Make your own jigs...Video

[TubeDude]

   LINK TO JIG VIDEO
Looks like Mama Nature is about to get all wintery and will shut down everybody but hardcore ice tanglers.  But even they use jigs.  The point is that during the next few months there will be a lot of indoor time…waiting out the weather.  Why not use some of that time to make your own jigs?
 
Shortly after I moved back to Utah from Arizona in 2004, a lot of the Utah members on the still new BFT boards started asking for my help in learning how to make their own lead head jigs.  So we had a series of “jig parties”…in which I would bring all the necessary gear for pouring and painting jigs.  We usually had some food and drink on hand and the get togethers were a lot of fun…and got a few newbies started in making their own stuff.
 
I don’t do group gatherings anymore but am usually willing to do one-on-one sessions for serious students of jigography.  And I have posted some of my PDF files on different aspects of making and decorating jigs in the past.  But now that I have my GoPro camera I have been getting requests to put something together on jig making. 
 
So, here ‘tis.  It is a little over 1 hour long and is a fairly in-depth presentation on pouring lead lures and in painting, glittering and putting eyes on them.  I have also included video segments on wrapping marabou jigs and on making the little pony head jigs (Roadrunners).  The video includes lists for the tools and materials necessary both for pouring the jigs and for trimming and finishing them with your choice of paints and glitters.  And there is one section with a lot of fish porn.
 
The main point I like to get across when someone asks about making their own stuff is that if you get into it to save money you are a dreamer.  There can be a pretty sizeable investment in lead melters, molds, hooks, paints and other stuff necessary to make more than just one size of one kind of jig.  You usually have to make and use a lot of jigs before you can begin to realize your first penny of savings.
 
The main reason I got started in making my own was to have just what I wanted and needed for any specific fishing trip…on any given water…for any particular species of fish…under the prevailing water and weather conditions.  I got tired of going into a tackle shop and asking for something, only to be told “No.  You don’t want that.  This is what you need.”  But what they were really saying is “This is what you need because this is all we got.”
 
If you have good connections and are lucky you can find inexpensive melters and molds.  And you don’t have to buy hooks 1000 at a time.  So it is possible to ease into it without missing a couple of mortgage payments.  Thank goodness for Ebay and KSL.com.  This video should help guide you in your purchases.  And you can always contact me to discuss any potential purchase before making the move.

[liketrolling]

Thanks Pat for all you do for us on BFT

I did not get you out this year after kokanee, but next year you and Kent will be on the top of my list, lets just hope they are biting

[Kent]

Thanks Pat for all you do for us on BFT

I did not get you out this year after kokanee, but next year you and Kent will be on the top of my list, lets just hope they are biting

Yippee Skippee!

[TubeDude]

Thanks Pat for all you do for us on BFT

I did not get you out this year after kokanee, but next year you and Kent will be on the top of my list, lets just hope they are biting

Hey, ol' buddy, you do a whole bunch for the board and the members your own self. 

I greatly enjoyed our two trips the year before...and the great kokanee fillets too.  But there are plenty of other guys on the board who still have not experienced a day with the koke captain.  So don't feel obligated to take me out if there are others more anxious or more deserving.  Here's hoping the fish are more numerous and more cooperative next year.

[MSM1970]

Thanks Pat for all you do for us on BFT

I did not get you out this year after kokanee, but next year you and Kent will be on the top of my list, lets just hope they are biting

Hey, ol' buddy, you do a whole bunch for the board and the members your own self. 

I greatly enjoyed our two trips the year before...and the great kokanee fillets too.  But there are plenty of other guys on the board who still have not experienced a day with the koke captain.  So don't feel obligated to take me out if there are others more anxious or more deserving.  Here's hoping the fish are more numerous and more cooperative next year.

IN my book both of you guys are my hero's..   between your help and sharing info thats why everyone looks up to you guys...

[Fritzfishin]

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Anyone know who it was that had the grave digger jig heads mold? I thought he was from heber but can't remember it was a couple years ago he posted he was making the grave digger jig heads and I wouldn't mind ordering some 
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[TubeDude]

[quote pid="1126746" dateline="1639171577"]
[quote pid="1126741" dateline="1639162143"]
Anyone know who it was that had the grave digger jig heads mold? I thought he was from heber but can't remember it was a couple years ago he posted he was making the grave digger jig heads and I wouldn't mind ordering some 

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The jig mold is available from Do-It molds (see pic).  Or, you can buy some made up and painted on Ebay
LINK TO EBAY

 

[meancuznalfy]

Lots of places to buy those. I'm all for making my own, nothing like having a endless supply of your favorite jig, don't mind losing them anymore, hated having to break one off when it was snagged and they cost 50 cents then. It's a great feeling to catch fish on something you've made, the possibilities are endless

[TubeDude]

Lots of places to buy those. I'm all for making my own, nothing like having a endless supply of your favorite jig, don't mind losing them anymore, hated having to break one off when it was snagged and they cost 50 cents then. It's a great feeling to catch fish on something you've made, the possibilities are endless

Definitely satisfying to catch fish on your own creations.  But you brought up another good point.  That is that if you fish right...and fish where the fish are...you are going to lose some jigs.  I have known anglers who avoided fishing some of the best water just because it cost them too much tackle.  Howsomever...if you make your own stuff and know you are going to lose some in fishy spots then you can fish however you need to fish to catch fish.  Just bring plenty of stuff and be ready to make some more when you need it.

[Fritzfishin]

90 percent of the fish are in 10 percent of the water... and that 10 percent is usually not just open water without snags, fish like cover.... except trout but.... who trout fishes round here

[Ahi1953]

Thanks for sharing Pat. Like all your videos found it every informative

[TubeDude]

Thanks for sharing Pat. Like all your videos found it every informative

Thanks John.  Good to see you again at Willard a couple of weeks ago.

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90 percent of the fish are in 10 percent of the water... and that 10 percent is usually not just open water without snags, fish like cover.... except trout but.... who trout fishes round here

Well...I heard tell of someone on this board who fishes for trout in Grantsville.  Hope you can get back at it soon.

[meancuznalfy]

It's a great hobby, and can get started cheaply, a old pot from a second hand store and a heat source, ebay has some great deals on molds, paint can be whatever you want, ie finger nail polish, model paint, markers, I use powder paint and have expanded to doing plastics, rapalas, jigging raps, swedish pimples, not much that anyone can't make, most of everything I make is high prices at stores and not being able to find what I want also.

[Fritzfishin]

Thanks for sharing Pat. Like all your videos found it every informative

Thanks John.  Good to see you again at Willard a couple of weeks ago.

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90 percent of the fish are in 10 percent of the water... and that 10 percent is usually not just open water without snags, fish like cover.... except trout but.... who trout fishes round here

Well...I heard tell of someone on this board who fishes for trout in Grantsville.  Hope you can get back at it soon.

Thats true, ive been known to tackle slime rockets once in a while. Cats and perch will always have my true love though!

[meancuznalfy]

Lol, they're fun to catch, just don't like eating them.

[Therapist]

So,  I haven't watched  TD's video yet,  but for those who have and are going to start casting their own jigs,  a word of caution on lead.  One of the primary sources of lead that people use are old wheel weights.  Used to be you could just go and get them at a tire shop for free,  but now they sell them, usually pretty cheap,  but there is a PROBLEM TO BE AWARE OF!!!  Some weights are made of ZINC now.  ZINC is NOT, I repeat, NOT a good thing in your casting lead.  When processing your wheel weights, you need to be careful to keep the temp of the melting lead BELOW 780 degrees F.  When doing wheel raw wheel weights,  I keep my pot temperature at about 725-730 F.  That way the zinc weights do not melt, they float on top and can be skimmed off with the rest of the dross ( crap) from the weights.  You also need to "flux" the mixture, sawdust is a good material.  Just dump a handful of sawdust into the pot and stir it in.  This will "clean" the molten metal and give you better casting.  Wheel weights contain tin and antimony to harden the metal,  so when casting your jigs,  you need to have the temp up around 750 or so, ONLY AFTER YOU HAVE REMOVED THE ZINC WEIGHTS DURING THE PROCESSING OF THE RAW WEIGHTS.

Pouring your own jigs is a lot of fun,  but you can get very, very caught up in it.  I know that TD has about 40-50 molds, and I have almost as many,  so be careful as it can become addictive !!

[meancuznalfy]

Lol, I got a bunch of wheel weights once was a nightmare casting, but was ladling then, now have a lee pot and I buy most of my lead off of eBay at a reasonable price.

[Springbuck1]

TubeDude: "The main point I like to get across when someone asks about making their own stuff is that if you get into it to save money you are a dreamer. There can be a pretty sizeable investment in lead melters, molds, hooks, paints and other stuff necessary to make more than just one size of one kind of jig."

That's why all my hobbies involve constantly looking for ways to do everything with no tools or money!

[TubeDude]

TubeDude:  "The main point I like to get across when someone asks about making their own stuff is that if you get into it to save money you are a dreamer.  There can be a pretty sizeable investment in lead melters, molds, hooks, paints and other stuff necessary to make more than just one size of one kind of jig."

That's why all my hobbies involve constantly looking for ways to do everything with no tools or money!

How's that working out for you? 

May I suggest watching clouds and imagining what they look like?  Or hopscotch, jacks or marbles?  But some of those might require a small investment to get started.

If you are not already married, I wouldn't suggest getting into holy wedded macaroni without a lot of tools and money...especially money.

[Springbuck1]

Well, limited selection on WHAT I can do, but what I CAN do often works just out fine. It'll sound like a brag, but I know I'm not the only one out there like this. You with your lures and PVC work are a man after my own heart, I would think. Don't get me wrong, I'd love to do it right, but I'm driving a $2000.00 car. And, I have SOME tools and supplies, of course, but the idea is, what can I do in a way nobody has done it before, so I can do it with less. I'm married, and I turned fifty this year, so you know where the money goes.

For instance, I can buy small tube jig heads, flatten them side to side with a hammer, and make pretty good minnow-imitating jigs. I can make great wobble-jigs like yours by flattening them out laterally, using a bolt I have with a hole in the tip. Just pound them out and paint them with dollar store nail polish. Not the best, I know, but I generally lose things before I use them up. Beads, those little plastic stick-on gems for eyes, colored feathers, etc. all very cheap. I buy fishing gear, of course, but I'm not buying anything I can make or modify.

Since you asked, I do make very nice replicas of Paleo-European, African, and Native American bows, and sometimes kill an elk or deer with one. Usually costs me a trip to a vacant lot to cut a young elm sapling. My alcohol-burning back-packing stove SMOKES anything on the market for boil times, cheapness, light weight, and efficiency. I cast my own muzzleloader bullets and shotgun slugs in a home-made mold made from an all-tread connector. I designed and make rattling spoons using cheap craft beads. My version of "fligs" cost $2.00 worth of dollar store supplies for a lifetime. I made an underwater camera for @ $15.00. I designed several rod-holders, esp. some self-jigging versions that are simple, collapsible, and super-functional, mae from scraps. Several arrowheads. A wiggly fishing lure that uses balloons as a body. A full-sized axe that takes down and fits in your pocket. A belt knife that takes down, mounts to a branch, and doubles as a machete.
My backpacking tent is home-made, and I just made a collapsible wood stove that weighs 6 lbs for the larger tee-pee style tent I bought for snow camping.

I'm not saying it's the BEST way, but if the journey IS the destination, then even constantly looking for the nearly-impossible is fun, right? My youngest has cerebral palsy, her sister is autistic, and they are the easiest of the four daughters I have. So they get my money, but I have my fun.