jigs is the capability to make exactly what you want. That means you can pick colors, and virtually every crappie fisherman I’ve ever met has some favorite color scheme that is hard to find. Far beyond colors, though, once you learn the characteristic of various materials and figure out how to manipulate them, you can control each bait’s shape, buoyancy, stiffness and more, and you can handpick jigheads that have the weight, head shape, eye angle and hook that you favor.

Tying your own jigs also can save money. Don’t get me wrong, you can also spend a lot, especially if you invest in a bunch of specialized materials for patterns and only use a little of each (much like cooking). You don’t need all that stuff, though, and once you identify which materials work best for your needs, you can buy just the right stuff in bigger quantities and substantially reduce the cost of your jigs.

The final benefits, which are the ones that continue to draw me to the vice and keep me seeking fur and feathers, are far less practical. First, I simply think tying is fun. I’m creative by nature, and I enjoy selecting and shaping the materials to create a desired look (as do my children). Also, fooling fish with a lure I’ve created brings an undeniable sense of satisfaction and ownership. Even if I truthfully know a variety of lures would have done the same job, there’s just something fun about catching the fish on a jig I tied.

Tools, Materials and Learning

The basics are an inexpensive tabletop vice, a few basic tying tools and materials to tie. Materials do not have to be from a fly shop, but rather hair from your dog, or the deer tail from your harvest this fall.

Be creative and keep costs down. A stuffed animal, craft fur and tinsel from the Christmas tree are a few choices.
Too little time and space is available for covering all the fly tying techniques. The best place to start learning is a computer search to get all the video instruction you need to get started and to advance.

For more on fly tying along with articles, photos and crappie fishing tips, go to CrappieNow on-line magazine.

The December issue of CrappieNow Magazine takes a look at an old-time Christmas dinner, tying your own jigs, catching crappie from shallow water along with tips, tournament results and more.