Well it's that time of year when we are anxiously awaiting winter steelhead. time to break out the vise and tye up some jigs. What is your favorite pattern?

Pictures?
pictures with steelies, with jigs

RainbowJigs.com

Last year, I did best using Bunny Bugs jigs. This year, I'm going to focus on using jigs I've tied myself.

I would have to say a Silent Approach pink and white 1/4 oz marabou. They make great jigs.

Beau Mac 1/4 oz Pink & White Maribou.

I will use any color as long as it is Cerise. That is my go to color for just about any thing.

MJ

First jig caught steelie was on one of Mark's "first cast" nickel plated jig heads, that I tied a white shlappen collar on, then stuck on about 3" of methiolate berkley power worm....................ooh, does that little setup look apealling, almost wanted to bite it myself.
I only tried it out a couple of times on Northwest rivers, being that I was in Montana last year.
Anxious for this season!!!!!!

Hey Rich, how do you palmer marabou. would you post a pic of that jig you described. sounds like a great jig.

1/4 or 3/8 OZ head painted white (or leave it lead grey), red body, black tail w/little or no yarn/feather beyond hook, use sharpest # 2 (or even #4) hook you can find, next best pink body & pink tail, w/ or w/o oil = deadly

Last year we floated a river on several different days. We caught fish on 8 different patterns and colors. I think confidence is an important part of the process....other then that I think it is right shape, right size, right place...for me it is anything red, pink, orange or white with a contrasting tail color...

I'm currently very fond of a jig that I tie myself. It has a white chenille body, a tail of sort of light orange marabou, and then the marabou is palmered over the body. It has a pearl white head.

To palmer the marabou, select a feather with a fairly thin stem. Stroke the fibers away from the tip, and tie it in by the tip at the tail of the jig. Wrap the marabou forward like a hackle. Tie it off about 1/4 inch from the head. Tie in another feather the same way at the tie off point, and wrap that one in the last 1/4 inch.

When you finish this jig, you can't see the white body, but the body provides a background for the color of the marabou.

I also like this pattern in fuschia.

WIth the low clear waters that were present for most of last year I started tying my own jigs on 1/8 ounce crappie jigs. I dipped the heads in pink lure paint and tried a number of patterns and colors using feathers, yarn and fur. My best pattern turned out to be a roe/orange colored yarn with the top tied off using red thread. I fished this in all sorts of water and in the log jams and got numerous fish. The only problem I ever ran into was the hook bending when I pulled big fish out of the logs and couldn't let them run.

Without a doubt my favorite is cherise/purple 1/8 ounce First Cast Jig!

www.firstcastjigs.com check them out

Had much success today on a SW Washington river with
1) a Mark's first cast jig ( bead with pink& white tail),
one fish............lost with jig in mouth.. :-(
( this was my free jig that Mark offers to try)

2) a pattern I tied on one of his jig heads ( white and pink shlappen with purple krystal flash)
one fish...........lost with jig in mouth

I see a trend
I loosened my drag quite a bit

I think these were winter fish!!!!!!!

3) white head painted jig with same pattern as #2
got it to the bank, but it was a summer............

A good day's fishing with jigs.........
Not going to be doing much drifting with eggs this year

from lost fish today

Oh yeah, probably be sending you an order Mark!!!!

hey today i was on the green and was using a white body jig that was in smaller size range with a pink head, i heard it catches fish but i had no luck today on the green, but tomorrow i'm gonna use a black jig with red near the top with a white head at snoqualmie

[img] www.piscatorialpursuits.com/cgi-bin/pursuits/uploader.pl?action=view&epoch=1038701437 [/img]

[img]http://www.piscatorialpursuits.com/cgi-bin/pursuits/uploader.pl?action=view&epoch=1038701437[/img]

HERE YA GO!!! LOOKS GOOD!!!

Thanks,
not quite sure what I am doing wrong with getting the picture on here

I like the white head, red body, black tail for steelhead.
But for the winter run, pink.