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How to Make a Fishing Jig

How to Make a Fishing Jig
Fishing jigs are an indispensable part of an angler's arsenal. These weighted lures with built-in hooks are typically rigged either with feathers and thread or soft plastic baits and fished off the bottom of rivers, lakes and oceans to entice deepwater fish. When all else fails, seasoned anglers will cast a jig, and sometimes it is the first lure they tie to their lines.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Things You’ll Need:
  • Weighted jig hooks
  • Fly tying vise
  • Thread and assorted color feathers
  • Scissors
  • Tweezers
  • Soft plastic baits
  • Superglue
  • Acrylic paints
  • Modeling paintbrush
Step 1
Place a weighted jig in a fly-tying vise and tighten the vise near the shank, or curved part of the hook, which should be curved downward.
Step 2
Use tweezers to hold several colored feathers to the tip of the jig head, just behind the round weight and hook eyelet. Choose feather colors that approximate the colors of the baitfish.
Step 3
Wrap thread around the feathertips to secure them to the shaft of the hook behind the jig head. Use caution to wrap the thread evenly in tight loops around the hook with no overlapping thread.
Step 4
Change positions with the tweezers by placing the tip against the line wrapping, then loop the thread around one more time and through the loop, tightening the thread to tie it off.
Step 5
Clip the end of the thread and place a drop of Superglue on the thread windings to secure them.
Step 6
Use scissors to clip and shape the feathers on your jig for a streamlined appearance. You can taper the feathers to narrow toward the back of the hook, which will help your lure more closely resemble a baitfish.
Step 7
Make soft plastic jigs by piercing the tip of a rubber bait onto the barbed jig hook.
Step 8
Thread the soft plastic bait carefully along the hook until the tip of the plastic bait is secure against the back of the weighted jig head.
Step 9
Bend the bait upward so that the hook barb pops out of the soft plastic.
Step 10
Paint a white circle on either side of the jig head, allow to dry, then paint a smaller black dot inside the white circle to resemble the eye and pupil of a baitfish.

Article Written By James Clark

James Clark began his career in 1985. He has written about electronics, appliance repair and outdoor topics for a variety of publications and websites. He has more than four years of experience in appliance and electrical repairs. Clark holds a bachelor's degree in political science.

Write for Trails.com

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