First Batch

[gaspumper]

First batch of deer tails ready to be deboned before being cured,by middle of Nov.will have around 150+ done.

[Oldfart9999]

Do you tie that many jigs or do you sell the tails and if so for how much?
Rodney

[bigjim5589]

Nice! I usually de-bone them first, then clean & dry them.

I have a couple around here. 

Can't have enough bucktails if you tie jigs or flies! 

[gaspumper]

Do you tie that many jigs or do you sell the tails and if so for how much?
Rodney

I tie close to 5000 a year if not more.I wholesale to stores.Have never sold any tails by themselves.

[flowerjohn]

Man that is some nice tail there!!


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[Oldfart9999]

There's a nice mix of browns and a lot of white hair there, I have a friend that gives me some every year and he gets some jigs back. I also like olive, chartreuse, black and blue. I have a gray that I need to use also. I make and tie for myself, strictly a hobby to keep busy in the winter.
Rodney

[gaspumper]

The one in the top right has pure black on the back of it instead of brown.

[bigjim5589]

Do you tie with that back side hair much? I've tied a lot of bucktail jigs (& flies) for Striped bass up to about 20 oz. with the white & dyed colors, but have found that back side hair ties some very nice smaller jigs, particularly for stream SM bass. On many tails it's a nice, fine textured hair.

I sort mine looking for finer hair, that natural black color on the back, & like the bottom tail in your first pic, that nice natural light brown/tan color. Of course dyed colors over that back side hair also makes some nice affects too.

I've known some folks who trim the white & trash the rest, which IMO is a big waste of good material! 

[gaspumper]

In my area black/white is the biggest seller,but  I stock 18 different colors from 1/4 -1 oz sizes in 4 different  heads.I use the brown when needed then I just die whats left over from the other colors black and use it up on different size jigs,there's not much of the tail that don't get used.I tie a jig similar to a preacher jig I use the long white hair (5 in. plus)for them.

[Oldfart9999]

I use all the tail, white can be effective. I also use hair from different parts of a tail on the same jig, some nice, natural looking transitions can be made tying lighter color hair from the side to darker colored hair on top with a lighter color or white on the bottom. I use greens and browns mostly and use them on both smallmouth and largemouth.
Rodney

[bigjim5589]

Rodney, I do that too. I like how that transition looks because most baitfish have a darker back blending to a white belly. As much as dyed colors have appeal to us, IMO some of the natural hair coloration looks more like the baitfish I'm seeing & trying to imitate.

I like gray or olive shades of green on the backs or even black. Black lateral lines look good too & provide a lot of contrast without getting the color to dark.

This type of basic bucktail jig works fine for Striped Bass, and LM or SM bass will eat it too.


However, I really prefer this type of blended hair & so do the fish most of the time.


Couple more!



I've also posted this one before! I really like fishing with them!

[flowerjohn]

Jim, the flash, lipstick, hair, head and eye colours. Those things are just too damned good man!!!


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[bigjim5589]

Thanks John! I'm not so sure they make any difference to the fish, but I like how they look, and that improves my confidence. That's never a bad thing IMO. 

[Oldfart9999]

Those really look good Jim!! I, usually, cut the hair a bit shorter to use a trailer, I've also blended silicone into some of the jigs. Using what's available it's amazing what you can come up with.
Rodney

[rickss]

As old Maisy would have said, "Those lures look every bit as good as store bought, Jim." Do they get bites?

[hughesjasonk]

Looks awesome

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[Lipripper]

As old Maisy would have said, "Those lures look every bit as good as store bought, Jim." Do they get bites?

Hello and welcome to Ultimate Bass. If you would please stop by here and introduce yourself to everyone.
Let Us Get To Know You

[bigjim5589]

Rickss, Welcome to Ultimatebass & the Tackle Box Forum! 

Sorry for my delayed reply! Yes, over the many years I've been making them I & many others have caught fish on them. However, I will qualify that remark by saying there has to be fish to be caught & they have to be in a biting mood. 

I've caught plenty of fish, multiple species on lures or flies I've made. And, like many others here I've had plenty of days I caught nothing. If I could come up with a lure, or fly that always worked no matter what, it won't have the same appeal to me & I'd give up fishing.