Crankin' Up The Jig Factory Again ~ Maria Called

I just did another google search to come up with some photos of me sitting on the front porch making bucktail jigs for this post. I knew they were there someplace. So I typed keywords such as "Al Kaplan" and "bucktail jig" and came up with some STRANGE things. It seems that there's somebody else by the name of Al Kaplan who likes to fish.

>>>“Holy Mackerel!” (Al Kaplan, DougMinor)
Lockport, Manitoba and the Red River is the location for catching large catfish on a new Catfish Dynamite bait system. Lots of action and fun with these large cats.
Baits: Catfish Dynamite Huckleberries and Links http://www.strikeking.com/tv/skptj_2005_q1q2.shtml <<<

is the website where I discovered the mention. It ain't me though! And they don't make bucktail jigs.

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...But back on topic! Maria called. She and Henry were planning another fishing trip to the keys and needed more jigs. I'd first met them at least a dozen years ago atthe South Florida Fishing Club when it was a viable and competitive club here in the Miami area with a good number of members interested in light tackle fishing with artificial lures, before it was hijacked by a small group of big boat guys who always want things their way. A typical meeting would have forty or fifty people show up for dinner and a program on some sort of fishing or another. Now we're lucky if a dozen show up. Henry and Maria dropped out, and after a last ditch effort on my part to get things back on track, I dropped out too.

That means that they can no longer figure on replenishing their jig supply at the twice a month meetings so Maria calls, tells me what they want, and we meet up someplace so she can get their jigs. This photo was tken a few months ago as I got ready for her last pick-up. Well, she called a few days ago.

I'm about the only source around here of certain colors, like pink and white or green and white jigs and I'm willing to make whatever you want. Maria wanted to try green and pink! I made up half a dozen with the green on top and half a dozen with pink on top. When she stopped by the other day she gave me a glowing report about their fish catching abilities, and she said that it didn't seem to matter which color was on top. They both slaughtered the fish Then she told me that the brown and white, another one of her ideas, were great also, and that Henry had unexpectedly caught a bonefish on one while they were fishing the shallows off the northern tip of Virginia Key, within sight of downtown Miami.

Now I have to make up a bunch more of the pink and green, and she wants to try yellow and white, something I've never made before. I guess that I 'll be spending a few more evenings sitting here on the front porch keeping Maria happy.