Hot Coral Jig

[HillbillyGeek]

New from Hillbilly Labs -- the Hot Coral Jig! :thumright
It's nothing fancy. I took lots of photos to show how it's made. If you've never spun your own bodies using dubbing, it's not difficult and the technique is very versatile. You can make the body as thick as you want, as fuzzy as you want, an just about any type of material can be used -- capet fur, cat hair, you name it! I like the sparkly synthetics that are sold in the fly tying section of most sporting goods stores.

Head: 1/16 oz with two-tone powder paint -- glow over pearl.
Hook: #4 red VMC high-carbon
Body: Spun hot coral dubbing
Tail: White marabou with shell pink flashabou


Secure thread to hook and add a dab of head cement or super glue to keep it from twisting and sliding.


Add more wraps to soak up the head cement.


Pick a marabou feather that's close to the desired length.


Grab a wad.


Cut them from the stem


Secure the wad of feathers to the hook with a few thread wraps. Repeat if necesssary for more fullness, but don't make it too thick because the tail should not be bigger than the body when the jig is wet.


This is flashabou. It glows in the dark, which is very cool.


Cut a long strand from the bunch and wrap it on one side of the hook.


Fold the strand back and wrap toward the tail. Repeat on the other side. (Each side should have two strands.)


This is a dubbing twister. You can substitute a clamp, but twisters are nice.


Form a thread loop, then wrap the thread up to the head and set the bobbin out of the way.


This is dubbing wax. It can be found with the fly tying materials at most sporting goods stores. Apply a light coat of wax to one side of the thread.


Grab a wad of dubbing. It doesn't take much.


Twist the dubbing with your fingers around the waxed side of the thread loop.


Spin the thread loop.


Wrap the dubbing around the hook body and secure with thread at the head.


Cut off remainder of the dubbing loop. Leave it a bit long.


This is a whip finisher. You can do without one, but they are nice to have and very easy to use.


Whip finish the thread behind the head. If you don't have a whip finisher, just use a couple of half hitches.


Add a very small amount of head cement.


If there are a few feathers that are two long, grab them between your thumb and index finger leaving the excess sticking out. Grab the excess with your other hand and do the ol' pinch-n-pull. This makes a more natural looking tail than just trimming the excess with scissors.


You be done! :chef:

[kuttkilla]

Looks like it'd be killer for sea-run cutthroat trout on the PS beaches in early Fall. Too bad I won't be here. Those should tie this one up and heed your advice; looks like a killer combo, but I'd add a little more sparkle and bubble gum to the tail section of the fly - jazz it up a little bit and really make it irresistable for them sea-runs. They couldn't resist!!:cheers:

[kevinb]

Very cool Hillbilly, Does that take long for you to make?

[HillbillyGeek]

Very cool Hillbilly, Does that take long for you to make?

Thanks! This one takes more time than a standard chenile jig because of the spun body, but it still only takes two or three minutes. Hackle jigs like wooly buggers take about the same amount of time.

Hmm... this one might look good with a hackle wrapped around the dubbing.

[HillbillyGeek]

[quote="kuttkilla"]Looks like it'd be killer for sea-run cutthroat trout on the PS beaches in early Fall. Too bad I won't be here. Those should tie this one up and heed your advice]

The sky is the limit when it comes to making lures. That's one of the things that's so appealing; it's a great creative outlet! Flash could be added to the tail by using crystal flash and/or tinsel. One word of caution: When the water is clear, lures that are too bright and flashy can actually scare fish. That's why it's good to carry a variety of jigs to match the water conditions.

[kuttkilla]

Looks like it'd be killer for sea-run cutthroat trout on the PS beaches in early Fall. Too bad I won't be here. Those should tie this one up and heed your advice]

The sky is the limit when it comes to making lures. That's one of the things that's so appealing; it's a great creative outlet! Flash could be added to the tail by using crystal flash and/or tinsel. One word of caution: When the water is clear, lures that are too bright and flashy can actually scare fish. That's why it's good to carry a variety of jigs to match the water conditions.

I love this fly. Great saltwater fly and one that would work well on the rivers in Alaska (I know a few guides up there that would use this fly with great success)...keep up the good work and keep posting...awesome pictures.