Funky Electric Chicken

Here are some variations of the electric chicken that seems to do oh so well no matter where it's dropped!!


The first jig is tied on a 1/16 ounce jig with white head and black/white eyes (the second with a pink head with white/black eyes). Pink marabou for the tail and medium green chenille for the body. Used white 3/0 thread.

http://i287.photobucket.com/albums/l.../200812026.jpg

http://i287.photobucket.com/albums/l.../200812027.jpg


This one is tied on a 1/16 ounce jig with white/black eyes. Chartreuse marabou for the tail and medium hot pink chenille for the body. Used white 3/0 thread.

http://i287.photobucket.com/albums/l.../200812028.jpg


This last one converges on the realms of crappie/bass jig. This one is tied on a 1/8 ounce minnow jig head (white with red eyes). Pink marabou for the tail and medium black chenille for the body. Used white 3/0 thread (but should have used black!!).

http://i287.photobucket.com/albums/l.../200812029.jpg

Thoughts? Comments? Suggestions?


Thanks y'all!

Those are pretty good A.W.

I'd just shorten the tail a "Smidgen" Remember you want to give the "profile" of a baitfish and sometime less material is really better. The black head, pink chenille and chartreuse tail is a winning combo.

Thanks for that suggestion Mike!! By 'smidgen' what would you recommend? For instance 1/4 inch past the bend? More? Less? Thanks again!

1/8 to 1/4 past the bend is a plenty. You want the hook to penetrate when they bite (softly) and you set the hook. Sometimes too much hair does not get the short strikes.

Got'cha... thanks Mike!!

Looks like fish for dinner to me AW.

Looks good AW. Let us know how they fish.

I wish I'd had all of them to try today!

I like them, but if ya wanna hide the thread behind the head, make one more wrap with the chenille and crowd the head with it, secure with about three wraps of thread and the rest of the thread shoud be whip finished with three or four wraps of thread. by crowding the head with chenille you can wedge the finishing thread between the head and the chenille, also if you pick a thread color the same as the chenille it'll be easier to hide. try using plain round jigheads without the collar if ya havent already, it's easier to hide the thread with them because the crevise behind the head just seems deeper.

Actually I like a little longer tail on my jigs. I know a guide on this lake that uses jigs he makes and he uses the Extra Select craft fur and ties is full length and that is pretty long, much longer than my tails. I ask him if he had any trouble with short strikes and he said with the big mouth them crappie have he has no trouble with that. I know some of my marabou tails are pretty darn long and have not had any trouble with the crappie missing it or short striking. Just my experience here. I tie my jigs in my box that are marabou where the tail is on the longer side unless it gets down to a jig I want with a small profile then I use a smaller hook like a #6 and shorten the tail some to it looks good, but still past the hook bend usually an inch or a little more. I do at times make the little jigs with less, but I don't think I ever tied a jig that had a tail only 1/4" past the bend. Personally I prefer about 1" past and even more on a bigger jig like the 1/8 oz or 1/4 oz.

Now if you use too much material and it's too thick it will not move as much making for less action so that is where I pay attention to less is better.

Also agree with redear on the one more wrap of chenille.

Skip

Now for some examples:

Here is a few I tied using Fox Hair and see the small one has less tail length....
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b4.../DSC026021.jpg

Here is a marabou Road Runner and you can see the tail length is a lot like yours....
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b4...s/DSC02128.jpg

And another one...
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b4...s/DSC02100.jpg

I like the longer tail's on any jig u can always shorten them ?

Thanks for the tips boys!! On my jigs I am using those without collars. The only time I like collars on mine is when I'm running plastic bodies on them or tying on the rubber skirts. I've really been playing with the various designs. Some I like with the collar (made by the thread) while some I like by running the chenille up to the head and tying so that the thread doesn't show. (just depends on the mood I'm in I suppose) As with the threads, sometimes I do use those that match closely to the body material color being used. Other times I'll just use some contrasting color... for example I might use red to try and simulate gill flash or I might go with a thread that would just make that jig look purty (use you're best southern drawl there! hahaha)... again, just depends on the mood when I'm putting something together!

But thanks so much for the tips... they help me keep on my fingertips when tying!!!