I have bought everything I need to make my own jigs (Football heads).   Right now they are unpainted...  my question is have you ever used unpainted jig heads ?   Considering your past experience, do you honestly think/know if a bass cares or know the difference between gray, black or green head jig ?

They don’t care at all.  It’s the person who cares.

It's just as JigMan says the person using it is the one who cares. I do powder paint mine because lead can lose it's sheen and collect some powder(A type of corrosion?) in the tackle bag. I have on more than one occasion wish I had a certain color but,not too often.Like when someone is catching fish and I'm not!Jimmyjigs

Fishermen probably care more than the fish but my fishing lure OCD will not let me use them unpainted.

 

Allen 

1 hour ago, Munkin said:

Fishermen probably care more than the fish but my fishing lure OCD will not let me use them unpainted.

 

Allen 

X2, I 100% believe it doesn't matter, and I 100% believe I can't fish them without painting them first ?‍♂️

5 hours ago, Munkin said:

Fishermen probably care more than the fish but my fishing lure OCD will not let me use them unpainted.

 

Allen 

Yup. From this craftsman's point of view, a jig that I've tied must be painted.

 

 

However, I've been fishing GYCB Hula Grubs with an unpainted tungsten bullet for a couple of decades and not a single smallmouth  among the many I've caught on this T-rig said to me, "Why didn't you paint the weight to match the grub?"

My OCD also won't let me use unpainted jigs.  However, I think a plain lead head pairs pretty well with a shad scheme plastic.

Some of my most productive jigs (or baits in general) are ones that look like they've been through a blender.  Skirts are faded or changed color from scents and dips, head is chipped up and the hooks been sharpened half a dozen times.  

 

Its either 1.) A confidence thing and 100% between my ears or 2.) The more dull, beat up and weathered a bait gets, the more natural it looks.

 

My opinion is you don't need to paint them, but you certainly should paint them ? 

If you plan to sell your jigs the head must be painted when they have skirts.

I prefer to paint my jig heads a color used in the skirt.

Black and brown cover 75% of my jigs, pearl white and purple the balance of 25%.

4 colors for everything. I also paint my jig heads using Testors enamel model paint using a small brush 1 at a time using 1 of the colors and hang then by the hook on a wire. I can paint 100 jigs in about 1 hour and let dry over night.

Tom

2 hours ago, WRB said:

If you plan to sell your jigs the head must be painted when they have skirts.

I prefer to paint my jig heads a color used in the skirt.

Black and brown cover 75% of my jigs, pearl white and purple the balance of 25%.

4 colors for everything. I also paint my jig heads using Testors enamel model paint using a small brush 1 at a time using 1 of the colors and hang then by the hook on a wire. I can paint 100 jigs in about 1 hour and let dry over night.

Tom

Green pumkin, black, and brown cover 95% of the jigs I make for bottom contact. Sometimes someone wants something different but it is so rare I don't stock any other colors of powder paint.

 

Allen

On 7/23/2019 at 8:42 PM, WRB said:

If you plan to sell your jigs the head must be painted when they have skirts.

I prefer to paint my jig heads a color used in the skirt.

Black and brown cover 75% of my jigs, pearl white and purple the balance of 25%.

4 colors for everything. I also paint my jig heads using Testors enamel model paint using a small brush 1 at a time using 1 of the colors and hang then by the hook on a wire. I can paint 100 jigs in about 1 hour and let dry over night.

Tom

*You ever cure the enamel jigs in a toaster over - or is that not needed with the testers enamel paints ?

If you have a warmer oven 100 to 120 degrees of dry air the paint will dry faster but I wouldn't put painted jigs in a toaster over. Testors enamel dries over night. 

Tom