Big-D

It's actually the reflection of the wire in the nickel plated blade... -D

I have had good success making them out of buzzbait heads with the wire trimmed short enough to just form the loop. I also modified a regular Arkie head mold to accept a spinnerbait wire where the hook eye exits the head. It is a simple modification, and the mold can still be used to make a jig without any flashing. Instead of a jig hook, I use a spinnerbait hook and a short trace of heavy spinnerbait/ buzzbait wire.

You got some great suggestions here. A couple of other tricks are to use a candle and "soot" the inside of the cavity and sprue hole and play with the angle you hold the mold at when pouring the lead. Those two tricks help when using larger hooks than the mold wants. -D

I'd buy a couple for that price. They would serve me well for a few single-cavity pours. -D

You need to get .035 wire forms (which are lighter than standard buzzbait forms) and mold two of them into one head. With the smaller wire, they will fit inside a standard spinnerbait hook. I also made the spaces for the wire legs slightly bigger with a small triangle file. Make sure the wires lay parallel in the mold before pouring. Hope this helps. -D

The Eagle Claw is a much better hook. The quality control is much better and the hooks are sharper right out of the box, I have changed over to all the newer EC hooks that mimic the Mustad numbers. Try them, You won't be disappointed. Just my $.02.

Pull it and cut it under tension as seen in Jig Man's picture. If it is slipping under the wire when you pull it, the wire is not tight enough. -D

I also like the snootie for my swim jigs. I use a light, fg-30 weedguard and tie on a wire keeper. I get good hook ups and get fewer snags in wood cover with the 60 degree hook and the fiber weedguard. If I were fishing weeds exclusively, I could see where the wire guard and the 30 degree hook would shine.

The arky has always performed well in those conditions for me. IMO it is the best head for casting a jig, especially in, and around brushpiles. -D

Thanks, I will report back. -D

Can you send a link to that chart? I can't find it anywhere. Thanks. -D