My 1st Tie

I ain't gonna lie, I felt like I was just learning to ride a bike some 50 years ago. Watched over a hundred videos and thought I had every technique and every oopsie anticipated.. People say it ain't rocket science ..and I agree but like anything else until you jump on the back of the horse you really don't know jack. My official 1st and now that retirement has crept in along with VA disability, I am venturing into my passion of crappie fishing and needing to excise my commercial hand tied buying demons...cuz 2.50-3.00$ for 1 jig is not gonna cut it. Any advice for a newbie? I see alot of great folks in here with envious skills. I have armed myself thus far with intermediate tools and an assortment of kip, arctic fox, strung neck, crystal flash, flashabou, 1/8 rabbit zonkers, bucktail, squirrel tail. and extra select craft fur, regular and holograghic cactus chenille..also using danville 210 waxed. Any advice much appreciated!

My advice is to keep the thread tight and learn how to use the whip finish tool. That jig looks great.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Grainraiser

My advice is to keep the thread tight and learn how to use the whip finish tool. That jig looks great.

---

TY! The whip handed my rear end to me on this 1. I thought it would be simple but for some reason I got confused when trying to put the triangle over the head. found a couple of in depth YT's on whipping and tried on some blank jigs so hopefully I have it figured out. Sally's finished this 1 off..LOL

Never used a whip tool in my life,,, just double half hitch , then again,mdouble half hitch and then a drop of superglue over hidden threads

The whip tool can work you over for sure

Jig looks good. Much better than my first. Lots more information and videos available now and sounds like you've done your research. Just practice practice practice and that whip finish will be second nature. Now, go get it wet and slimy. Good luck and welcome to the addiction.

Congrats on a nice first tie...but, the tying addiction will cost you more money than if you had bought jigs for $4 each...lol

G48, just save a few of those first ones. 20 years from now you will go oh my, I have come a long way. Your jig looks really good. Takeum and I think alike on the whip. His way has worked more than 30 years on my crappie jigs and larger jigs. If you move to flies then you need to keep working on your whip.Please keep posting and we are here to help you learn at CDC.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by burdawg

Congrats on a nice first tie...but, the tying addiction will cost you more money than if you had bought jigs for $4 each...lol

---

Yeah...I was afraid to tally my initial startup costs and I'm afraid I'm over budget already.. not counting the hush money for the the wife!!

We have all spent a lot of hush money over the years. The beauty is getting that THUMP on a jig you designed and made yourself.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by GrumpyLoomis

G48, just save a few of those first ones. 20 years from now you will go oh my, I have come a long way. Your jig looks really good. Takeum and I think alike on the whip. His way has worked more than 30 years on my crappie jigs and larger jigs. If you move to flies then you need to keep working on your whip.Please keep posting and we are here to help you learn at CDC.

---

The whip came in 1 of those inclusive deals so I figured I might as well learn to use it..and your right about saving the 1st few..You might cannot see the imperfections in this pic but my 2 strands off flash ended up on the same side and my tip twisted vertical..my oversized hands ain't helping matters but gonna keep trudging along till i get it right.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by GrumpyLoomis

We have all spent a lot of hush money over the years. The beauty is getting that THUMP on a jig you designed and made yourself.

---

I hear alot talk about that phenomenon on this forum...hoping to get that same feeling! and the wife is fixing to retire herself from Occ. therapy and is a certified hand therapist..showed her my pic and now I think she has the bug....that will cut down greatly on the hush money...I'm hopin!

Well when it happens please let us know, complete with pics.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by GrumpyLoomis

Well when it happens please let us know, complete with pics.

---

Yessir, will do!

Alittle secret when putting on flash,,, I first put alittle superglue around thread before attempting to place the flash,,, once it touches it , it helps with it moving around too much,,, once it is in place,,, just thread over it and done,, don’t be afraid to reverse your thread to get the flash placed where you want it,,

Congratulations on your first tie. It looks good to me.

Great first tie…

My advice- pick a single aspect about jigs, and focus on that. Then later, go ahead and look at those other things about jigs, and then figure some on those in turn. Ain’t easy. I had issues knowing what mattered when and why. I finally settled myself to learning one thing at a time. Simple. For me, my first was pouring and decorating the heads. Because my style is trolling. Pick where you want to have your best stuff, based on what your expected technique would benefit best from. Form follows function.

Be sure to continue sharing. Very nice work.

Very good advice..I think I am trying to conquer everything at once..I think if I can just focus on things relevant to the waters I fish and apply the KISS technique I will be better off! TY! I'm trying to figure out the bouyancy of the materials to venture into dock shooting as an alternative when the crappie shut down my plastics and what the best material to use in the respective seasons. Nothing very comprehensive searching thru the forums..piecing the info I have gathered into a sort of guide.

Your off to a great start. Your first step into the tying addiction!

You’ve tied a very nice first jig that will surely catch fish. Way better than my early efforts. Touch of Sally before any thread to start keeps them together nicely and a needle dispenser thinned to half with acetone. Just cuz acetone is easy to find in the nail polish aisle at Wally. Welcome from Central Florida and also to the addiction. Don’t shy away from new materials. Some come with a learning curve but none of them are really hard.

When I started tying I used four half hitches to finish a jig and haven't ever used the whip finisher to this day. Definitely over a million half hitches on my vise.

All good points made still. Once you get a little more comfortable with threads, knots and your style try this. An ole boy back when I was a learn told me to pick a jig that is not too complicated but you like. Tie it ten times and when you can do that and they are all the same you got it together. It's kinda crazy haw difficult that was for me but it taught me dexterity and attention to detail. Welcome in to the fun sir.

Once you get it the whip tool works great. I practiced on a bare hook for an afternoon session and it all came together. Stick with it.
Bob

Here is a good video that has been shown here before. He does it by hand but the tool is basically the same.

https://youtu.be/nzMhYGmd3Hw

Looks like a good start to me, just enjoy the hobby!

Skip