smalljaw67

Are you planning on making a 3 bladed bait? I ask as you have 3 blade sizes and they are too small for a 3/8oz head, well a purchased 3/8oz head because the wire form will be too big. You will want a #3.5, a #4, and a #4.5. The clevis you only need a size #3, a size #2 clevis will be too small because they don't tell you the wire diameter but I'll bet money that there 3/8oz heads are going to be made on .040 wire, most pre poured heads are. The metal beads you will want are the hollow metal beads and you will want them in 5/32" , the solid metal beads will add too much weight to the blade arm and if you use 3 blade it will only make it easier for your bait to roll over on its side when reeling at a fast pace. The ball bearing swivels you need in a size #2 , the cheap imported swivels will be ok for you to just learn how to build spinnerbaits but if you ever want to make a really good bait that your blades will spin at slow speeds then you will need to get either the Worth ball bearing swivel or the Sampo ball bearing swivel. The sizes I gave will be fine for up to 3/4oz baits, getting the component sizes right is the first step in making a great bait, I made mistakes when I began 17 years ago, but I learned what kind of affect the wrong size components have on a bait and since you are buying your heads pre made you need to worry about the wire diameter, this will let you know what size beads you can use as well as clevis sizes, I use a size 2 clevis on .032 to .035 wire diameters unless the bottom blade is a #4 willow or #3 Colorado, then I use a size 3 clevis.

I agree 100% with Hogsticker, if you spend 100 bucks, grab the new Fenwick HMG, the components are great and will last and the best part is they are backed by a lifetime warranty and Fenwick has great customer service, they are IMO the most rod you can get for 100 bucks.

I put size and action ahead of anything else, last is color but color does matter when it matters. I had a friend laugh at me for saying that, and a trip for smallmouth on the river in late May got him to believe in color. I know color is more important to us, the anglers but in ultra clear water there are times when the fish are color sensitive. As I said, my friend told me he could get bit on different colors and he was right but that one day in May is one both of us never forget. It took an hour to find any type of pattern, we caught 1 fish on a moving bait when I got bit on a Yum 2.5" crawbug in black neon which is black with red glitter. I caught 3 more in short order and he switched and told me he'll get them on another color, perfect time to set up the experiment. Well he used a green pumpkin, watermelon red, and a straight black, only 1 fish on the black and he then took a black neon and caught 3 fish in 4 cast, we went through both bags of that color that day, and I always have tubes and stick worms in black neon for the river because there is something in that water that makes the fish hit dark baits with red glitter. I know some will laugh but it is true, and it happened more than once and when my buddy goes with me, he now carries black neon when he goes on the river but that kind of thing is rare, and so I say color only matters when it matters, and most days any color bait as long and the size and action are right it will work but every now and again a color will be a must have.

You can fish it deep but the willow blade looks to be a #7 or #8 and I can't see the Colorado blade. In order to keep it down you need to reel slow, I don't do spinnerbaits beyond 10' but I know someone who does and he fishes them like a crankbait with a 5.1:1 gear ration reel and just slowly cranking them over bottom cover and ledges. I would use a heavy power rod unless you have a really stout MH.

I throw jerkbaits on my Elite Tech 6'10" MH-MF, if the rod was just a medium heavy with a fast action then I wouldn't even consider it. The 6'10" medium heavy, moderate fast action is a special rod, it isn't a soft parabolic type rod normally associated with crankbaits, it does flex through more of the blank but it still has more backbone than any cranking rod. The reason it works for jerkbaits is the action is basically fast which make working the bait super easy, unlike cranking rods were the tip of the rod flexes hard on a pull, especially when working a jerkbait aggressively, however when you hook a fish and apply pressure you notice right away that you got some added play in the rod, when the fish makes that sudden surge at the side of the boat the rod will give a little more than a normal fast action rod and it is perfect, it is just enough to keep the fish pinned without being too soft to work the bait. Because of the action it makes it great for any moving bait, you can rip lipless cranks out of grass yet still have the flex needed to fight the fish, the same thing with square bills and I can even fish spinnerbaits and chatterbaits in cover with it as it allows you to rip it out of cover without bending in half like a cranking rod. The 6'10" medium power, fast action would be another one for jerkbaits, the rating, 1/8oz to 5/8oz is accurate, I've used it to fish 1/16oz shaky heads with a slender 4.5" worm which together might have weighed 1/8oz and I had no trouble casting and it didn't over power the head, I could feel the bait without any problems. So both of those rods would work for you and work well.

I don't flip much anymore as the waters I fish aren't really good for it, water is too clear but I do get a few chances and for that I have a Fenwick HMG 7'6" Telescopic extra heavy flipping stick, and Okuma V-System 200 reel with 50lb Suffix Ghost 832.

240 strands???? Is that a straight up 240 or is it 120 folded over to make 240? I ask because the heaviest skirt I ever made had 6 tabs of material and I remember tying it and even with wire it was a little more difficult than a normal 3 tab and at the time I figured even with a 1oz jig 6 tabs was probably the limit unless you had frogs hair rubber because getting the wire tight enough without cutting the strands was tricky to say the least. I'd love to hear if you did 12 tabs. BTW your jigs look AWESOME!!!

I like the Trokar TK130, the Gamakatsu hook keeper slides down on hook sets but the Trokar is money and I have had any points roll on me yet but I didn't get any until they were on the market for about a year or more. I hate paying that but I don't lose many of those and I don't use them all the time either, a regular offset Gamakatsu supeline hook is fine for just about everything in heavy cover, the only time I use the straight shank is for thick creature baits in heavy cover like a Sweet Beaver.

Fenwick Elite Tech Smallmouth, I use the 6'10" MH-MF casting rod and it is absolutely the most versatile reaction bait rod I ever used, I had to get a second one for square bills. That said, the 6'10" M-F casting rod is also a great jerkbait rod, and if I remember correctly, jerkbaits were one of the intended uses for that rod, go to Fish USA, $99.95 with free shipping.

I'd say it depends on the ratings, fast action would probly make it an excellent jerkbait stick, a little long for me but the action would work. I know a guy in our club that uses a mediu light fast action rod for fishing shaky heads,and drop shots, he doesn't like spinning, you could do a lot with that stick depending or what action and line and weight ratings.

If you want to buy from Barlows then yes, you have the right color. I get skirt material from LPO, Barlows, and Fishingskirts and a few other places because a lot of places have their own colors you can't get anywhere else. The color from Barlows had the name changed, originally it was called "blue interference pepper" but then change a little while ago to "pearl pepper blue tint". I used that color as well as purple glimmer, and green glimmer, they are excellent for spinnerbait or swim jigs being used in clear water.

The walleye jig mold but they aren't weedless anymore. BTW the 3/32oz walleye head makes for a killer crappie jig and also a great cold water smallmouth hair jig.

The only people who are comparing those the a GLX or NRX are those who never even handled one of those rods. The only thing they have to do with Gary Loomis is the use of his name and his recommended tapers for the blank, that is it. Right now in the value rod market, $150 gets a lot of rod so do your research, TFO is know in fly fishing circles so the rod may be decent however I really like what Fenwick has been bring to the table so in order to buy one I would have to at least hold one to get a basic idea of how it feels, as I said, a lot of rods out there that are proven in that price range.

Which components? If you are talking about already made heads with their blades, clevis's and swivels, well they should be good as the stuff you get from them or any other vendor all comes from the same place the big manufactures use. The blades will be either Worth, Lakeland, or Hagens, and the same thing for everything else except for swivels and the hook, you'll get whatever hook they have put into the head and the swivel is up to you, you can get top of the line Worth or Sampo, or you can use the cheaper imports but be careful with those as they are prone to failure at high rates which is why they are inexpensive, good luck.

That is Mercer with a 110 or STX, I don't think Brandon was throwing the same thing...Or was he?

Brandon Palaniuk was using a Storm Twitch Stick. I have found videos of Mercer using the Rapala DT Thug and shad rap, and then Koppers and yes, even Strike King products, this guy gets around...LOL!!!

I've been using it for a year now, I got mine from Barlows as they call it "rippled skirt material", I figured it would be something different so I gave it a shot and now I use it on finesse jigs quite a bit, it is a new staple for me. From my shallow water observations I found it does 3 things, 1 is it holds air so the first couple of movements you get some bubbles released from it, whether that helps or not is undetermined but I know it doesn't hurt as I often get bit in the first few shakes. The other thing is the movement, if you use it like I do, which is in conjunction with regular material, you notice right away that the ripple cuts seem to grab water and get pulled away from the jig slightly faster than the regular silicone, and that makes for 2 levels of movement, does it make a difference? Well I'm not sure but as I said, it doesn't hurt and it does make it look much more alive in the water. The 3rd thing I found is the illusion of movement, I'm pretty sure it is just because of our own eye sight being blurred looking into water and the fish, more than likely, don't see this. What I'm talking about is watching the jig sit motionless on the bottom after it has settled, the ripples in the material give it the appearance that it is moving, but it is due to looking at it from above the waters surface so I don't look at it as anything that will affect the fish. I also noticed that when finesse jigs were getting bit to the point of using them for a full day, we found that almost every fish that had a jig deeper in their mouth when we landed it, seemed to have the rippled skirt material on it, we fished jigs with and without as I often do with new materials to see if anything has an effect. I can't say one caught more than the other, both jigs worked great and maybe it was coincidence but the fish seemed to be trying to eat the ones with the rippled skirt as the jigs were deeper but anyway, I believe in them enough that I keep them on hand, the stuff I got is actually green pumpkin in a natures edge pattern with the ripple cut, I think the best way to use it is not a full skirt of it but as an accent with a full tab or half tab, that way you get a little extra action on the jig without it being too much, but that is just me but I think it is great stuff.

Manns Waker elite in rootbeer chartreuse, Aurora black, or baby bass, these are the best wake baits ever made IMO. I only had 2 baits left, a friend of mine had 2 I gave him one day when I was crushing the fish on it and I lost another to a huge Musky. I was in a panic and not knowing what else to do I called Manns bait company and talked to a wonderful rep who told me they did have some old stock left and in the colors I wanted so I got 8 more, now I don't have to worry. Seriously though, the Waker is awesome because you can burn it and it only goes like 3" under and all you see on the surface is a bulge and then a swirl and then you feel the rod trying to be pulled from you hands....It is an awesome way to catch bass and a very overlooked presentation, if you can find them try them, you won't be sorry!!

He used to pimp Rapal awhile back and then Koppers live target, I don't remember him doing anything with SK other than fishing with Zona.

The fish eagle 2 that I have is what they call CX2 IM6 graphite, I have one that is 20 years old and it is a decent stick believe it or not. It is more than likely a medium power rod with a fast action. The medium was popular in that line, and still is from what my friends brother tells me as he is a manager at out Cabelas. Guys used the medium power for topwaters like spooks and poppers, and I used it for jerkbaits and 1/4oz rattle traps.

I normally trim them to the end of the barb, any further and they will become too stiff but it isn't required, I also like to fan out the guards if I'm pitching into dead falls with a lot of limbs.

I have a pair of Kobalt diagonal cutters and they will cut a 4/0 standard wire hook, I got them just for that purpose because I didn't want to lose the ones I have for home use. The bolt cutters are a little overkill is you ask me but there is no question they will cut any hook you have.

There are a lot of safety precautions, I have a basement with a work area in that I only use for my pouring, a window is open and fans are set to create a vacuum effect and it works very well, if it didn't I would be outside. I'll explain your fathers concern right now, you won't agree with me but if you ask your dad he will tell you. Right now I'm teaching my 13 year old Grandson to make tackle, he is enthusiastic and wants to learn and it is why I am teaching him. The problem is his age, it is instinct in young men to be curious and just from watching my grandson I can tell you that he gets distracted very easily, having that happen when you pour could make for a disaster. I once had a single bead of sweat fall from my brow into a mold cavity as I was pouring and it literally blew up, if I wasn't wearing safety glasses and long pants it would have been bad, I would probably be blind in at least 1 eye, molten lead is over 600+ degrees, pouring temp is over 700, and the worst part is when molten lead hits a body part it solidifies instantly so you can't just brush it off, you end up peeling it off along with the skin and it hurts. The way I teach my grandson is I have him prep, meaning I have him check to make sure there isn't anything in the pot that can cause explosions like moisture or excessive dust or something unexpected, then he plugs the pot in and heats up the mold we are going to use. Once that is done he gets his safety stuff on and we begin, then he shuts everything down, this is the hard part for him, he doesn't like waiting an hour until the pot is cooled down and all is clear and I suspect your dad feels the same way. Your best bet is to have an adult that know how to do this come over and help you get set up and watch you for a bit and that way your dad gets reassured but make no mistake, you don't just simply plug the pot in and melt the lead and then turn it off, start with a safety plan and end your pouring session with a safety plan, that way you protect you and your equipment and property.

Every hook is sharp, the stock hooks used on a lot of baits are light wire bronze and they bend and break easily , the bending and breaking is what causes the fish to be lost but the hook points do penetrate. I used to always have a hook hone because most hooks were bronze and after a few fish you could just give the hook a few strokes on the hone and it was good as new. It isn't that way now, to prevent bending companies now make bigger wire diameter hooks with black nickel finishes and the most concerning thing is the hooks are chemically sharpened, you aren't going to fix those with a hone so just replace.

The BPS cranking stick is rated fast because it is fast but it isn't an all graphite rod, it is a composite meaning they use fiberglass as well as graphite in the construction. Fiberglass rods are funny with the ratings , some manufactures list the action is moderate on fiberglass models while some will list the taper, so a composite rod with a fast taper is still going to have a parabolic bend or flex, the same with the extra fast.