Hi all. This year I'd like to start fishing hair jigs. Can you guys please tell me how can I fish them in ice out shallow waters? Which ones work for you?

Thanks

Adam

Can’t help with ice but black ones are always good. Slow steady retrieve without jigging is underrated but if the water is super cold I would leave it laying on the bottom and bump it along 

Ok. Thanks. What size for shallow water 1/8, 1/4?

Are most people using slip floats for them?  I always caught a lot of crappie with them that way but never bass

Crawl then. I tie hair jigs in ned heads. So they stand up but the natural hair is slowly moving.   Cast out. Let it hit bottom. And slowly twitch 

I fish these and in a very similar manner.

A-Jay

 

I fish a lot of hair jigs that I make.  I use a lot of colors depending on the time of year and water conditions.  I swim twitch mine most of the time.  I rarely let them come into contact with the bottom.

 

 

I fish hair jigs the same as silicone skirts and living rubber skirts, hair IMO feels and looks alive to bass and works year around.

Tom

PS, <<<avatar bass and all 5 pb's listed caught on hair jigs.

2 hours ago, JediAmoeba said:

Are most people using slip floats for them?  I always caught a lot of crappie with them that way but never bass

I will use a bobber if I’m tired of catching fish and I want some down time......... that’s just me though, plenty of people around my region win bass tournaments all winter long with float n fly 

Ice out brings the clearest water and slowest metabolism of fish... long casts & very slow retrieves of very light baits.  1/8 oz or less jig weight, tied with buoyant material(s).  Long limber spinning rods throwing 6 or 8lb braid mainline with a 10lb low stretch nylon leader to help control depth at such a slow retrieve speed.  Retrieve as steady as possible in the bottom 1/3 of water column and also try retrieves in the top 1/3.

 

oe

Are you guys using a trailer?   If so what?

1 minute ago, Deeare said:

Are you guys using a trailer?   If so what?

When it warms up I will sometimes. grub, craw, or chunk 

28 minutes ago, Deeare said:

Are you guys using a trailer?   If so what?

The hair/hare jigs I tie are complete at the vise... no plastic trailers needed.

 

oe

Love to see a photo, I tie also 

Hair jigs up here in the frozen tundra after ice-out are actually fairly popular.  They really were back in the day before plastics came along - for walleyes and bass.  Most here fish them on long rods 7-8 feet light power with 6 lb test (sometimes less) and 1/16 oz if you can get away with it, otherwise 1/8 oz.  Black seems to be the color of preference, no trailer.  Slow steady retrieve, or hop/twitch along the bottom.  Although finesse in nature, can elicit bone-jarring strikes!

Thanks guys for responses. 

Adam

Seriously under-rated tactic for ice out feeshes. 
That said, skip the hair and tie a 5x full marabou jig for ice out up to about 48 degree water. Then transition to hair. 
I am odd man out, I like my hair tied really sparse. Like almost no body to it at all. Just the faintest profile and swimming slow. I’ll fish them under a float on a 7-6 Medium Light, but only in a really light chop. Otherwise it’s all in the rod. 

11 hours ago, Hooligan said:

 5x full marabou jig

I want to be sure in my head... 5 wraps around one jig shank not 5 plumes wrapped around one jig shank?

 

oe

14 hours ago, OkobojiEagle said:

I want to be sure in my head... 5 wraps around one jig shank not 5 plumes wrapped around one jig shank?

 

oe

Take a regular marabou jig and tie it about five times thicker. It could be four to five plumes if you cut out the blood quill and the tip. I tend to not strip a quill, cut out the center tip and stack them in. It provides a natural taper.