Author Topic: Fun with Marabou  (Read 3487 times)

Offline smalljaw

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Fun with Marabou
« on: 11/26/13 13:44 UTC »
Here are two of the jigs I'm doing for a friend who fishes for big browns and steelhead in NY, I thought I'd show them and explain the material since I don't see it used all the time as some other materials. The jigs are 1/16oz ball head jigs and have 2 different colors of marabou tied on along with ghost pearl Krystal flash which you really can't see, and pearl cactus chenille. Marabou can be used a few different ways but using it as a tailing material there are two was to tie it, the first way is to tie the plumes direct, you often see these types as they are really puffy and full, and the second way, the way I tie it, it to hackle tie the feathers on to the jig. Tying marabou direct create a straight tail when wet because it compresses a lot and because of that you need to really make the jig full normally with 3 plumes for a jig this size. Hackle tying is just spinning the feather or plume around the hook, what this does is it separates the individual fibers so that when it is in the water the marabou has a pulsing type action commonly called a "breathing" action and it moves with less movement making it ideal for cold water situations. What I like about this type of marabou jig is it is a true multispecies jig, last fall I made a bunch of jigs exactly like these only in 1/8oz with a size 1 hook and they were black with black marabou and silver chenille and we would make a cast and slowly swim the jig back to the boat while bouncing it off the bottom as well as rocks and we caught smallmouth, fall fish, perch, crappie, and 3 huge chain pickerel.


Offline ctom

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Re: Fun with Marabou
« Reply #1 on: 11/26/13 14:36 UTC »
Nice looking jigs.

Marabou and I parted ways several years ago. Plastic or maybe a flu-flu type of tie or a hair tie, no more marabou.
There are good ships
and wood ships
ships that sail the sea
but the best ships are friendships
and may they
always be ......An Irish Toast

Offline Lamar

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Re: Fun with Marabou
« Reply #2 on: 11/26/13 15:56 UTC »
  Now those bring me back to my childhood. My grandpa had a cottage in Indiana and I would go there for two weeks every year. All he had was one pole and some white marabou jigs. I would go around to all the docks and catch grass pike all day long. I remember by the end of my stay those poor pike had white mark all over the outside of their mouths. I would tease them over and over again till they just couldn't take it anymore. No wonder my brother doesn't fish. He always stayed there after me and couldn't get anything to bite. I remember grandpa telling him, your brother door mouthed them all.  :P