Secure bucktail wrapping?

[clemmy]

Well actually not bucktail.

I'm working on a deep grouper jig for fishing reefs. The most durable thing I've come up with for dressing is polypropolene fibers. My question is, what's the best way to attatch/tie them in? Granted, an 80 lb grouper can put a hurting on your jig, not to mention the barracuda that are always around, but the real problem is triggerfish! They normally feed by crushing coral chunks off the reef, but they love to munch on the bits of a jig. A bucktail frequntly comes back up half gone, thus the poly. But is tying like bucktail then using epoxy over the wrap enough? Do I need wire? If so, what kind/how secured? Or kevlar thread?

This is a new type of lure for me, so thanks guys!

Clemmy

[VARick]

I also tie jigs for saltwater and find most fish with teeth put a hurting on the jigs. I don't worry about durability so much as being able to remove the old tie and do another for the next trip.

Rick

Well actually not bucktail.

My question is, what's the best way to attatch/tie them in? Granted, an 80 lb grouper can put a hurting on your jig, not to mention the barracuda that are always around, but the real problem is triggerfish! They normally feed by crushing coral chunks off the reef, but they love to munch on the bits of a jig. A bucktail frequntly comes back up half gone, thus the poly. But is tying like bucktail then using epoxy over the wrap enough? Do I need wire? If so, what kind/how secured? Or kevlar thread?

This is a new type of lure for me, so thanks guys!

Clemmy

[sagacious]

I'm working on a deep grouper jig for fishing reefs. The most durable thing I've come up with for dressing is polypropolene fibers. My question is, what's the best way to attatch/tie them in?

Clemmy

Clemmy,

I use poly and synthetic fibers for big saltwater jigs too. The most secure way to attach them is to take the fibers for the skirt, and divide them into 4 bunches. Pinch one of the bunches tightly between your fingertips, and use a lighter flame to melt all the fibers on one end together (don't burn yourself!). Then immediately squash the melted blob flat with a pair of pliers. Do the same to all 4 bunches.

Now you can lash each bunch down onto the jighead, without the fibers getting away from you. Use whatever regualar thread you have-- there's no need for kevlar or wire. Tie in one bunch on the top first, then one on the bottom, and lastly the two sides. Apply a bit of glue or clear fingernail polish between the wraps, so that all the thread wraps are soaked. When done, you can cover the wraps with a thin layer of epoxy.

With the ends of the poly fibers all melted together, they aren't ever gonna pull free, and the melted end gives something for the thread to really grab ahold of.

Good luck, hope this helps.

[LedHed]

sagacious

Great tip. Can you post some pics of your jigs?

[sagacious]

LedHed,

Here's a few examples of the jigs I fish. With the poly fibers melted together under the wrappings, they cannot pull out, and the vynil overskirt is lashed down with 20lb mono-- it's not going anywhere either.

http://www.tackleunderground.com/photos/index.php?n=720

Good luck,

sagacious

[LedHed]

Outstanding jigs

[clemmy]

Yes, Beautiful Jigs! Are you using the 20ld mono as your only wrap? Also you mentioned the stainless insert, are you using the Do-It one?

Thanks guys for all the help!

Clemmy

[sagacious]

Where do you get your poly - synthetic fibers and vinyl skirts?

LedHed,

The nylon/poly fiber material is available from a variety of sources as "supreme hair," "ocean hair," and other names. I get it at my local flyshop, where it's sold as "slinky hair". Here are just a few dealers, your favorite component supplier may carry it too.

http://www.snlcorp.com/Webpages/nylonhair.htm

http://www.barlowstackle.com/acb/showdetl.cfm?&DID=6&User_ID=4067839&st=5479&st2=65418524&st3=66204780&Product_ID=1817&CATID=61

http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/product/standard-item.jsp?id=0001238310641a&navCount=4&podId=0001238&parentId=cat20546&masterpathid=&navAction=jump&cmCat=MainCatcat20431-cat20546&catalogCode=IH&rid=&parentType=index&indexId=cat20546&hasJS=true

The vinyl overskirt is something I found at a fabric store-- buy it by the yard, and cut it into skirts. Call around to your local fabric shops, some snooping may turn up something similar for you. Vinyl shower curtains, vinyl placemats, etc, all work, I just keep my eyes open for new materials.

The jigs below use vinyl cord as a skirt material-- for the toothy fish in my area, they're indestructable. There are a lot of good synthetic jig skirting materials out there. Unravelled onion sacks, lawn chair strapping, even old fly line will make a tough skirt for toothy fish.

http://www.tackleunderground.com/photos/index.php?n=721

Hope this helps. Good luck.

[sagacious]

Are you using the 20ld mono as your only wrap? Also you mentioned the stainless insert, are you using the Do-It one?

Clemmy

Clemmy,

I don't use the Do-It inserts, I prefer to make my own components whenever possible. An ordinary crimping tool makes perfect jig eyelets in heavy stainless wire.

Most of my jigs have inner and outer skirts-- in this case nylon/poly fiber covered by a vinyl outer skirt. The nylon fiber gets lashed down with dacron sailmaker's thread, a tough, but thin thread that really lets me crank down on the wraps. A good nylon thread would work just as well. Those wraps get saturated with glue.

The outer skirt is tied on with one layer of single-spaced 20lb mono (like wrapping a guide on a rod), with the ends whipped tightly under the wraps. I put the mono wraps on 'finger-slicing' tight, and the stretch in the mono line not only holds the vinyl overskirt securely, but also provides additional compression for the underskirt wraps. The mono wraps get a thin protective layer of epoxy or adhesive-lined shrink tube. They can chew on the jig all they want, but they aren't getting through my wraps. http://www.tackleunderground.com/photos/index.php?n=722

Hope this helps, good luck.