Food For Thought

[fishhunter775]

Ok guys I will start with this isn't a bragging post. Now on to the what comes to mind.
I see a lot of new guys come here as well as other sites and get the basics to learn to tie. Some catch on quick as there are alot of talent to be found here and plenty of help for those who will take the time to ask.The first thing you know they think they are jig tiers ready to take on the world, and start a jig business. Well guys stop and think of it before you do.
First off after learning to tie you have to learn the discipline to make your self do it day after day after day and week after week, before you know it, It isn't fun no more. And after you have learned to tie a few you must have a place to get rid of them and that's where it becomes a dog eat dog world as any of the older guys can attest too. But with saying all this you still want to give it as try I will wish you all the best at it.
This is how my average week looks once Ive tied a little. Got this order late last weekend and started if off Monday Am and finished the tying Weds afternoon and spend the day today gluing and packing it up to make it to the shop. There is total of 768 jigs in this one not a big order but a fair one for a ole man like me to handle three eight hour days.

 

[StumpHunter]

I work work work all day long!! LOL that will get your eyes crossed. Tim I know all of what you are saying and it is all to true. Turns into a job it becomes a different animal. Great looking work Tim.

 

[QPassage]

Yup I tied something close to 30k jigs last year and have already passed that up this year. I've been fishing once this summer so far, and hopefully I'll get to FnF this winter. I have several guys who test my new baits and I rely heavily on that for sales. I do enjoy tying, almost as much as fishing. But I can attest when I come home from my 9-5 job and have a 100 or 200 jigs to paint and tie, at times it does push the limits. Discipline certainly is the key word in this post. By the way that's a great way to display your jigs and or sort out for orders. I like the colors!

 

[Bucko]

I feel your guys pain. Almost burnt out this year myself. I like that people want my stuff but it can become a monster.

 

[Jig Man]

I'll pass... I enjoy fishin too much...

 

[JUNGLEJIM1]

Tim, you are a tying machine. I wouldn't want to tie that many even over a couple weeks. I used to tie a bunch but have cut back considerably over the past couple years. My shoulder was killing me after tying a couple dozen. Turned out I had a torn rotator and it got so bad it hurt to even fish so I had surgery a couple weeks ago to get it repaired. Hope to be fishing soon. I used to love tying but when it hurt to tie it sure put things into perspective. I'd much rather be fishing instead of sitting at my desk tying for days.

 

[AllenOK]

Great Googly Moogly!!!

 

[hookup]

to make your self do it day after day after day and week after week, before you know it, It isn't fun no more.

And this is why I want to keep jig making a hobby.

Once you start marketing your jigs, it becomes a job and I already have one of those

 

[JSC]

Great way to let those who want to make it a business have an idea about what it is about,
When they add the paper work, book keeping and etc. in it really adds up .. as well as
investment in tools, materials and etc.
"Think about it before You LEAP"

Good Luck and Thanx for this Thread.

By the way marketing is another story all together.

 

[Fatman]

First! As always great looking ties!!!!!!!!

I think we all think about it at one time or another, but for me I couldn't do it!!!! Only thing I've done as far as tackle crafting in the last 2 years is learn to dye feathers and nothing else!!!

 

[Kdog]

I'm strictly word of mouth and would rather barter than sell. Having said that, I just finished my fall preorders for blade baits. Its not tying, but is luremaking. I used to enjoy making blades but this round has me burned out. Everyone has special needs, red hooks, nickle hooks, black hooks, No, I dont want those snap on hooks, use split rings, I want this color eye on one side and that color on the other side, blah, blah, blah. Why dont you set and gold plate them?

Its slowly coming down to me saying no more custom baits, I'll cast the blanks for you and you do your own polishing get your own hooks and put them together yourself. This year thus far is one for the books, baits that for years have been reliable producers arent getting a second look by the local fish populations. The habitual fishermen/women are realistic. "this head, half dozen of every color you got. The weekend warriors OTOH I need gold jigs, not that color gold and it needs red and green sparkles. I counted this AM and gold was the got to color earlier this year. To whit, I have 23 gold variants and with the base coats black, white and yellow, makes 69 colors/variations of gold. I went thru 5# of clear this year making all the different combos and T&E mixes. I also went thru 35,000 jig heads, Being out of work, it gives me something to do, but going to the basement is no longer fun. I have zero orders left to fulfill and pray it stays that way for a few months.

Novemeber and december are historically the big order months for guys planning the next years needs and I try to have everything fulfilled by the end of January and yes there are those special Christmas requests which I fulfill in time for Christmas but... other than some special friends, I'm gonna pass those folks along to some other tackle guys.

It was a fun hobby and I want to get back to that point. Become a full time vendor.... not me and for those that are, Hats Off, you deserve a medal.

 

[Pup]

Good post. Seven-hundred and sixty-eight jigs tied in three, eight-hour, days is impressive to me. The only way I could do that is if I were tying chenille-bodied jigs with feather tails and no flash. Basic jigs and nothing more. It would become laborious, to me, after about the first 10. :beat-up:

I'd have to have a really good inline vise having a cam-locking jaw mechanism with excellent repeatability. Would be looking to reduce the number of movements or motions involved in tying many jigs at one sitting.

Great points made about custom baits. Those types of orders would have little appeal to me.

I would be dependent on vendors for jig heads. Have absolutely no desire to pour my own.

The bookkeeping would be another unwanted headache, particularly the excise and sales taxes.

Now, what is it about selling jigs that's appealing?

 

[fishhunter775]

Well guys just wanted to lay out some insights to the new guys on the block so to say. Im lucky as My wife takes care of the books for me and does a lot of my painting. Im lucky to have found one that has been so supportive. Ive been doing some sort of tackle making so far back I cant even remember when I started ha ha. I did go full time a little over ten years ago and will say Ive been fortunate to have kept going. I started with just a few do it molds and built them up as I went. Made everything you could imagine to keep the bills paid. Made a friend up in Carbondale Kansas and went to visit him and that's when it all changed for me. Saw my first spincaster and just knew I had to have one, so scrapped and saved two years till I was able to get one. Was able to go from 2000 a day to 7000 per day by myself man I was in Hog heaven then Ha Ha. We did spinnerbaits, buzzbaits, Bladebaits and jigs from 1/100 to 4 oz with it, sure made life a lot easier to work anyway. Made lots of connections from other guys and have done quiet well with it. Only problem I found was I was always tired and never able to go fishing myself. So went back to my drawing board and decide to downsize in what we made and started just Crappie and other panfish baits and that's where Ive stuck too with very little regrets.
Even with cutting back I still find myself doing around 500,000 jigs a year and tying some where in the area of 30,000 in a lot od patterns and colors. Got a couple of part time guys when it is in the busy season but still find I can do more of it on my own than having help here and having to watch them.
I started getting into carrying other supplies to help guys out a little but believe me I don't get rich in any way from that either. But I do enjoy it. Guys not saying you cant make it but be ready for lots of hours and very little fishing to make any money at it. Ive been very blessed and still enjoy my job more than any other that I have had.

 

[davidriley]

I am amazed at some of the numbers of jigs quoted in your posts. Unbelievable. I admire anybody who ties professionally.

I enjoy tying but have to be 'in the mood' to tie and then only do it for myself, or to give a few away to friends. However to produce the quality of work you guys do, day in and day out is impressive. As well as busy tying away you also find time to comment, show your work, give tips and generally help other members of this forum, that too is also impressive. I have learned a lot from you all in the short time I have been a forum member. You all get a big 'Thank you' from me.

David

 

[Hawnjigs]

FH, now that you've cut back to a mere HALF MILLION jigs + more ties than I'll do in my lifetime how many work hours per day/week does that require? How often do you get to fish hunt?

 

[Bucho]

O boy... in my world, I can sell a half ounce horsehead tied out of nothing but 2 zonker strips at 6$ and people still go like "wow, your´re too cheap, how can you run a business on that? I know that fly tyier and he said he spends 20 min on tying a single streamer..." I spend 2/3rds of my time hanging out in fishing forums, catching new ideas, testing stuff, looking for new materials and simply learning s---t. My father was a butcher, which means 3 years of traineeship before even being considered a full hand, and then another 2-5 years before you master and are being allowed to run your own business.
Its only been 3 years now since I poured and painted my first jig head, and I bear that in mind every day. Luckyly, I have access to cheap university student workforce, so I can carry on (direct!) sales, R&D and fishing myself and spend just enough time in production to stay on top of it. I´d go nuts if I had to spend the whole day tying the same pattern.

 

[fishhunter775]

FH, now that you've cut back to a mere HALF MILLION jigs + more ties than I'll do in my lifetime how many work hours per day/week does that require? How often do you get to fish hunt?

Way to many hours ha ha. From Nov to around the end of May it is six days a week anywhere from 9 to 11 hours per day and the rest of the year 40 to 45 hours a week sometimes a little more, not counting any computer time. As for fishing Im lucky to make 12 to 14 trips a year and trying hard to make more time than that. Hunting now that's a easy one 2nd week of Nov until my freezer is full it is Deer hunting with very little tackle thoughts.
Like I said way to many, but still like what I do.

 

[quivira kid]

I thought I was rocking at 200-300 crappie jigs per week this spring! I'm getting there slowly.... Building my hobby to support my habit. With a full time and part time job, plus 2 kids under the age of 3, it's been crazy just getting to this point! Definitely a LOT of work and not so much fun most nights.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk