cadman

x2 for tying with wire

blk/blu, green pumpkin and brown

I do not use the skirt hubs. I use regular skirts and tie them directly to the weights collars with either wire or you can tie them with thread. Your choice.

There are a lot of variables in making spinnerbaits. You can start out with .035 or .040 wireforms. The .035 is thinner than the .040. The thinner the wire the more vibration you get from your spinnerbaits to attract fish. However the more vibration the more torque you have, from the blades turning, which in turn many times weakens the wireform, bends the wireform or snaps the wireform. There is a tradeoff in everything. So there are charts on Lure Parts On line that for the average person, gives you the correct wire to size for the correct spinnerbait weight. The chart is just a guideline on what most people use. Doesn't mean it is correct. Clevices, beads are sized according to wire diameter. In another words you can not put a clevice that is meant for .035 wireform on an .040 wireform. It will not fit. However the opposite is true of putting an .040 clevice on an .035 wireform. Blades are personal choice, again sizes are based on weight of spinnerbait head. Charts for this also are available on Lure Parts On Line. Willows run deeper and cause less vibration, Colorados lift the spinnerbait and cause more vibration. Size of blades is another story as far as which top blade and which secondary blade you use for which size spinnerbait weight. Ball bearing swivels, I mainly use size #7. There is a whole science to making a good spinnerbait, and then there is a whole science on why some spinnerbaits catch fish and some don't. It is not about slapping on some blades on a spinnerbait body and start casting away. You should do some trial and error when you build these, and take very good notes on what you build and how you built it. Go out and fish it and see what the spinnerbait does. Is it tracking straight, is it rolling at fast speeds. Do the blades turn at slow speeds. Do the blades rotate on the drop. Now with all that said and done, all the info above is just a guideline. Many people use smaller blades or vice versa. Some guys use really big blades to get down deeper and slow roll spinnerbaits. Guys also flip the ball bearing around to get more vibration. You can buy wireforms that are piano wire, that are tuned to perform better than std wireforms. This is just some of the things that when you get into actually making a good spinnerbait, to take into consideration. But I'm probably swamping you with way too much info. I sent you a PM to discuss further.

From my experience with Crazy Glue, it will eat away at powder paint. JMO, but I would not use it as a thread sealer.

I guess you have to start somewhere, so for the price, it doesn't look like a bad kit. I can't see the quality of the blades and the ball bearings, however once you get the feel for all the components that are needed, you can start there and if the quality isn't what you expected, you can then break out different components and buy and make your own. The only drawback is, that you are stuck with their colors.

I use that same jig head as my go to bait, and you can still use a trailer. Either a Paca Chunk, Ragetail Craw or twin tail grub. The jig just plainly catched fish. Now just because a jig is an 1/8, 3/16 or 1/4 oz and is on the small size it doesn't matter it will catch big fish. The beauty of this jig is that it is similar to Strike King's Bitsy Bug and that's why I bought this mold. The smaller size falls ever so slowly and it triggers strikes from all size of bass. My go to colors in this order are blk/blu, green pumpkin and brown. Trailer colors doesn't matter. Since I use Paca Chunks, I've thrown all of their colors except white, bubble gum and chartreuse, and they all catch bass. As far as thoughts go, I like my skirt strands to be longer on the outside, so they flow better. I use a minimum of 44 strands. However that is personal choice. Your color will catch fish.

Not a problem, received your PM. Will have all your answers for you tonight.

I use Hard as Nails on my thread wraps, and never had a problem. If you get any on the silicone skirt, let it dry, and you can slowly peel it off. Hard as Nails works really well, becuase it won't let any water absorb in the thread.

Southtexasbassin, Your jigs look really good. Nothing wrong with them and a good choice of colors. Now here is the answer to your question. Just for the sake of sanity, it is quicker and easier to pour one cavity at a time, finish all of those and then go on to the next cavity finish those and so on. The reason being is this. When you try to put 3 hooks in 3 different cavities, it takes longer to line them up, and no sooner you think you have them lined up, you go to close the mold and one shifts and now you can't close the mold. So you open it again and check to se the problem. You find it and start all over again. Now to answer your problem with your 5304 hooks: The 5304 hooks although they are 60°, are not made to initially fit that mold. What is happening is this. The Mustad 32786 hooks that are made to fit that mold have a bigger inside diameter in the hook eye. When the mold was cast it was fitted for the Mustad hook based on hook size in relation to cavity size. So what you are experiencing is this. When you try to put a 5/0 or 4/0 hook in any of the three cavities you mentioned, they really don't fit correctly, because the 5304 hooks have a smaller inside diameter than the Mustad hooks do. What this does is when you put the 5304 hook in the cavity, the hook eye does not sit all the way down in the mold cavity, because the centering pin that holds the hook eye in the mold is too big in diameter to accept the #5304 hook. So when you put those hooks in, they ride really high on the pin, making you unable to fully close the mold. Now if you try this on all three cavities, it will be even worse, because now you have to deal with three hooks that don't fit properly. So here is my only suggestion, to make these hooks work for you, without getting mold gaps and flash from excess lead. Take a small file and carefully file away the centering pin on the mold halves, to accomodate your #5304 hooks. Take it slow and easy and only take off enough so the hook you want to fit will go over the centering pin. Now once you've done that, you will be able to use your standard hooks and the #5304's. Also you will notice, that your standard hooks will be a little sloppier in the cavity, because of the reduced pin size. Don't sweat the details, it will pour fine, and the hooks will still stay in place. If you need pics on what to do or a better explanation, PM me and I will discuss it further with you.

Arv, Tacklemakig is all about having fun, making something with your own hands, and the best thing is taking your creation out to a lake and catching fish on it. It doesn't get any better than this. Good Luck.

Arv, Me personally on a PB &J would use some flat silicone and then some round pruple and round brown. I like to mix colors when I can. Since the round colors are pretty limited, I like to mix it with the flat silicone to add some color. If you just want to use round, then yes your choice would only be brown and purple. I myself personally do not like flat silicone tabbed material. If you ever put a jig in the water and take it out, the material wants to stick and lays flat. On the other hand when you put a round stranded skirt in the water it comes alive and is very bouncy and really flows well. I don't think that anyone would disagree with me that round stranded skirting looks and works much better than flat silicone. That is why for myself I would always add some round strands in a flat silicone skirt. Just my personal preferance. You will have to try some both ways and experiment to see what you like and what the fish like, then let us know. It's all about what catched fish for you and what you have confidence in.

The answers you will get here from everyone is all a personal choice. That is why we alll make jigs, so we can customize them to the way we want. So here is my input. #1 If you are going to wire tie you will need a pair of long nose pliers. If you are going to tie with thread then a fly tying vice helps tremendously. #2 My flat silicone skirts I buy from fishingskirts.com, my round silicone I buy from Jann's Netcraft. #3 I personally do it by color. So I normally put on (2) tabs of material that is 44 strands. You can do 33 strands of flat and 11 strands of round. ( your choice on this to what you like) #4 Again this is your choice on what colors you want to dominate or accent your jig. There is no right nor wrong answer) If you want a fuller skirt you can also use 2-1/2 tabs. ( 55 strands) Other advice is to take it slow as it will take some practice to get good at it. There are others on here as well that will give you good advice. So take it all in and learn from everyone and just have fun creating your jigs.

Paul, I agree with you on so many levels. If the fancy clamshell with the individual compartments increases the price of the Rage Tail product, then Strike King needs to rethink that, because Net Bait puts their craws loose in the bag, and I've never had any deformed craws. So their individual compartment marketing strategy doesn't hold water. It's not like Rage Tails out last Netbait Paca chunks, they both rip when a fish grabs a claw. They both are good products in my book, it's just that one is a lot more affordable than the other. JMO.

Yes I remember that, I wish I was on the receiving end of your Net Bait offer. Anyway I will tell you that I have fished Rage Tails side by side with Netbait Paca chunks for the past 2 seasons, as I bought some Rage Tails on sale . I will totally agree with you that they do catch fish, as I have caught a lot of fish with them. However, I didn't see any difference with me fishing Rage Tails or Paca Chunks. So I can't justify paying more for something that to me fishes the same as a cheaper counterpart. I'm just going to wing a really phenominal scenario here. If for some amazing instance I would be catching bigger fish and a lot more fish with the rage tails versus the paca chunks on a regular basis, then I would say it would be worth the cost difference. But that has not happened, not that I expected it to. I do like the Rage Tails and they do catch fish without a question of a doubt, so that is not the question. It is just that I can buy 2 packs of Paca Chunks for the price of one pack of Rage Tails.

That's the reason I don't fish Rage Tails. Way overpriced, and I catch just as many fish on Netbait products.

Thread color is not important. I use black, brown and tan. On white jigs I only use white. If I am using wire, all my wire is red and it goes on every jig I make.

Netbait paca chunks for me. They have always produced in any color I buy.

I have always had power drives on my boat. When I bought my new Ranger, I bought the Terrova. It is by far much better than the power drives. I also love my Terrova and would replace it in a heartbeat if the current one went out.

If it's a little crooked, really the fish don't care. You are not entering your shad or trailer in a beauty contest.

You can also use Coats and Clarks upholstery thread. It has excellent knot retention and it is not waxed. You can buy it at Jo -Anns or any sewing place. Braided line works also if you want to use that instead.

The only pro side to rubber collars, is if you are one of those guys that changes skirts on the water. Other than that I wouldn't use rubber collars as aavery2 mentioned. You can wire tie or tie with thread your choice. Wire tie is easier, but if you get the correct thread, you can really make those skirts puff out at the collar.

Loodkop, I can start you off on the right foot, PM me your e-mail and I can send you some tutorials that will help you out making and painting bass jigs. The Poison Tail, Snootie and Grass jig are the most versatile jigs you will be able to fish. From pitching, to swimming that will cover most every water situation there is.

I suspected that you left it in the car, but I don't want to accuse anyone unless I know the facts. Yes I do use a fluid bed for single color applications. I sent you a PM on where I get my powder paints from.

First of all just a couple of notes on powder paint. #1 All powder paint must be kept in an airtight container. If you buy it by the pound take out what you will need and store both in airtight containers. Mark the container in which you intend to use on a regular basis. #2 If you use a fluid bed, make sure you always take out the powder paint out of the cup when you're done using it and put the powder paint back into its seal tight container. #3 Powder paint will absorb moisture. Keep all containers in a cool, dark dry area. #4 Heat will ruin your powder paint as well. If for some reason you leave your powder paint in the car when it is hot, you might as well throw it away. With that said, if one of the things happened above or you did one of those things, there really isn't much you can do with the powder paint. If you can get the lumps out and get it back to powder, you should be in good shape. If you had to break the powder apart, you probably still have some powder paint that is in small clumps. Sorry to tell you but if it were me, I would dump it all and get new powder paint, you will never get it back to it's original powdery state. You will spend hours trying to get it to that state if you can, if you don't get it to that state, then you have lost all the time and powder anyway. JMHO