River Trout Jigs - WY

[Hawnjigs]

Judging by the flyguys sloshing around the Miracle Mile, I'd say the productive holding water averaged around crotch to chest deep. Jigs had to be light enuf to avoid weedy bottom contact fouling yet heavy enuf to cast into or beyond the mid-river current flow to reach the optimal bite zone. Fortunately 1/14 oz. HooksUp head #2 hook Boolies (aka BooHU) on 5 & 6# braid enabled both adequate casting distance and proper speed above bottom retrieves to trigger bites. A KISS two color selection proved adequate and I can't say that either the unpainted head/white fur or black head/brown fur version outfished the other.

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[jiggerjohn]

Very, very nice ties!!! Looks just like my best trout mink boolies from last Spring, except I'd never consider painting your seriously flashy tin heads! (in basic tin,the shine & wobble yields a combo spoon, spinner, fly, and flashabou swim-tail in one perfect sized lure!!)

 

[SaltyBuckster]

Very nice Keith.I can see why they were working so well.

 

[Hawnjigs]

Since trout generally won't hit the same jig twice during a session and are notorious for missed hooksets and drop offs, the black head dark tie provided a different appearance to the more visible flash head white tie. My usual plan was to start at the head of a pool and work it down to the tail where the current line flattened & slowed with one color, then switch and work back up with the other. Can't say the strategy noticeable worked, but both colors were productive. Thanks again for the excellent black paint jobs, AtticaFish! Next year I'll try the other colors.

For the sake of comparison testing, I threw other sizes - 1/24, 1/16, & 1/8 ball heads + 1/4 HeVheds with other color ties and pretty much all caught fish, but the two jigs in the pic seemed best matched for the conditions and consistently produced.

 

[JUNGLEJIM1]

Nice ties !!!! The shiny unpainted head made something click inside my head. I've always painted my heads with the Boolies and never considered using an unpainted one. I have thousands of nickle,gold and black nickle plated heads that really shine like the top one and would be perfect for the Boolie jigs. Guess I need to pick up some more props.

 

[Fatman]

Great looking jigs and great fish report!!!!!!!!!!

 

[toadfrog]

Great ties I like to fish those heads where there is a flat stair step shelf of rocks . I I just sneak it off those shelves and it gets nailed on the fall . Even got a catfish or two that way .

 

[StumpHunter]

Very nice tied jigs!

 

[Pup]

Those are really great-looking jigs Hawn.

 

[bombora]

They look magic Keith and bet the trout had seen nothing like them! Have tied on just one of the jigs heads you kindly sent me, better get a pic and put it up. STILL undecided on how to tie the rest of them. Too nice heads to stuff up!