smalljaw67

If you have a scrap piece of metal you can determine if it is ok or not. I have a small mesh strainer and was able to break up clumped powder as Bdnoble84 described. I had it happen to some Protec brown and Harbor freight flat black, the Protec I was able to salvage most of it, the Harbor freight had to be thrown away. Now the reason I mentioned the scrap piece of metal is so you can use it to try the powder after the clumps are broken up. If you heat it and then apply the powder to it like you do a jig head, you'll know if the paint is any good by how it goes on, if it is smooth you are fine, if it ends up with a lumpy appearance then throw it out.

I don't know why coffee but garlic has been used in fish study. Scientists in the mid 80s noted how fish responded to wounded prey and it was discovered that they reacted similarly to garlic and salt albeit to a lesser degree. It is thought that garlic triggers the same chemoreceptors as blood does meaning the fish mistake the taste of garlic as blood. How true that is I'm not really sure but a fisheries biologist from my state told me that a long time ago.

I know you want a 1 piece but there is a 2 piece option I think you'd like. The Fenwick River Runner, these are really nice sticks and the ultra lights are rated 1/32oz to 3/31oz. The lengths run from 5'9" to 8' and are crisp and true to rating and will work great for trout but will handle that bass that will sometimes bite your offering.

I will echo Glenn's thoughts on your issue. With hard baits like cranks and jerkbaits you get followers or what I call "nippers" that just barely touch the rear treble. When that happens changing size, color, or both usually works but with spinnerbaits it is a little different. When it happens to me I make the decision on what to change based on the missed strike, for example if the fish are short striking you will actually feel pull back that will load the rod for a split second. If that is the case I will try either speeding it up or slowing it down first, after that I change to a different color. If I'm getting hard hits that I'm not getting pull back but instead either knocking slack into the line or a hard thump without feeling any resistance then that usually means they are hitting the blades and then I'm downsizing the bait from 1/2oz to a 3/8oz or from 3/8oz to 1/4oz. Sometimes when the fish aren't active you may get the bait close enough to one that it will bump it without getting hooked but that will be one or two, but getting repeated strikes lets you know your bait has them striking but something is keeping them from fully committing. Glenn is correct about blade size and color, my thought is most guys don't carry the same size bait with different blades sizes or colored blades so the easiest thing to do is downsize the bait, and I don't use trailer hooks on my spinnerbaits either so I try to make changes with the bait in order to get the fish to fully eat the bait.

A microwave works well as does the presto pot but you aren't going to speed the process up. For starters, if you heat the plastic too fast you are likely to scorch it. The idea with the microwave is to get it hot and then stir to evenly distribute the heat in order to keep from over heating. By stirring in between allows you to get the plastic to the right temp and consistency without overheating or scorching.

I have a good stash of 4" in black with chartreuse claws!!! It is one of the only soft plastic craws I fish on a jig with no skirt. I'm not sure why it works so much better than all the other craws I've tried like that but I believe it has something to do with the profile and the way it sits when it hits the bottom. It doesn't stand very long and it begins to slowly fall and that is when the majority of my strikes come. I also do well with it on a T-rig and it is the craw I use when the water is dirty.

I will echo the same thing others have already said. I don't know about the action first series but the original Sebile lures are great! For me the Flatt Shad, which was brought back from being discontinued, and the 50 size crankster, those two baits there are no substitutes for. I don't know if the new Flatt Shad is the same because it is a lot cheaper than the original but it has a similar look. That is one of, if not the best, lipless cranks I ever fished, for guys that like the Red Eye Shad from Strike king, the Flatt Shad has a distinct flutter on the fall but it is thin and has a hard tight vibration that fish can't stand. The Crankster is another bait that doesn't appear much different but the fish just kill it. I use the shallow diving 1/4oz version, it is like a really finesse version of Baby 1 minus, an awesome for bare banks or when the fish look or follow bigger cranks but won't commit. The action first series doesn't look like the original high end Sebile lures but that isn't the reason I haven't tried them, the reason is they haven't put out anything that I think would be good for the waters I fish, either the depth range is wrong or the sizes don't match up to what I want. As you can probably tell, I really liked the original Sebile lures, I have other Sebile lures that I like and work well but the two I mention are standouts but sadly Pure Fishing decided to make that brand a run of the mill lure and trying to sell by keeping the name most anglers associate with the original high end baits from years past.

Yep, high winds did that but I had guys telling me that there are massive trees flowing down the river around the Clemson island area. The water level went above 11' and has just dropped below 7 but another storm is on the way that could dump a lot of snow. If that happens at this time of year you get a quick melt and the flow goes way up again, it looks like jerkbaits won't be used in PA this spring as all the waters I've seen are high and dirty.

I do well with and without a trailer in the colder months. I tie a minnow head bucktail that I don't use with a trailer because I don't stop it long enough, it is a slow steady retrieve that relies on profile and color to draw strikes.

They aren't talked about much but there is a reason they keep making them. I don't talk about them much either but I really like that short stocky profile in certain situations. For me, Lavender Shad, Jelly Bean and Green & White flake all work well.

I appreciate the offer Allen but I'm good, I use the Twist Lock Light Owners as well as the small 91768 as I like the EWG hook but I want to say thanks, it was generous.

Allen, where did you find that hook? All I can find is the 91768BLN in a 1/0 which the OP doesn't like, he wants round bend hooks.

It is funny, I don't use trailers on spinnerbaits but I always use a trailer on a chatterbait. Most of the time I'm using a swimbait trailer but I will also use a fluke style trailer from time to time.

I'd consider myself an accomplished airbrush artist if I could paint like that, well done!!! The very first one, the bream colored bait, that is one of those patterns that should do well in both clear and stained water no matter where in the country you use it!!!

I use it to make a muddler style color on some hair jigs for the very reason you stated about slowing the fall. I also like the fact when I tie that type of collar using the belly hair it helps give a larger profile to smaller 1/16oz jigs.

If you want a round bend hook for the 1/8oz you need to get the Owner Twist-Lock Light hooks in a 1/0, I'll leave a link. It isn't an EWG but it does have a wider gap and it is a killer hook. If I use a 1/8oz swim jig I use the casting jig mold, I can use both the 3/0 and 4/0 Mustad 32886, or EC 3886 which I prefer that head style for a true swim jig, the larger poison tails I use as hybrid swim/casting jigs and the 1/8oz poison tail I like for hair jigs and finesse jig. I'm not sure if the 4/0 will fit the 3/8oz cavity, I know the 3/0 will but the 4/0 may be a bit too big. Hook - http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Owner_Twistlock_Light_Hook/descpage-OTLL.html swim jig mold SMJ-3-SF -https://www.barlowstackle.com/Do-It-Grass-Weedless-Jig-Molds-P262.aspx

The EC 3886 will work if you use the 3/0 and I try to make that specific. The 4/0 isn't going to work in the 1/4oz cavity.

I can take the 3/0 EC 3886 and use it in both the 1/4oz and the 3/8oz perfectly fine. The 1/4oz has a slight gap but I can hold it tight and just get a small amount of flashing, the 3/8oz fits perfectly.

The wire comes out of the nose of the spinnerbait at about 35 to 40 degrees if I just put it in the mold. I modified my mold so the wire comes out slightly steeper but it doesn't affect the way I bend my wire, I make a typical "R" bend but from the bend back to the hook leg it is perfectly straight. The angle you get is where the hook leg is holding the hook, again this is about 30 to 40 degrees while my molde the wire comes out at a just a hair under 45 degrees.

Which size are you trying to pour with what size hook?

What size? I didn't have to modify my mold to take a Mustad 32886 or the EC 3886. The hook that mold calls for, the 91768, is a 28 degree bend and the tolerance isn't tight so most 30 degree hooks work just fine. The 1/8oz is the problem as you need a smaller hook than the standard 3/0 but the Owner twist lock light 1/0 fits that nicely, just take the screw lock off and you are good to go.

As someone who makes tackle I'm familiar with this problem. A lot of guys are wanting living rubber because they have heard it has more action, and they aren't wrong. The issue is you have to store any bait with living rubber separately and it should have a light coat of unscented talc to keep it from sticking together an taking a kinked set. Silicone doesn't have this issue and I'm not sure if your baits having the issues are living rubber or not but if there is rubber and it has stuck together and kinked, well I'm sorry to tell you it is junk and the skirt will need to be replaced. If it is silicone it shouldn't be stuck together unless it was near something that caused a reaction but I haven't come across anything that makes silicone melt other than a flame.

I have read a lot of topics about bending the blades so I have to ask. What does it do? Are my baits less effective because I don't bend the blade? I get a hard vibrating bait while also being very erratic, I just want to know what bending the blade actually does and if it really makes a difference.

Those are super nice!!!!!!!!! I'll bet that pattern is a clear water killer and the shad profile crank fished in cold clear water would absolutely get crushed, super nice work!!!

There are skirt making kits with colors specifically picked out for spinnerbaits but nothing else in kit form. I make my own spinnerbaits from cutting and bending the wire to pouring the lead but I got started by doing the very thing you are asking about. What I would do is get the skirt making kit, I'll leave a link but most lure supply shops should carry it. In addition to the kit I'd get an assortment of blades, figure out what sizes you will most often use and get Colorado, willow, and Indiana blades and perhaps something different like a Royal blade. If you spend around $100, you'll have a good set up to modify a lot of baits, you could even buy spinnerbait heads painted or unpainted and build your own rather than modifying an existing bait. A lot of options, good luck.............