Craft Fur Jigs

[smalljaw]

I thought I'd show you some jigs made with craft fur, the ones pictured here are made for river smallmouth ad can be used by themselves or with a small trailer, I like using the last 2.5" of a straight tail finesse worm for this particular jig but you can use grubs or small craws too. It isn't mentioned in bass circles too much but craft fur is great, you can use it on large jigs and small jigs, and basically anywhere bucktail can go and it has incredible action in the water, very fluid motion. The top jig is a 1/8oz weedless ball jig with a size #1 sickle hook painted white, it is tied with white craft fur along with a little chartreuse craft fur on the sides and finished off with ghost pearl Krystal flash, it is hard to see the flash but it is there. The bottom is the same as the top only it is painted a custom blend of brown and blaze orange paint I call "crawrange", I have a layer of craft fur tied in first that is brown with black tips and then another layer of straight brown craft fur is tied over top and finished off with copper Krystal flash. On the bottom jig the fisrt layer of craft fur is slightly shorter with a little bit of a different color in that the brown has black tips on it, I did it this way so the jig would have the appearance of a distinct body with a separate tail. The body would have some bulk and a slightly different color leading to the tail as this jig I made to use without a trailer. I hope you like them and it gives you some ideas.

[Muskygary]

I like all your ties, just purchased some craft fur from lurecraft. Thinking of using a mixture of craft fur with bucktail.

[pjmcla]

Nice looking ties.  I assume you tie the jig before adding the weed guard?  Seems the weed guard would impede tying; I know it would for me.

[Bass in the hood]

Very nice jigs. i tie some of my own jigs I use mostly buck-tail i'm going to have to try craft fur. Your jigs look great thanks for sharing.

[ctom]

They look really nice.

I quit with the craft fur because it matted down so much. I didn't care for the action of it either.

[smalljaw]

They look really nice.

I quit with the craft fur because it matted down so much. I didn't care for the action of it either.

Thanks all for the kind words, I appreciate it. Pjmcla, you are correct, the weed guards are glued in after the tying is finished, I have tied with wire weed guard in place and it can be done but it is a royal pain. Ctom, I'm curious to what kind of craft fur you used that you didn't like the action? I ask because most guys that I make jigs for ask for craft fur once they used it, I have a guy that would get marabou jigs for crappies and I gave him a few craft fur baits to try and now all he uses is craft fur. I do know there are a few like fish hair, that stuff is what is often called imitation buck tail, it reminds me of paint brush bristles, it works ok but that was after I learned you have to put slightly different lengths together to make a taper because it doesn't have one and buy simply cutting off a piece and tying it in it looks like a paint brush, I don't care for that stuff but this craft fur I'm using looks alive in the water, very fluid motion.

[ctom]

To be honest I haven't done the fur for twenty years or more after having headaches with it. I really prefer the natural hairs over the synthetics. On my small jigs I'll use feather fiber or squirrel tail. On the big jigs I use nothing but bucktail.