Getting that time for some hair action, well with this weather at least put in orders for some anyways! 
Just seeing what’s new with the presentation, what colors been working last couple years, meat, no meat, lead heads or painted.
Blue white has been pretty solid for me at night. Once water temps really bog down(typically better water clarity) the more natural colors shine for myself, crawlers can still work really good at the back end.
I was throwing Chartreuse over White on Wednesday. The Sheephead liked them, and so did one Smallmouth.
Is there somebody to go fish with or a guide who does really well with hair? I would like to learn it
Just hair jigs for me. No need to add anything to them. 1/4 ounce is pretty standard in low river flow this time of year. Pitched to the face and tips of dams and hopped down to the base. With water temps dropping the fall hair jig bite should be picking up pretty quick. Presentation is similar to pitching jig and crawler but with a little more hopping action to the jig.
Is there somebody to go fish with or a guide who does really well with hair? I would like to learn it
If I could offer an observation, the river will animate a jig quite a bit. The current will move the hair around and make it look alive. Like Mike said, just move it along with short little hops.
SR
Would still consider myself a newbie to hair, but most my luck has been with short easy strokes. Ringworms are another fall favorite where I’ll pop them pretty good, but hair bite seems to coordinate with that slowmovement. Don’t know how to describe it other than root said, let it move with the river.
Weight is all about what depths you fish. Up where I’m at some 1/16oz jigs are getting the go-to bc you’re picking off eyes in 1-4′ water at night.
Anyone have luck with rabbit tail? Thinking of grabbing some to try on the eyes.
Rabbit is great stuff! They sell it to fly tiers as “Zonker Strips”. The Zonker is a famous streamer pattern that came from New Zealand. It comes in a few widths, every possible color you can imagine. It moves like Marabou but is much, much tougher. It’s the “go to” material for folks that tie flies for Pike fishing.
It does have some buoyancy compared to Bucktail or Marabou. A jig tied with it will feel slightly heavier in the air but won’t sink as fast in the water.
It’s simple enough to use. Poke the hook through the zonker strip so that an inch or so hangs off the back of the hook. Pull the hair out of the way and use 6 or 7 firm wraps of thread to hold it in place. Now wrap the thread up to the jig head and let it hang. Then take the rabbit strip and wrap it around the hook up to the jig head. Tie it down with the thread and trim off the excess. Hit it with a drop of glue (fingernail polish work great) and you’re done. Quick and easy and works well.
Maybe I should make a video 
SR
Called Thorne, might have to tie some up for tonight. What you describe is exactly what I’m looking for, more boyauncy in the short water column.
Is there somebody to go fish with or a guide who does really well with hair? I would like to learn it
You fish the river…..wait until water temps start to sink into that 50 degree area and then start looking for early transition areas to fish hair. PM Trumar here. He makes jigs that are geared toward river fish, especially fish found near the dams or heading that way and he knows which colors are producing.
Like lots of different lure types hair jigs have their really productive windows, one in the spring, one in the fall, so its more a matter of learning when those windows open up and close than it is a matter of knowing how to fish a hair jig. When the windows are open just having a hair jig in the water is likely to be a good producer if you’re willing to work it in slightly different ways until you hit the magic.
Hair is pretty versatile and can be tipped with plastics, crawler pieces, minnows or minnow heads….lots of options and usually there is no right or wrong way to fish them. But if you want to land some quality jigs, THAT WORK, get a hold of Trumar.
Anyone know the approximate river temp now?
I have a bunch or hair jigs waiting to go. (Some Trumar’s….real nice jigs!)
Anyone know the approximate river temp now?
I have a bunch or hair jigs waiting to go. (Some Trumar’s….real nice jigs!)
Here is a link to the gages
http://www.mvp-wc.usace.army.mil/Reports.html
Did someone mention Zonkers???
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Thanks, Randy! I’ve looked high and low on the other gov river pages and I could never find the river temperatures. I’ve never seen this page. I like it!
Pool 2 last Wednesday was 70.5 degrees.
Is there somebody to go fish with or a guide who does really well with hair? I would like to learn it
I have been know to use Hair jigs year around but I fish with a no pressure type of mind,meaning I dont care if I dont catch anything and I also try to think outside the box.
I have caught some of my biggest Walleyes during the hot months of the year using hair jigs.
I wouldnt mind spending part of a day to run you through the basics of using them, I was self taught and went through a bunch of them before I got it down to where I am at now(biggest reason I tie my own)
Give me holler here or on Facebook (Jeff Trumar)and we see if we can get together !
There is no better feeling than when a fish smack a hair jig…They smack it HARD !
If I was swimming underneath that I’d eat go it 
Great tip on poking it through first, made it way easier. Left tail long to experiment with, can trim on the water.
Super excited to see how it swims. Thorne had a ton to choose from.
Could see this being super practical on windy days, upsize your jighead for control but still maintain where you want to be in current.
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Looks pretty good Nick! It’s a whole new level of fun when you stick a good fish on a bait you made yourself. Here’s what I was working on this afternoon. I made about a dozen of these. #8 hook, hopefully I can fool a Steelhead with one of these.
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Appreciate the pics Randy, I remember that conversation few years back now on the effectiveness of those things. Didn’t have much luck with the ones I made but they were pretty raggy looking compared to those, good wintertime project for spring 
Steve that thing looks delicious!
Could’ve caught my limit tonight, yahoo!
No eyes on em or bass, but always had to have meat on in the past. If this takes away that need, sweet deal.
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How fun is that!
Mr. Root is fly tier extraordinaire! He made me some sunfish bugs very similar to what he shows in his picture here and they are one superb bait for both sunnies/gill and crappies.
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