I'm looking for a good source just to buy the skirt tying tools I need for wire tying skirts to jig head.  - not a whole kit which includes a bunch of skirts , rubber skirt bands , etc.  I may or may not use - your recommendations ? ... So far I have a small Harbor Freight suction vice and needle nose plyers - what else do I need ? Thanks in advance !

Try fishingskirts.com

I use floral wire from Lowes.  You also need side cutters and scissors.

Yep, the wire, scissors, and some cutters is all you're technically missing. I found the wire to be more complicated as a standalone so I use thread and a bobbin to wrap the skirt on so i have full control then throw a few whip finishes in with my hand and then tie the wire over the completed wrap. Been working fine.

 

SmallJaw on YouTube has a wealth of informative videos.

I have side cutters and also went to a craft store and bought #22 AWG copper wire ... * What about the tube / curved tool skirt "puller" ?

1 minute ago, ChrisD46 said:

I have side cutters and also went to a craft store and bought #22 AWG copper wire ... * What about the tube / curved tool skirt "puller" ?

That's for doing skirts with the rubber/silicone band. You don't need it for wire tying. Though you can do the jig that way, then wire tie, then cut off the band. 

 

For bands you can go basic: https://www.lurepartsonline.com/Pencil-Skirt-Tool 

Or fancy: https://www.lurepartsonline.com/The-Skirt-Factory 

 

But like I said, not necessary for wire tying as the wire is holding the skirt, not a band.

 

 

 

 

3 hours ago, ChrisD46 said:

I have side cutters and also went to a craft store and bought #22 AWG copper wire ... * What about the tube / curved tool skirt "puller" ?

 

1641 Pencil Skirt Tool at LurePartsOnline.com

 

6" Safety Wire Twisting Pliers (harborfreight.com)

 

These 2 and you should have everything you need. Do a search in Tacklemaking as I did a tutorial of how to wire tie skirts.

 

Allen

The twisting pliers work but if you learn how to do a safety wire pig tail by hand, it saves a couple bucks and is faster.

6 hours ago, fishwizzard said:

I wire tie my jigs and use a pair of cheap expanding/reverse pliers and an 0-ring to get the tabs on the jig and arranged how I like them, add the wire, and then roll the ring off the jig.  I only tie on a few different heads and by coincidence the o-rings I already had for 5" Senkos and Trickworms work well, but a 0-ring kits are really cheap on ebay/aliexpress/Harbor Freight.  

I've got one of the tube tools coming this week to see if I prefer that method over using a thread bobbin. Also going to make a kit so I can make banded skirts on the water. No matter how many jigs I have on hand, it always seems like I need something different than what I have, lol.

There is no end to what you can get and use.  I have everything that has been listed.  I use vice, wire, pliers, side cutters and scissors.   If I am thread tying then I don’t need the wire side cutters and pliers.

9 minutes ago, Jig Man said:

There is no end to what you can get and use.  I have everything that has been listed.  I use vice, wire, pliers, side cutters and scissors.   If I am thread tying then I don’t need the wire side cutters and pliers.

Yeah, you can basically get as deep as you want to on this stuff. 

Make sure you get Good scissors if you are planning to separate living rubber.

22 minutes ago, Hewhospeaksmuchbull said:

Make sure you get Good scissors if you are planning to separate living rubber.

How do you separate it with scissors? I just pull it taut and let the strands separate themselves.

11 hours ago, Michigander said:

How do you separate it with scissors? I just pull it taut and let the strands separate themselves.

Wish it worked that way for me, I pull strip tight and cut across strip.

 

I wonder if we are talking about the same material as the rubber I'm using will not separate with out cutting, at least not easily.

 

 

8 minutes ago, Hewhospeaksmuchbull said:

Wish it worked that way for me, I pull strip tight and cut across strip.

 

I wonder if we are talking about the same material as the rubber I'm using will not separate with out cutting, at least not easily.

 

 

Nevermind, I'm an idiot. I totally misunderstood what you wrote. I was thinking you were cutting parallel with the strands or something, not perpendicular. That's how I do it too, lol.

Don't really need a vise. I wire tie all skirts (jigs, buzz baits, spinner baits) with a pair of stats, wire snips, and an O ring. The  O ring is key. The O ring allows you to customize a little bit more it also lets you recycle some skirt material or even fill out a skirt that gets thinned out. The O ring acts as a temporary skirt band, holds everything in place while you wrap it with wire. Not my idea read about it here somewhere. I started using this method because I like to add 3 or 4 strands of red to a lot of skirts. The O ring method allowed this.

If you plan to use a band. I would buy the tube tool.  I have one on my boat, and I have some skirts I put to gather just in case.. but in the shop, I wire tie mine.  Craft wire, side cutters and a vice...and get some sharp scissors.  

5 minutes ago, Bass Junke said:

Don't really need a vise. I wire tie all skirts (jigs, buzz baits, spinner baits) with a pair of stats, wire snips, and an O ring. The  O ring is key. The O ring allows you to customize a little bit more it also lets you recycle some skirt material or even fill out a skirt that gets thinned out. The O ring acts as a temporary skirt band, holds everything in place while you wrap it with wire. Not my idea read about it here somewhere. I started using this method because I like to add 3 or 4 strands of red to a lot of skirts. The O ring method allowed this.

Agreed, the vise is not necessary but it is nice to have for silicone. I think it is necessary though once rubber, feathers, and hair get mixed in. I certainly need that third hand when using those materials.

Another pair of tips I picked up somewhere, stick a piece of silicone tubing/drinking straw over the weedguard and a small bit of cork over the hook point while tying.  It really speeds things up and lets me get better wraps with the wire as I can pay more attention.  

How to wire tie a jig - Tacklemaking - Bass Fishing Forums (bassresource.com)

 

Here is the write-up I did on wire tying a jig.

 

Allen

8 hours ago, fishwizzard said:

Another pair of tips I picked up somewhere, stick a piece of silicone tubing/drinking straw over the weedguard and a small bit of cork over the hook point while tying.  It really speeds things up and lets me get better wraps with the wire as I can pay more attention.  

The weedguard shpold be the last thing that goes on the jig.

1 hour ago, Jig Man said:

The weedguard shpold be the last thing that goes on the jig.

I buy my heads pre-made, so it's already installed.  It's not a huge deal, but it does slow the process down a little. 

59 minutes ago, fishwizzard said:

I buy my heads pre-made, so it's already installed.  It's not a huge deal, but it does slow the process down a little. 

Yeah, I definitely try to request them separately, but sometimes you're stuck with a slower tie.

On 12/6/2020 at 3:01 AM, ChrisD46 said:

I'm looking for a good source just to buy the skirt tying tools I need for wire tying skirts to jig head.  - not a whole kit which includes a bunch of skirts , rubber skirt bands , etc.  I may or may not use - your recommendations ? ... So far I have a small Harbor Freight suction vice and needle nose plyers - what else do I need ? Thanks in advance !

PM your email for photo,  I have Thompson jig vise, silicone skirt color tools I will sell at a very reasonable price.

Tom