AWMiller
01-10-2009, 07:31 PM
When I first starting tying, I mainly tied flies for trout; but where I live, there's not much need for trout flies!! So now I stick mainly to crappie, bass and some saltwater jigs. But when asked what was the first thing I ever tied.... it was the squirrel tail jig.
I was fishing the White River where it runs through Calico Rock, Arkansas. I kept watching this old man sitting down and delicately tying a squirrel tail jig (by hand no less!!) and it was beautiful! Needless to say I spent many days watching him tie those jigs. So one day I did it... I tied my own squirrel tail jig on the morning we were heading to Bull Shoals Lake. That jig was deadly to those crappie and I found my go-to jig that very day, although it took a few years for me to really realize that!!
A short while back one of our Crappie.com brethren posted that he had some squirrel tails. A short while later, some of those tails were at my home and on my desk. And soon... some jigs were being made!!
http://i287.photobucket.com/albums/ll135/afever4fishin/jigs/AWMiller-squirrel-tail-jigs.jpg
The top jig is tied on a 1/8 oz #4 bronze sickle hook. The head is Pro-Tec Ruby Slipper powder paint with white/blue eyes. The body is squirrel tail (fine North Carolina squirrel!!) tied down using lime green 3/0 thread and sealed with "Hard As Nails".
The bottom jig is tied on a 1/16 oz #4 bronze sickle hook. The head is Pro-Tec Ruby Slipper powder paint with white/blue eyes. Same squirrel tail tied down using neon tangerine 3/0 thread and sealed with "Hard As Nails".
I'm sure some of you love to tie up squirrel tail jigs so post them up and share some of the details!! We all love to see them!
I was fishing the White River where it runs through Calico Rock, Arkansas. I kept watching this old man sitting down and delicately tying a squirrel tail jig (by hand no less!!) and it was beautiful! Needless to say I spent many days watching him tie those jigs. So one day I did it... I tied my own squirrel tail jig on the morning we were heading to Bull Shoals Lake. That jig was deadly to those crappie and I found my go-to jig that very day, although it took a few years for me to really realize that!!
A short while back one of our Crappie.com brethren posted that he had some squirrel tails. A short while later, some of those tails were at my home and on my desk. And soon... some jigs were being made!!
http://i287.photobucket.com/albums/ll135/afever4fishin/jigs/AWMiller-squirrel-tail-jigs.jpg
The top jig is tied on a 1/8 oz #4 bronze sickle hook. The head is Pro-Tec Ruby Slipper powder paint with white/blue eyes. The body is squirrel tail (fine North Carolina squirrel!!) tied down using lime green 3/0 thread and sealed with "Hard As Nails".
The bottom jig is tied on a 1/16 oz #4 bronze sickle hook. The head is Pro-Tec Ruby Slipper powder paint with white/blue eyes. Same squirrel tail tied down using neon tangerine 3/0 thread and sealed with "Hard As Nails".
I'm sure some of you love to tie up squirrel tail jigs so post them up and share some of the details!! We all love to see them!