Mr_Scrogg Posted October 17, 2014 Report Share Posted October 17, 2014 (edited) Went fairly well. Top is PB&J "Living Image", middle is Black and Blue, bottom is "Grasshopper" that my friend showed me. I need smaller wire. 20gauge is just a tad big to work with. I'm understanding accent/tab placement a bit better now. The Grasshopper, I need to space out the orange and chartreuse accents better The Thompson F held great. I can see how a newer one that swivels is beneficial. But, I love the mojo the old Thompson has. Friend said he was given a load of fly tying stuff from a 60 year old neighbor when her Dad passed. No doubt its loaded with good vibes and fish mojo! Edited October 17, 2014 by Mr_Scrogg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smalljaw Posted October 17, 2014 Report Share Posted October 17, 2014 Those look like great finesse jigs, you did very well for the first go!!! Yes, 20 gauge is a bit big, I use 24 and 26, both are great wire sizes to use. I recommend 24 until you get a feel for it as 26 will break on you if you over tighten it but when you learn where that is, 26 will hold really well with less force. Great job!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cadman Posted October 17, 2014 Report Share Posted October 17, 2014 Nice ties for your first ones. Maybe a bad pic, but when you tie, make sure you spread the skirt strands evenly around the jig head. It look more complete that way. The more you tie the better you will get at it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr_Scrogg Posted October 17, 2014 Author Report Share Posted October 17, 2014 Since I'm wire tying, any tips for even distribution of the skirt? I'll pick up 24ga today. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jig Man Posted October 17, 2014 Report Share Posted October 17, 2014 Lately I've been using green enamel fluro wire from Hobby Lobby. It is 24 ga. I do one wrap only snug then check the skirt. I spread it where needed then tighten that wrap do 2 more, pull with pliers to tighten, twist, and cut off tags. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr_Scrogg Posted October 17, 2014 Author Report Share Posted October 17, 2014 How does that floral wire standup to rusting? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cadman Posted October 17, 2014 Report Share Posted October 17, 2014 On distribution of the skirt. I band all of my skirts with a rubber collar first. Slide skirt and rubber collar onto jig. Distribute the skirt strands evenly. Wire tie, and then roll skirt band off and re-use next time. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark poulson Posted October 17, 2014 Report Share Posted October 17, 2014 On distribution of the skirt. I band all of my skirts with a rubber collar first. Slide skirt and rubber collar onto jig. Distribute the skirt strands evenly. Wire tie, and then roll skirt band off and re-use next time. I do the same, but use O rings instead of rubber collars. Not quite as easy to spread the skirts perfectly, but totally reusable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Musky Glenn Posted October 17, 2014 Report Share Posted October 17, 2014 I tie ole school with black nylon thread. A couple of wraps around the rubber and you can still take your fingers and reposition the rubber to even it out. Pull tight add additional wraps and seal with Sally Hansen finger nail polish, never comes loose. Musky Glenn 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silo1688 Posted January 30, 2015 Report Share Posted January 30, 2015 Sorry for the lame question.... What is the Thompson F? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr_Scrogg Posted January 30, 2015 Author Report Share Posted January 30, 2015 It's the vise I use Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smallmouthaholic Posted January 30, 2015 Report Share Posted January 30, 2015 I tie ole school with black nylon thread. A couple of wraps around the rubber and you can still take your fingers and reposition the rubber to even it out. Pull tight add additional wraps and seal with Sally Hansen finger nail polish, never comes loose. Musky Glenn I've been doing the exact deal for 20 years 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BassBull Posted January 30, 2015 Report Share Posted January 30, 2015 I'm in the old school also when it comes to tieing skirts. Thread on everything, learn to pos tab and accent colors as you biuld your jig and you won't ever go back to wire. Just my thoughts. Have fun in what ever way you do it tho. Its very habit forming. HA HA STEVE 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Venutian_Lures Posted January 30, 2015 Report Share Posted January 30, 2015 On distribution of the skirt. I band all of my skirts with a rubber collar first. Slide skirt and rubber collar onto jig. Distribute the skirt strands evenly. Wire tie, and then roll skirt band off and re-use next time. I do it the same way except I tie off with 210 denier thread and I leave the BOSS band I use as a collar on. It's just added insurance, if one of the "collars" fails, there's another to hold it together. I use a tiny dot of ZAP A GAP after whip finishing to hold everything in place. Head Cement and certain types of nail polishes, glues etc will leave a white crust on the silicone if you accidentally get some on it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark poulson Posted January 30, 2015 Report Share Posted January 30, 2015 I've used Zap to glue my threads, and, believe me, it won't fail. I have to use an exacto knife to cut it off if I want to change skirts. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Venutian_Lures Posted January 30, 2015 Report Share Posted January 30, 2015 I've used Zap to glue my threads, and, believe me, it won't fail. I have to use an exacto knife to cut it off if I want to change skirts. I just had to do that the other day, it was a pain! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smallmouthaholic Posted January 30, 2015 Report Share Posted January 30, 2015 Sally Hanson's "Hard as Nails" is the greatest creation since peanut butter and jelly! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
