Cleaning out jig eyes??

[dickbaker]

   Just got 2 dozen small jigs from FishUSA.   Three different brands.  All the Fiskas had clean eyes but most of the others had paint in the eyes.  No problem now that I've used pliers and another hook point to clean them out.  Just trying to imagine trying to do that on the with a 10 degree wind.   Any tool to help with this?
Dick

[iceman260]

Yes they make fishing jig hole cleaners. Just google it or go to cabelas or bass pro sites.

[DaveSS1]

All part of the fun, maybe labor of love and a somewhat relaxing thing to do while you wait for the ice.  Normally just take the point of the knife to start so that I don't chip off the paint on the jig and then use an older jig to clean out the eye.  Also, depending on the paint, not a  bad idea to run some line through to floss out any paint that gets left behind.  This process usually requires your beverage of choice as well.

[tbern]

I have used tapered diamond bead reamers. Find them on ebay,amazon, probably in stores in sewing departments. I got a package of 10, so Can put one in several different boxes. Can tape  a piece of string on the end to make it easier to grab out of your tackle box or to attach to your clothes.

[dickbaker]

All part of the fun, maybe labor of love and a somewhat relaxing thing to do while you wait for the ice.  Normally just take the point of the knife to start so that I don't chip off the paint on the jig and then use an older jig to clean out the eye.  Also, depending on the paint, not a  bad idea to run some line through to floss out any paint that gets left behind.  This process usually requires your beverage of choice as well.

Dave,  you are right about a relaxing thing to do while a waiting for ice.  The beverage is also a great idea but after a couple I found myself stabbing my finger with the hook eye??
Thanks Dick

[Roccus]

I have a line cutter ( fancy finger nail trimmer) that has a "paint buster" on it as well... it is made by Rappala...

[3300]

i keep a straight safety pin for those that need cleaning in the field. better brands rarely need to be cleaned as you noticed.
 here's a picture of how i keep it handy. it has a white plastic head on it. if you need more power from a pin, just heat it up and then clean out the hole, but use forceps or the like obviously.

the pin is on the right hand end of the fly box.