by Mike Barkley

Knowing that I enjoy making much of my own fishing tackle (while some may call me cheap, I prefer to look at it as searching for a better "mousetrap"), Jim Barta recently invited me over to make some jigs. Until a couple of years ago, I didn’t even know how to use a jig (there is an ugly rumor going around that I still don’t), so I was very interested in learning his technique.

I was not only surprised to see just how easy it is to make them, but amazed at how much cheaper it was (Okay! So I am cheap).

Once you get by the initial investment of a good melting pot ( under $50 ) molds ( $25 ) and gate cutters ($10 ) used to trim of the excess lead, the cost per jig is really low. Even if you have to buy lead ($1 per pound), and add in the cost of jig hooks ($5 per hundred), the savings is considerable.

The retail cost of unpainted ½ oz. Jigs is about 25 cents each while the cost of making them is about 8 cents each (if you don’t have to buy the lead, it’s down to a nickel apiece). The price of painted jigs really goes up.

As far as I’m concerned, besides giving you something to do in the winter, the real advantage in making your own jigs (along with other tackle) is the ability to customize. Try using a 4/0 hook instead of the 2/0 or 3/0 hooks that come in commercial jigs. Experiment and try different color combinations. Try some of the different prism eyes that are available. Use your imagination. Have Fun!! Isn’t that what it’s all about??

I was surprised at just how fast the pouring process is. We used a ½ oz. Mold that has 6 cavities and a Lee Production pot (about $45) which will melt and hold about 10lbs of lead in about 20 minutes and has a lever operated spout in the front for quick, easy pouring. Prior to pouring the first batch of jigs, quickly heat the mold cavities with a propane torch to ensure that the lead doesn’t hit a cold mold and screw up the jigs. After that, it’s just a matter of how fast you can pour and dump the finished jigs onto a table (they harden immediately and can be dumped out, but they will be too hot to handle for a few minutes). Once you have them all poured, use the gate cutters to trim the excess lead from the end of the jig and dump the trimmings back in to the pot to be re-melted. You could probably easily pour a 100+ jigs in an hour.

Now comes the fun part!! Jim has this down to a science. We were working in the garage and he just laid a ½ dia., 8 ft length of copper tubing across a couple of ladders and hung about 100 jigs over the tube and ran masking tape the length of it completely covering the hooks (draping a drop cloth behind it to avoid painting his garage) and spray painted the jigs with white jig paint. One thing that he found is that you HAVE to use jig paint. He tried several different paints as primer (Rustoleum, etc), but none of them held up to the final color coat of jig paint without dissolving.

Once the jigs have been primed, the "Better Mousetrap" comes into play. It’s one of those things that, when you look at it, you say, "Duh! Why didn’t I think of that! The jigs are hung in the grooves of a threaded rod and the hooks covered with tape to keep them paint free. A thin strip of wood is then clamped over the hook shanks, holding them tightly in place against the rod, so that the jigs can be rotated for multi-color paint jobs. The jigs can be easily locked into any position by using the lever (eye bolt) on the left end and tightening the nut on the right end.  Once they are painted, dip the jigs in clear, gloss jig paint for appearance and protection (if using eyes, apply them before dipping the jig in clear gloss).

From this point, pictures are better than words 

(Click on pictures for a larger view)