With walleye and pike season already under way and the recent opening of New York’s bass season, it’s time to start getting your tackle organized. With all the lures on the market these days, there is surprisingly an oldie-but-goody making a comeback. The hair jig is witnessing a revival in competitive bass fishing. Bassmaster tournament fishermen are now using hair jigs to win some tournament cash, especially on clear, cold lakes in the north. These jigs are practically deadly on smallmouth bass because of their natural action.
Bassmaster Elite fisherman Michael Iaconelli loves fishing hair jigs. Iaconelli explains, “Hair jigs are at their best when the water is cold and clear, when the fish are suspended or when the bite’s especially tough. Fish them slow and easy on lighter spinning tackle. Although these jigs are popular with smallmouth anglers, don’t be fooled into thinking that’s all they’ll catch. Largemouth bass will often take them when nothing else works. They’re at their best in natural baitfish colors if they’re tied with enough hackle to create a realistic looking profile in the water.”
Ike goes on to say that his favorite method is to feather them down. “The best way I know to describe that technique is to let the jig ‘float’ down towards the bottom by using my index finger on the bail of my spinning reel to control the fall. Fish it like you would a suspending jerkbait and you’ll have the feathering technique about right. You must use light tackle here. It’s hard to get that with heavy rods and line. The jigs are just too light.”
When it comes to hair jigs, Mike Iaconelli has nothing on our own local resident jig fishing expert, Mr. James Butwid of Fairport. This man has been fishing hair jigs for over fifty years and has been making his own jigs for the last forty years. Jim is a true artist when creating his jigs and is one of the best jig makers in Monroe County and, I would venture to say, New York State.
I contacted Jim for some tips on hair jig fishing along with some advice on making your own hair jigs. Jim says there are plenty of great hair jigs on the market but the fun comes in making your own. Jim notes that it is a great winter pastime and that there is a special enjoyment in catching fish on a jig you have molded and tied yourself.
All the supplies can be purchased online. Jim recommends Barlow’s www.barlowstackle.com/ or Jan’s Netcraft www.jannsnetcraft.com/fishing-tackle/. These companies have anything you need to get started tying your own jigs. Once you buy your supplies, there are tons of videos online showing you the exact procedure to mold and tie hair jigs.
For smallmouth bass, Jim recommends a 3/32-ounce brown bucktail. He explains that when this lure is slowly hopped along the bottom, it looks exactly like a small crawfish or gobie trying to escape. There isn’t a smallmouth bass swimming that can resist them if fished correctly.
Jim recommends casting the jig out slowly, hopping them back as close to bottom as possible. If you are fishing out of a boat, cast the jigs out letting them sink to the bottom, reel in any slack line, then just let them drift and bounce with the boat to give the jig its action. He goes on to say that if the fishing action is slow, you can tip the hook with a small piece of worm.
Jim advises setting the hook at the slightest tick of the line. He goes as far as watching his line where it enters the water for any slight twitch or movement, then sets the hook.
As a great fisherman as well as jig maker, Jim knows the best places to shore fish any fresh water fish swimming in Western New York. I pestered the veteran angler to share one of his old hot spots for this time of year and he graciously conceded.
Jim recommends for just straight fun fishing, go to the ponds in Greece and fish for silver bass or white perch in early June. He prefers Cranberry Pond if you can get there now due to the high water. He suggests walking the shoreline looking for large dark spots in the water just off shore. These are schools of spawning white perch and they are easy to see with a pair of polarized sunglasses. He will then cast one of his 1/8 ounce white hair jigs at this ball of fish and will in most cases catch one fish after another. He observes that the interesting thing is there is no one else fishing for these fun fish.
While there are both silver bass and white perch in the ponds spawning at this time of year, Jim notes that most fishermen can’t tell them apart. To do so, turn the fish over and look at their belly. The white perch has a purple hue under their lower lip like a yellow perch, the silver bass does not. It’s really no matter because both fish are a ball to catch and if filleted properly, offer decent table fare.
Although Jim’s health has slowed him down a bit, his mind is still as sharp as a Japanese fishing hook. The man still knows more about fishing our local waters here in New York than most ever will. Mr. Butwid’s jigs are the best I’ve seen and I have personally caught hundreds of smallmouth bass on his hand-tied treasures.
This season experiment with a few hair jigs. My bet is that you too will become a big fan of the small lure.
