Autumn's Bug Collection

Autumn's bedroom got some new décor yesterday. Not typical décor for an 8-year-old girl and her 2-year-old sister, but a style that suits Autumn's interests well.

The jigs she love to tie were busting out of their boxes, so she decide to hang them where they weren't all mushed together and the could look at them more easily, and where she and I could select the right ones for the job when we go fishing.

It has been fun watching Autumn's "bait making" skills develop. Early ones all looked like salmon flies -- big and bold, with bright color and feathers going in many directions. The ones she makes now use more olive and other natural colors, and she tries to tie baits she believes will catch fish. Many will, I'm quite certain, and I look forward to a little warmer weather so we can go fish our hand-tied jigs together.

In the meantime, the bug collection will continue growing. In fact, I think it's growing right now!

Volunteer?

OK. You tell me. Has the cat heard me tell one too many story about the Kenneth the dog's great jig-tying fur and all the fish I catch on it? Is he showing off his pretty coat and volunteering for a haircut? Hair's kind of short, but it sure is black and shiney -- and I do have scissors nearby. Very interesting.

Peacocks, Angels & Hand-Tied Jigs

When my 19 year-old daughter Sarah sees peacock feathers, she sees pretty skirts for cornhusk angels. To my 7-year-old daughter Autumn the same feathers represent pieces needed for cute little dolls. To me, peacock feathers a represent jig or fly material. The iridescent green and purple strands make wonderful tail material, and also work really nicely for wrapped bodies. I use them in both smallmouth jigs and trout jigs.

Normally the peacock complements other materials, adding a little flash to a black or gray hair jig or a deeper green to an olive marabou jig. The jig above is actually all peacock.

It also works nicely for me because I get all the materials I need from Sarah's remnants. She needs the full end of the feather with the prettiest colors, and she always end up with pieces that have several strands still on them She would throw those away, so I gladly move them to my tying area. Autumn's use falls in between. She likes the full pretty feathers, but she just likes making things, so she makes her dolls, enjoys them for a while and then takes them apart and give the feathers back to Sarah!

All this peacock talk makes me want to go trout fishing.

Craws, Minnows & Bugs

Another Michael's visit to pick up art supplies for my daughter while my wife and I were out and about. Another walk down the fur and feather aisle and the yarn aisle, both resulting in new materials for me to play with at home.

Little by little I'm building my bug-making supplies and figuring out the qualities of different materials. Little by little, feather, fur and foil wrappings are turning into imitations of shad, aquatic insect larvae and crawfish, plus a few gaudy attractors. Some have been water tested so I know how they move in the water. Others look sort of like I want them to when I hold them in my hand, but I've not yet seen how they swim or fall through the water column and how the characteristics of the materials change when they get wet.

I do know that trout will eat some of my Ugly Bugs. Next week, I'll get to test some little ones through the ice on Pennsylvania perch, crappie and bluegills. I have a few bugs in my head in mind that I want to make real for that trip. Better get to tying, I guess.

Crawdad Colors

Yeah. It happened again. This time in the craft section at Walmart. If you like hair jigs or streamers you probably won't blame me for getting distracted. Six feet of fine crawdad colors and nice soft fur for about $5!

I didn't buy it (yet) but I do know where to find it, and I just might be back. They didn't have the same thing in white, but If they ever were to, I'll bet I could tie a lot of shad patterns from the same material.

Yesterday my daughter brought me a remnant of crocheted purple, sparkly fuzzy yarn and asked if I could use it. I suspect my eyes might have sparkled a bit when I saw it. Needless to say, I took it, and in fact I've already used it on one jig's body.

Maybe the tying excitement will come and go quickly. If not, next year's Christmas list may be nothing but fur, feathers, thread, tinsel and other stuff like that!

Jig Tying Allure

"Can I make a bait, Dad?" My 7-year-old artist daughter Autumn keeps asking. I haven't let her loose with the vice and thread yet, but I did show her a bit of what I know (which isn't a lot) as we built the jig above together. She picked the materials and told me where she wanted them to go. I just cut, pinched, wrapped and tied a few knots.

I understand the appeal. Ever since I brought the vice up form the basement I've had a hard time walking past it without adding some fur or feathers to a hook, and when I'm not tying a bug, I'm often thinking about designs, materials I'd like to have and places I'd like to try some of the jigs I have tied. I've even been thinking about ice jig patterns.

"That look like good jig material," I said the other day, eying some sort of shiny household product. At the moment I don't remember what it was.

"Everything looks like jig material to you right now," Nathaniel pointed out, and I can't deny that he's right. And once I let Autumn starts tying jigs, I'll bet she starts seeing everything around the house the same way!