Doll Fly Jig

[smalljaw]

Here is an easy to tie pattern that is getting hot right now, it is the simple Doll fly jig and I thought you may want to see it. I tied this one on a white 1/16oz walleye head with a size #4 sickle hook, it has an under body of white craft fur and some pearl Krystal flash with natural mallard flank tied on each side. I tie these with both white and red thread and both work so I don't see a clear favorite, give it a try.

[jl3140]

Awesome!!

[andrewlamberson]

Awesome...your posts have me heading down to the fly tying bench again!

[Justin9j]

Ok smalljaw. You have now got me trading in my airbrush for a tie vise.   Drew does all my cranks now anyway.  Guess. I'll have something else to do in the garage.   

Love looking at your jigs smalljaw. 

[pjmcla]

Nice jig.  Do you ever put eyes on them?

[ctom]

Up here on the Mississippi River we see what I call pin minnows, minnows maybe an inch long and no more than about 3/32" around that look glass clear except for the heart, eyes and lateral line. The little guys move off the main water areas into sheltered water [backwaters, marinas] when fall's winds start to blow cold. They're also prime eats for crappies and panfish. I make these jigs to mimic them.



These are tied on Do-It's 1/32 collarless heads cast in a production mold. They are feather fibers taken from the base end of large saddle hackles. I try to get the length, the eyes and that lateral line copied and that's about all. If these need any scent enhancing with some meat I use a single golden rod grub or I'll give the jig an occasional dunk in a jar of Gulp juice.

These are murder on sunfish and have put the smack down on plenty of crappies too.

[MO QWACK]

Please delete post ASAP...... if I broke my vice back out the wife would divorce me!!!! On the other hand she moves out, more room for baits hmmmmm win win hmmm lol great looking hair.'i winter fish hair a lot some times that's all they want. I like solid black with green wrap and green eyes   

[ctom]

Black dressing, black head, green eyes....sounds bad. I gotta do a few of those.

[smalljaw]

Up here on the Mississippi River we see what I call pin minnows, minnows maybe an inch long and no more than about 3/32" around that look glass clear except for the heart, eyes and lateral line. The little guys move off the main water areas into sheltered water [backwaters, marinas] when fall's winds start to blow cold. They're also prime eats for crappies and panfish. I make these jigs to mimic them.



These are tied on Do-It's 1/32 collarless heads cast in a production mold. They are feather fibers taken from the base end of large saddle hackles. I try to get the length, the eyes and that lateral line copied and that's about all. If these need any scent enhancing with some meat I use a single golden rod grub or I'll give the jig an occasional dunk in a jar of Gulp juice.

These are murder on sunfish and have put the smack down on plenty of crappies too.

What size hook are you using on those?  They look like they would kill in the water I fish, I've taken the barbs off of hackle before and use them to make a different color throat on some small jigs but I never using them for an entire jig like that, they look good!!!!

[ctom]

Those are standard #6 Mustad hooks, nothing fancy. I have a single-box that I obtained from who knows where that has twenty six fixed compartments yet is only 10" long, 4" wide and 1.25" thick. Each hole has its own color combo of these jigs X 30. In a good fall I'll use most of these. When crappies begin to focus on these small minnows after they are forced shoreward by cold wind and falling water temps, the area the crappies work hard are in the rocks and I do mean right up in the rocks. That's where the minnows like to find shelter from predators. I lose a lot of jigs casting right to the rock and working the bait back out to open water but I need to allow the jig to drop into the depths while bumping off the rip-rap.

Rocks and docks hold heat from the earth and/or from daily doses of sunshine better than water. Marinas and backwater areas are secluded and water doesn't move like it does out in the open so where the rocks and docking structures come in contact with the water. Basically, the warmer water will be found where water meets terra firma in some fashion rather than in the open where wind and surface area help drop temps. Dock pilings serve the same purpose and to some extent, so do the floats that docks ride on. The shoals of these small minnows seek out the warmest water, but the prey fish know that too and follow them right into their little areas of sanctuary. Crappies feed aggressively on these minnows to the point that I have caught crappies with heads and mouth areas freely bleeding and covered with cuts and scrapes by standing on the rip-rap and just dabbling a jig in the rocks in front of me. I've stood there and watched this feeding frenzy happening. At times it can be nuts. And on docks the absolute best time to fish is when the first shale ice covers the open areas inside a marina but the cold isn't hard enough to freeze around the pilings and floats leaving 6" to 12" of open water. Just drop a jig down in the open water and you'll find out.

When wet these jigs are not big on action but they mimic the minnows perfectly and when the minnows are the prime forage..... well, Paul Harvey would call it the rest of the story.   

[WALLEYE WACKER]

smalljaw Great liken jig. ctom perfect pin minnow. I use a lot of small jig's myself 1/32 1/16 1/8 1/4. Two that get the most with are pink head with pink tail and red head with pearl flashabou along with the standard colors. Have you ever used badger hair on a jig it looks like a minnow when wet I put that  with a green char head. mike

[ctom]

Not badger hair Mike, but I have slipped a single strand of flashabou in with the feather fiber and leave it just barely longer than the longest fiber in the tie.

[WALLEYE WACKER]

ctom Hear ya on the flshabou try the badger hair it will surprise you.

[Denny Welch]

Those are standard #6 Mustad hooks, nothing fancy. I have a single-box that I obtained from who knows where that has twenty six fixed compartments yet is only 10" long, 4" wide and 1.25" thick. Each hole has its own color combo of these jigs X 30. In a good fall I'll use most of these. When crappies begin to focus on these small minnows after they are forced shoreward by cold wind and falling water temps, the area the crappies work hard are in the rocks and I do mean right up in the rocks. That's where the minnows like to find shelter from predators. I lose a lot of jigs casting right to the rock and working the bait back out to open water but I need to allow the jig to drop into the depths while bumping off the rip-rap.

Rocks and docks hold heat from the earth and/or from daily doses of sunshine better than water. Marinas and backwater areas are secluded and water doesn't move like it does out in the open so where the rocks and docking structures come in contact with the water. Basically, the warmer water will be found where water meets terra firma in some fashion rather than in the open where wind and surface area help drop temps. Dock pilings serve the same purpose and to some extent, so do the floats that docks ride on. The shoals of these small minnows seek out the warmest water, but the prey fish know that too and follow them right into their little areas of sanctuary. Crappies feed aggressively on these minnows to the point that I have caught crappies with heads and mouth areas freely bleeding and covered with cuts and scrapes by standing on the rip-rap and just dabbling a jig in the rocks in front of me. I've stood there and watched this feeding frenzy happening. At times it can be nuts. And on docks the absolute best time to fish is when the first shale ice covers the open areas inside a marina but the cold isn't hard enough to freeze around the pilings and floats leaving 6" to 12" of open water. Just drop a jig down in the open water and you'll find out.

When wet these jigs are not big on action but they mimic the minnows perfectly and when the minnows are the prime forage..... well, Paul Harvey would call it the rest of the story.   

I've been trying to tell you guys that Tom is one of the smart guys.  He's probably not much to look at, but, boy, is he smart.

[andrewlamberson]

"He's probably not much to look at, but, boy, is he smart."

I have met Ctom and talked with him at length....and Denny you are 100% correct ...on both observations!