Been practicing the past couple days

[Redman]

Nicely Done. Keep up the practice you will only get better. Now start to keep track of what jig does really good and which color combo are duds. I tie 6 of each pattern I want to tie. If it does good it is moved into a good box. if it doesn't it goes in to the also ran box. The better a jig does the higher numbered box it goes to. I have a box that is a go to box. This always goes with me. I take about 6 to 7 boxes with me. Some times the lowest box will produce the best fish so I never get rid of a pattern only rank it in a lower box. Hope this makes sense to you.

Don't be afraid to experiment on days that they are biting slow that fugly jig may be the one that they really want.

Redman

[yellowjacket]

Redman that is a awesome idea thanks

[Crappiehappy]

Nice work!

[NeonMoon]

Redman that is a awesome idea thanks

I agree!

[skiptomylu]

Good job especially for a beginner. I don't leave my thread showing, but some do and I never use a collar when tying a chenille jig, but if that floats your boat then so be it.

Paint in the eye, I don't worry about it and I actually like it to be painted, but open. I try my best and have some special steps I take to keep them open. However some after curing at almost 400 degrees close up and I take care of that when I tie them. I keep one bodkin (thinnest I have) just for that and after I have it secured in my vise I heat the tip of that bodkin and stick it through the eye melting the paint out and then clean up with my thumb nail or one of the torch tool cleaning things.

Skip

[NeonMoon]

Thanks Skip! I figured at the beginning it might be better for me to add the thread collar (which maybe was what Ship was meaning, and I misunderstood thinking he was talking jig heads?), but I think I'm going to "advance" to hiding it. I want to thank all you guys again for all the help and direction you lend to us newbs. You guys are a credit to the sport of fishing and hobby of tying!

[skeetbum]

When you get your chenille tied in and the extra cut off, I wrap about 3 or 4 more times good and snug, then finish with 3 to 5 turns with the matarelli finishing tool. lastly, apply a spot of thinned sally to bind it all together. This should hide the thread and hold it all together. Show us some of those when you try it, your work so far is fine.

[Fatman]

They all look good, only thing I'd say is don't use those heads with plastics!!!!!!! Even if you coat them with Sally hansens you'll have aMESS. Any you decide to use with Plastics use an eopxy overcoat or use powder paint, so the plastics don't react with the paint.

[NeonMoon]

No plans to use plastics (have lots of prepainted heads for those), but thanks for the advice. I took a shot at hiding the thread.....lol, got a little overzealous with the diluted SH, it wicked all the way into the tail! I have poor eyesight upclose, and have to wear stronger reading glasses when I tie, but I just couldn't tell what was happening at the end of the needle on the bottle. Considering buying a magnifying screen to try. I can buy cheap syringes, maybe that would be better for me on the SH application. I'll give it a shot again after my recent order arrives (ordered some Crystal Chenille).

[skiptomylu]

Don't know if I said this to you yet or not, but no reason to buy them little bottles of hard cement for drop of glue added at the end. I make my own with Clear High Gloss Lacquer and MEK thinner and I make it thin, about 50/50 and put it in one of them little plastic bottles with a metal tip. I also have the Sally's stuff, bit for other reasons. Other thinners will work, but I like MEK for a lot of reasons, but can't be too careful with that stuff and don't want it on you skin if possible. I use some other stuff I make too, but it's even worse.

Skip