Making Fire Tiger Jigs

[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]Most serious anglers discover the effectiveness of the "Fire Tiger" pattern on spoons and hardbaits, sooner or later. It combines hot colors with great contrast, for high visibility and "reaction bite" triggering. Almost all predatory species instinctively respond to the barred pattern and the proven fish-attracting colors. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Fire Tiger is especially effective during early season cold water conditions. Add a bit of "color" to the water and the high visibility of this color pattern is even better at waking up bass, walleye, pike, muskies, trout and other species. It works all year in most waters on most species.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Many lure makers offer Fire Tiger as a color option on their products. However, I have never really tried to duplicate it on my own stuff. Recently, after seeing how well it worked on a commercially made jig, being fished through the ice by another angler, I was moved to give it a try.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I already had all of the colors in my paint collection, so I began to experiment. I have attached a pic of some of the first results. On an ice fishing trip yesterday, I caught both perch and trout on them, so I guess the fish approve.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]For those who want to try producing some fire tiger stuff themselves, here is the step by step "recipe". It is time consuming, and takes a lot more steps than most colors, but the rewards may be worth the effort.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]1. White undercoat...powder paint, white vinyl, white epoxy or...[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]2. Hot yellow coat...chartreuse yellow vinyl paint.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]3. Chartreuse green nose...vinyl paint.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]4. Black or dark green back...vinyl paint.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]5. Black or dark green vertical bars on sides...vinyl paint.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]6. Hot orange belly...vinyl paint.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]7. Light application of "Disco Yellow" glitter over all colors...for highlight.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]8. Single coat of clear vinyl paint, to add gloss and reduce rough finish of glitter.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]9. Eyes...white vinyl followed by dot of black vinyl...or "stick on" eyes.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]10. Finish with clear epoxy.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]You need a steady hand and small brushes to paint the stripes on small lures and jig heads. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]By the way, the hookless item at the bottom of the picture is a sliding weight, with a hole down through the center. You slide your line through it, attach a small split ring or swivel and then a short leader for your baited jig below. It gets your ice jigs down fast in deep water, and adds attraction to bring the fish in for your baited hook.[/#0000ff]
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[petty4life]

those look cool Pat. i bet the fire tiger would be a good pattern on those vibrating jigs and used for trolling.
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]Yep. That color pattern has long been a favorite for trolling lures. Great for pike and muskies. Wallies and wipers like 'em too. A lot of early season bassers would not go afloat without some fire tiger crankbaits in their tackle boxes.[/#0000ff]
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[petty4life]

well have to get out on willard in another month and do some R&D
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[petty4life]

spent last evening painting up some firetiger jigs. ill post some pics up tp show what ive done
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]I'm eager to see 'em. I have really "caught fire" with that color combo. They were the hot ticket at Jordanelle my last couple of trips. Turned out to be the only thing we could get bit on the last trip.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I just finished painting up some walleye jig heads in the fire tiger. Used flattened 1/8 oz round heads on 3/0 hooks. Plan to introduce them to some Utah Lake critters tomorrow.[/#0000ff]
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[petty4life]

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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]Looking good. Here is a pic of some of the new heads I just painted on my double barb walleye jig heads.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]The fire tiger are on the top. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]The picture does not show the detail, but I added some of that white glitter and "diamond dust" to the white jig at the bottom. It really makes a great finish.[/#0000ff]
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[Out4Trout]

[cool]Petty, I haven't been on the jigmaking board in probably 6 months or so. This is the first I've seen of these pics of your firetiger jigs. Your jigmaking skills are getting much better. You are getting pretty damn good at that...
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[petty4life]

next time dont stay away so long
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[riverpilot69]

[font "Comic Sans MS"][black]Nice jigheads there guys. Gives me some ideas on a winter project. You can tell by the detail, that you guys enjoy making them. It is always nice to see a person making their own stuff instead of going out and just buying it. Once again, "Great Job."[/black][/font]
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[petty4life]

yes we really enjoy making our own jigs. we even have partys to make them, nothin like a good old jig party with fish tacos or in the winter chili and bread sticks[]
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]Yeah. Sometimes we actually pour and/or paint some jigs at those "parties".[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]That is the major reason why most of us make our own stuff. It is not to save money (even though that is what we tell the wives). It is to be able to make and use the right stuff for the right time. There are lots of things you just can't find commercially made.[/#0000ff]
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[petty4life]

one of thewe days we need to get togeather and make some koke lures
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]Let me know when you have a "window" in your executive schedule and we will plan something.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I think I have all of the fancy Flashabou stuff in the glow and flash colors. We just need to decide what sizes and colors you want to make. Different for Da Gorge than for the smaller kokes in the other lakes.[/#0000ff]
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[bdn06]

TD,
In you jig write-up, you mention Shad dart jih head. Janns catalog has a darter jig head, and a shad jig head--they are different. I am assuming your write-up refers to the darter jig head.

They also have the flat head jig head you refer to. Does that mean that there is a flat head jig head mold available?

Finally, if you were to start with three jig head molds, which would you choose?
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[TubeDude]

DARTER JIG

SHAD DART

[cool][#0000ff]Darter heads and shad darts are different. The shad dart is great both for jigs fished "actively"...on the retrieve...and for vertical jigging. They ride in a horizontal mode when fished straight down. Pics of mold and finished product attached.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]There are some molds for "aspirin" jig heads...slightly flattened. But, I do my own, starting with almost any kind of jig head. Small ones can be flattened a bit with a pair of smooth pliers and a good grip. Otherwise, pounding them on a smooth metal surface with a hammer works.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I have a flattening tool made for me a couple of years ago by a BFTer in Las Vegas. It was designed for laterally flattening my "glider" series of jigs, but also works for flattening larger jig heads vertically, like my plungers.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Flattening helps impart more action to a retreived jig and adds flutter when it is vertically jigged.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I have over 40 molds and use most of them. However, depending on whether I am rigging for plastics or for dressed jigs, I get the most use out of my "shad dart", "minnow head", "Roadrunner (pony head)" and plain round head molds. Most models can be purchased with multiple cavities of different sizes. That is best for someone just starting. I also have molds with 8 cavities, all the same size for production work on heads that I use a lot.[/#0000ff]
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[bdn06]

Thanks for the clarification.

I thought the flattened heads you were referring to were flattened horizontally, so the pics helped. The mold I saw was for a horizontally flattened head.

And that is a darter head mold that you have modified then for your jig spinners? Very helpful, TD!
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]I modify several of my jig molds to accept a short length of wire, for making spinner jigs. The one in the pic was a "minnow head" mold. These heads have the plastic holding barb on the back side of the hook and are designed for fishing small plastic tubes. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Of course you can use them for fishing twisters and other plastics too. I like them for their already somewhat flattened shape. They "track" well when retrieved.[/#0000ff]

[#0000ff]When I make my spinner jigs on these heads I usually use my gate shears to trim off the plastic barbs so that I can wrap some kind of "dressing" on the hooks. But, I also leave the barbs on some and fish them with either tubes or twisters. That can be a great lure.[/#0000ff]

[#0000ff]Attached are pics of the step by step making of spinner jigs, starting with the minnow head mold.[/#0000ff]
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[bdn06]

Do you have a particular place that you like for jig molds?

Do you purchase the lead? I think I read something about not using tire weights because of the poor quality of lead.
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