SENKOSAM

Last year, after using a vice to hold a weedless jighead while winding thread around it to hold a skirt, I thought, 'there's got to be a better way!' I just happened to have some thin plastic zip ties (used for electric wires) laying around and I figured why not use them instead of the much longer process of tying, gluing, etc. Wella! I'll never go back to tying wrapping spinnerbait or jig skirts. The zip holds a wire trailer keeper (which I came up with six years ago for small panfish jigs) and is pictured. Here are the steps: 1. Lay out the skirt tabs (usually three) and place them into the tie that's been zipped loosely. 2. Bend a 2" piece of plastic coated wire into a small U at one end and insert the long forward under the zip, catching the U. 3. Zip it tight and cut off the end or use it as a weed guard. 4. Snip the skirt tab ends, bend back the wire and form an L as pictured. You're finished. The zip tie will never slide down unless you push it down to change skirts and using a new zip tie. Skirts can be reused, if not damaged or cut too short. The trailer keeper holds and holds! Swing it out/ swing it in. I haven't tried putting a rattle under the zip yet, but then again, I'm not a believer in rattles or a complicated color selection. Note: Skirts and jigs can purchased from www.lurecraft.com or for a huge selection of colors, www.fishingskirts.com.

Sometimes I thin them out depending on stiffness, otherwise I fan them out.

I was in my workshop adding skirts to some jigs and noticed something I never realized before, namely, the minimal pressure required to depress the fiber guard down below the hook point and barb. Do it yourself. It's not much pressure - maybe 6 oz.? Then I imagined the sequence of events when a bass eats/ inhales/traps a jig followed by the hookset: 1. It rarely just nips at it like the end of a plastic worm. A skirted jig is the kind of bait, like a plastic worm, that commits a bass to taking the bait completely in its mouth in a flash - no messing around! 2. Once the jig is well inside, past the lips, the angler has one or two seconds to set the hook with as much power that he/she can generate. The sharpened point exerts more piercing pressure than a large blunted surface and given the transmitted power of the anglers muscles, rod length and power and the zero stretch of braid, the speed of hook set at say 100 mph, results in a point pressure exerting pressure exceeding 50lbs/sq.inch. 3. With the bass's mouth clenched to prevent escape, the hook rotates as it begins to exit on the hookset, setting up a gullet or lip hook depending how deep the lure was taken in before the hook was set. 4. Given that the pressure necessary to depress most brush guards is 6 oz. or less, the hookset force is at least 8x and a hole cutting point of over 100x that. Other analogies are the minimal downward pressure it takes to cut soft bones (a fish's rib cage)or leather using a sharp edged blade or the pressure needed to pierce a piece of leather with a needle. Many articles over the years have restated the opinion that the weed guard needs to be shortened or made level and parallel to the hook shank. Some may also believe the shortened guard improves the natural appearance of the jig without the distraction of a black toothbrush sticking up. But in my experience, having caught hundreds of bass (and the perch pictured below) with guard unaltered, the above four points explain the discrepancy in the oft stated tip versus reality (no pun intended). IMO,a sharp point and powerful hookset trumps weed guard trimming any day! Case in pointand basic physics. To each his own....

Thanks everyone!! I've been pulling my hair out trying to find some form of protection from ethanol rot. Marine Stabil and Sefoam I'm going to use regularly. Hi Glen I'll post a cool perspective on brush guards as soon as I copy and paste from another forum. It's only logical. Frank

Recently I paid over $600 for engine repairs, some of which involved gas line rot from ethanol, screwing up my fuel pump and three carbs. Other than the red Stabil gas additive, a friend told me about Stabil that looks like motor oil but that protects against ethanol damage. He said he thought it also increased performance. Anyone use it or other additive for the same reason?

I've never read anything that indicates age=wisdom. Bass are bass, whether Maine smallmouth or Texas largemouth, and activity level, either feeding or reflex related, pretty much determines the size lure or forage a bass will attack. The younger the bass, the more aggressive and size tolerant, eating forage or lures more than 1/2 its size. A better a question might be,'do larger older bass prefer larger forage?' Again,IMO, it always depends on activity level. For example, April - June in NY, bass ranging from one pound on up aggressively attack 7" swimbaits, 6" stick baits and 7" Spooks. During warm water months, many bass will eat lures ranging from 2.5" grubs and small Itsy Bitsy jigs to 10" worms. Do southern bass downsize their forage preferences in winter months? I believe they do in the north, at least as far as lure size.

Rig it on a Bitsy jig with brush guard. I can't visualize rigging a 3" grub Texas rig. Great smallmouth and pickerel lure especially in yellow!

To answer a few of your questions: Depends on softness and design. You can modify the softness of a plastic by adding softener. Soft plastic is more buoyant than harder (salt water) plastic and some brand name plastics are too hard, limiting lure action. Start up costs should not be a consideration if you really want to pursue this as a hobby. Does it save money over the long run? Probably not, but modifications to personal store-bought favorites is satisfying. Making a plaster mold is a cheap way to preserve a design or to copy a bait. Some jig trailer are outrageous in price and now I can duplicate them as needed. Old plastic lures can be remelted (but only to the degree that color and softness is not changed). Lurecraft.com is the place to start. Get their cat.

Considering all environmental variables that affect color, actual color (hue) accuracy as we see it above water is rarely what a fish sees, except in gin clear water. Flourescent colors maintain color accuracy deeper, but again, is it the color or its brightness /contrast that matters? Every lure I own (except soft sticks) have more than one color in them, but only for contrast. When I tie jigs, I have a few color combos I have total confidence in: rootbeer, black scale with green flakes or black with blue strands. Contrast and brightness. Why is green pumpkin one of the most used jig trailer colors? Human preference, word of mouth, anecdotal experiences, superstition - whatever you want to call it. I've used many other colors and catch bass in all color water at different hours and it doesn't seem to make much difference in catch rate 4'-20'. IMO contrast/brightness can sometimes be too much. Who among us casts a white skirted jig most of the time? I have but don't do well (though half the time I have faith in pearl white spinnerbaits). When most hues are not reflected, go dark or dark with contrast; when most hues are reflected (clear shallow water, sunny day), pick your favorite color and stick with it after trial and error over many outings. Also note what color(s) enhance a particular bait's action. One or two colors are usually all I need to make life a lot simpler - dark, muted, bright. (BTW natural is overrated!)

Editing a show is not as bad as mentioning only sponsor products similar to Banjo Minnow and Roland's Helicopter Lure shows. At least Al Lindner and clan showed many lures by many companies and ways to fish them, regardless of the editing that always showed many lunkers on every outing. Truth in advertising has never applied to fishing and probably never will whereas word-of-mouth and forums usually don't spread hype and underwater photography does paint a picture few can dispute. In that respect, I still have a bit of respect for the Bass Professor whose shows usually showed lures being worked and fish being caught underwater.

A 5" Senko is usually too large for most crappie. I pour my own soft plastic minnows (similar to 3" Mann's Shadow), rig them on 1/16 or 1/32 oz jigheads (no collar) and never fail to catch every species in the lake. Bass Pro's 2" and 3" Spring grubs rigged the same way are certain to catch fish. I you're using spinning tackle, you might want to consider only using light braid (Stealth or Power) Pro in 10# test or less. You'll feel the slightest tick with braid and the fish hook themselves as long as your rod action is light, ultralight or ligh medium. The line casts light lures a good distance, sinks faster than mono and doesn't twist. Just remember,slower is better all year round because the longer the fish sees the lure, the more apt to be provoked into biting it. There are hundreds of styles of small multispecies artificial luress that kids 4 years old on up can easily catch fish on. Right place, right time may produce over 50 schooled panfish mixed with bass and pickerel. Never stay in one spot if the bite is dead in that area. Active fish feed together. Good luck

I was warned about my replies to Matt's that a mod felt were inappropriate. Not sure which, but I deleted all just in case. Good discussion none-the-less and I always enjoy brainstorming with all of you! Frank

You got that right!

The old Shimano spinning reels were easy to clean, grease and oil - pop off the handle and side plate and go to it. The new reels have a back plate attached from inside and I don't have a clue how to remove the side plate to access the gears. I've always taken reel maintainence seriously and can't do it with my last 5 spinning reels. There can't be special tools in order to do this - I hope. Any help including photos would help. Frank

Does hook size matter to fish as long as it doesn't affect lure action?

I'm envious! Nice finishes! Who says they have to be realistic!?

Interesting none the less! Frank

Thanks to all for your replies.

I was thinking about buying one, but the handheld electric pot seems to be what I need considering I don't need to pour too many for myself. Thanks for your opinions.

Advantages/ disadvantages?

If so, what have you found advantageous/ disadvantageous? Frank

Florescent chartreuse and pink seem to work best this time of year especially for picks and pike! Handle with TLC and never let one get close to your lap when getting the hook out !! LOL

My favorite time of year for all species! Depth can be as little as 1' or as deep as 4' in my local lakes with large flats and wetlands. Some other suggestions: *nose-hook thick 4" tube - jerk and pause *Spook or other topwater jerk plug (they'll attack from six feet away!! *Tri-wing buzzbait with plastic double tail trailer *YUM Mighty Bug (no wt., texpose) *Ugly Otter or Sweet Beaver (5")(no wt., texpose) *Lake Fork Shad, Houdini Shad or Zoom Super Fluke (nose hooked, jerked and paused) *3" X-Rap *6-8" swimbait (soft plastic)(even pound & 1/2 LM eat this big motha!) *1/4 or 3/8 oz. jig with Strike King Rage Tail Craw trailer (swim with a slow retrieve as you would a spinnerbait) (All the above are prime targets for pickerel this time of year .) F

Thanks! Certain river smallie anglers like them but I wasn't sure if they'd be good for LM in lakes regardless of whether the water held goby. As far as bait design goes, it doesn't look like it has much action. Gander Mountain (locally, lower Hudson Valley)) doesn't stock them anymore and we have many smallie lakes and rivers.

Anyone use it for LM or SM? Bass Pro carries a few for dropshotting and wondered how many of you use them that way or on other rigs. F