Homemade Iron/Jig pic thread

How many people here make their own jigs or iron?  I'm working on a few that I'll post when finished. 

I know there's gotta be lots of you who have made ghetto jigs...  let's see pics!

Looking back, I've gone thru a shocking amount of iron this year, which has influenced me to consider less costly options.

you will lose less iron with more weight when drift is high, braid to help you feel the bottom, using an assist hook on top only, and using a sensitive rod that lets you feel bottom.

I know you use light weight and mono, so you might reconsider those choices in light of iron snaggage rates.

have you seen this link?

http://www.4fishin.com/Metal%20lures.htm

buy a few dozen and the per-jig rate is very low.

Thanks, John.  Most of what I lost was my first few yak trips, with treble-loaded jigs.  Since then my technique has improved and I put swiwash hooks on everything, but still it seems even braid users get snags once in awhile.

Thanks for the link.

Ghetto Jigs!

Here's a little tip for ya. I've been using smaller lighter cheap trebles this year. Light enough to straighten out when snagged, but they still hold the fish. With 30lb line I can pull hard enough to straighten it out and reteive it. Bend it back with your pliers and your good to go. I know this is a big no,no in most cases, but Hey! this is rock fishing. The single hooks do snag less, but they also miss more strikes. I've found this system has given me the best of both worlds. I tried the stinger hook on top and I've noticed a dramatic increase on missed strikes. Not really sold on those, even though I know they are the latest thing being pushed. As far as making your own jigs. I make almost all my own iron. Including diamond, scampi, and mega baits. I make a mold of the original with plaster of paris, and pour my own. then I just wrap em with peel and stick mylar. Price is right and they work.

If you cast your own jigs your per-jig cost is around 16c, and it's mostly hook.

These are some jigs I tied using x-mas tinsel that I pick up when it goes on sale in january.

 
They actually catch fish VERY well, the smaller one caught a 21lb lingcod.  You can see there was some tinsel lost on the upper jig due to fish damage.  Because the tinsel has no body to it (unlike a scampi) the hook/bite ratio is very good.  When the fish bite, it's pretty much just a big sharp hook.

 I broke out the airbrush I have from another life and played with some lead fish jigs. I base coated with rattle can paint. Then used wally-world netting as a mask for scales. Finished off with some color then a clear epoxy top coat.
 I usually rig one siwash or octopus hook and have been playing with home made assist hooks on top. I find that I rarely get a snag that wont come off unless the drift is crazy fast and I can't paddle back up wind.
 I've noticed that the light wire trebles are more popular on boats(because they don't back up.) On my yak with the siwash or octopus usually they will shake off if I paddle back a bit. They are easier for me to deal with on a hot bite too.
       

   

     

Nice work Shimmy.  That bottom one looks to be extra killer to me.

This thread got me thinking about the pipe jigs that are common up here in the NW.  Basically just a lead filled piece of copper pipe.



-Allen

Holy crap, those airbrushed jigs are too nice to bang off rocks!  Thanks for the pics, guys...  all different approaches that look to be effective.

The tinsel idea is brilliant...  I bet it's more effective than bucktail.

Not exactly home-made but "modified" 

Just use a reg. Iron and remove the treble hooks and replace 'em with rockcod shrimp flies 

I generally use 4 to 6 oz Irons.

Not exactly home-made but "modified" 

Just use a reg. Iron and remove the treble hooks and replace 'em with rockcod shrimp flies 

I generally use 4 to 6 oz Irons.

Nice idea, Mooch!

  Fish actually take those copper pipe things?
 

  Fish actually take those copper pipe things?
 

Ummm ... yeah.



-Allen

I'm going to have to make up a couple of siwash hook copper jigs this winter, they look cool & have that special Pacific NW vibe to 'em.
I don't have a pic, but I had good luck last weekend with a version of Mooch's jigs. I used a white hoochie on the big single hook though. I'm liking the diamond jig with a little tease to the end of it, only snagged a few times & they were easy to jiggle loose. Plus, anything that will catch lings, haliibut, reds, and other rockies is allll goood

Past 100' deep it gets really dark down there and the color of your jig doesn't matter anymore, all that matters is that it moves - preferably with some sort of vibration to it.  Bonus points for banging the bottom with a decent thud.  Crunching coral sounds like another critter eating some kind of shelled critter and will attract attention.