Since the dawn of time flies that look like bugs have fooled fish, much to the delight of anglers.  But to limit oneself to the belief that all flies are bugs is to miss out on some incredibly fun and effective genres of flies! We have always believed tying is tying no matter if you are tying a San Juan worm, an ornamental Atlantic Salmon Fly, or a Hair Jig. The tools, techniques, and materials are interchangeable across all styles of tying.

“Jig Tying” has taken the conventional bass fishing market by storm, as everyone from weekend warriors trying to out fish their buddy to tournament anglers seeking to win million dollar purses both seek out the latest and greatest “Jig” to come out of a tiers vise. The fly-fishing world and tying world has been taking ideas from the conventional fishing world for the last few decades and especially over the last 10 years.

More recently though many pike, bass, and muskie anglers have been looking to the conventional world for inspiration and new ways to design flies and pursue fish that are not your traditional fly fishing quarry. Many anglers even come from the traditional angling world over to fly fishing, bringing knowledge and techniques with them to evolve and change how fly anglers pursue fish and tie flies. It is much less common for fly fishing and more specifically in this case fly tying techniques and designs to cross over into the traditional angling world.

Conventional anglers have fished “Hair Jigs” and feathers on trailer hooks for a long time, but most recently conventional anglers have began tying what us fly anglers call a “fly” on a traditional spinner bait or Jig Hook set up. In the end there is nothing that moves like marabou in the water and when you combine rubber legs, natural fibers like schlappen, with say a willow blade spinner or a soft plastic trailer.  We are starting to see this cross-pollination resulting in jigs that are the best of both worlds.

As custom tied Jigs or Jig Tying has taken off there are a few people out there that have taken the craft to new levels. Their creativity is undeniable to new and old tiers alike, even if jigs are a less traditional venue to demonstrate their skill. At Loon we see these tiers on the forefront of a new avenue in tying. Inventing patterns and adapting materials and techniques to entirely new canvases and applications. We wanted to shine a light on these “jig tiers” and show that Tying is Tying and inspiration can come from unexpected places.  This is the beauty of tying.

Here are some inspirational quotes from the benches of a couple of our favorite boundary-pushers.

“The world of jig and fly design knows no bounds. As a jig creator, Loon Outdoors products have allowed me to build with confidence and transcend the fly and jig world through color, flow and design. Confidence in the products I use is integral, and Loon is a big part of this.” -Mike Murphy @jigsquad @barracuda8u

“My favorite Loon Tying product hands down would have to be UV Clear Fly Finish Thick and Thin. The Loon resin has become an essential part of my toolkit. It’s unrivaled in its ease of use, longevity and ability to fulfill my requirements. You can’t use the resin without the UV Plasma Light, it’s mind-blowing and zaps faster than you can blink. I build my fly heads strictly with Loon UV resin because it’s built to last!” -Eric Suh @mauiflycompany

“I really enjoy using the colored UV resins. Such an easy way to add small details. Easily go from a standard elk caddis to an egg layer in a matter of seconds. Add a little visibility to bugs on the water. It is so nice with aging eyes..” -Brian Schmidt @brianschmidtbaits