# Smallie Jigs



## oldstinkyguy

With fishing as slow as it gets, I was hoping to start a conversation about one of my most favorite things, jigs.

Before tubes, before soft plastics, the mainstay of smallmouth fishermen everywhere was the hair jig or "doll fly". And with good reason they worked amazingly well. And still do. In fact there has been a huge resurgence in interest in hair jigs for smallmouth the last few years. Almost without fail half or more of my biggest smallmouth every year come on some sort of jig. 
One of my most cherished possessions is a signed copy of "THEM OLE BROWN FISH" by Billy Westmoreland. Billy Westmoreland has to be considered the greatest trophy smallmouth fisherman of all time. He caught one fish over 10-pounds, three fish over 9 pounds and 50 to 75 fish over 8 pounds! Here's a photo right out of the book:










Yep that's a smallmouth. Most of Billy's giant bass came on a spin rite or a Fly n Rind. Later Billy also used a plastic grub quite a bit which is how I came to meet him. My brother at the time had a small business selling plastic worms, grubs, and marabou jigs. Well Billy liked the grubs so well that he offered to endorse them at first for free. Here's a photo of one of the old packages with Billy's photo on it:









It was quite a learning experience for me as a kid riding along as my brother peddled his lures. I think I went in every fishing tackle store and bait shop in Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana that was open back then. And every now and then we would do a trade show like the big one coming up at the Cincy convention center or at the fairgrounds in Indianapolis. Which was where I got to hang around and listen to Billy Westmoreland talk fishing.
Back then lots of the older fishermen called hair jigs Doll Flies. All because of another legendary figure, Elmer "Doll" Thompson.
Elmer Thompson founded Thompson Fishing Tackle in 1952 and it grew unbelievably. At first all his jigs were tied with polar bear hair and Elmer soon became the largest buyer of bear hair in the world. Every Mom and Pop gas station, bait shop and hardware store in America it seemed had a card of Doll Flies hanging up. At peak production the company churned out 27 million jigs a year:









All for the price of nineteen cents each:









Remember Virgil Ward, one of the early TV fishing personalities? According to an old In-fisherman article Virgil's son Bill Ward was the first to tie and sell marabou jigs. His father did so well using them that he came famous as a fisherman. Another pioneer in selling marabou jigs back then was Leroy Spellman. Here's a picture of some of his old jigs.









Nowadays there are a million makers of hair jigs made out of hundreds of different kinds of materials. Why? because they flat out work. Like I said Billy in later years also fished a plastic grub on a jighead as well as a hair jig. Plastic grubs burst upon the world as the famous Mr. Twister. Like the Doll Fly, Kleenex, and Velcro, the name Mr. Twister became so famous that the brand name just about became THE name.

Today a curly tail grub is still just about my number one go to lure for smallmouth bass. Besides having great action they come in every color you can think of. I'm partial to smoke metalflake to imitate most minnows and motor oil metalflake to imitate a central stoneroller, the most common little fish in the LMR. But I carry grubs in a variety of fishy colors. Here's a good photo of a grub:









I remember helping my brother hand pour our first grubs out of molds he bought from the Netcraft company. These first grubs were flat on one side and not completely round like modern grubs. It's ironic too because now I but my grubs in bulk from Netcraft. I think their Dominator line of grubs is just about perfect. 
Mr. Twister later came out with the Sassy Shad which had a flatter more shad or shiner like profile and a paddle tail. This is the grandparent of todays swimbaits like Big Joshy's or the great Keitech. The one I use the most and love is the River Rock Striker:









This guy perfectly imitates the shiners that are so common in the pools of the LMR and GMR. This is also great lure to throw in January and February for trophy saugeye below the low head dams on the Great Miami. 

I fish the different types of jigs all just a bit differently. The swim baits like the RR Striker I try to keep swimming just off the bottom and fish them mainly in pools and below dams. The grub I will also swim but I try to keep it really close to the bottom and ticking it every now and then. I'll also throw the grub right below a riffle to imitate a darter. When I do this I sometimes add a triangle cut out of old grubs to imitate the distinctive fins of a darter:









The Jewel Sculpin, another soft plastic bait, also does a great job of imitating these guys:










As for the hair jigs I really like to throw them in runs and current seams and let them sweep down on a tight line. Ill also throw them in slower water and hop them along the bottom like you might a living rubber jig. Hair jigs are a must have in cold water where their subtle action triggers smallmouth better than just about anything else. Most hair jigs I tie myself just because it's fun:










Personally I don't use rubber skirted jigs as much as other kinds of jigs. Not because they don't work great but instead because I just really enjoy catching fish on hair jigs I've tied myself. But in treetops or other places I might hang up a lot I'll throw a Bitsy Bug Jig. Again if I didn't tie so many jigs I'd probably throw them way more than I do now. If push came to shove, I'd probably give up all the other lures in my box before I'd give up my jigs when stream smallmouth fishing.

What are your experiences/thoughts/stories using jigs for smallmouth bass?


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## E_Lin

Thanks to threads like this, I hope to have more stories to tell next year. This has certainly been a better year for smallies than I have ever had. Thanks to OSG and other guys here for the wealth of information you have been willing to share.


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## Mason52

I remember watching an interview with Al Lindner one time and the guy asked him if he could only pick one bait to fish with what it would be and he said I'd pick a jig because their a great bait you can catch any kind of fish on them, preferably a black one.


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## yakfish

I grow up fishing curly tail grubs as a kid. They have always been a favorite of mine. I have been messing around with tying hair jigs as well. I like to fish them just like a grub when I want something with a little more subtle action. They work great in riffles!


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## kissmybasstoo

The curly tail grub is the best, most versatile lure out there. The uses are endless and it will catch every and any species of fish. If I could use one lure, lead head and curly tail would be my choice for sure!

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## deltaoscar

Great story OSG. I love reading about that kind of stuff.

I never heard of the Spinrite. I looked it up, best I could tell, it kind of looks like half of a popper with a blade behind it. How was that fished?

So what became of your brother's tackle business? That was a pretty sharp logo he came up with.


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## oldstinkyguy

deltaoscar said:


> I never heard of the Spinrite. I looked it up, best I could tell, it kind of looks like half of a popper with a blade behind it. How was that fished?
> 
> So what became of your brother's tackle business? That was a pretty sharp logo he came up with.












Heres a better picture. It was made by Cecil Pedigo in Bowling Green, Ky. in the 1960"s . In 1976 the spinrite was sold to Uncle Josh and this is one of theirs. It was a heavy compact tailspinner type lure that they fished really deep (like 30 to 50 feet) on long tapering points in Dale Hollow in the winter. In pre depth finder days Westmoreland and his family knew the land before the lake was dammed and I think had a lot of really deep structures just to themselves.


My brother took a sales job that paid better. Probably not in the long run though...


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## BornWithGills

This was an awesome read, thanks osg for sharing. I spent a lot of time last year learning to use and feel confident fishing tubes and it has become a go to bait for me. This year I think hair jigs may be next on the list. I remember you extolling their virtues at the presentation down in loveland that I went to and it piqued my interest as they have never been a lure I felt comfortable fishing. Thanks again for the informative post.


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## GarrettMyers

Really cool post. Since you mentioned Billy Westmoreland earlier in the year, I have read a lot about him. He's a really interesting guy and I can identify with his obsession with fishing- makes me feel a little more sane. Them Ol' Brown Fish is really hard to find. The only signed copy I found is going for $300. A paperback in 'good' condition goes for right around $60, and they are limited. My one major regret from last year was not using a jighead/grub more. I tried to get too fancy and in effect wasted a lot of time, $, and probably missed out on a lot of fish. I think mastering the grub and soft jerkbaits (flukes, caffeine shad, Zulu) would make any angler nearly unstoppable on the river. Grubs seem simple but as I've learned from OSG and time on the water, there's a lot to it. Including jighead weight, presentation, color & of course location casted. Again, AWESOME POST!


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## kycreek

Thanks for the read OSG. Sure brings back memories of my childhood. My parents/Aunt & Uncle started & owned a baitshop/campground in Northern Kentucky in the very early 70's. What a great place to grow up. I definitely remember the Doll-fly signage being one of their mainstay artificial lures. Mostly minnows, redwoms & nightcrawlers. I remember going to Aberdeen, Ohio to meet the greyhound bus & get large oxygenated bags of minnows to be sold (They were shipped on the bottom of the bus with the luggage) & we would all go catch the nightcrawlers on local farms. My dad & Uncle knew all the best spots around here to stock up on worms.
Thanks for taking me back.


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## Intimidator

OSG
Love the history....Wish you would also touch base on the seemingly smaller sizes of todays smallies...some of the younger guys would benefit from the teachings of a highly regarded mentor!

Some other river or stream options....the jigs were tied by an old SC master....the fur jigs are rabbit. My best jig is just plain old leather strips.
Don't forget blade jigs for smallies and a larger profile grub for hungry fish!

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## fisherFL

I found these in one of my dads old tackle boxes and they look to be the same as the spin rite's but I do not think they are the original ones









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## oldstinkyguy

FisherFL those tailspinners were made by the Mann Bait Co. You can still buy them today called the Little George. Tom Mann named it after Alabama's segregationist governor in the 60's George Wallace.

Kind of off the subject but here are some cool old fishing photos:









My Dad fishing Blue Shin (just above where Strout Rd crosses the LMR) in the 1960's.










My Grandfather with a couple cats. That picture was taken on Bayou Street in South Lebanon sometime in the 70's I think. Somewhere I have a photo of him with a 45lb shovelhead out of the LMR but I cant find it right now.










Dad with a nice fish out of the LMR again in the 60's.


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## oldstinkyguy

Here's the Kings Dam back in the day. 










Mom fishing the LMR right around where Morgan's campground is today











The "bike trail" around 1960


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## buzzing byrd

Thanks for posting OSG, dad always talked about the old dam but that is the first pic I've ever seen of it. I wonder how far that dam backed the water up? Jeff Burton put a pic on FB of someone running a speed boat in the LMR and it may have been John Spicer. Growing up in south town and fishing with dad he only took three kinds of lures with him, grubs,doll flies and rooster tails.


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## glasseyes

I had a close friend who when past away was in his will that I have his fishing equipment. He fished Dale Hollow lake several times a year and one of his fishing poles he had hidden away was a small FG rod made by Billy Westmorland and was signed. It looks like new and I'm sure he fished with it. Looks like it would be worth something in a collection.


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## kingofamberley

OSG what kind of fish are those on your mom's stringer? They look like they could skipjack or suckers. Great posts!


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## oldstinkyguy

kingofamberley said:


> OSG what kind of fish are those on your mom's stringer? They look like they could skipjack or suckers. Great posts!


I'm guessing redhorse suckers. It was a big deal back in the day when the suckers were up on the riffles spawning. Boney but the worlds best tasting fish. My dad said my great grandfather, Daniel Boone Sandlin was sort of locally famous (or infamous) as a sucker fisherman and hardly fished for anything else. 



glasseyes said:


> I had a close friend who when past away was in his will that I have his fishing equipment. He fished Dale Hollow lake several times a year and one of his fishing poles he had hidden away was a small FG rod made by Billy Westmorland and was signed. It looks like new and I'm sure he fished with it. Looks like it would be worth something in a collection.


I remember seeing a rod with Biily's name on it back in the day at one of the fishing shows we went to with him. It was around 5.5 feet and had a cork Tennessee handle that you taped the reel on with electrical tape. At the time I was short on cash but as soon as I could I bought a Shimano rod that was just about like it because I couldn't find his rod again. I treasured that rod and fished with it for years and years. I still have a couple rods with handles like that that I fish with a lot. I'm guessing if you put it on the Celina Tennessee craigslist you could name your price.



buzzing byrd said:


> Thanks for posting OSG, dad always talked about the old dam but that is the first pic I've ever seen of it. I wonder how far that dam backed the water up? Jeff Burton put a pic on FB of someone running a speed boat in the LMR and it may have been John Spicer. Growing up in south town and fishing with dad he only took three kinds of lures with him, grubs,doll flies and rooster tails.


My Dad and his brothers built a wooden boat that they kept at a dock somewhere around where Eddie Combs lives now. He said you could run an outboard all the way to the dam from South Lebanon and that some people skied.


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## oldstinkyguy

The only good thing about the crappy weather. I've got over a hundred of these tied up for next year. Craft fur, coyote, kit fox, bucktail, marabou and my favorite grey fox. Maybe I'll tie some really teeny ones and try them thru the ice towards the end of next week. Any one ever use a jig thru the ice?


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## Bad Bub

I've just gotten into tying hair jigs. So far, I've only played around with rabbit strips, and my color selection is very limited due to Cabela's lack of variety. Going to have to go the internet route I guess, but wanted to test the waters before jumping head first.

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## buzzing byrd

Man thats crazy, its been a while sinced I have fished that area but I would guess its only a couple of feet deep there at Eddie's. The church still does some baptizing in the river up by the ball fields but in the middle of the summer I think they pretty much have to lay down to go under.

Fishing the point I can see how the creek mouth could have been a lot wider on how the terrain is laid out.

When we diverted the river for the water main crossing under the 48 bridge, a couple of us walked around looking for stuff on the river bottom but there was hardly anything there. I found an old brick of lead that says eagle on it, one old steel trap and one old rim. Other than that it was clean, just rock and gravel no mud at all. I will have to post some pics of the river bottom when it was diverted.


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## kingofamberley

I will definitely have to tie up some hair jigs. Never tied something for the spinning rod before. Thanks for the inspiration!


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## co-angler

I noticed that your mother and your father are standing in nearly the same spot in these two pics. 
It's obvious they were taken at different times.
Must have been a real hotspot!


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## co-angler

montagc said:


> Well now that spot is going to get hammered! Lol did you find it on google earth yet?


Won't have to, I'm just gonna find the name of that street and go looking for that odd shaped tree.
Easy peazy!


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## fisherFL

oldstinkyguy said:


> The one I use the most and love is the River Rock Striker:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> This guy perfectly imitates the shiners that are so common in the pools of the LMR and GMR. This is also great lure to throw in January and February for trophy saugeye below the low head dams on the Great Miami.
> 
> I f


Where would a guy find these baits OSG? I looked on a lot of websites and couldn't find them anywhere. I'd like to get few, hopefully there a little cheaper than the keitechs




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## Mason52

Try this

http://riverrockbaits.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=59&Itemid=67


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## oldstinkyguy

So I've gotten several Pm's and questions on how I fish the grub. It seems a bunch of people fish it bumping and dragging it along the bottom and hopping it with the rod. To me that has always been more of a tube or marabou jig presentation. Most of the time I'm fishing the grub as a small swim bait. The original swim bait I guess. Swimming a grub is unobtrusive. It doesn't make noise. It's a really natural baitfish presentation that just trips the fishes trigger. It's almost like something is trying to escape but can't, and the fish know they can get it every time, so they nail it regardless of what mood they're in.
But even though I'm not fishing it on the bottom I want it most of the time to be swimming right off the bottom. So how do you do that? Keep it on the bottom but not ON the bottom? Well you can fish three times a week for thirty years or.... Well start off with a heavy jighead maybe 3/8's in the GMR or 1/4 in the Lmr. Cast it out and grab the line with your free hand and let it fall on a tight line till you feel it hit bottom. Then reel it back slowly and steadily keeping it just off the bottom. Its probably too heavy and you have to reel it in pretty fast but your getting a feel for the bottom. Now step it down to next size lighter jighead and repeat. You want a slow steady retrieve with the lure coming back slowly just off the bottom ticking it every now and then. If your losing the bottom completely try a slightly heavier jighead. In deeper runs to me it's better to have a slightly too heavy a jig than too light a jig. Let your imagination run wild and try to visualize the bottom it really does help. Nice fish in a run are staged behind rocks or in a current seam nailing baitfish as they come by. They are not going to nail a lighter jig sweeping by way up over their heads nearly as often. How fast do you reel? Just fast enough to keep in good contact with your grub and to keep it coming back just off the bottom. Simple right? Yes, if you take the time to match the jighead size to the water depth and current speed and you develop the feel for what the lure is doing and what the different strikes feel like. You want a jighead that allows the grub to swim easily along looking like for all the world like a small minnow that's an easy meal. Too heavy a jig wont allow that, too light and you cant fish deep enough. Jig heads are dirt cheap get a variety of sizes. Mostly you will use 1/8 and 1/4's but you want to have heavier and lighter ones.
The other retrieve I use extensively with a grub is across and slightly upstream in the run right below a riffle or the swifter run right off the end of a gravel bar. This is also a great technique for a good hair jig too. Cast across and a bit upstream. As the lure hits the water trip the bail and grab the line with your free hand. Now let it sweep down past you doing nothing but sweeping along on a tight line till it gets below you. That's it. If you need to reel in just enough along to keep yourself tight to the jig without actually retrieving it. Amazingly simple and effective. Anything feels odd or heavy set the hook. This is very dependent on using the right size jighead as well. The jig needs to just float along just off the bottom. Practice makes perfect in getting a feel for this. Too heavy and you will lose way too many; jigs too light and the lure will sweep downstream way too shallow.
In the LMR if your wading you can often find tails of pools that have hard bottoms of gravel and rock and not mud and muck. Where the current speeds up but is still "pool" and not tail or riffle yet. I call these the "pail".
This area is kind of hidden from most anglers if they haven't waded out and found it, but this hard bottom holds all kinds of craws, small minnows, insect life etc. Way more than the soft bottom of the pool. Way way more. These "pails" are perfect water for retrieving a grub or a swim bait just off the hard bottom. A great spot to find a big saugeye at too. You can use a slightly lighter jighead here often just because the current is less than in the run. If there are any big boulders or rubble scattered here it becomes a big fish spot too.


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## Intimidator

oldstinkyguy said:


> So I've gotten several Pm's and questions on how I fish the grub. It seems a bunch of people fish it bumping and dragging it along the bottom and hopping it with the rod. To me that has always been more of a tube or marabou jig presentation. Most of the time I'm fishing the grub as a small swim bait. The original swim bait I guess. Swimming a grub is unobtrusive. It doesn't make noise. It's a really natural baitfish presentation that just trips the fishes trigger. It's almost like something is trying to escape but can't, and the fish know they can get it every time, so they nail it regardless of what mood they're in.
> But even though I'm not fishing it on the bottom I want it most of the time to be swimming right off the bottom. So how do you do that? Keep it on the bottom but not ON the bottom? Well you can fish three times a week for thirty years or.... Well start off with a heavy jighead maybe 3/8's in the GMR or 1/4 in the Lmr. Cast it out and grab the line with your free hand and let it fall on a tight line till you feel it hit bottom. Then reel it back slowly and steadily keeping it just off the bottom. Its probably too heavy and you have to reel it in pretty fast but your getting a feel for the bottom. Now step it down to next size lighter jighead and repeat. You want a slow steady retrieve with the lure coming back slowly just off the bottom ticking it every now and then. If your losing the bottom completely try a slightly heavier jighead. In deeper runs to me it's better to have a slightly too heavy a jig than too light a jig. Let your imagination run wild and try to visualize the bottom it really does help. Nice fish in a run are staged behind rocks or in a current seam nailing baitfish as they come by. They are not going to nail a lighter jig sweeping by way up over their heads nearly as often. How fast do you reel? Just fast enough to keep in good contact with your grub and to keep it coming back just off the bottom. Simple right? Yes, if you take the time to match the jighead size to the water depth and current speed and you develop the feel for what the lure is doing and what the different strikes feel like. You want a jighead that allows the grub to swim easily along looking like for all the world like a small minnow that's an easy meal. Too heavy a jig wont allow that, too light and you cant fish deep enough. Jig heads are dirt cheap get a variety of sizes. Mostly you will use 1/8 and 1/4's but you want to have heavier and lighter ones.
> The other retrieve I use extensively with a grub is across and slightly upstream in the run right below a riffle or the swifter run right off the end of a gravel bar. This is also a great technique for a good hair jig too. Cast across and a bit upstream. As the lure hits the water trip the bail and grab the line with your free hand. Now let it sweep down past you doing nothing but sweeping along on a tight line till it gets below you. That's it. If you need to reel in just enough along to keep yourself tight to the jig without actually retrieving it. Amazingly simple and effective. Anything feels odd or heavy set the hook. This is very dependent on using the right size jighead as well. The jig needs to just float along just off the bottom. Practice makes perfect in getting a feel for this. Too heavy and you will lose way too many; jigs too light and the lure will sweep downstream way too shallow.
> In the LMR if your wading you can often find tails of pools that have hard bottoms of gravel and rock and not mud and muck. Where the current speeds up but is still "pool" and not tail or riffle yet. I call these the "pail".
> This area is kind of hidden from most anglers if they haven't waded out and found it, but this hard bottom holds all kinds of craws, small minnows, insect life etc. Way more than the soft bottom of the pool. Way way more. These "pails" are perfect water for retrieving a grub or a swim bait just off the hard bottom. A great spot to find a big saugeye at too. You can use a slightly lighter jighead here often just because the current is less than in the run. If there are any big boulders or rubble scattered here it becomes a big fish spot too.


Since your teaching....maybe a couple tips can be discussed and could help also!

The pic shows curly tail grubs with jig heads, one is regular and one is a sickle hook that I use...same size #1...Notice how the point of the regular hook points up and is above the line eye....the sickle points down more toward the line eye...this helps to keep you from hanging up as much compared to a regular hook. Sickles are also very sharp and being a finer wire will allow you to pull free and re-bend many times.

If you are fishing alot of heavy cover and losing alot of jigs, you can rig the Curly Tail up weedless with a screw in type or weedless swimbait hook.

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## senger

oldstinkyguy said:


> The only good thing about the crappy weather. I've got over a hundred of these tied up for next year. Craft fur, coyote, kit fox, bucktail, marabou and my favorite grey fox.


KIt fox? I want to know more, how's it tie, move, look etc?


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## oldstinkyguy

senger said:


> KIt fox? I want to know more, how's it tie, move, look etc?












Heres a pic (top to bottom) of a coyote, grey fox, and kit fox tail.
In color it's pretty much a mixture of the two, a very fishy color.
But as you can see the hair isn't as long, about right for 1/8 ounce jigs and below or clousers. You couldn't tie any striper flies or jigs with it. In texture it's pretty much like the grey fox, which is to say not too stiff not too soft. I like it quite a bit but I think grey or silver fox is better all around because you can tie more variety of sizes with them.


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## catmando

I thought Bill's big fish was caught on a white bomber crankbait?

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## oldstinkyguy

catmando said:


> I thought Bill's big fish was caught on a white bomber crankbait?
> 
> Sent from my SPH-L710 using Ohub Campfire mobile app


No Hayes world record was caught trolling a bomber.


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## catmando

Thats what I said - the trolling, but I did know that too.

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## GarrettMyers




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## kingofamberley

GarrettMyers said:


>


Looks like you are going after the illusive LMR muskies!


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## GarrettMyers

kingofamberley said:


> Looks like you are going after the illusive LMR muskies!


Nah, just some plain old stripers  and maybe some smallies with the craw imitations.


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## oldstinkyguy

[YOUTUBE]SNl3b2YoOps[/YOUTUBE]

I was hoping to get a better video but the bright sky and snow made it hard to see what was going happening on the camera screen. But you can get an idea of how well the jigs tied with coyote tail move in the water. Maybe I'll video some in a tank. It's amazing how good they look in the water.


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## Dandrews

That coyote jig looks awesome. From a distance it looked you tipped a jig with a small shad and it kept that profile when it got wet.


You guys talkin' about the original Bombers...that looked like a bomb


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## oldstinkyguy

[YOUTUBE]/WXBGm1Je5yI[/YOUTUBE]

cool in-fisherman hair jig video


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## oldstinkyguy

[YOUTUBE]/Bmv7AjBq0CU[/YOUTUBE]

So if you only ever click on one video I ever post make it this one. This I tied out of silver fox. I threw it a couple weeks ago in some clear water and was amazed. Ive been tying them like crazy ever since getting ready for spring. I can't imagine why this isn't the number one jig material going. And this video doesn't really do it justice as to how good it looks coming back to you thru the water.


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## allbraid

Thanks for the thread, best reading that I have seen on this site. Good luck and tight lines, love those small stream brown bass!


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## oldstinkyguy

Something else to do while waiting for the Winter That Never Ends to finally be over. Kind of a skirted jig-tube-grub love child, the GRUBE...










Ones a crawfish imitation that isn't too big like most crayfish imitations and the other a darter imitation with pec fins that have a bit of orange. 

Easy to make with some rubber skirt material and some grubs. Use a jig head like a crochet needle, poking it thru the grub, hooking the rubber with the barb and pulling it back thru the body.


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## oldstinkyguy

Pretty close to the average assortment of stuff you can fish on a jighead that ill carry in my wading pack...

Several kinds and sizes of hair jigs. (this year there will be a lot of kinds and sizes, its been a long winter and Ive tied a few hundred). Motoroil with red flake grubs made into darter and crayfish imitations. Chartruese, smoke metalflake and glow colored grubs. (The glow is just a great daytime color I don't carry it because it glows in the dark even though it does. Sort of a more natural version of white) And a color or two of shad body swim baits to imitate shiners.


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## greghal

Great thread Steve, I would like to make some of the rubber legged creatures. I'll have to try the hair jigs this year, its been years since I used doll flys.


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## oldstinkyguy

Pouring lead and dreaming of spring today...


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## oldstinkyguy

Since it's winter I thought I'd bump an old thread with some old ads


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## oldstinkyguy




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## oldstinkyguy




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## Skippy

Thanks. Lots of old memories there. As a kid I'd send out those old penny postcards to a bunch off different fishing company's. I'd spend hours going through them. Herters had anything you wanted in it. Still have some of that old stuff around here.


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## 9Left

ha! the mitchell 300... that wascmy first ever spinning reel... my dad bought me one fir christmas when i was about 12


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## afishinfool

Thanks OSG..Those ads are cool..still have 3 of the old Mitchell 300s and still have the old Ambassador 5000 pictured in 4th ad..actually use it too.


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## linebacker43

Wish the Rapala prices were the same as in that old ad!! Lol


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## Hampton77

I restored a couple Mitchell 300s last year for myself and a buddy. They are late 60s models and are absolute tanks. I couldn't believe the simplicity and stability of the gear system. Both work like brand new after a little tlc to remove some seriously crystallized grease. I wonder if any body makes an upgraded drag for them? That is really the only thing, besides a less complicated way to manually close the bail and avoid line twist, that I could ask of them.


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## knuckleric

Hampton77 said:


> I restored a couple Mitchell 300s last year for myself and a buddy. They are late 60s models and are absolute tanks. I couldn't believe the simplicity and stability of the gear system. Both work like brand new after a little tlc to remove some seriously crystallized grease. I wonder if any body makes an upgraded drag for them? That is really the only thing, besides a less complicated way to manually close the bail and avoid line twist, that I could ask of them.


I was wondering the bail too on my old Mitchell 300. It is definitely a tank and I love using it, but it only barely fits on one rod of mine.


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## Hampton77

knuckleric said:


> I was wondering the bail too on my old Mitchell 300. It is definitely a tank and I love using it, but it only barely fits on one rod of mine.


Yeah it doesn't fit most reel seats very well. I have found that it's best to find older rods for them. I keep a pretty close eye on yard sales and pawn shops, so I have mine on an old Shakespeare rod right now. Still on the lookout for something that fits just right.


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## Hampton77

My buddy fit his to a bps tourney special and it matched up nice.


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## oldstinkyguy

Hampton77 said:


> I restored a couple Mitchell 300s last year for myself and a buddy. They are late 60s models and are absolute tanks. I couldn't believe the simplicity and stability of the gear system. Both work like brand new after a little tlc to remove some seriously crystallized grease. I wonder if any body makes an upgraded drag for them? That is really the only thing, besides a less complicated way to manually close the bail and avoid line twist, that I could ask of them.


I'd try these guys http://fredsfishnthings.com/repairs.php their website says they specialize in old Mitchells and will sandblast your reel and repaint it as well as machine a new part if they don't have one.
The first reel I ever used was a 300. I bought a little 304 on an old glass rod at a garage sale a couple years ago that I took fishing. It worked fine but the biggest issue I had was I manually close the bail and it drove me crazy all day trying to remember to turn the handle instead. I saw Roland Martin saltwater fishing on TV the other day and he was using an old Mitchell on a bait rod. Maybe I'll break out the little Mitchell on some bluegill or channels with some bait come spring.


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## Dizzy

I have found a guy that has "New" old stock in the original packaging for Mitchell reels. He told me that over the years he has bought out stock from stores that are closing and has all kinds of stuff. He had a few parts that I needed to rebuild by grandfathers Mitchell 314. 

Kalm's Reel Repair
http://orcaonline.org/services/reel-repair/orca-repairmen/


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