All shapes, all sizes, all seasons: The
effectiveness of hair jigs anywhere and
anytime has won them new respect
among bass fishermen.
L
By Curtis Niedermier
ike an old friend returning home after a long absence, the resurgence of
the Preacher Jig as a Tour-level tournament lure a few seasons ago kicked
off a lot of excitement in the bass fishing community. Young bucks raced to
find the big bucktail hair jig, which was the hottest “new” lure for ledge fishing,
while seasoned vets dug out their long-forgotten bucktails that they’d formerly
replaced with newer tackle.
Sure, hair jigs have been used by some fishermen in various locales for
decades. But until the resurrection of the Preacher Jig, coupled with Jacob
Wheeler’s win in the 2014 Bassfest event at Lake Chickamauga with a similar style
of bucktail jig, many anglers considered hair jigs to be nothing more than winter-
time lures. Still others considered them relics of a time before tackle was
designed by computers, when people actually had to sit at a tying vise and piece
together forage imposters out of bits of feather, fur and fiber.
What got overlooked, even as anglers rushed to eBay to snatch up what few
remaining original Preacher Jigs they could find, was that a big bucktail is only one
of many productive styles of hair jigs for bass anglers. Hair jigs aren’t just ledge
baits or cold-water baits; because they’re tied together by hand, they’re endlessly
customizable, and can be fished successfully in all sorts of scenarios.
Feathers, Fleece, Fiber and Fur
56
So how much hair is really in a hair jig? Actually, it could
be none at all.
These days, the term “hair jig” includes all types of jigs
tied with basically anything other than silicone and round
rubber. There are hair jigs made with Icelandic goat wool,
imported European duck feathers, rabbit fur, bear hair, all
types of synthetic materials and much more, though bucktail
and various feathers are the most popular “ingredients.”
Hair or Fur?
Hair and fur are actually
the same thing, but “hair” is
often assigned to what grows
on humans, and “fur” is the
term used for what grows on
other mammals … usually.
Depending on regional dialect
and grasp of the English lan-
guage, anglers tend to assign
either one to the materials
used on jigs. See: bear hair,
deer hair, rabbit fur.
Technically, the terms are
interchangeable.
Some types of materials flare enticingly when the jig
changes direction or wave when it’s pulled in motion, while
others stream straight behind. Some soak up water, while
others shed it. Some are highly buoyant.
Every angler and jig tier has a preference – and a reason
– for choosing each type of material and tying or trimming it
in such a way to achieve the right balance of length, bulk,
buoyancy, color and movement.
What follows is a rundown of some of the more common
materials used to tie hair jigs:
FLWFISHING.COM I JULY 2017