# About Marabou jigs?



## bobberbucket

So I've been browsing different styles of crappie baits online. I'm always on the lookout for some new effective presentations to add to my arsenal. I've found some really good looking baits out there and want to give them a try. Do any of you guys use them? If so how do you typically fish them? Float no float ? Meat no meat? Nibbles? Favorite colors? Any information is greatly appreciated!


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## AtticaFish

Tied jigs like that work great and i use them a lot for bluegill and crappie. I split them up into 2 main groups though. Marabou, hackle, doll hair (craft fur) and rabbit hair jigs all have a lot of action where the tails move around with hardly moving the bait, the water moving by will make it look like its swimming. These are great for warmer water and i tend to use larger sizes..... 1/16 up to 1/8 for crappie. Kip tail and buck tail jigs are a much stiffer material and just do not move the same, but they can be amazing because you control them totally. You have to give it all the action. Small 1/16 and under kip jigs will catch crappie and bluegill all year long. A 1/16 bucktail jig can be absolutely deadly for crappie out ice fishing.

1/16 and up you can cast and retrieve, but i always think the water needs to be pretty warm to have the fish active enough to chase. The majority of time i use them under a float or vertically below me through the ice. Anything 1/32 and smaller needs to have a float to be able to cast. I carry waxworms to tip kip jigs most of the time but some days you do not eve need the tip. I have tipped marabou jigs with minnows in the summer.

Sorry so long of a response... i tie my own and have a hair jig of some sort pretty much always tied on at least 1 rod.


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## Hammerhead54

I've caught a few crappie using the white marabou jigs they sell at walmart. I use them under a bobber and tip them with either a crappie nugget or a wax worm. I usually fish them by reeling very slowly and letting whatever chop is on the water provide most of the action of the jig. The crappie seem to bite these very lightly and the hit is usually detected by just a slight sideways movement of the bobber. On one occasion I put a small safety spinner attachment on the jig and started catching both crappie and bluegill on nearly every other cast. Unfortunately that was the one and only time that tactic produced for me although I usually try it every time I go.


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## bobberbucket

AtticaFish said:


> Tied jigs like that work great and i use them a lot for bluegill and crappie. I split them up into 2 main groups though. Marabou, hackle, doll hair (craft fur) and rabbit hair jigs all have a lot of action where the tails move around with hardly moving the bait, the water moving by will make it look like its swimming. These are great for warmer water and i tend to use larger sizes..... 1/16 up to 1/8 for crappie. Kip tail and buck tail jigs are a much stiffer material and just do not move the same, but they can be amazing because you control them totally. You have to give it all the action. Small 1/16 and under kip jigs will catch crappie and bluegill all year long. A 1/16 bucktail jig can be absolutely deadly for crappie out ice fishing.
> 
> 1/16 and up you can cast and retrieve, but i always think the water needs to be pretty warm to have the fish active enough to chase. The majority of time i use them under a float or vertically below me through the ice. Anything 1/32 and smaller needs to have a float to be able to cast. I carry waxworms to tip kip jigs most of the time but some days you do not eve need the tip. I have tipped marabou jigs with minnows in the summer.
> 
> Sorry so long of a response... i tie my own and have a hair jig of some sort pretty much always tied on at least 1 rod.



I totally appreciate the long response! Thank you.


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## bobberbucket

Hammerhead54 said:


> I've caught a few crappie using the white marabou jigs they sell at walmart. I use them under a bobber and tip them with either a crappie nugget or a wax worm. I usually fish them by reeling very slowly and letting whatever chop is on the water provide most of the action of the jig. The crappie seem to bite these very lightly and the hit is usually detected by just a slight sideways movement of the bobber. On one occasion I put a small safety spinner attachment on the jig and started catching both crappie and bluegill on nearly every other cast. Unfortunately that was the one and only time that tactic produced for me although I usually try it every time I go.


I like the spinner idea! Thank you for the information.


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## bobberbucket

Do the work well in and around weed beds?


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## Hammerhead54

Not sure about weeds but if you get that slimy green algae on the chenille body of the jig its tough to get off of them.


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## AtticaFish

I've only got one lake close by that gets weedy and still do pretty good with tied jigs. Tiny kip jigs can mimic either minnows or bugs i think. I don't think i have ever seen them for sale in a shop though, maybe only available through online stores. This is a 1/32 and have caught some giant crappie on them..........


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## bobberbucket

AtticaFish said:


> I've only got one lake close by that gets weedy and still do pretty good with tied jigs. Tiny kip jigs can mimic either minnows or bugs i think. I don't think i have ever seen them for sale in a shop though, maybe only available through online stores. This is a 1/32 and have caught some giant crappie on them..........
> 
> View attachment 231106


That's a sweet looking jig! Generally how long does it take to tie one up?


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## AtticaFish

Depends how many many beers in i am. ha! Probably could make one in under 2 minutes if i was focused on it. Only materials used on that one are red thread as the tag end out the back and neck, then the kip tail for the body. I get really nice lead free jigs from a friend in Nebraska then powder coat and cure them.


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## c. j. stone

Will send a PM.(Don't want the crappie numbers in NEO to drop dramatically in Spring 2017!)


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## bobberbucket

c. j. stone said:


> Will send a PM.(Don't want the crappie numbers in NEO to drop dramatically in Spring 2017!)


Thank you!


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## Popspastime

I like to use the marabou in the colder spring waters when movement of the bait is minuscule. The marabou just breaths in the water by itself, especially under a bobber. I use the hair jigs when its a bit warmer and working brush piles and the fish are in a bit of a chasing mood. Both can be great producers.


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## AtticaFish

Popspastime said:


> I like to use the marabou in the colder spring waters when movement of the bait is minuscule. The marabou just breaths in the water by itself, especially under a bobber. I use the hair jigs when its a bit warmer and working brush piles and the fish are in a bit of a chasing mood. Both can be great producers.



That is kind of funny.... i use both hair/feather baits but with the exact opposite timing/techniques you mention and have great success with them. Guess it speaks for the versatility of tied baits.


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## Eyecrosser

I like to use them when the lake is calm and just drifting around or in a slight breeze. I just hang them over the side with a medium minnow on a 1/16 or 1/8 oz jig. The minnow struggles and cause the hair to move drawing in the crappies. I very seldom use a float when I'm drifting. They work good for just about any fish. 
I use them through the ice a lot. Just a little wiggle brings them alive.


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