Vertical jigging Master

[jiggerjohn]

Fatman & Redear, Gees, don't go to the expense of tanned hides -the tanning process destroys all the FISHING properties and water absorbtion of the wool! Heck, just send Red a few bucks & postage and he'll get ya a ziplock bagful( the REAL stuff!) that'll tie all winter long!

I was playing in the sink (amazing what we do when it's snowing outside!!) with some of the ties pic'd above -man, they look a LOT better in the water,with all materials coordinating in action! I saw what Red means about a "healthy chunk" of wool for the body ; this really gets the satin & flash fibers spreading out and wiggling! My watchful cat wanted to eat the plump, plucky minnow, and I got hungry for a fish sandwich! Those walleye models with the spinner harnessed on front were very wild looking & I can see where that immense tail shaking action would cause savage strikes! I took the ole guy's advice and stacked a few layers,moving up the shaft of a Hawn's HU head to yield a much fatter 1/14 oz Boolie, with the sink test showing a huge action increase! I may never tie a "skinny minny" type again!

 

[Fatman]

Thanks for the links - I'll start with some stuff from JoAnne's and work on getting the real stuff - seems cheap to just buy a bag of it on ebay and then wash and clean it out, you'd be set for a long time!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[redear]

jiggerjohn, maybe you could give us RED's adress etc, so we could buy some wool from him.

 

[Hawnjigs]

Is the lanolin inherent in raw wool of value as a fish attractant or water proofing agent?

 

[redear]

yeah, the raw wool on ebay is cheap for what you are getting, some of it is 20 bucks for several pounds! and you get to see what it looks like. many varieties of it as far as colors and length and crimp, which relates to the fuzzyness I believe.

 

[Fatman]

More great info!! Thanks

 

[jiggerjohn]

In reply to Hawnjigs, my research shows wool to be a very complex, 20 amino acid protein (keratin), which in itself could draw in fish big time (the European carp anglers,for instance, are HUGE into complex protein formulas for their doughballs, insisting that once an area is chummed or fished with these commercial "boilies" that carp will take almost nothing else -no corn nuggets for these diehards!). Could be that Red's protein fiber(wool), in addition to being the most stretchable of plant or animal fibers for minnow shaping, serves as a natural food or "tipping" for his jigs! In the raw wool (often called "grease wool") the fatty lanolin is said to have a definite sheep odor, so maybe what is retained of this after mild washing (industrial processing removes it completely) does,indeed, attract fish by offering a natural, "gamey" smell?!Of course, the outer layer of wool (cuticle) forms sharp overlapping "scales", which I bet fish detect as FISH scales, to keep their lips clamped on for a few extra moments! Years ago I even knew one very successful bluegill angler who used a chunk of wool in his 1/80 oz marabou jigs, who claimed the tiny teeth of fish got tangled in the wool, and gave a fisherman extra time to set a hook! Who knows for sure ; just that Red has done sufficient on the water "research" that little doubt remains as to wool's effectiveness!! Hmmm, snowing outside & cold, may just tie up some " High- protein Boolies" today!

 

[redear]

great post JJ!!

 

[Fatman]

great info JJ - and I hear ya on the snow!!! We're under a winter storm warning right now and it's coming down again on top of the 23+ we already got.

 

[redear]

with that kind of snow it's great jig tying weather, cause what else ya gonna do? lol

 

[Fatman]

Not much!!!! and with the grand daughter around the wife doesn't want me doing alot of tying

 

[jiggerjohn]

Well, ole Red has just had successful knee surgery on Friday, phoned him in the hospital yesterday, and he'll be tying jigs during the cold months while he does the rehab and relearns walking!!

It reminded me to find the name of one jig material that Red is very big on, but I didn't have the name of it (even Red's wife didn't know the exact name). So I picked some up at Jo-Ann's based on the sample I had. It's called "Pearlized Sheer" in lilac (or a blue I also found), and offers a transparent,blue/green scale type of flash,that Red puts on the outside of his white jigs. Red warns that it seems to curl like crazy when tied, but straightens right out in water. A little of this on each side certainly gives the glint of an emerald shiner or similar bright minnow!!

 

[Fatman]

Have to check the bag of stuff my SIL gave me.

 

[redear]

JJ, I am curious about this pearlized sheer. wanting to know what to look for in joanns, is it a fabric? If so does it come on a bolt like the satin? do ya cut it in strips? I hope the joanns I go to has it. I hope red's knee heals good, tell him we are thinking about him. just thought about looking up this pearlized sheer on joanns site, will have to try that. Jiggerjohn, thanks again for keeping us abreast of the jig tying materials etc.I for one really appreciate it,

 

[redear]

Ok jiggerjohn, I have found two versions of this pearlized sheer fabric on joanns website, just put pearlized in the search thingy. there is a regular version and a crinkly version which may give a scale effect. wonder if ole RED pulls fibers out of this fabric or just cuts strips and ties them on his jigs. I gotta get a new pair of sisscors for this fabric stuff.

 

[jiggerjohn]

Yeah, Redear, the pearized sheer comes in bolts, and a 3-4" strip by about 3' long cost about a buck!(ya don't need much per jig, so this is a lifetime investment!) It is virtually see- thru ,harder material than satin(which it is among in the shop),but the individual fibers pull out even easier from the fringe than does the limper satin. With the individual strands of this stuff, you'll instantly see the scale-like look, and the rich blue/green flashiness. You're gonna LOVE this stuff for your wool-bluegill!!! I laughed last night when discussing this material with Red(he uses it constantly but didn't know its actual name) and also how the natural wool lanolin may be a huge factor for the success with raw sheepskin ,with none of us certain how the fish actually think of all these factors, Red replied, "Well, I KNOW!"

 

[JUNGLEJIM1]

Maybe someone needs to bottle the natural wool lanolin as a fish attractant. I like scents with some baits and think they do make a difference when the bite is tough.

 

[Bkabina]

Ever heard of fluid film?
I've got a few cans and these wool jigs got me to thinking.

 

[jiggerjohn]

Well, I did brief experimentation with soakin' the wool in corn juice at season's end. The wool soaked up &held the liquid well, and we caught a bunch of trout! I'm not convinced that there was enough testing,but "food for thought" for next season! It may well be that any scent other than the natural lanolin is COUNTERproductive. Darn, more & more experiments this Spring!!!

 

[redear]

thanks jiggerjohn!! for the info! I am sure the joanns I go to will have this stuff, just need to decide what day to stop by there.