Rehabbing a Bucktail Jig

[Mark]

One of my fishing buddies gave me a spent jig last week and asked me to fix it.

Sometimes bucktails are too far gone to repair and it's better to melt the lead and start anew.

But this one had possibilities:

E.jpg

It was missing all of its bucktail and its paint was half gone. But the lead was otherwise undamaged and the hook was still in good condition. It could be rebuilt.

Step One

Cut the unraveled thread from the jig and use a wire brush to remove the paint:

F.jpg

Step Two

Powder paint the jig:

G.jpg

I didn't have black paint like the original so I chose a color that I like and has been successful for me.

Step Three

Paint the eyes:

H.jpg

I used latex paint and two different sized nail heads to dab the eyes onto the jig. Also, after the eyes dried I sprayed the jig with an exterior clear lacquer.

Step Four

Tie in the bucktail and crystal flash.

I.jpg

Done and ready to entice more stripers for my buddy.

I haven't bought a bucktail jig in years. I image they run a few dollars or more each. I have only pennies worth of material invested in this rehab and a little bit of my time. But there's no economic incentive in doing this. Replacing jigs with new ones is probably more cost effective than buying a vice, paint, etc. But I'd like to think I've recouped my investment by now given all the jigs and flies I have made. I do this mainly because I enjoy tying and I like to give an old jig a new life.

[DanMarino]

Nice rehab Mark!

[J. Rentch]

Wow! You really did a great job on my bucktail. Thanks Mark, if you need some more lead I still have some.

[Mark]

Thank you Tom.

John, you're very welcome. I'm good with lead for the time being.

For those of you who tie, consider fixing those old jigs. They have a lot of fish left in them.

[silasvirus82]

I think we have the same vise. Is that a Renzetti Traveler?

Nice jig repair, I do this occasionally too, or sometimes add some flash to trebles attached to topwater plugs. Fly tying has many useful purposes to fishermen.

[bignose]

Rehabbing jigs is always rewarding.

My question is: why latex paint?
From my experiences, latex paint on lead heads and the plastic in lure bodies (yeah, I know, yours have bucktail tied in) are not always compatible, even with a clear coat of lacquer. Eventually the latex softens and comes off.
Having tried latex, sprays, and powder paints and nail polish, I've gone back vinyl jig paint. This will chip occasionally if banged against docks and pilings, but not as badly as nail polish does.

BTW, the fish don't really care!

[Mark]

I think we have the same vise. Is that a Renzetti Traveler?

John,

Yes. It's a Renzetti. I think it's a Traveler but I'm not sure. I bought it in the early 1990s. The only thing I have ever replaced on it is the O ring that provides tension on the clamp.

Rotary vises are great for bucktails because you add the hair in sequence around the perimeter of the jig. You can turn the jig in the vise as you add each increment of hair. They're also good for palmering hackle on wooly buggers.

However, traditional rotaries are not the best vises to tie Clouser Minnows because the hook clamp is angled and it gets in the way of the hair when you reverse the hook to tie the underside of the Clouser. You can either buy a special straight arm cam lock for tying Clousers on the Renzetti or you use a non rotary straight-arm vise as I do.

Here's a photo of both:

IMG_0240.jpg

The Renzetti is on the left and my traditional (Clouser-making) vise is on the right. I don't know the brand but it is older than the Renzetti. It came with a clamp to attach it to a table edge. I didn't like that and wanted it on a base. My father was a tool and die maker and he made the brass base you see in the photo.

[silasvirus82]

John,

Yes. It's a Renzetti. I think it's a Traveler but I'm not sure. I bought it in the early 1990s. The only thing I have ever replaced on it is the O ring that provides tension on the clamp.

Rotary vises are great for bucktails because you add the hair in sequence around the perimeter of the jig. You can turn the jig in the vise as you add each increment of hair. They're also good for palmering hackle on wooly buggers.

However, traditional rotaries are not the best vises to tie Clouser Minnows because the hook clamp is angled and it gets in the way of the hair when you reverse the hook to tie the underside of the Clouser. You can either buy a special straight arm cam lock for tying Clousers on the Renzetti or you use a non rotary straight-arm vise as I do.

Here's a photo of both:

[ATTACH=CONFIG]22024[/ATTACH]

The Renzetti is on the left and my traditional (Clouser-making) vise is on the right. I don't know the brand but it is older than the Renzetti. It came with a clamp to attach it to a table edge. I didn't like that and wanted it on a base. My father was a tool and die maker and he made the brass base you see in the photo.

That's about the same time I bought mine too, and it's definitely a Traveler. Same with the O-ring on mine, I replace it about every other year. I have the same hook/hackle gauge as well. Good vise, to this day I see no reason to upgrade.

[Mark]

My question is: why latex paint?

Ease...

Goes on easy and cleans up nicely.

As you mentioned, no jig is impervious to dings on rocks or piers. Yes, the eyes will eventually chip off as will portions of powder paint. Usually those mishaps happen when casting. Trolling jigs stay prettier longer. But as you said, the fish don't care.

When they get ugly to my eyes, they either get fixed, re-melted or if they're flies they get pitched -- after I remove the lead eyes on Clousers for reuse. I'm not a sentimentalist over my work!