Here is the bug we used for huge rainbow on the Kanectok. I converted it to a micro jig. Sorry for the crappy picture. Haven't figured out the macro feature on the camera yet. Anyway, black marabou tail with 3-4 strands of pearl flashabou. (No more! Just enough to make a little flash) One wrap of lime green or florescent green chenille. Tie in rubber legs. Lime green if you can find it. Or white. Carefully wrap the rest of the body between the rubber legs. I tie in the black saddle by the tip and wrap it in a circle around the black chenille. Then hold the chenille and feather tight and wrap as a unit. Gives a very strong tie to the saddle. Pick out any feathers that get tucked under. Tie off chenille at head and cut. Continue with a couple of wraps of black saddle. Tie off. Oh, I forgot. Tie in the bead eyes or dumbell eyes first. Hope this makes sense. This is a killer pattern for the Deschutes when the salmon flies are hatching. I'm sure it will be a great half pounder and winter pattern also. Tight lines, Mike

sorry, pics would not upload

Looks good, when you get a clearer picture post it as well so we can see some of the detail in the jig. I know that will catch steelhead for sure!! I bet its a pain in the butt tieing those up, just like some of the jigs available on this website! Good job and let us know how they work!

I moved this to the jig section, thanks again.

tyeechaser wrote:Here is the bug we used for huge rainbow on the Kanectok. I converted it to a micro jig. Sorry for the crappy picture. Haven't figured out the macro feature on the camera yet. Anyway, black marabou tail with 3-4 strands of pearl flashabou. (No more! Just enough to make a little flash) One wrap of lime green or florescent green chenille. Tie in rubber legs. Lime green if you can find it. Or white. Carefully wrap the rest of the body between the rubber legs. I tie in the black saddle by the tip and wrap it in a circle around the black chenille. Then hold the chenille and feather tight and wrap as a unit. Gives a very strong tie to the saddle. Pick out any feathers that get tucked under. Tie off chenille at head and cut. Continue with a couple of wraps of black saddle. Tie off. Oh, I forgot. Tie in the bead eyes or dumbell eyes first. Hope this makes sense. This is a killer pattern for the Deschutes when the salmon flies are hatching. I'm sure it will be a great half pounder and winter pattern also. Tight lines, Mike

sorry, pics would not upload

bug.JPG

wow dude!!! im a photographer as well as steelheader. maybe i can shed a little light on your black bug. first- flood it with light. with a dark background, rather than a stark white piece of paper. then move the camera back a little and zoom in on it, rather than getting the camera right up next to it. should turn out ok. (of course all this depends on the camera and your skill!!!)

by the way, what do you oregonians mean when you say, "half pounder"? ive seen it several times on the forum. its must be an oregon thing...?

Half pounders are just small steelhead, approx 12-20" in length

They come in after one year being out at sea. The summer steelhead are the ones that have a half pound return and normally the summer steelhead are a little smaller than the winter steelhead because of coming back to the river after the first year. Winter steelhead stay out at sea for a few years before returning the first time. Half pounders are fun to catch on light spinning or fly gear!

archer wrote:Half pounders are just small steelhead, approx 12-20" in length

ahhh... half pounder, gotcha!

man, you guys go all out when it comes to tying your own jigs. i went back and re-read the post above by tyeechaser. a few times actually. all the stuff that goes into your micro jigs seems like a lot. ive got no experience with them, so im the last one who would know. chenille this and flashabou that... not to mention rubber legs. im starting to get a better idea of how you guys do it. seems to me like your using flies...? for the most part. am i correct...? maybe im backwards on the subject. seems really complicated compared to what we use up here. i looked through my stuff to find something that came close to tyeechaser's leopard rainbow bug. the jig in the photo is about as close as i could find. and i thought i was getting fancy!!! its a 1/4 oz, #2 hook. black and red, with a little shimmer. not even close to your micro jigs. ive been trying to figure it out since joining the site... are we completely missing something here in washington? or are you guys making it way to difficult???!!! but hey, whatever works right???!!!

I know that almost any jig presented right will catch fish. The only problem is when your fishing rivers with lots of guys and pressure sometimes you have to do things a little different to get bit. The jigs we use work very well and get us fish when no one else is and on those days that others are getting steelhead I feel they get us a bonus fish or two that we wouldnt get otherwise. It could be that it doesnt make a difference at all but when everyone is throwing a pink 1/8oz jig and I run a small micro jig by them many times they hit what they havent seen. The ones we use are similar to flies but we use marabou ones as well. Here is one of my new favorites!



This one had been through a few fish!

Man those look good!! Those will catch fish!!

REELTECH wrote:Man those look good!! Those will catch fish!!

which ones are you refering to?