TYING A JIGGY
The legendary Bob Popovics invented the Jiggy Fly to imitate an injured baitfish. The Jiggy Streamer is one of the best flies for sea trout, but it can also catch cod or pollock. In smaller versions, it can be used in freshwater when chasing trout or even pike. It only requires a few materials and is easy to tie, making it a good fly pattern for beginners that want to learn how to tie flies.
Materials for Jiggy Streamer
| Part: | Materials: | Size/Color: |
| Hook: | Daiichi | 2546 #2 |
| Bead: | Brass Cone Heads | Gold 4.8 mm |
| Thread: | Veevus | White 6/0 |
| Strike Point: | Ice Dub | Shellfish Pink |
| Wing: | Bucktail | White and Chartreuse |
| Wing 2: | Flash | Lime |
| Eyes: | 3D Eyes | 5 mm Red |
| Head: | UV Resin | Transparent |
Video Instructions on How to Tie a Jiggy Streamer
Slideshow on How To Tie a Jiggy Streamer
Step 1 – Make the Strike Point
You are ready to make the strike point on the fly after putting the Brass Cone Head onto the hook and have tied in the tying thread. You do this by making a small dubbing noodle with the Shellfish Pink Ice Dub and wrapping this around the hook. To make a simpler fly, you can skip the strike point, eyes, and the brass cone. The fly will still catch fish in this scaled-down version, making it an excellent pattern for tiers that have just started fly tying. But, we have to say that the brass cone is an important part of the fly. The cone gives the fly weight and the jigging move when fished.
Step 2 – Tie in the Wing
The Jiggy streamer is supposed to be fished upside down, ie the point of the hook pointing upwards. You do this by tying the wing in to cover the bend and the point of the hook. First, take a portion of the white Bucktail. You can use a hair stacker if you want to align the tips. The wing should be about 1.5 to 2x the length of the hook. Once you have tied in the white Bucktail, take a smaller portion of the chartreuse Bucktail (You should also try tying this fly with other colors!) and tie it in. Finish the wing with a few strains of flash on each side.
Step 3 – Build up the Head
Put the 3D Eyes to the head of the fly. Then add some UV Resin between them to build up the head. Make sure that some of the UV Resin overlaps the eyes. The overlapping UV Resin will give you a more robust fly and prevent the eyes from falling off the fly. Set the UV Resin using your UV torch once you are happy with the head’s size and form.
How to Fish the Jiggy Streamer
The Jiggy streamer is one of my favorite flies for fishing sea trout in Norway. I often use flies in intense colors like orange, chartreuse, and pink during the winter. In contrast, I use natural colors like olive, brown, and black during the spring and summer. The brass cone gives the fly a lot of weight in the front. When stripping the fly and taking a short break in the retrieving, the fly will start diving. The diving gives the fly a jigging movement that seems irresistible to fish.
