Jigs - Riding Low

To go along with Boiling Springs last Brew n Bugs, Im going to do a some talking about different jig flies. It is quite simple really, when it comes to jigs its really just an upside down fly. Nothing changes except you have a small bed in the shank with a slotted bead.

Most of my jigs are fairly simple flies, that don't have a lot of detail, but hold a nice natural profile in the water. This simplicity really helps simplify the fly design and stops many frustrated moments at the vice. I have tied jig style Prince Nymphs to large jig style Stoneflies, all have their own challenges. However if you stay way from flies that require a lot of detail on the bottom of the fly or in this case the top, it will lead to a much more enjoyable tying experience.



Most of my jig flies are Pheasant tails tied "in the round", Hare's Ears without a shellback, Quill Bodies with just dubbing and a little flash for the legs. You can add shellbacks to jig on the larger flies, but its a headache and unnecessary for the smaller ones. I tie a small winter black stone nymph on both a standard nymph hook and a jig style, the only difference is no shell back, this is because dealing with a hook point in your way vs. a wide open shank makes a huge difference, and you won't have to worry about stabbing yourself every 2 seconds with the hook.

Another key to success with jig flies is to secure the bead from flopping around while you are starting to tie. One way I have found to keep the bead in place and stop it from spinning around is adding a few lead wraps behind the bead and pushing it tight to the bead. The other way is to make a small thread dam behind it. I do this often times when I'm trying to make a smaller, lighter jig. I will use this dam to also the start of my body taper for the fly.

Jigs are used as anchor flies most of the time. This is also why I try to keep it simple, for restocking purposes. I have found that if you start with a larger jig hook (8-12) with the style flies you are trying to tie, this will help you get proportions right before you start into the smaller sizes (14-18). I often times will tie one style of fly in 3 to 4 sizes, always starting with the larger ones first, again to help with proportions but also help with your tying movements around the hook point and tying inverted.

These are 3 tips that have made tying jig flies fun for me with the least amount of frustration. Hope this helps.

Over the next moth I will be posting more on jigs to give everyone some ideas on simple ones to tie. Maybe even a tutorial or video.

Featured Fly - Double Squirrel Nymph

I will start this feature fly off by apologizing for not doing one for a long time. I was camera and computer less for a while, but I'm back up and running. This is a very basic nymph, but it has been working well for me. Tied from size 16 up to size 10, it works well for an anchor fly or just a general attractor. 

Materials:

Hook: Orvis Tactical Hook - Wide Gape - 16-10

Bead: Tungsten Bomb Bead - Copper or Black 

Thread:  Ultra Thread 170 - Fl. Orange 

Rib: Mirage Tinsel - Opal - Sm. or Med. 

Tail: CDL Fibers - Dark

Body: SLF Squirrel Dub - Fox Squirrel 

Collar: SLF Squirrel Dub - Drk. Brown 

Step 1: Slide the proper sized bead on the hook.

Step 2: Make a solid thread base, tying in your ribbing as you move towards the hook bend.

Step 3: Tie in your CDL tail, making a few extra wraps of thread to form a Hot Butt.

Step 4: Making tight wraps, dub the body, leaving a small space open behind the bead.

Step 5: Taking the ribbing under the tail towards the backside of the fly, make your forward ribs.

Step 6: Dub the collar with Drk. Brown squirrel.

Step 7: While doing your whip finish, make a small "hot" collar with the orange thread.

Finished Fly: Double Squirrel Nymph 

Featured Fly - Iced-Out Pheasnt Tail

This is a fast and simple little fly. I was tying some smaller pheasant tails up for our last New Hampshire trip, to mimic BWO nymphs. This little guy was what came out of the pile of fly tying crap all over my desk. It worked well on Landlocks and Brook Trout. This one should be a great fly for the up and coming winter months.

Materials:

Hook: 2499 SPBL sz. 16-20

Beadhead: Tungsten Bomb Bead - Gold 

Thread: UNI Thread 6/0 - Fl. Fire Orange 

Rib: Ultra Wire - Small - Gold

Body: Ice Dub - Brown/Olive 

Thorax: Ice Dub - Peacock 

Tail/Back: Pheasant Tail - Olive

Step 1: Make a small thread base, just behind the bead.

Step 2: Finish the thread base, tying in the wire as you go back.

Step 3: Making one wrap, secure the pheasant tail, at the bend of the hook.

Step 4: Dub the body with ice dub.

Step 5: Pull the pheasant tail forward, tying in right behind the bead.

Step 6: Wrap the wire forward, securing the pheasant tail and making a nice rib.

Step 7: Cut off extra pheasant tail.

Step 8: Dub the thorax with a small amount of peacock ice dub.

Step 9: Whip fishing and cut off.

Fooled Fish!

Featured Fly - Furry Czech

The Furry Czech is a simple combination of a couple different flies. I was sitting at my vise the other morning tying up some Cat Nips, Furry Foam Green Weenies, and Caddis Larva, when I decided to put thin skin on top of a green weenie. I thought it looked pretty cool, but it needed something else, so the next one got a hot collar. An hour later I had a pile of these guys tied up. I tied them in Olive, Fl. Chart, and Tan. We will see how they work tomorrow.

Materials:

Hook: 2499 SPBL, 10-14

Thread: UNI Thread 6/0 - color to best match bead 

Bead: Size to match hook

Rib: 6lb mono

Body: Furry Foam - Fl. Chart, Olive or Tan

Hot Collar: Sow Scud - Big Horn Orange 

Shellback: Thin Skin - Czech Spec 

Step 1: Make a thread base, tying in the mono as you go back.

Step 2: Tie in the furry foam. Bring thread forward stopping behind the bead.

Step 3: Wrap the furry foam forward.

Step 4: Dub a hot collar behind the bead.

Step 5: Tie on the thin skin.

Step 6: Take the mono and secure the thin skin, making a nice even rib up the fly.

Step 7: Cut off the thin skin and mono rib, then whip finish.

Finished Fly: