Iowa Walleye Jigs

[redman]

As most of you know I was a Walleye fisherman before I moved to Texas. I have described and told many of you of the jigs I used. Crappiejgr Quint and I have been talking about them for a while. I finally got around to making a set for him to tie from. They are tied on a 3/8 oz head with a Mustad 9671 1/0 hook that is hand bent, The technique is the same whether tying it on a 1/2 oz. head or a 1/8 oz. head. Smaller than that I change the Bucktail hackle for feather hackle. I have tied them down to a 1/64 oz. on a number 10 hook.
After working with the Matuzo Sickle hooks I believe that they would be a better hook to use because of the hooking ability. Even though the shanks are shorter it still ties up nice. I hope some day to be able to hook a few Walleyes again. These were the same patterns that were developed in the Iowa Great Lakes Area By the Great C. J. " Cap" Kennedy and marketed as Rock-a-Roos. Please enjoy the pictures and any questions ask.







Redman

 

[CrappieHappy]

Nice work Redman!!

 

[AtticaFish]

Nice looking jigs and cool styles. The very thin hackle tail or no tail design is interesting. Most of the open water jigs that are used on Erie are ALL tail, pretty much either b.tail or craft fur with thread necks and a stinger treble is added to catch those short strikers. Your more compact style might force them to take the main hook regardless. I like the thinned out bucktail collar over the chenille body too..... bulks up the profile in the water i am sure. Have to make a few for myself.

Think they still sell the rock-a-roos, just read about them somewhere.

 

[Fatman]

Redman Really Nice Ties

I remember the rock-a-roos - my Uncle brought some back after a fishing trip out of Ohio. At the time all I could think of was "I wish I could do that".

Thanks for sharing!!!!!!!

 

[blt]

Very cool looking jigs! How did you rig back home for them?

 

[LedHed]

Very cool tyes rm - like that leadhead

 

[redman]

Attica : Yes they still sell them but they are not tied like the original Rock-a-Roos. Rodger Coffman of Fostoria, Iowa bought the name. I know of much better tiers in the area that don't sell their jigs that I would rather fish. The reason for the lighter hackle is that it breaths as it is jig in the water. You fish it in short jerks or twitches like a bait fish swims. The jig then will breath and the Walleye will hit mostly on the drop of the jig. Most of the time they try to inhale it. Short strike have never been a problem with using this jig. Notice that the longer tail puts the hook in the middle of the jig and that is where a Walleye will hit most of the time. The reason that we used a Mustad 9671 hook was that it was 4X long and when bent it was like a 2.5X long which made it Ideal for a jig. Not only that but it was the Best and most state of the art hook back 30 years ago. These are Old School but will take fish any day any where have proved that time after time.

The ones with no tail we used right at the opening of the Walleye season last week in April which the water was colder. We would fish them much slower and would some times just hop them acrossed a sand bottom. The blue one is Blue Belle, The red is Redback, the black one is Meat in the Pot. The rest have names but more on that later.

Redman

 

[redman]

blt we would tie them on with just a loop knot.

Redman

 

[Pup]

Great-looking ties Redman.

 

[BucktailJiger]

Very beautiful craftsmanship Redman . A generous thank you to you my friend .

 

[redman]

Doc No I have never had any problems with any and not only used hundreds and hundreds of them myself but also sold thousands and thousands of them. If I had any problems with the hooks I would have heard. There are two methods of bending the hooks. The first is a cold bend that you make two very quick bends in the hook. First to 90 degrees and second to bring the eye to parallel to the shank. Second is a hot method that you make the same bends but do it with ether a propane torch or alcohol lamp and heat just the part of the shank that needs to be bent. If bent wrong a small hump can be put in the hook at the bend to help the hook fit the mold. The Lead of the jig covers the weakest part of the hook. If you cold bend a hook use a round nose or rosary pliers if hot bending use a regular pair of needle nose pliers.

As I stated in the opening paragraph knowing what I do now I would use a sickle hook and not even fool with bending them. Not having the sickles back then would have saved countless hours and sometime much frustration. Am looking for the bigger sickle for the larger molds that I have. Will convert them as Mustad no longer makes the 9671 in the bigger sizes Think that they still make the #4's and smaller but not the 2/0 to 2 that I need but its a mute point now as my smaller molds take the sickles.

Redman

Redman

 

[Hawnjigs]

The jig heads are nicely contoured and I like the forward eye position. Are the molds custom or production?

 

[redman]

Hawn one that I made in the 1970's. Think that that was the second one that I made under the direction of my mentor.

Redman

 

[Hawnjigs]

Wow, the mold has certainly stood the test of time. Is it machined metal?

 

[redman]

Hawn it was a pressed into Aircraft grade Aluminium. Locator pins were drilled in to place first. then I pressed a blank that my mentor had in to the Aluminium. Then a set of hinges and handles were added. The handles were made from 20 DWT spikes and grips were old outboard motor gas line. Very simple operation but you must have everything square and the two mold surfaces must end up flat.

Redman

 

[StumpHunter]

Very nice jigs and a great gift to give

 

[FuzzyGrub]

Thanks for posting. Gives ideas to try for some NY river eyes.

 

[toadfrog]

I saved those heads you sent me . Just this week I found out that the walleye stocked in my surrounding lakes have grown and done well . Before you couldn't get one very often but now they are working rip rap and bridge areas . Time to put those heads in action and try out my leach mold . for plastics . Gonna do some 3'' in black copper swirl green fleck.

 

[Radtexan]

Awesome collection of ties there Red...


You know I do have one of the few walley lakes in Tx as my home lake,,,Be glad to see if the TX eye's like em...