Marabou feathers are a popular choice for streamers and jigs
Marabou feathers are a popular material for tying streamer flies and jigs. The feather flares out in the water, giving an enticing action to the lure. Marabou feathers come from domestic turkeys and are naturally white, but are dyed in a variety of colors. The feathers are tied onto hooks molded with a lead head of varying weights for crappie, bass and walleye jigs. Use 1/64 to 1/8 oz. jigs for crappie and 1/4 to 1/2 oz. for bass and walleye jigs. Marabou and fly tying tools can be purchased from fly fishing shops.
Instructions
1. Hold a jig hook by the hook bend and dip the lead jig head into the bottle of lacquer and pull it out. Let the paint slide off the head settling into a smooth coat over the jig head. Hang the hook head down to dry for 1 hour before continuing.
2. Clamp the bend of the jig hook in the vise so the hook shank and head are parallel with the table top.
3. Hold the end of the thread just behind the jig head on the hook shank and wrap the thread over the end clockwise away from you. Continue to wrap the thread around the shank toward the hook's bend keeping each wrap against the one before it. Stop halfway down the hook shank and wrap the tread back to the jig head and let the bobbin hang.
4. Apply a coat of fly head cement over the thread on the hook shank and leave it for 10 minutes to completely dry and harden.
5. Select a marabou feather, pinch the fibers along one side of the stem between your thumb and forefinger and cut the fiber bunch off against the stem. Hold the fibers on top of and parallel with the hook shank. Adjust the fibers so the tips extend past the hook bend for half the distance of the hook shank.
6. Tie the fibers down to the hook shank with five turns of thread over the butt ends just behind the jig head.
7. Pinch and cut a second bunch of fibers from a marabou feather. Place the fibers on the bottom side of the hook shank, adjust the tips to match those on the top and tie the fibers to the hook shank with five turns of thread over the turns from the top fiber bunch.
8. Trim the butt ends of the fibers off flush with the back of the jig head. Wrap the thread around the butt ends back and forth, forming a level thread neck for 1/8 inch behind the jig head. Tie off the thread with three half hitches pulling each snug into the neck.
9. Apply fly head cement to the thread neck by dipping the tip of the bodkin into the fly head cement and painting it over the thread. Let it dry for 60 seconds and then cut the thread flush with the neck.
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