Bass Jigs: A Complete Guide To Making Your Own

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I haven’t always been an advocate of bass jigs.

There were plastic worms and spinners I could use – why would I ever need anything else?

Then I tried a jig…and now it’s my favorite bass lure!

In fact, jigs are why I started making my own baits in the first place (more on that later).

Welcome back once again to Jig Is Up Lurecraft!

Today we’re diving into all things jig making including why I started making my own, why you should make them too, and the simple process you can use to start making your own bass jigs today!

My Story With Bass Jigs

The Beginning

It’s true – in the beginning I didn’t use jigs.

Trout spinners and small spinnerbaits were actually my first loves 😅.

But as I dove deeper down the bass fishing rabbit hole, one fact became very clear – a lot of pro anglers win money throwing bass jigs.

Intrigued, I bought a few. And I caught fish with them right away too!

I liked the results I was seeing but I had some serious beefs with these store bought jigs.

For one, they lost their paint jobs in no time flat. It didn’t take much dragging on river bottom for the jig head’s paint to become chipped and battered. #notcool

On top of that, I couldn’t seem to reliably set the hook with these things! 

The jigs were small and compact but the hook was simply too thick for the finesse tackle I was using. My light tackle didn’t seem to be strong enough to drive that hook into a bass’s lip.

Making My Own Bass Jigs

So I decided to make my own jigs.

Jigs with a bulletproof paint job. 

Jigs with a strong, slender hook I could easily drive home with light tackle.

Jigs I could make for much cheaper than what I was paying in stores.

After weeks of research and design… I built a jig that ticked each of those boxes.

I dubbed it “The Tiny Terror Jig.”

Was it effective? Judge for yourself.

The Tiny Terror caught 3 different species for me the first year 👉 smallmouth bass, largemouth bass, and green sunfish.

The Tiny Terror caught my personal best smallmouth 👉 a 14.5” bronze brute in an ankle deep creek in Indiana.

On three distinct times that first year, the Tiny Terror Jig saved the day and caught fish when no other baits in my tackle box were getting bit.

And this little jig steadily caught fish that were 2x as big as I was catching before.

For my personal fishing, the Tiny Terror Jig was a smashing success!

So now that I’ve covered a little bit of personal jig fishing history, let’s dive into the process I use so you can learn how you can make your own bass jigs.

How To Make Bass Jigs

At the risk of sounding like a broken record… I love making bass jigs.

DIY bass jigs have unlocked a creativity in me that I never knew existed.

If you’ve never made a bass jig before, I highly encourage you to give it a try!

The following is a list of materials I use and recommend for making bass jigs.

There are four steps to making a bass finesse jig – pour the jig, paint the jig, tie the jig, and attach the weedguard to the jig.

For this tutorial, I will briefly go over jig pouring and painting. However, for additional details regarding these steps, please check out the article I previously wrote titled Ballhead Jigs: A Complete Guide For The Everyday Angler.

Pour The Jig

As always, I do my jig pouring in a garage or similar area that is free from the elements. 

To follow safety procedures, I also wear safety glasses, welder’s gloves, and a mask to keep out any lead fumes.

Once I am safely equipped, I turn on the lead pot and fill it with lead.

While the lead pot is heating up, I place the jig hook into the Do-It Weedless Ballhead Jig mold. This mold also has a slot for a weed guard pin. 

For this ⅛ oz jig, I use a 1/0 Victory 10575BN jig hook, and a 5/32” drill bit for the weedguard slot. 

Once the lead is melted, I use the ladle to carefully scoop hot lead into the Do-It Weedless Ballhead Jig mold.

After several seconds, the jig has cooled and I am able to pull it out of the mold.

Paint The Jig

Before painting the jig, cut the extra lead (called the sprue) off of the jighead. A few swipes with a metal file will clean up any burrs that remain on the jig head.

To paint the jighead, I gingerly place the ⅛ oz jig head over a heat gun for several seconds.

Once it is thoroughly heated, the jig head is swiftly swished into a jar of powder paint for a quick second.

For this jig, I am using Protec Powder Paint in Coppermine color. As I’ve stated in previous articles, Protect Powder Paints have everything you could ever want in a jig paint. 

Their paints are not only very affordable, but they come in a bunch of fantastic colors and are very high quality.

After a brief swish in the jar, I take the drill bit and clean out the weedguard hole of any paint. If I don’t do this step, the weedguard hole will clog with paint and I will be unable to insert a weedguard later.

I also take an extra hook and make sure the hook eye is clean and clear of paint.

A quick clean up and then the jig head is back over the heat gun to set the paint.

To further improve the jig head’s paint durability, I bake my jigs in a toaster oven for 25 minutes at 350 degrees. 

Using this process, the jig head paint becomes rock hard. In fact, I have yet to chip the paint on a single jig that I’ve made using this method.

Tie The Jig

Now we get to add some color flair to this jig!

Today’s jig build will use a color combo I call “Orange Craw.”

Orange Craw

• 10 strands of light blue silicone material
• 10 strands of brown silicone material
• 20 strands of Nature’s Edge orange silicone material

To tie the skirt onto the jig, first I cut off about 3 inches of artistic wire and lay it flat. This wire is what will attach the skirt securely to the jig.

Now I lay out the skirt material on top of the wire. The blue and orange layers for the bottom of the jig will be placed first.

Next, I place the jig on top of the skirt material and the wire. Make sure the wire is aligned just below the round head of the jig.

Once the jig is correctly placed, put the brown silicone carefully on the top of the jig.

Now we are ready to cinch the skirt material onto the jig.

Carefully wrap the wire two times around the collar of the jig.

Before pulling the wire tight, be sure to adjust the silicone as needed so it is equally distributed around the jig.

Using needle nose pliers, grab the two ends of the wire and pull it tight. 

Once I’ve done that, I use the pliers to twist the two ends together. As I do so, I periodically pull the twist to further tighten the wire around the jig collar.

Once the twisted wire is snug up against the jig collar, trim the twisted wire so it is ¼” long. Once the twisted wire is trimmed down, I use pliers to pinch it against the wire wraps so the twist blends in.

Now, all that’s left is to cut off the tabs at the end of the skirt material. 

The skirt is now tied!

Attach The Weedguard To The Jig

The last step to making a bass jig is attaching the weedguard. 

Attaching the weedguard is very simple.

First, I squeeze a small drop of Loctite super glue into the weedguard hole on the jig head.

Then, I gingerly push the weedguard into the hole. Weedguards come with one end glued together – make sure to insert this end into the hole.

After several minutes, the super glue will have set. At this point, you can use a pair of scissors to trim the weedguard to whatever length you would like.

Now you have a fishable bass jig!

Conclusion: Bass Jigs – A Complete Guide To Making Your Own

Bass jigs may not appear glamorous but they are incredibly deadly.

There are tons of jigs on the market that catch fish.

However, these may not be the jigs for you.

Using the steps in this article, you can make bass jigs that reflect your exact fishing style.

Aaaand you never know, you might unlock a lifeline addiction with catching fish on tackle you’ve made yourself…. ask me how I know 😉.

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