LOW11 Lowen’s Signature Krystal Accent Skirts (3pk)
Lowen’s Signature Krystal Accent Skirts
Now you can fish Bill Lowen’s favorite skirt colors! Bill adds Krystal Flash accent to his swim jig skirts for extra visibility, so you could have everything you need to consistently get bit in virtually all fishing conditions. These color patterns were developed by Bill himself and they are what he uses on the water.
Adding a custom skirt to your fishing jig or spinnerbait is one of the easiest ways to customize your lure's profile, color pattern, and action in the water. Whether you are replacing a worn-out skirt or to just want to customize your favorite lures with custom color patterns, we’ll help you get that skirt properly installed on your lure for best action. This tutorial is geared toward the assembly of standard silicone or rubber skirts that are made with a rubber collar.
Required Tools & Materials
- Your Lure that Requires a Skirt: For example, a weedless jig head, spinnerbait, buzzbait or bladed jig.
- Pre-Tied Skirt: A ready-to-use, pre-assembled silicone or rubber skirt (with a pre-installed rubber collar).
- Sharp Scissors: For trimming or tailoring the length as needed.
- Fine-Tooth Comb: To groom your skirt for maximum effectiveness (optional but recommended).
Step-by-Step Tutorial
Step 1: Prep and Inspect the Pre-Tied Skirt
Take your pre-tied skirt out of the packaging. Locate the rubber collar in the center holding the strands together. If needed, comb the skirt strands to separate any that are stuck together. Note that one side of a traditional skirt usually has shorter strands and the other side has longer strands. This is important because it will determine which direction you push your hook through the skirt collar.
Step 2: Thread the Lure Hook Through the Collar
Hold the skirt by the rubber collar. Take your jig or spinnerbait and insert the point of the hook directly through the exact center opening of the rubber collar, keeping equal amounts of skirt strands around the hook. For a skirt that hangs naturally with equal strand length after assembled, push hook point through the collar from the longer strand side. This is the more typical method and if you are planning on using a plastic trailer, use this method. If you desire an uneven skirt, push hook point through the collar from the shorter strand side. This will give you a skirt with shorter, more lively outer strands and longer inner strands that can act as a trailer or a “tail” for your lure. This method is not compatible with the use of a plastic trailer.
Step 3: Slide the Skirt Up the Hook Shank
Carefully slide the collar up over the hook shank, moving past the bend of the hook. Keep sliding it forward toward the head of the lure until it passes over the plastic keeper (if your lure design has one).
Step 4: Seat and Align the Skirt
Push the rubber collar completely over the lure’s collar lip until it seats flush against the base of the metal head (See Pro Tip Below). Spin the collar slightly to distribute the strands evenly all the way around the bait so there are no bare patches showing the hook shank. If you have a “top” and “bottom” in your pattern (ie: dark top, light bottom), make sure skirt is aligned correctly on the lure head.
Step 5: Final Fluff and Trim
Give the skirt a light shake to fluff out the strands. If you prefer a shorter, more compact presentation (often called a "finesse cut"), take your scissors and trim the bottom strands straight across. This is also recommended when using a plastic trailer as the skirt strands can interfere with the trailers’ action in the water if they are left too long.
Pro Tips to Consider When Adding a Skirt
- Lubricate the Lure Skirt Collar Lip: When sliding the skirt onto the lure - if the rubber skirt collar is tight and hard to push over the lip of the lure collar, use this trick to make this difficult task easy. Apply Lip Balm (Lip Gloss) or use a Scent Stick to lubricate the metal lip. This allows the rubber collar to easily slip up over the lip and into place without damaging the skirt.
- Revive Sticking Strands: Pre-packaged skirts often have strands that stick together due to heat or storage pressure. Strands sticking together can also happen after skirt is exposed to water (ie – after you use them fishing). Before mounting, groom your skirt with a fine-toothed comb for maximum action.
- Secure It Long-Term: If you fish heavy cover or catch a lot of aggressive fish, the skirt collar can slide down. Put a tiny drop of super glue on the lure's metal keeper right before pushing the collar over it. This locks it in place permanently.
- You Choose - Orient the "Short Side" Backwards or Forward for Different Look and Action: Use different approaches to adapt to different fishing conditions.
3 Pack