I’m thinking of buying from living rubber. And was wondering what grade of rubber skirts do you buy? And what are the different grades for?

The living rubber material doesn't last like the newer silicone but some feel it has better action and it tends to be duller/not as shiny(if you don't put scent on it).  But the color palette is more limited.   That's all we had back in the day, and I personally prefer the newer stuff, it gives possibility of more variation.  

I still have a lot of old bulk rubber material that I'll never use.   So only buy what you need, or enough to experiment, it gets tempting to "save money" and buy in bulk.   But unless your feeding the snags with light line, you shouldn't loose many jigs.   They usually go bad from hook, paint, or skirt damage more than loss, once you learn to fish properly.   I recycle the ones with good hooks.

Every so often the fads switch back to the past.   The fish are shorter lived and haven't seen it in their generation, so they are susceptible for a while.

Didn't know living rubber had different grades?  What ever has 40 to 50 strands should be what most are using. Personally I only make about 20 jigs a year using this stuff because it is a PITA to use. 

 

Allen 

Check out the "Living Rubber Co." site, they offer fine, medium and heavy rubber strand strips in several color combination, lizard patterns look interesting. Barlow Tackle also sells living rubber strips and a few others. Frog hair is extra fine and there are round and flat strands. You will need wire to tie living rubber jig skirts.

Don't confuse living rubber with vinyl, very different materials.

Tom

 

Andy’s flat cut rubber  medium.

I almost always tie in a tab of medium round rubber for the action it provides. Silicone tabs for the color.