After applying a coat of super glue to the collar wrap of thread I removed the bucktail (deer hair) jig from the vise and hung it from the edge of a cup, along with a dozen others I’d tied during the evening session.  

I couldn’t help but wonder what adventures lay in store for them.  

During the next day’s guide trip I was working a section of bank that had been consistently productive the past couple of weeks.  

While my client pitched a jig to shore, I worked the current seam directly below the boat, allow the recently tied bucktail to hover vertically a few inches off the bottom.  

A strong tap triggered an equally strong hookset.  

A few minutes later a 29 inch walleye was in the net.

A couple truisms about bucktail jigs: they catch river smallmouth bass and walleyes during the fall; and, you will lose a lot of them in the process.

Tying your own bucktails is easy, makes economic sense, and gives you the freedom to experiment with various jighead styles and bucktail colors.

Here are a few thoughts and tips regarding the tying of bucktail jigs.

A good way to acquire a supply of jigheads is to purchase them in bulk, ones such as the “house brand” of leadheads marketed by mail order outfits like Bass Pro Shops and Cabelas.

Basic colors like black and white can be used with a variety of dressing colors.  

A rotary vise makes tying bucktail jigs a much more pleasant task.  

The ability to rotate the vise while adding materials is a big plus.

Wind a layer of thread on to the collar of the jighead as the first step.  

This will give the bucktail something to bite into.

Don’t try to clump all of the material onto the jig at once.  

Apply it in three to four smaller clusters, rotating the vise as you proceed from one application to the next.  

During this stage you can mix bucktail colors to create a multi-colored bucktail.  

Assortments that contain a variety of bucktail colors provides the supply for a wide variety of finished jigs.

Hold on to the small clump of bucktail material with thumb and forefinger.  

Wind a wrap or two of thread around the clump to initially secure it, then slowly release your “pinch” as you proceed to wrap it.  

The torque will spread out the clump around the collar of the jighead (with a bit of practice).  

A touch of flashabou adds some flash to the jig.  

Tie in six to 10 longer strands as you’re laying down the initial thread layer on the jig collar.  When you’re done applying the bucktail material, trim the flashabou so it’s roughly the same length as the deer hair.  

When you’ve finished tying the jig, give the thread collar a coat of head cement or super glue.

I use super glue, and though it dries to a slightly unattractive milky finish, it helps hold the wraps tight.

Jeff Knapp is a fishing columnist for the Butler Eagle.