Powder painting jigs

If you fish with steelhead jigs that you tie, I have a suggestion to help you save a few bucks.  You buy a bulk supply of unpainted lead head jigs in your favorite size/weight and apply the paint color that you use most often.

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For most situations, I use 1/80, 1/64, and 1/32 oz. round head jigs. My color preferences for the jig heads are limited to gold, black, copper and white.  I also occasionally use chartreuse and red, but seldom tie those colors anymore.

I recently stopped using leftover household paint when another angler told me about ProTec Powder Paint.  You can choose from a wide range of powder paint color options, and the application process is easy.  Unpainted jig heads sell online for $11- $15 a hundred and a bottle of powder paint cost $7.50.  Combine those two costs and you can have painted jigs for 1/3 of the price you pay at the local tackle shop.  

ProTecI recently purchased my powder paint online from Cabela's.  They were offering free shipping with no minimum order amount.   I also purchase several hundreds of unpainted jig heads from an online supplier.  I even had a chance to speak with the supplier who asked if I was having trouble with candle soot fouling the lead head and preventing a good paint job.  He uses an alcohol flame to eliminate the issue. After our conversation, I ditched the candle and now use gel fuel - similar to Sterno.  The video below shows how to "DIY".  Besides the powdered paint and jig, the process requires very little equipment.   You need a heat source, pliers or hemostats to hold the jig, a wire rack where you place the jigs to cool.

The powder paint instructions also recommend that once you paint the jigs you also need to bake them in an oven at 350 degrees for 20 minutes to "cure or set" the paint.   That step will make the jig paint more durable.  I tested the powder paint by painting white, black, gold and copper colors. The white, black and gold looked fine. The copper color was okay, but looked a tad too dark for my liking.  Give it a try.

If this post creates more questions in your mind, drop a note to jThis email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..  Share this FSA Website with others. This information is sponsored by The Green Roof Inn and is shared to make your steelhead trip successful.

Good luck.