Super-fluffy marabou jigs By- Hillbilly Geek

Marabou feathers generally come in two forms: strung and loose. Strung marabou is usually very fluffy at the tip, but the remainder of the feather is pretty much worthless. Loose marabou is not only cheaper, there's more variety when it comes to size and shape.
The easiest way to make large super-fluffy marabou jigs is to wrap the feather around the hook shank (also called "palmering"). Smaller jigs generally require shorter fibers, so it's easier to cut clumps off the feather, trim them to size, then tie them in.

Here's a mega-fluff:


Step-by-step:
1. Pick the right feather. These feathers are ideal:


2. Wrap the thread around the hook to anchor it, then secure the marabou feather.


3. Wrap the feather around the hook all the way to the head. It is usually necessary to "preen" the feathers while wrapping to make sure they don't overlap. Just grab what you have already wrapped and pull it back so it's out of the way for the next wrap.


4. Palmered jigs tend to be a little thick in the butt, so I like to add chenille or a large hackle to bulk up the front portion. (Chenille is a good choice if you want to add scent. You don't want the feathers to get oily or they will be stiff in the water.)
Secure the yarn, leaving the thread by the head.


5. Wrap the yarn around the hook, then secure with a few thread wraps.


6. Trim the yarn, then whip-finish the thread. (half hitches can also be used)