Good ties vs. poor ties

What separates the 2? While I do not tie any jigs at all, I am beginning to build a bit of a supply of them from different craftsmen here on C.C. I don't think I've ever read a reply to a thread that says anything other than "great job" or" that should work great". I realize that no one wants to rain on a fellow board member's parade. Is there a line in creativity that you all would say truthfully, "that's a disaster, what in heck were you thinking when you tied that one?" or "that will scare them up on to the shore". Is it color combo's? size? too long a tail? too puffy? or???

I'd appreciate seeing a poorly tied jig or 2 alongside a nicely tied one and the reasoning behind the difference if anybody ever gets the time.

Ken (whose just looking to further his education of all things crappie).

Best thing I can tell you is to continue to look at what is posted, and in the thread called Jig Pictures, and decide that for yourself. Beauty being in the eye of the beholder, all jigs appeal to me on one level or another. Some are a good example of a persons ability and the progression thereof. I guess I'm saying that if it puts fish in the boat, pretty is as pretty does.

I've tied quite a few bad jigs, I'm not gonna take them apart, I use them and they will catch fish. I only worry about them if I tie for other people.

A well tied jig is mainly for human eyes. Crappie don't care one way or the other as long as the size, color and action matches what they want.

about the only way I can see a jig being tied wrong or poorly is if said jig is way over sized or if said jig just falls apart after just a few minutes of fishing with said jig

most all ties will catch a fish

tied jigs catch way more fisherman than fish, fish are not nearly as picky as fisherman

keep looking at different ties on the net after awhile you will be able to look and tell ............ good tie or bad tie

hope this helps ........oh by the way I still tie a bad jig now and then lol

Lot of things separates the 2. First is how neat it's tied and so many little things like the thread showing or not, does the chenille stop where it should, depending on ones taste is the tail the length you like. Marabou tails, does it have a stem in it or was the feather barbules pulled off and tied in without any stem. Too many things to cover them all.

If your just collecting that is one thing, but if your going to fish them then how well is it really tied, meaning looks first, but just as important will it hold up to catching a lot of fish. I want every jig I tie to be capable of catching well over 100 fish and the tail wearing off before the jig comes apart and I believe it should never come apart!

Really in the end there are just too many things to cover them all, but the important part is will it catch fish and will it hold up to catching a lot of fish and still be working and I don't mean just 25 crappie.

The only part of Skip's advice that I agree with is the last. That being that they don't fall apart.

How the jig looks and is tied in proportion is all relevant to the fish's eye. Unless you're a fish, you really can't say "that's not a good jig" bc there is three pieces of flash on one side rather than two on each OR your bou has a stem SOMEWHERE in there, while every other hackle feather has one. Or that one of your feathers is crooked.
I've caught more fish on corn kernels than any other lure. I try to tie my jigs as pleasant to a fishermans eye as possible for PERSONAL SATISFACTION. I tie for me based on color mostly and size secondly, b/c I know what works for ME and how I fish.
If your jig is the color you catch fish on and is the size (length) the fish are eating on and works the right way for in which you are fishing it (weight), IT'S A GREAT JIG.

Don't let anyone tell you your creations are not good b/c it's not the way they do it, or it's not the way their customors like it. And don't get frustrated when you're trying to get input only to be told by someone they've been doing that for yeaaaars or they have had 10,000 lbs of the same material for yeaaars.

pretty jigs will catch fisherman and fish,and not so pretty jigs will catch fish.i guess good jigs would be something that will catch fish.fish don't care how pretty or ornate the jig looks.even if a fish you are trying to catch in one given place rejects a jig,a fish somewhere else in the world would probly take it in a heart beat with out thinking.i sometimes mess up painting eyes on my jigs,but the fish don't really care.there are high odds that a jig can be lost in a tree stump or something anyway.an example of a different fish somewhere else in the world taking a jig that another fish doesn't like is fishing for snapper blues.take any jigs you have that you consider bad or a mistake and put on your line and put a big popping cork maybe 2 foot up from the jig and work that real fast and you should get the attention of snapper blues.they will most likely strip everything off the jig in a while of catching them and you can redo the jig anyway.i guess i don't tie jigs and stuff just only for crappies.i like to keep in mind .white perch,snapper blues,yellow perch,herrings,baby stripers,and other usual typical freshwater suspects.another thing is a lot of guys on here make absolutely beautiful work in jigs which is awesome.i figure for myself why go the extra mile,spend extra time on mine and make them extra pretty when they are goin get torn up,finish worn off,ect? i could understand if i acually sold them would make sense to make them extra perfect.but since i make them for myself im satisfied how they end up usually,if not the snappers will strip everything down for me to redo them lol.i used to not even paint any eyes at all on my jigs either,and lately i feel as tho my jigs turn out a lot nicer than when i started making them

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Originally Posted by Micropterus salmoides

The only part of Skip's advice that I agree with is the last. That being that they don't fall apart.

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why would you call that advice? there is no advice in any of that, but rather a little of what I look at to see what I think of a tied jig. No one ask you to agree with anything! Simply a matter of what you think of a difference.

Well I was not looking for anyone to agree or disagree as I was answering about how I look at them and it's not meant as advice, but most parts just separate a jig tied by a novis and one tied by an experienced tyer! All of this is from the eye of the beholder as far as what makes a nice Looking jig and a sloppy tied one. Just Lookimg at jigs is one thing, using them and how well they put fish in the boat is the most Important part.
Of course we all want our jigs to look good to the fisherman s eye, after all if we don't please his eye the jig may never end up tied on someone's line to see if they actually also appeal to the fish!

all that really matters is what reaction the fish have anyway so what anyone here thinks is just verbage and most of what is said here is just support of each orther and their work. I try to be supportive and at the same time maybe give some tips I see that I would have maybe done different. We shouldn't try to knock anything new guys tie and should try to encourage them to do more. If we can help them in some wau then that is a good thing!

Ken after thinking more and more since you posted this I have been thinking and keep coming to one thing most important to you or anyone buying jigs or any bait. That is you need to like how it looks and really makes no difference in what anyone else thinks and I say this because the most important thing about jig fishing (heck any fishing) is you have to have confidence in what your using. If you don't it will not stay on your line unless you get lucky and start catching fish quick, but if you really like the looks or colors of a jig then you will use it longer and that may be all you need to find the spot where fish are ready to hit. I really don't think anything trumps confidence and if you don't like or care for a color combo or a jig then you won't have the confidence to stick with it and let it have a chance to work.

So looks to the fisherman is more important than most give it just for this reason. If I make a jig you don't like or believe in then it has a good chance of not being good for you, but if you really like another jig I make then chances are you will work it enough to have ro give it the chance to work well.

Whoops, didn't mean to get anyone's hackles up. (get it? hackles? ;) )
Thanks for the input on this topic. I didn't think it would be as easy as a color combination. Skip's explanation from the mechanical standpoint is very helpful. With my limited experience, I most likely wouldn't be able to pick out the difference from a picture but will examine the few that I've purchased to see if I can pick out any of the poorly executed things he detailed. Most likely not since the few I have are from what I'd consider reliable and experienced folks.

Point well taken is the fish most likely won't care if the jig is "just so" and are biting from instinct anyway. And if its catching fish then it is doing what you intended.

I'm hoping this year I'll have plenty of fishing time to put my jigs to work on these Northern fish and see what, if any, styles and colors seem to work on my home waters. The jigs will be new territory for me.

Whooooah now!

I only said I disagree. I didn't throw any shots. I gave an opinion. I thought that's what we're here for. Wasn't meant as a personal attack.

I bought some Slab Daddy jigs at BPS once. They had the right look, amount of chenille, hackle feather, I was sure they would do fine. But when using them I found out that they were tied for production and not quality. About 6 fish and the chenille unraveled. Tried some of the others. Grabbed the whole body and rotated it on the shank of the hook. So in the end, they were like the uber desirable bombshell looking baby doll in high school, much better to be seen with than to actually date.

No Problem here, just clarifing or at least that is what I was trying to do. I am not mad even a little.

wow that stinks,they fell apart like that quick!when i tie my jigs i use super glue in more than one place so they will last awhile.i hate it when jigs fall apart easily.shame big companies don't use a little super glue to help keep their jigs in one piece.probly wouldn't cost them much to do that

The area we live in is king to the trout and Bass fishermen that is what sells and keeps fishermen buying from our local Wal-mart,sporting good stores.To get a quality crappie jig you have too make it yourself. We have some local master jig tyers in our area Jim Canada and Creekslick makes a quality fish catching jig ( outstanding) Because they catch fish on them. They are Pro's at tying a jig. Every detail in their jigs is precision "even the eye's on their jigs.It can look pretty but if it won't catch fish your wasting your time.You might as well go to Wal-mart and buy theirs!!! They sure look pretty setting in a tackle box.Because they never get used!!!! Meatgetter tyes a quality jig.Because they catch fish on them!!!!

This site is so un-usual and thats why I keep coming back! I would venture to say that some of this country's finest jig makers, tiers are here on this site...I'm a new-be and I see whats going on here!!!on this site....I want to be a part of whats going on HERE! To encourage those that share, and fuel their passion...because to me its all about the passion! I have more jigs in my tackle box than I'll ever use...yet I keep tying....yeah come on.I think thats why no one on this site distinguishes between the 2. my .02

liftbite I have such an over supply of jigs in my boxes, but I too keep tying and keep trying to do something new that I have not done before. I don't use super glue unless I am tying rabbit strips and I also know my jigs never fall or come apart. Never needed super glus to keep my jigs to hold up and that is one reasons i don't understand why all these imported jigs do fall apart. There is no reason they can't make a good whip finish and one drop of thinned lacquer and it will never come undone. I have tried to take some of my jigs apart once I had finished them because of some mistake and it's never worth doing because it's too hard to get it back to a clean hook. I also get lots of feed back from guys and from personal use I know they will handle over 100 fish and some say over 300 fiosh on one jig. I seem to always loose the jig to the wood monster before I wear one out.
My neighbor used the same little Roadrunner last week all the way to Saturday and his boat with different partners had a double limit 4 days in a row. That is 200 crappie and what ever bass he caught and threw back before the marabou tail was just about gone and was still catching fish when it was retired.

I use to worry about my jigs coming apart back when I first started, but long ago I found out that is not something I need even think about since I know they are not coming apart. Seems the people tying over seas could use the proper technique and not spend any more time than they spend anyway.

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Originally Posted by liftbite56

This site is so un-usual and thats why I keep coming back! I would venture to say that some of this country's finest jig makers, tiers are here on this site...I'm a new-be and I see whats going on here!!!on this site....I want to be a part of whats going on HERE! To encourage those that share, and fuel their passion...because to me its all about the passion! I have more jigs in my tackle box than I'll ever use...yet I keep tying....yeah come on.I think thats why no one on this site distinguishes between the 2. my .02

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I forgot the quality of the jig is also a very important part...will it last after repeatedly being eaten...and yes it is embarising if one of mine falls apart...very few have...the early ones!!

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Originally Posted by liftbite56

I forgot the quality of the jig is also a very important part...will it last after repeatedly being eaten...and yes it is embarising if one of mine falls apart...very few have...the early ones!!

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I have never been able to keep one long enough to do what some of my customers have told me and that is they caught over 300 on one jig. I have managed to do over 100, but there are so many stumps and such here that I can't get to as the wood monster gets them first, LOL!

i guess the super glue thing is kind of a confidence thing.i like to put a drop around the back of the jig after i tie the tail in and have the chenille end tied in before i wrap it.if anything the back of the jig is affected most when the fish eat it,its where they chomp down a lot,and when a jig starts to unravel it seems to start from the back.i also like adding a few rubber legs to the tail

I have always been accused of overbuilding most everything I build, and jigs are no different. I learned early on from Skip and others about how to do it right the first time. Like everyone, I had some in the early days that didn't cut it, lame in one way or another. Buying those jigs I spoke of and having them fall apart and show all the signs of being junk just made me more determined to tie better than I could buy. I would, and have, bought from members here with a clear conscience on their quality. If I never have before, I have to thank those who raise the bar for us newbies and then show us how to clear it. I still learn from everyone here, patterns and techniques mostly now several years down the road. Been here a while and can tie a good jig, but still feel like a newbie as there is so much to learn and my time here and on the bench is so limited. I don't think we could find a bad jig here, just one still under construction.