Skeeterman225

Thanks. Just got to go get em wet know and see what they look like in the water!

Carman has a good one.

Look good. Think it's safe to say you got the photofinish mastered.

Step 1: Empty pot and clean spout. Most likely you still have some trash left over from the dirty lead. Step 2: Check your mold closely. It only takes a speck of dirt or lead somewhere on the face of the mold to keep it from closing all the way. Check and make sure the hook is fitting the mold. If not make a little room for it. Also, pure lead does not have to be as hot as the tire weights and other impure lead. It flows much easier and if too hot will find any opening it can to go through. Step 3: Fluid bed if you don't have one. I plug my weedguard holes with an 1/8 inch teflon pin before dipping and pull it out immediately after dipping. As for the eyes, the fluid bed will rememedy most of that. Some paints will run when baking even if the eyes are not stopped up. Always clean them before baking. Hope this helps. Cadman can probably give you some more tips and I'm sure he'll be along shortly. Good Luck.

Came up with a few new colors this weekend. Just wanted to see what you all thought. White Crappie Purple Haze Bull Bream Bad Shad

If it has a flat eye (cross-eye) then it is most likely this hook from Mustad. http://www.barlowstackle.com/Mustad-38108BLN-Jig-Hooks--P448.aspx If it has a regular eye I would lean more toward the Gammi pictured above. The only problem with the Mustad hook is unless Mustad has starting making them again it is a discontinued hook. They are high b/c of that. If you really like the hook, I'd start searching and buy all you can buy.

I was asked by someone on here a while back about a Threadfin Shad. I believe I posted several different variations, but I don't think I ever posted the final one that I settled with, so here it is.

Might could try emailing terminator and tell em you got some old baits needing some blades. You never know.

Worth has their Colorado equivalent (olympic willow with beveled edge) shown on their stock paint colors in the catalog. Have not seen the willow. They are not a catalog item so it is probably a custom die for terminator.

I do not know the name of the place they are coming from. I buy them from a casting company that only sell to businesses. I can buy them as a business, but I have to go through a friend of mine for these, b/c he won't give up any names.

I buy the sinkers in bulk. I make and tie the skirts myself.

Playing with some new toys. Slip sinker style punching weights that have a skirt keeper on them allowing you to fish a jig presentation with a texas rig profile. Played with them some this weekend and already caught a few fish. Punching is something I haven't done much, and really only have one lake close by that I can do it, but I can see where it would be addictive.

Very nice Marty.

I don't use them much myself. I mainly use for customers that request them. When I have used them, for casting, light duty flipping I like the deep throat. If I'm really in the stuff and gonna be laying the coals to em I use the 5317 since it is heavier.

The deep throat is a lighter wire thane the 5317. The 5317 has a longer neck on them and are harder to get in some mold sizes than the deep throat. Its neck is a little shorter making easier to get a larger size in the mold.

From the looks of that trailer, I'd say it works!

If you'll look back a few pages, I believe their is a thread that already has plenty of pics in it of varying patterns. As for the chartreuse, I'll give you credit on not seeing one colored like that, BUT have you ever watched one swim by the boat in sunlight???? The fins are a chartreuse color. That's where it's coming from. Always remember to try and look at what you are copying underwater in natural light. Also, the shallower, the bright the color, deeper will have duller colors.

I generally match the color of the weedguard to the color of the head IF it's a jig I'm selling. Pretty much as a rule if it's the color of the head, it will mix with the overall general scheme of the skirt. This is the ones I sell. For my box, as stated above, the fish aren't near as picky as the fisherman. My heads are black and black guards. I can put ANY color of skirt on a black head and the two not clash. Other color heads will stand out more if the skirt is not close to them. AND the main reason I paint mine is in case I need to show samples. Otherwise unpainted works just as good......

I agree totally with that. As for the spinnerbaits....It's a bulk vs. movement issue. The less strands there are in there the more the skirt will move in the water and "breathe" so to speak I like thinner skirts for clear water. In muddy water though bulk is sometimes better because it displaces more water and movement is less of an issue since visibility is low.

Couldn't have put it truer myself.....Summer time not that bad for me, but this time of year, that's about all you do. ESPECIALLY with a new baby in the house. He's getting me behind...lol

Sam, those are just standard #4 Mustad Trebles. Just some I had here I use on my own baits, so put em to good use. Thanks for the compiments guys. The top left with the long thread was my first, the bottom left being my last.

Got bored of the same old stuff, so I ordered some hooks and hackle and thought I'd see what I could do. These are the first batch I did. As with anything, I can tell it's gonna be just as addicting as the rest of it......lol

Thanks for the compliments guys. Jig Man, If I'm swimming one for specifically swimming, I'm generally in buckbrush, laydowns, or pads/vegetation. That is the lightest weedguard material you can get. It's about as stiff as a single piece of piano wire. Trim in out a little and it's very light. I really like swimming my rocker heads i use for flipping. Used it quite a bit last year, and even with a stiff weedguard in it the hookup ratio was still 90% plus. I'll give this one a whirl this spring and see if I like it better.

Figured I better get me some Swim Jigs in the line up. I personally prefer a different head for swimming, but many like the traditional bullet style head, so got some and made a few up. Here's the first batch....