Be a pro...Tie up your own ice jigs!

 

Tie Your Own Ice Fishing Jigs This Winter (It’s Easier Than You Think!)

There’s something special about catching a fish on a lure you made with your own hands. Ice anglers know the satisfaction hits a little harder in the dead of winter—when the hole steams, the line twitches, and the jig doing the work was built at your kitchen table the night before. If you’ve ever thought about tying your own jigs but weren’t sure where to start, good news: it’s simple, affordable, and downright addicting.

Here’s how to jump in:

Step 1: Grab a Hagen’s Catalog

Start by picking up a Hagen’s catalog—the ultimate candy store for DIY ice anglers. It’s packed with jig heads, hooks, paints, thread, chenille, flash, and all the hardware you never knew you needed. Flip through it with a cup of coffee and you’ll be dreaming up enough jig ideas to last several winters.

Step 2: Purchase a Deluxe Hagen’s Fly Tying Vise

Your vise is the heartbeat of your tying setup, and Hagen’s deluxe model is rock-solid, smooth, and beginner-friendly. Secure it to your desk or just use the heavy duty tabletop stand to keep it portable. A good vise makes learning more enjoyable and your jigs more consistent—plus it just looks cool sitting there waiting for your next creation.

Step 3: Find Some Larva Lace Materials to Work With

Larva Lace materials are the premier fly tying and lure making synthetics on the market!  Rarely do we associate tying with ice fishing, but we have been doing it for years with amazing results.  Larva lace carries all the materials you'll need to get started, or expand your winter tying efforts.  Tying thread, marabou, bucktail, angel hair, estaz, larva lace body material, fire star dubbing, and deadsoft copper wire are just a few of the components you should have in your arsenal when tying up ice jigs.  We've got tying tools and accessories too.  Add a bit of flash or a tiny collar of dubbing, and suddenly you’re crafting fish magnets customized to your local waters.

Step 4: Catch Fish Through the Ice This Winter!

Before you know it, you’ll have a small fleet of handcrafted jigs ready to drop through the ice. The feeling of watching a crappie, perch, or trout inhale a lure you tied yourself? Worth every wrap of thread.

This winter, give jig-tying a try. It’s relaxing, creative, cost-effective, and—best of all—it catches fish. Let the vise spin and the ideas flow.