islandbass

Hey guys! I am trying to put together a tutorial and would like to run it by you for some feedback. My goal is to make it as clear and as simple as possible so that all can understand it. All thoughts and criticism are welcome. Thanks! First Draft Below: Making a Lathe-less Popper Tutorial - Draft By Alexander Arceo aka islandbass The purpose of this tutorial is to show you how I make a popper out of wood without the use of a lathe. It is a low-tech approach, but it works quite well, especially, if you do not have the means to purchase a lathe and the only thing you really need is some elbow grease. Tools Safety Goggles Sanding Block Hand Drill ¾ Forstner Bit (optional) Saw MITRE Saw is a good choice MITRE Box A sharpie marker Materials Needed ¾ Diameter Basswood Dowel Sandpaper: Coarse 60 grit, Medium, and Fine Scrap piece of wood large enough to accommodate the dowel. Cut the basswood dowel to the size you wish with the MITRE saw and box. In bass fishing, typical poppers range from 3 and longer. Choose the length you wish to make your popper. For the purposes of this tutorial, I chose a length of 3. The dowel should look like the piece lying on the rug in the picture below: Mark the approximate center of the dowel with a sharpie. This dot will help serve as a reference when sanding. Put a strip of the coarse sand paper onto the sanding block. Hold the dowel in one hand and the sanding block in the other. The next step is to change the end of the dowel from its current round shape to a square. This is done by sanding one end of the dowel at a shallow angle until it becomes flat and then repeating the process three more times to form the other three sides of your square. Dowel before sanding Dowel after sanding end to make square four sides. It can now be seen that the initially rounded end of the dowel is now in the shape of a square. The sanding process continues but this time, the pointed corners of the square are sanded at the same low angle that was used to make the square. This will change the square into an octagon. Continuing to follow this sanding process of sanding the edges will eventually taper the end Note how the left end is tapered and smooth. The harsh square edges are now gone. It is not a difficult or taxing effort with coarse sandpaper. Use the medium sandpaper to smooth your piece and if desired repeat the process with fine sandpaper. Sanding Tips: To ensure that equal sanding is applied, I used to count the number of times I moved the sander over on each side and applied the same number of strokes to the other sides. After some experience, you will develop a feel for it. By the time you get to the nearly finishing the octagon, the dowel's end will be nearly smooth. Don't hesitate to trust your eyes. A Mouse sander can be used if you have one. Making the Popper's Mouth There are a variety of shapes the mouth could be and the final decision is yours to make. For this tutorial, I have chosen to make a moon-faced popper. It can be done a number of ways such as by sanding it out manually (not recommended) or a Dremel tool, but I believe it is best done with a Forstner bit that has the same diameter of the dowel. Place the popper to be on top of the scrap piece of wood. Hold down the plug as firmly as possible and place the drill as shown. Carefully start drilling until the Forstner bit passes through the scrap wood. NOTE: I did not make up this technique to create a moonfaced popper . I learned it from a tutorial at Tackle Underground (www.tackleunderground.com) and wish to give full credit to the author. I have not been able to find the tutorial on the site since then. My intent in this tutorial is to show the reader how to shape popper plugs without the use of a lathe. Here is a shot of the dowel with the Forstner bit not completely through. The plastic bag was placed under the scrap piece of wood to make clean up easy and Shop-Vac free. The only thing that needs to be done is to remove the scrap wood. From this point forward, the only things that need to be done to the plug are to: Remove the unwanted material Prime and paint Coat with a clear, protective, finish (E.g., Dev Con 2Ton 30-minute Epoxy) Add hooks and other hardware My popper-prop If you repeat the same process on the other side of the dowel, you can make a propeller plug. Moonfaced Island Tiger popper with hand-tied chicken feather flash tail Golden Glitter Craw Propeller plug with hand-tied chicken feather tail Non-Moonfaced Redhead popper (done with a Dremel tool) with an X-Rap tail (I got tired of tying tails) Thanks for reading. Alexander Arceo aka islandbass

x2 I did hold one with a core on it and it almost floated out of my hands. It was unbelieveably a beautiful combination. As broke as I was when I held it, I think I would have bought them, but the Shimano booth wasn't selling anything. Shimano - 1 Baitmonkey - 0 (and ticked) Islandbass' Wallet - relieved. dodged a bullet.

Congrats, Raul! It must be a new "Baitmonkey Rewards" program. When you buy "X" amount of tackle with the bait monkey's assistance, be treats you receive new gear. However, when the baitmonkey treats, you still pay. ;D

Congrats! I bet you that Citica is going to be sweet.

If that was what you primarily planned to use it for, then I highly recommend SeaGuar Inizx at 6-8# test. I use 6# Invx and can tell you that it is very manageable on a spinning reel. Now this might not be true of FC line in higher stregth, but at 6-8#, it is limp enough to stay on the spool. I guarantee it or I'll send you a size 5 Floating Rapala minnow for your trouble. BTW, I found the results at TT a bit surprising myself. Heck, nearly disheartening at times too. But when I compare it to my real world results, I have decided to stick with this Invizx line exclusively for my drop shot rig. It doesn't mean I disrespect their findings, and quite the contrary. Many and I mean many bass have fallen victim to my ds rig with invizx and from the shore to boot.

Sound great, but can you elaborate on what punting and the lateral technique are? Thanks!

I see you found my post at AA.net. I would definitely not put my thumb on that spool. Until I saw that video, I always thought a spinning reel could outcast a casting reel. :

One would think that too as I would. I learned that some reel makers like shimano recommend that the drum be oiled with the tip of the qtip to improve performance and reduce the whizzing sound. I never would have thought.

Here is a little piece I wrote about it. I really started applying it last season and it has yielded excellent results. I wrote it initially for my newbie brother but have tried to improve it over time as I learned other things. Hope you find it useful and it understandable. http://www.americananglersfishing.com/index.php?page=10 -ib

Here you go: http://www.westcoasttackleandcompany.com/site/quickdrops/

This is also my preferred ds weight shape for the same reasons. I have not however found a mold for it. Is yours custom made? If they are available, it would be the thing to get me to make my own ds weights. Thanks! To the subject, after Tear Drop, the cylinder is my next preferred shape.

riiiiiiight island. more like IB-1 Baitmonkey - 23874928342 ;D I'm only counting from today and forward. That was for last year. I think you're close to the actual score. ;D

1 or 2, mostly two. My environment doesn't dictate the need to go any bigger. I bought a couple of packs of the standout hooks to try, but I misplaced them. > I am a big fan of gammie split shot/drop shot hooks and an even bigger fan of the Mosquito. I give it the edge over the gammie.

Rods: Shimano 6'6" Compre MH Spinning normally $89.00, got it for $50 something - It is tough to beat at that price; hardloy guides, IM8 graphite if it means something to some. Lamiglas Competitor 6'6" M - MSRP is now $112 but most places will sell it between $60-80.00. - The backbone for this rod in incredible not to mention excellent sensitivity. It has more backbone than the two Shimanos listed above. Even 6# bass among wooden pilings don't stand a chance against it, and it can be used to toss 1/4 oz cranks (rated for 3/8 - 1) easily and works great for t-rigs. It is the definition of a all-around rod. Shimano Clarus Clarus M Casting, $59.00 - Also another good value, good rod. AL Oxide guides, and IM7 graphite. Berkley 7' M Cherrywood Rod Spinning - At < $20.00, I found this rod to be unbelieveably sensitive for a "low end" rod. It is worthy of feeling the the nibble while dropshotting. Tica TC4 6' M action rod - Just bought it and haven't used it much yet, but for $15, I am not complaining. Other thoughts - These are rods in my arsenal and with the excpetion of the Lamiglas and Tica, they are all 2-piece rods! Two Piece out of necessity to fit in the trunk. At this time, the Shimanos are my "beater"/trunk rods that I keep in the car because you never know when a fishing opportunity might present itself. Reels: Shimano 2500 Symetre - Shoot. Need I say more? ;D Rapala 6Sxi Spinning Reel, size 20 - Awesome reel that normally costs $50 back in the day but I scored it for $34.00. Use it as my main reel for dropshotting. Pflueger Trion Casting - At $99, this reel is just about on par with the Curado BSF but can hold more line. It has never failed me and it has battled salmon that would make a 6# bass look like a dink. It happens to be running like the Energizer bunny. Shimano Cardiff 301A - Awesome round reel at this price. If I use it for bass fishing, I like to use it for cranks because it has a 5.x:1 ratio. It just seems "easier" to crank and "feels" better to me when compared to my 6.x:1 reels, including one with HE Gearing. My other stuff exceeds the $100 barrier. I won a GL2 Loomis and scored a Crucial for $59, but I won't count them because they normally wouldn't be under $100.

Yep, I saw them and last Sunday, by special invite there was an additional 15% off. I didn't bite though. IB - 1 Baitmonkey - 0 ;D

Use a big, thick book like a phone directory or BPS catalog and run the line through it. The book will act as a line tensioner. Where you bury the line in the book affects the amount of tension. I find the first 1/3 to nearly 1/2 of the book from the top best. I spool spinning reels directly as I do baitcast reels and have never ever had a problem. But then again, with a reel in the symetre class or better spooling line onto the reel that way is the suggested method. Depending on my mood, I will use the 1-3 guides on the rod closest to the reel seat. With line fed through the book and then through the guides, I feel I have more control during the spooling process. I stay in direct line with the filler spool when I crank line. I think this helps reduce the chances of line filling up more on one side than the other. When spooling spinning reels, I set the drag very tight so that I won't hear a clicking sound while I crank. I don't want to risk the chance of adding line twist anywhere on the spool.

That is just about the most foolish bunch of hooey I have ever heard. If that were true, all of my bc reels would be staying home. Of course you can use a bc rig from the shore and this is coming from someone who is shorebound. brgbasssmaster summed it up best. Just look back before any cast you know has the potential to get caught up. 8-)

No, it is not impossible, but it does help to have a casting rod rated to toss them and a line with a thin diameter (eg, 6-8# test). Another minus is that these lighter rapalas, (ie, floating originals, shad raps, etc.) are not that aerodynamic which can compound the problem of tossing them with a casting reel. It is also helpful to have a reel capable of tossing these lighter lures. For example, my round abu g doesn't have a prayer of a chance to toss them, but my Curados can and we all know that a Pixy would make short work of them. So: The right line (lighter - thinner diameter) The right rod (rated to throw them) The right reel (not all bc reels are equal - some reels cast lighter weights much better and more easily than others) and The angler all contribute to the success of tossing lighter weghts. As already mentioned, it is far less a hassle and more convenient to use a spinning rig, especially when it is windy.

x2 on the Compre. Its $89 price tag fits your budget. However if you didn't drink a daily latte for about 1 1/2 months, its sexier sister, the 6'10 MH is the rod I have for jigs.

CXX has memory up the ying yang and that is its nature. However, I don't think that is your problem. That thinkness is also the strength of its abrasion resistnce. As soon as you described your situation, I guessed you put it on a spinning reel. Unless you have a bigger spinning reel a 4000+ sized reel, 12# CXX is not an ideal option for your reel. Therein lies your problem. Step on down to CXX in 8# strength just to make things manageable. :'( Update: I didn't see that The Natural suggested this. Keep the 12# CXX for a baitcaster. It will feel much more at home there.

Hmmm... Looks like your bait monkey let you off easy this time. ;D

The curado 200/201 can toss the lighter things. Here is a pic of my 201 and a homemade lure that I was tossing with it and on a reel whose weight range was 1/2 - 1 3/4 oz. I don't know how my curado 201D casted that little spinner, but it did to my surprise and without an iota of backlash. I don't know the weight of the spinner but it must be somewhere in the 1/8th oz vicinity. I just bought a 101D and I will see if it is even better at tossing lighter stuff. I have seen an STX in action and will it is well capable of dare I say it, even longer casts than my Curado D and the D casts a country mile. Back to the subject, I am hoping the 100D since I now have one. I have yet to try a Daiwa baitcast reel. Surprised no one mentioned the Pixy. 8-)

x2. Rods can actually break with as little as 2 lbs of force when they are placed in the wrong angles.

The major difference between the two is that on the DS rig, the bait is suspended or at least can be suspended a certain distance above the bottom. With the T-rig, unless it floats, will sink to the bottom every time. It is not so much so an advantage as opposed to them being different presentations. This gives you options. The most notable thing I got from your experience is that the T-rig was more effective that time out. Perhaps next time, the DS will work. I have found that one of the most effective ways to work the drop shot is on a semi-slack line. When you "work" your bait, work the slack in the line. This will impart the action to your lure. As you picture your lure sinking back down (unless you're using roboworms) twitch your line again with your wrist. You only need small movements. I am sorry that I can't describe it well, so I hope you can picture that. If you don't get a bite, dead stick or drag your rig to another spot and allow for a semi slack line. Also, if your cover allows it, step down to 6# line, with FC line being my choice. Lighter lines aid in giving a lure a nicer action, so says Bill Dance, and I am finding myself agreeing with that. Your bass might wise up to your T-rigs and this then is where you can use the DS to fool them again. Good luck next time with the drop shot.

I made the same mistake on my first casting reel, which is why I suggested to JWO to go lefty first. If you make the switch, I can practically guarantee you will feel much more comfortable. I have kept my righty reel because I can fish both ways now, but still a strong preference for the left. I only fish righty when salmon fishing and my left side is too tired to fish so I switch. ;D