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Author	Message Text
walllee	04/04/2020 05:55PM   Great looking jigs! My main tactic for taking Lakers is jigging. I use mostly Northlands Bionic Bucktails , but I like how yours have the wire to hold the back hook more horizontal . Great job! Are you selling them? And I agree white is the best.
Moonman	04/04/2020 04:27PM   Hey Guys since we are all bored and looking for something fishing related to read or view, just thought I would post a pic of some of the jigs I tie up for lakers. These are just straight white bucktail with a couple hackle feathers on either side of hook, tied deceiver style. The hackles soften the look at the ends of the bucktail and create a slightly more baitfish profile (at least I think so, don’t think the fish care one way or another). A couple strands of holographic flashabou on either side. Each one of these has a treble stinger added. The stingers are attached first, using 18lb knot too kinky wire, then the rest of the jig is tied up. Epoxied thread wraps. The wire is stiff enough to hold the treble out and parallel with the hook shank as opposed to dropping down like mono would do. Unlike trolling where you get lakers following lures for a while and often times nipping at a lure, when vertical jigging especially if teasing them to chase, they usually inhale the whole thing so you don’t really need the stinger. I add them because I use the same jigs in the fall for deep water walleyes which do sometimes bite short, and I have been bitten off 3-4 times over the last 5 years by muskies while walleye fishing. When walleye fishing I use various colors but for lakers I’ve found straight white works the best. Also notice these are mostly shorter jigs about three inches on average. This promotes lakers getting hooks and not just the bucktail. The two ball head jigs are one ounce, the others are tied on ultra minnow jigheads in mostly 1/2 and 3/4 oz. Moonman
WillVan56	04/05/2020 05:53AM   I will troll for Lakers when moving from place to place but if I am just fishing and targeting Lakers, I use large bucktail jigs. I am a teacher and by the time I get north to fish, Lake Trout are in deeper water. I just drop heavy jigs to the bottom and reel them up fairly quickly. I assume that lakers view my bait as a panicked Cisco. I have also hooked some giant Smallmouth this way. I worked in a fly shop for 13 years and have been tying flies and jigs for over 35 years. These are beautiful jigs and very well tied.
Moonman	04/05/2020 09:05AM   walllee: "Great looking jigs! My main tactic for taking Lakers is jigging. I use mostly Northlands Bionic Bucktails , but I like how yours have the wire to hold the back hook more horizontal . Great job! Are you selling them? And I agree white is the best." Hey Wallee thanks for the kind words on the jigs. Not selling, just tie stuff up for myself and son etc. The thread wraps are a bit bulky due to the jig itself having a big collar to start with, then tying on the wire stinger, then the bucktail. One tip for tying, is to use upholstery thread when you really need a lot of strength from your thread. It does add a bit of bulk though as it is slightly thicker. When I tie pike and musky flies I typically use ridiculously expensive super strong, thin thread (Vevus brand) to really cinch down on materials yet maintain lightness for casting but for musky inline spinners and jigs etc. upholstery thread from Walmart etc is the way to go. Also the two bottom jigs are just some heavy jigheads (Kalins Saltwater from Cabelas)...I powder painted them white, then added the 3D molded eyes. Another tip for anyone thinking of powder painting jigs etc. it’s dead easy and a good way to save lots of money. Basspro and cabelas often have bulk unpainted jigs on sale. A jar of powder paint is about $8.00, if you have a heat gun, stand it on end (so you don’t have to hold it in your hands) to heat the jighead. Pour out some powder paint from the jar into a smaller container (I use plastic shot glasses from the dollar store), then hold the jig hook in a pair of pliers and hold over the standing heat gun for about 45 seconds or so, then dip into the powder paint, and quickly move shot glass around to cover the jighead. Pull out and done. To further harden the paint an option is to put in the oven for 10 minutes - then it’s rock hard, but I seldom bother. Just mentioning tips on the thread and heat gun because those little details are seldom mentioned online and when starting out you fumble around for info etc. and the best way to do things. This works for me so sharing the info. Moonman.
walllee	04/07/2020 04:25PM   thegildedgopher: "Really nice looking jigs! I have some of those bionic bucktails with the stinger hooks as well. I have them in the big 1 and 2 oz sizes. What kind of rod/reel setups are you guys using to jig with these? I basically only drift with mine because I don't have a rod that can rip these big jigs with any efficiency." I use a 7 foot medium heavy rod with a Shimano Calcutta 400 bait casting reel. For line, I just use clear Trilene 12 pound test.
thegildedgopher	04/07/2020 11:25AM   Really nice looking jigs! I have some of those bionic bucktails with the stinger hooks as well. I have them in the big 1 and 2 oz sizes. What kind of rod/reel setups are you guys using to jig with these? I basically only drift with mine because I don't have a rod that can rip these big jigs with any efficiency.
carmike	04/07/2020 08:39AM   Very cool! Hair jigs have gotta be one of the most underappreciated trout lures. I've got a stimulus check coming my way...Let me know if you decide to open Moonman's Lure Manufacturing, LLC.
Savage Voyageur	04/05/2020 09:54AM   Quality jig Moonman, as usual. I like the stinger hook idea.