Among the various tackle craft projects that can help you pass away the winter months, powder coating your own jigs is one that’s easy to accomplish and in the long run can save you some money.

From panfish to muskies, leadhead jigs, in their many shapes and forms, figure greatly in most anglers’ bag of tricks. Typically, they are fished on or near the bottom, which reduces their life expectancy.

For instance, in my case, round head jigs and worm nose jigs are used year-round for smallmouth bass, largemouth bass and walleyes. I go through dozens. But by buying unpainted jigs in bulk, and then coating them with powder paint, I not only lessen the financial pain of losing tackle, but can tailor my jig selection to exactly the colors, sizes and styles I need.

For those unfamiliar, powder paint is an extremely fine, flaked paint. That marketed for the tackle industry is typically available in two-ounce containers in a wide variety of colors, even ones that give off a luminescent glow.

It’s applied to a jig by heating the head of the jig and then dipping it in the powder, a process that coats the head with melted powder. Final curing is accomplished by then baking the coated jig in an oven for 20 to 30 minutes. When done correctly, the finished product leaves an even, ultra-tough finish on the jig.

Two options are commonly used to heat the jig, either a heat gun or propane torch. I use the former. Mine is designed that it can be set on a table with the heat discharge aimed straight up. This way, I can grab the jig by the hook and hold the head in the plume of hot air.

For a quarter-ounce jig, it takes about 10 to 15 seconds to heat the jig to the temperature necessary to accept a nice coat of powder, while the hook is still cool enough to hand-hold comfortably.

You can leave the powder paint in its original container for the dipping process. It’s wise to occasionally mix the powder up by shaking the container, with the lid on, in such a way to fluff up the powder. Do this after every few jigs. Otherwise, you’ll get too much powder on your jig.

A more efficient way is to use a fluid bed for the powder paint. Most are made from two or three-inch PVC pipe. A short section of pipe (approximately two or three inches) creates the tube in which the powder is held.

The bottom end of the tube features a filter made of porous paper. The tube slides into a base that is aerated, typically with an aquarium aerator. The slight air pressure from the aerator discharges through the tube’s filter, essentially percolating the powder above.

Fluid beds can be purchased pre-made or you can fashion your own from inexpensive components and materials. Many YouTube videos exist that demonstrate the process.

A small toaster oven specifically tasked with jig painting is the ideal for the curing process, as you don’t want to expose your household oven to potentially toxic metals and paint. Simply hook each jig on to the oven’s rack once you’ve dipped them. I usually do around 50 jigs at a time. Cure them for at least 20 minutes at 300 degrees.

There’s a short learning curve associated with powder painting jigs. For instance, getting the level of pre-dip heating correct. Too cool and the jig won’t accept the powder well. Too hot and you’ll get too thick a coating, an excess which will then run when cured.

I’ve found that when the jig is the right temperature, it’s just hot enough to quickly turn the powder to a shiny thin coat when dipped. Also, it’s important to clear the eye of the jig of powder before curing.

Once I’ve dipped each jig, I run a thin piece of wire (like a paper clip) through the eye to remove as much paint as possible before hanging it on the rack. If not, you’ll end up with a clogged eye that’s very difficult to clean out once cured.

As with most tackle craft activities, the initial investment is the costliest one. Here, a heat gun will run around $20. Figure another $25 to $30 for a cheap toaster oven. Powder paint, available from places like Lurepartsonline and Jann’s Netcraft, is about seven bucks for a jar, but each one will coat hundreds of jigs.

But I pay around 25 cents each for unpainted leadhead jigs (usually from Ebay stores), whereas similar finished jigs will be from 50 cents to a dollar each. So, it doesn’t take long to recuperate the investment.

And you can find jigs in those in-between sizes such as 3/16, which are rare in finished jigs, not to mention partake in a hobby that becomes gratifying.

Jeff Knapp is an outdoors columnist for the Butler Eagle