A Jig Design for Riverine Black Basses

[Pup]

I like to design jigs for many different fish species period. Here are a few 1/8-ounce ball jigs tied to emulate popular tube jigs. I'd use them in situations where I might otherwise select a green pumpkin or watermelon-colored tube.



Materials:

• #5 willow green glimmer chenille
• Dark olive green eyelash yarn
• Black UTC Ultra Thread - 140 denier
• 1/8-ounce ball head jig with #2 hook
• Yew-colored acrylic paint
• Clear nail polish with glitter
• Two-part epoxy topcoat

This type of jig tumbles along pretty well in current, even with its exposed hook.

 

[AtticaFish]

The green tubes with black flake are one of my favs as well, also black w/ red flake has caught large numbers of smallies.

How many over wraps of chenille are you doing? They look nice and fat.

Also, how do you fish these "tumbling" in the current... are you hopping off the bottom? Interested to hear your technique. I usually have 2 main approaches with jigs in rivers, i'm either just barley popping them off the bottom and crawling along (which leaves lots of lead on the bottom of the river :dodgy or i'm using a fast and jerky retrive. I love the fast jerky style, but the fish don't always wanna play that way.

 

[Pup]

The green tubes with black flake are one of my favs as well, also black w/ red flake has caught large numbers of smallies.

How many over wraps of chenille are you doing? They look nice and fat.

Also, how do you fish these "tumbling" in the current... are you hopping off the bottom? Interested to hear your technique. I usually have 2 main approaches with jigs in rivers, i'm either just barley popping them off the bottom and crawling along (which leaves lots of lead on the bottom of the river :dodgy or i'm using a fast and jerky retrive. I love the fast jerky style, but the fish don't always wanna play that way.

AF,

Ditto on your choices of tube colors. I like a pumpkinseed color (brown with black spots) as well.

I use two to five layers of chenille depending on its bulkiness and the jig head's diameter. I tied those above really tightly and used two to three layers.

When I'm tumbling a jig, generally I'm fishing in warm weather at the headwaters of a pool. I quartercast upstream and elevate my rod tip to somewhere between 11 and 12 o'clock. A trout fisherman might describe this as high-sticking my rod. I retrieve just quickly enough to keep slack out of my line and to let the current move the jig to do its work. Hopefully, it's careening between, over, and behind a few rocks and boulders.

 

[CK3]

The green tubes with black flake are one of my favs as well, also black w/ red flake has caught large numbers of smallies.

How many over wraps of chenille are you doing? They look nice and fat.

Also, how do you fish these "tumbling" in the current... are you hopping off the bottom? Interested to hear your technique. I usually have 2 main approaches with jigs in rivers, i'm either just barley popping them off the bottom and crawling along (which leaves lots of lead on the bottom of the river :dodgy or i'm using a fast and jerky retrive. I love the fast jerky style, but the fish don't always wanna play that way.

AF,

Ditto on your choices of tube colors. I like a pumpkinseed color (brown with black spots) as well.

I use two to five layers of chenille depending on its bulkiness and the jig head's diameter. I tied those above really tightly and used two to three layers.

When I'm tumbling a jig, generally I'm fishing in warm weather at the headwaters of a pool. I quartercast upstream and elevate my rod tip to somewhere between 11 and 12 o'clock. A trout fisherman might describe this as high-sticking my rod. I retrieve just quickly enough to keep slack out of my line and to let the current move the jig to do its work. Hopefully, its careening between, over, and behind a few rocks and boulders.

Do you buy the nail polish with the glitter or do you add it. If you add it
how much do you put in? Also, what type of glitter do you use?

 

[LedHed]

Outstanding jigs - like that color combo

 

[Pup]

Do you buy the nail polish with the glitter or do you add it. If you add it how much do you put in? Also, what type of glitter do you use?

CK3,

I bought Boundless Color Nail Sparkle Topcoat #405. Applied it over the acrylic paint, then overcoated the jig head with two-part epoxy.

 

[Pup]

Outstanding jigs - like that color combo

Thanks Led.