dopey

Nice looking baits!!!! Do you still sell the material to make the floating jig heads??

I tie on many different heads - as I pour my own I can use whatever lead mix or hooks I want. I know Cadman pours and sells, there's a couple of guys over on another board that I know are excellent!!! bugman (he also does spin casting or two cavity silicone molds), grousefly or bobo greybeard on crappie.com. Lots of folks buy from them. Depending on what you want to use for hair there are endless picks. Craft and naturals. Don't use alot of skirts but I know from every board I'm on that fishingskirts.com is always listed. When looking for natural hairs you'll see prices listed but NOT always how big the pieces are - most I've found are only 2x2 not really worth what they want. Look around.

My reply wasn't concerning what each person believes about the fishereries research, but since you stated that you believe it I guess I'm safe saying I don't and I've read and studied it the original report is www.gop.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-1994-03-09/html/94-5298.htm I don't believe most reference this report any more as it factually shows that the researchers put lead into the birds in their studies!!. but that wasn't the reason for my reply. I just wanted to know why you had baked for an hour and you answered that, and yes I know every material has different melting points, and learned more than I would have ever expected from a metallurgist who's a reloader on Castboolits.com, and there's been lots of conversations!!! LOL I've talked to the guy who owns TimmyTom jigs he's on another board I go to and he switched to a non-lead mix years ago, and he has been using a bismuth/tin mix for a long time but he's mixing it himself. I really wanted to find the weight difference especially as you say you adjusted with a rod/line combo.

Local shop has lot's of nice big pieces of bear and it's only $1-2 a piece My daughter cleaned a house and came across some old furs and the lady was just going to throw them away and she let her take them. This is Russian sable cut into zonkers

Love tying with craft fur - have Darice, a bunch of the new Hairline stuff (hit a heck of a sale at Cabela's when I was out in Michigan visiting my grand daughter) and neither one is bad with the underfur on it. The absolute best I've ever used is Targus craft fur but it's hard as heck to find!!!!!! x2 with smalljaw on tightness of tying bucktail. There are so many different types of hair for tying jigs!

Ouch!!! $15 a pound! That hurts - Why did you bake for a full hour?? If it's as close to lead as they can get it it shouldn't have taken that long, can you explain this more?? You guys got hosed bad in Mass! I'm in Vermont and we're still fighting it. On say a 1/16th oz. head what's the weight difference between the lead jig and the weight from this new material?? Have you weighed them out yet? Thanks

If you use the Do-It molds to pour Horse and pony heads, don't sell them it's illegal. This discussion has come up many times over at crappie.com. This is right from TJ Stallings of TTI Blakemore: https://tjstallings.wordpress.com/2011/01/23/counterfeit-road-runner%C2%AE-lures/

This is a mylar one I use -

I do a lot of horseheads - after I get them poured and cleaned up, I'll sit in front of the tube and just put tin foil over the swivels so that when I get ready to powder paint they're ready to go. If you use enamel make sure to put a coat of epoxy over them or any plastic baits will melt the paint.

Home made mepps or panther martin style spinner for a spinning rod. Fly rod Adams dry fly - and if they stay down take the same fly get it really soaking wet push the wings flat and fish it deeper.

Absolutely worth it!!!!! There are times when fishing with a fly rod will outfish any other method, same with lures vs. bait!! Also helps like here in Vermont where they've put stretch's of rivers fly fish only!!! which I feel is a rip off to the rest of us as we all pay for licenses that help with wildlife in the first place!!!!! It takes practice to learn how to do it!!!!! just like anything else. You can tie your own flies or you can buy them - tying flies is another whole hobby and more money for fly tying materials.

Janns Netcraft http://www.jannsnetcraft.com/propeller-spinner-blades/ Barlows http://www.barlowstackle.com/AdvancedSearch.aspx

Not bad for your first ones!!! As you practice more you'll get them filling out more and with different kinds of hair you'll know how each re-acts to thread pressure. Trust me they don't have to look store bought - the fish will tell you how good you're doing and they're the ones that count.

Guess I'm the weird one I'll pour until the pot is empty or drain and have been since the one's I had in the 80's, but that's my preference. I had never fluxed lead till I saw the thread on Tackle Underground - I use old pieces of Yankee candles that my wife wanted to throw out and it smells better when I'm fluxing it!!LOL

I have pro-tec but have been getting away from it. I've been using Columbia Coatings and Roseys powder also have some Orbit. I've mixed the different brands together with no problems. Rosys is have a 50%, 25% and $3.25 specials - http://www.roseyspowdercoating.com/ Orbit http://www.orbittx.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=49&Itemid=54

If you don't like dealing with the bucktail you can use cross-cut zonker strips cut from and fur or even craft fur. You can make them thin or dense depending on how you wrap them.

Perch are fun to catch and make great eating!!!! Also any time you're trying to get a kid into fishing put them into a mess of perch and you'll get them hooked on fishing, just make sure to show them how to handle them so they don't get pricked!! My grand daughter learned the hard way about not listening to Grandpa!! LOL

Ugly stick makes a Pro-lite UL rod up to 7' and it fish's great!! Been using one all year, runs $35-$40 at WalMart. A buddy on another board bought a couple of the new Shakespere Micro-Lite rods from WalMart and fish's the heck of them and really likes them http://www.shakespeare-fishing.com/Shakespeare%C2%AE-Micro-Series-Rod/1314540,default,pd.html

Pulled out my bags of Hairline assorted pieces and started cutting cross-cuts zonker strips for crappie jigs. Took two old c-clamps and my clear board put the edge of the hide piece under it and clamped it down. Stretched and cut up towards the table, any little hard spots pressed a bit harder. Ended up doing 17 colors

X2 for other sites, but you don't say if for plastics or powder paint.

Make your own and paint and assemble any way you want - I've been making my own since the mid 80's and still like making and using!! The one on the right is a panther martin my nephew asked me to copy mine is on the right My electric chickens

New penny powder paint with clear coat of orange irridescant glitter - this is getting to be one of my favorites Close-up White pearl with super sparkle mica powder mixed in and purple top fl pink with mica powder and junebug tapped on top These are all the jigs I painted and the 3D eyes on them