Chirstmas Morning Ties....

Goodmorning and Merry Christmas to you all...


In Skip's 'OK - My New Secret Easy Jig' thread, Alan Miller keyed ".... It's funny but as one dives deeper and deeper into their jig tying world, they start looking at items and materials in a much different way!! ". So very true....

Last night, while opening presents, I spyed some gold mylar film strips that my wife had used to add some flash/color to a gift bag she used to package a present for our daughter-in-law.....

Horns blared - lights flashed - and there were Alan's words in my mind....

"Ah - Lucy (wifelet) - you got any more of that gold stuff?" Now wifelet knew immediately what I was thinking, and soon I had the gift bag full of the gold mylar, along w/ some red and silver strips to boot. I got teased the balance of the night - that my best present was the scraps from wrapping of the presents for the other family members.... :)

This morning, being the first one up, I headed to the basement and the tying vise, and began to tinker. I tied two jigs, one based on the scraps from last night, and the other just plain tinkering - both have a "Christmas" theme....

The first, I am calling the "Gift Wrap Special". It's a 1/8 oz barbed collar jig, powder painted with Fire Red. Has a #1 or #2 570 hook. I clipped the barb off, but left the collar, as the scraps from last night are somewhat wide and stiff. They measure between 1/8 & 3/16" wide, so I took a sissors and cut slits in them. The film pieces are tied on a strip at a time, all w/ 3/0 white thread, spaced evenly as I could get around the collar. The thread is coated w/ Emerald Green Sally Hansen's, the eyes are White and Cherry Red Sally Hansen's. I don't expect the strips to have a lot of motion, but they should certainly reflect any light that penetrates the water....


The second jig is based on a pouring experiment from this fall - I tryed some 1/0 571 hooks in a 1/4 oz collarless jig head, looking to come up w/ something to use on some short striking walleyes up on Lake of the Woods. This was about the sametime Grousefly posted a pic of a jig of similar style that he had come up with for a customer of his. While on the LOW trip, I used the jigs w/o a dressing, but how would they look tied?

Here is "Silver Bells" - its silver Krystal Flash w/ the red powder, and named for the bell shaped flare the KF material took when tied on. Used white Sally Hansen's on the thread wrap, and did the eyes like the GWS.

I don't know that I will tie any more jigs using the mylar like I did in the GWS, but I will certainly keep it in mind for adding to other dressings.

UG

UG....like em both. Especially the 2nd made like my friend (Grouse fly)made for me at my request. I would think this would be a great catching tool for any game fish.
I am in the process of making some minnow head molds to try as well. I like the shape as well as the narrow look. They track better if long lining and sink quicker if water is a bit deep.
Have a happy/safe holiday.
jw

Very nice UG, and Merry Christmas to you as well.

Nice Christmas jigs Unc. I've gotta get me some more heads before I can tie on a few. Yours look real good.

Now thats a man with a good eye...You done good Unc.....bet they won't be laughing so hard when they sittin at the table with a mouth full of crappie...lol...brim

Unc both should work great. The second one should work really good for you. That material is pretty much the same as crystal flash and it comes in many colors.

Fatman