Those jig heads can get expensive, however, particularly in the larger sizes. I'll spend a couple evenings in April making pipe jigs--the oldtimer's mainstay. A basic recipe:

1. Cut 4--8 inch pieces of 1/2" copper tubing (I'll scrounge the REstore, &c).
2. A couple inches up from one end of the tube, pinch half the diameter together with a large pair of channel locks. Pinch gently in the middle, then apply more pressure as you work out to the edges--a triangular shape seems best. Do not pop a hole in the pipe!
3. Drill a board full of shallow 9/16" holes to hold a dozen or so of your tubes. The more, the better--then you won't have to stop and cool them...
4. Melt some scrap lead out in the yard on a windy day and pour into the jigs. Leave 3/4" headspace. Let cool as is or splash with water or pull with pliers and dunk in a bucket.
5. Hammer or pinch the headspace together. Drill a hole here to attach a snap swivel. Drill another hole close to the edge of the pinched section.
6. Work a split ring into the hole of the pinched section and attach a barbless treble hook. (So far, I've had to pinch barbs off all my hooks--where the heck can a guy buy barbless trebles?) The idea is to keep the bend of the hook 1/4" or more above the bottom of the jig--much less snaggy. I find a light wire hook desireable for spots where I know I lose a lot of gear: much of the time, I'll bend or break the hook, but get the jig back. Carry extra hooks.

The worst part of it all is working with the lead, but it hasn't (*twitch*) bothered me yet (*twitch* *twitch*).