I am just starting to get into doing this myself and was wondering if there are any tricks/tips you all have to offer?

I am just starting to get into doing this myself and was wondering if there are any tricks/tips you all have to offer?

Aaron Martens can do no wrong, so this should be helpful:

http://www.bassmaster.com/blog/trimming-jig-and-spinnerbait-skirts

Hard to see in Aaron's video; length of the skirt is about a finger width past the hook bend with craw type trailers for jigs with silicone or live rubber skirts.

Tom

thank you both!

I base the skirt length on the profile I'm attempting to mimic.  I've cut the skirt on a 1/2oz jig to resemble a finess jig and gone almost as short on a spinnerbait skirt.  I've done the opposite also, pulling the underside strands to lengthen them and give the baits a larger/ longer apperance.

What Tom said is a good starting point and likely holds true the majority of the time.

I run mostly short cut skirts on the collar and an inch past the hook bend. Just a preference of mine. They work awesome on the rivers.

If you make your own jig skirts the skirt ends are uneven so the first trimming should be to cut them to an even length, longer is always a good starting point and that is about 1" or 2 finger widths beyond the hook bend, jig head upright on standard skirts.

This is about the length you get with off the shelf jigs. You can cut them shorter as needed when using the jig.

What is important is hold the jig head down, hook bend upright, fold the skirt down and straighten out the strands then cut straight across, them rotate the head upright to determine if the skirt is about the right length, this take some practice.

Also if you tie real hair jigs; don't trim the hair off, like a silicone type skirt, leave the tapered hair ends alone, trimming only the very long hair strands.

Mop jigs are popular in some regions, the skirts are long, up to 3" past the hook bend, the skirt becomes a trailer. Puff ball living rubber jigs are trimmed round like a ball shape. These are a few exceptions that differ from "standard" jig skirts.

Tom

If you make your own jig skirts the skirt ends are uneven so the first trimming should be to cut them to an even length, longer is always a good starting point and that is about 1" or 2 finger widths beyond the hook bend, jig head upright on standard skirts.

This is about the length you get with off the shelf jigs. You can cut them shorter as needed when using the jig.

What is important is hold the jig head down, hook bend upright, fold the skirt down and straighten out the strands then cut straight across, them rotate the head upright to determine if the skirt is about the right length, this take some practice.

Also if you tie real hair jigs; don't trim the hair off, like a silicone type skirt, leave the tapered hair ends alone, trimming only the very long hair strands.

Mop jigs are popular in some regions, the skirts are long, up to 3" past the hook bend, the skirt becomes a trailer. Puff ball living rubber jigs are trimmed round like a ball shape. These are a few exceptions that differ from "standard" jig skirts.

Tom

I go out of my way to make them uneven...

When you trim the skirt as shown on Aaron's video, the straight cut results in 2 tapered layers of skirt when you tie on the jig and fish it. The technique Dee Thomas taught Aaron Martens is the same as I have used successfully for decades. Different strokes for different folks....

Tom

When you trim the skirt as shown on Aaron's video, the straight cut results in 2 tapered layers of skirt when you tie on the jig and fish it. The technique Dee Thomas taught Aaron Martens is the same as I have used successfully for decades. Different strokes for different folks....

Tom

Yeah... As I said earlier Martens can do no wrong

What are you trying to do to the skirt?  Finesse cut or just cut the skirt closer to the hook?

What are you trying to do to the skirt?  Finesse cut or just cut the skirt closer to the hook?

Anything/Everything to increase my odds of landing more fish with skirted lures. I always pop them out of the package and fish them as-is. I've heard so many people talk about trimming their skirts that it started to intrigue me. I like that video a lot, I am likely going to do that with several of my lures and see how it works out! Thanks :-)

Ahh,  Gotcha.

 

To make a finesse style cut I fold all the strands close to the head forward over the head and pinch the skirt material right above the head with my fingers.  Trim off the excess.

 

When I fish a jig I always trim the skirt approx. 1/2-3/4" past the hook.  I use the same technique as above but for behind the hook.

I use to cut the skirt back to the hook bend.  I don't do that any more.  Now I just trim off the strands that are sticking out to even up the skirt.  I think it makes the bait look a little more fuller.