Tried & True Marabou

[TubeDude]

[cool]I just finished posting a pic of some marabou shad jigs on the California board, for a regular who is going to Sacramento for some American Shad in May. It started me thinking that those shad were a big motivator in my jig fishing education. In fact, many of the jigs I found successful for shad, and other species in California, in the early 70's, I brought to Utah in the mid 70's...and the Utah fishies liked them just fine.

I fished almost nothing but marabou until the early 80's, when plastics began to be available in a wider range of types and colors. Since then, I have often neglected to "dance with the girl I brought to the dance"...my old trusty marabous. But, I still tie them on when the water is colder and the fish are more finicky. No matter how good plastics are, there are times and places where you just can't beat the special action of feathers.

I started rummaging through my "well organized" lure boxes and dredged up a pretty fair variety of colors...and found e whole bunch more in another box, after I had already shot the two attached pics below. While I have caught fish on all of them, and more that I did not have current samples of, there are some colors that I would never do without.

My alltime favorite, for all waters, all species, fresh and salt water, would be the white with a red eye. Next would be the black with the chartreuse eye, in a variety of different tail colors. Then would come the combo with a red head, a chartreuse body and a white tail. I lay claim to originating that one for white bass on Utah Lake in the late 70's. Since then, it has caught just about as many fish as the white with red eye. Right behind that one would be the chartreuse head with the red eye...chartreuse body...and either white or chartreuse tail. If I had an assortment of those colors alone, I believe I could go anywhere, any time of the year and catch fish.

No serious fly fisherman would think of going after big trout without some wooly buggers...with big marabou tails. And, a lot of serious jig fishermen still rely on marabou as their go-to lures, bor bass, trout, walleye and almost any other fish that swims and eats.

Our own Xman, who owns several Utah state record C&R fish, fishes a high percentage of the time with marabou jigs of his own design and creation. You can't argue with results.

Here's the two pics...light colors and dark colors. Notice the uses of purples, greens and browns. With modern colors available, you can imitate just about any bug or baitfish you want. That is, if you learn the subtle techniques of casting and fishing them. That only takes about a lifetime.




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[Xman]

Thanks to you creations we have alot more tricks in our bags. I have found that fish are not dumb hmmmm. And I think they are catching on to my antics. But..... a few different styles and vuwalla back to the grind again. Just bought a new fly tying kit will be experimenting on some new ideas we have.

Ill post some stuff when they are done and im not busy tying my thunbs in the nylon haha.
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[IceFishingGod]

TubeDude,

Since I haven't told you lately, you are the man! Growing up in Conn. we used Marabous all the time for big Stripers and Bluefish. Only we called them body wrap buck tail jigs. After I moved to Pa. in 81, I still had all that east coast salt in me. I took my knowledge of jig fishing with me and caught the best Lake Erie run Steelhead on Black jigs tipped with Maggots. I have an arsenal of jigs in my tackle ball, not as many as you judging by that wharehouse you call a room. I've used them to catch everything from Bluegill to Tuna. Sometime I too get caught up in technology, and forget where I come from. Then I remember, if it worked for my Grandfather 60 years ago, there was a reason. Thanks for the reminder, I will have to tie up a few this weekend.

IFG