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OK, so the "natural" (uncut/uneven) ends of the maribou gives the best action, so once you trim and tie that portion of the end (tip) to your jig head, you're left with a piece of maribou that is now flat/straight on the end. What do you do with it? I mean I'll go ahead and tie it, just wondered if some of you guys consider the left-over portion as unusable, or if there's a way of re-trimming, or do you use if for something else?
I use it. It still works very well. As far as the uneven ends I try to even them up so that they are the same length. I do the same with kip or bucktail also. If you don't like using it on crappie jig try using it on the smaller bream jigs. I try not to let anything go to waste.
If you are concerned about waste take a look at the sticky slide show on how to tie a crappie jig by Skip. That is the most waste efficient jig that there may be.
Redman
Marabou is different than what is in my slide show which is a hackle jig and with hackle jig I don't waste much of anything. Even the part where I stop cutting I keep in a zip lock sandwich bag. When it fills up I get another one and start putting it in there. Reason? I think that last part if you stop at the right spot can still be tied in as a tail either on a fly or a jig. When I saw the jigs Blakemore came out with that were the Mr. Crappie ones it was just the same thing I had been saving. It has no tip, but plenty enough feather for a tail unless it.s a small little thin hackle and then it's pretty much waste except for a very little fly.
Marabou I normally tear off the barbules from the stem and stack them according to the ends and then when I have enough I pinch the pile about where I am going to tie it in at and pitch the rest in the trash. The only time I will leave a stem in my marabou jigs is if the stem is very thin as the stem will also take away some action. There are some flies and even some jigs that the very tip is good to use on. I don't usually include the marabou tips in my jigs and keep them in a zip lock for use later on what ever may come up like an order I did just a week or two back I had an order for a custom jig and he sent me a jig to go by. Well this jig had a shorter tail than I almost ever use and the tips of the marabou I had been saving were perfect for that jig so a lot of that color which I had saved for probably 5 years, a lot got used for that 100+ jigs.
I do not keep or use the end of marabou I tear off of the stem and then cut off to make the right length that I want. If you have a good use for it save it no matter what it is. I save all kinds of stuff.
Skip
Well, I tied a few more jigs today, and realize I'd posted this question just prior to figuring it out. I didn't understand I could simply strip the material off each side of the quill, and stack it, (in addition to using the tip) which I think is what Skip was saying. A little more time consuming, but I'm not in any hurry. LOL, I tip my had to those of you guys tying large numbers of jigs! Also, I just figured-out a trick to tying-off. I've not been using the whip-finishing tool, just been tying-off with my fingers. I found that I can use the tip of the bobbin to slide the thread loop over the head. Oh, also...you guys were right. I just placed another order with CrazyAngler for more heads and materials.
LOL, your getting there! I remember when I started back a little over 5 1/2 years back I could only think sometimes why would anyone try making money doing this? I mean at maybe 5-10 per hour after a few months it's like working for free, LOL! I just enjoy it and I can tie more now unless it's not just a simple plane jig. If it's got extra stuff I still can't do a lot per hour, but just a chenille jig and lots all the same colors and all I can get something like 20-25 per hour. Add just flash and my numbers will come down a lot. Add two color tails and flash and they are dropping again. Then make it so each pack of 4 changes colors and just taking out feathers and cutting them and putting them back up and numbers come way down again. I do remember starting and only doing like 5 in a hour, LOL!
Skip
Neon Crazy is a lot like Wal-Mart sooner than later he will have all our money.LoLs Glad that you are getting things figured out some time even with help it can be a tough road. I have been at it for a long time and still am finding out new tricks that I haven't found out about. Listen to Skip he be the man as he probity ties more jigs than any of us and has learned form the school of hard knocks He has taught this old dog a trick or two.
Redman
X2 on Skips know how. He keeps raising the bar for those of us that have been at it a while, and gets the new guys off the ground in fine style. I use different sections of feathers for my own jigs that a lot of folks won't use, and the fish seem to like em fine. I take a regular hackle feather and cut 2 taills off of it, then cut v's for the base, then use the maribou looking stuff on 1/32 jigs and a chenille body. I hate to throw stuff away, but the clutter bothers me too so I occasionally clean the bench and tie some absolutely hideous jigs, and the fish like em fine. I meet folks at the ramps and give them a few and they see me later on and thank me for those "Fancy Jigs". If they only knew.
Hey Skeet just leave the last piece of V on the fluff at the bottom (just stop cutting a little short) of the feather and is will make a very nice tail.
Skip
Skeet, I do that alot as well. The only down side is when the want to order more and you have no clue what you gave them...lol.
NP
NP that is why I try to take a picture of every order going out and I file them in a folder with their name and each order then is by date so I can always look back when they want something they got before. I do have a lot of folders and pictures, LOL!
Skip
Thanks Skip, never thought of that. I'll give it a try.