jigmeister

I was going to say it is so dark it looks like incense cedar instead of Western Red cedar . Cut a lot of downed western cedar trees for firewood and never saw any of it that looked like the wood in the pictures you posted .

Baits that are hard to find or NLA is what leads many to pouring their own plastic baits . Saltwater grade plastisol , pink worm colorant , and an open pour old is all you need to make your own trailers . Lurecraft sells many molds and supplies Here is a link https://www.lurepartsonline.com/6931-74-LureCraft-Silicone-Mold-562-3-1-2-Split-Tail-4-Cav.-5X562

Have used JB weld on a few molds for mods like this "one side at a time ". I will mix up a small amount of JB weld and apply it to the area being filled then scrape the mold face flat surface with the side of a wooden popcycle stick so the JB weld it is flush with the mold face . I let it start to set up set a little so it forms a skin on the surface but still soft . Use a release agent on your hook and or keeper and press them into the still pliable JB weld so 50% of the hook /keeper diameter is above the mold face . They should come out easy when fully set up. There can be a small ridge of JB weld along the hook outline and I sand this off with sandpaper afterwards so the mold face is flat (you can probably get away with pressing the "keeper" fully into the JB weld if you want since it typically has a smaller diameter than the hook wire and just modify one mold half (instead of both) and then carefully remove the keeper when done with a small pick or dental tool.) When you go 50/50 with the imprints on each mold half I like to close the mold up after doing the second half but while the JB weld if still pliable to make sure the alignment is correct . Release agent is critical if you do this step . Right or wrong that's how I do it .

that hole arrangement does look just like the holes on the Red Eye spoon maybe it was just for a red or chartreuse glass bead ?

If you can't find uncut silicone skirt material to try out your concept a company called "McMaster-Carr " sells thin silicone material sold in thin sheets used as gasket material . I think it would probably work as a trial .

I don't make jigs to sell anymore so speed is not important . You can add a keeper to any hook or jig with a piece of braided line , a staple gun staple cut down , and super glue . Tie the keeper to the hook shank with braid and put a thin coating of super on the braid and Viola! A trailer will stay on fish after fish

Thanks for the fish finder history Rick . I purchased the pictured 2 pack card of vintage fish finder worms on ebay but unfortunately like most old soft plastic baits they tend to shrink with age over time . My goal was to find some fishfinders and make a mold to recreate some fish finders to try out . The shrink wrapped plastic seems to have retained its original shape despite the worms shrinking so I got some close reference measurements but have not got around to the mold yet . Do you know if the picture of the two tone fish finder worms I posted above is in fact the "Crawfish" color ? Another question I have is about the shape of the worm . It appears from the 2 pack of fishfinders I bought is that the head of the seems to be fatter and has a quick taper down to the tail compared to most 4" worms . Is this how you remember them ? Thanks

Couple of things A ) someone told me years ago that worm dyes are made by mixing liquid plastic worm coloring agent with acetone (or other solvent ) that soaks into a plastic bait and carries the color with it . Not sure if this is a fact for sure but it makes sense . B ) I bought some of the Elaztek type super plastic formula from a member here years ago to try out and you cannot use regular liquid worm coloring agents with these super plastics . I was able to mix in some Mica hilite powders into hot plastic prior to pouring for colored baits but it has to be a powdered type coloring . This probably explains why worm dyes wont work on super plastic baits .

according to their 2024 catalog it turns out Do-it already makes a round head jig mold that takes the keeper wires CRJ-6-WBA and one with counter sunk eye reliefs FST-6-A PS: this topic should have been posted in the "wire baits" forum

You can use an existing design as a prototype and change the dimensions or alter features of the bait so it is different from the original master. I made a mold years ago that started out as a zipper type worm and I added a big ribbon style tail to it for night fishing . It is around 8-9" long and there is still nothing like it . It's a big bulky worm and works great .

I was disappointed with the short duration of the vibrations with the one I had years ago. Probably a bad idea but I was just thinking some mercury sloshing back and forth in a small glass vial in a well balanced lure might give longer lasting movements and a little flash too ?

Do-it molds make an aluminum mold "Roundhead Jig no collar" Model : JNR-12-48 It has 6) 1/8 oz cavities and 6) 1/4 oz cavities . you could widen the hook slot with a Dremel tool to accept the keeper for a lot less money than having a mold made and much faster also .

That ACME Pulse cod looks to be a much higher quality bait than the old Whopper Stopper "throbber " but there is 30 years between them though .

Yes I am certain that would yield in some interesting search results on Ebay Could this be why the lure was never successful ? " Hey buddy what are you catching them on? " LOL

OK Nathan I knew I wasn't crazy I looked around some more found some for sale on Ebay. It is a popper type bait that came in several colors called a "Vibrating Throbber" and was made by whopper stopper lure co. I had a clear one years ago and the internal spring wire and weight were clearly visible inside .

I didn't think anything already in common usage could be granted a patent ? Inventor definitely had "a flair for the obvious "

I had one of those years ago I was recently thinking about too and I tried to find info online but came up with a zero . It seems to me the bait was called a "Whopper Stopper " (or maybe that was the company name but I think "whopper" was involved ? ) It had a clear plastic body with a popper or chugger face and an internal spring wire with a small lead weight on the end that would continue to oscillate after the lure was twitched creating little ripples around the lure .

you can use soft lead wire fly tyers use for adding weight to wet flies get a roll of .030 wire and wrap the desired length tightly around the hook shank next paint brush on a thin coat of 2 ton epoxy over the wrapped lead to hold in place . You can taper the epoxy at each end of the lead to make a point to enter the plastic bait easier .

or..... possibly a solution for deflecting fine weeds or algae away from the skirt as the bait passes over so they don't get stuck between the bottom of the lead head and the front of the skirt ruining the cast ?

I guess I'm showing my age but I just realized the term "Mono Guard " doesn't mean the same thing today as it did when Gary Klein introduced them on his weapon jig heads around the late 70's The original mono guard consisted of a piece of heavy monofilament poured into the jig head that was looped back over the top of the hook and then imbedded into the jig's soft plastic trailer . A mono guard by today's terminology typically applies to a single piece of single or stranded wire molded into a jig head . Sorry about any confusion...

just for "What if's" and I realize this would compound the pouring process but since tungsten being heavier than anything it is mixed with will always be trying to settle to the bottom whether cast in resin or molten metal . I am thinking if the jig head was under constant rotation until the binder for the tungsten powder solidified it should remain more or less equally distributed ?

That's exactly what these pins are for . If you have a "weedless" jig mold but want a jig head without any weed guards you put the pins in the slots machined in the mold where the weed guards normally go and pour . This gives you the option of weedless or non-weedless jig heads from the same mold .

I am trying this out this on 1/8 -3/16 oz jigs in very clear water . Most jigs this size don't utilize a weed guard but I like the idea protecting the hook point until needed mainly from rock but there is also quite a few sticks on the bottom this time of year from run off . I have the seven strand leader material on hand in a couple of sizes but my thinking was to keep the profile of the jig as obscure as possible by using fluoro weed guards for pressured , finicky biters I am after .

I have been experimenting with the Mono-guard weed guard concept for jig heads based on the old Gary Klein Weapon jigs he used to sell using #50 fluoro leader material instead of the monofilament line used originally . This size line is perfect for jigs thrown on baitcasting gear but I would like to try lighter weight flouro for lighter jigs fished with spinning tackle . Biggest line I have available is 25 Lb test and it is too soft for what I need . The cost of a new 25 yard spool of this heavy flouro leader material is cost prohibitive for experimenting on something that may not work out . I just need a foot or two each of 30 & 40 pound fluoro leader material to try out . I will trade an equal length of #50 Sequar fluoro to anyone interested in a trade .

I haven't used the links myself though others like them for this purpose . pretty much every Hollow bodied frog lure has one attached to the double hook . I would tend to think if the #65 braid that anglers are throwing frogs on isn't opening the links wrestling big fish out of weeds they should be fine for other applications . Ford Vs Chevy debate ?