smalljaw

The hooks I mentioned aren't straight shank, they are EWG. The have a small section of the shank, that is straight which might make them longer so a 5/0 might work. I know you want that hook for bulky plastics but you didn't answer my question. Is the special bend small as in wire diameter, length, or both? It will help nail down a possible solution for you but right now I think if you go with a 6/0 I'd have to say the Gami 684, LPO sells them and they might be able to get you a sample hook in order to understand the size before you buy them.

What about the Gamakatsu 684, that is a 6/0 hook. I was also wondering, when you say the Mustad 6/0 is the size of other 4/0 hooks, do you mean length, wire diameter, or both? I'm asking because that special bend is more of a standard or medium wire hook. If you don't need the special bend, there is a 5/0 Mustad 38108 that is a heavy wire and because the shank has a straight section it would more than likely be longer than the special bend. There is also a VMC 7328 in a 5/0 that has the same heavy wire diameter of the Mustad and it probably the same length as well.

The Do-it weedless flipping jig mold will make a jig that I bet performs almost like the one in the picture.

I use a needle file and I file the sprue down over top of a catch basin (bowl). Using a Dremel could send lead dust through the air and make it more likely you'll inhale it and cause it to disperse over a larger area than you may want.

The finesse skirting he wasn't doesn't have fine strands, it is the same width as a regular tab but only have as thick. Making a jig with that will cause it to fall faster but the strands flare out and then stay up longer before falling.

Strike King doesn't manufacture their weights, they are most likely made by an overseas manufacturer that produces the same type of product for other companies as well.

Go to Barlow's tackle, they have the VMC 7247 long shank hook from 1/0 to 4/0.

There is 1 color I double cure, table rock shad. The reason is that color is chartreuse with a purple back, I add the purple back over top of the chartreuse and bake it and the purple blends into the chartreuse and turns brown. So now I paint my jig chartreuse and cure, not a full cure but a half cure, 7 minutes, that is long enough for the paint to initially set. After the 7 minute cycle I let the jig cool down and then heat it with my torch and add the purple and then bake it for a full cure cycle, the paint gets hard and the colors don't blend together. I will also say that this is the only color I've had to use this curing method with, I've done thousands of lures with all kinds of color combinations and a lot that involved chartreuse, even blue over chartreuse and the only one I ever had change was the purple over chartreuse. Other than that 1 example I really think double baking is just wasting electricity.

I like that!!!!!

Jason, a lot of stuff looks easy but all of this has a learning curve. If it was as simple as it looks there would be more people doing it. Keep a log, take a picture of your baits from the first ones you make then a year later and the 5 years after that, you'll be amazed at the difference.

Mark, I really like that Trokar Pro Swim Jig!! I wasn't sure about it as it used a 60 degree flat eye hook but it has become my heavy hitter. It comes through heavy brush really well and while it uses a heavy hook it still remains relatively compact. I'll be totally honest, I got that mold with 1 purpose in mind, to make a bladed swim jig, but my curiosity got the best of me and I decided to make a few just to swim with and I was really impressed with how well it did. You can use a lot of different trailers but a short and stocky bait gives this jig a big profile while still remaining compact because of the 60 degree hook, the 4" Big Bite Baits shad and 4" Mister Twister Sassy Shad have worked well as have the more traditional slender baits but I like using that head for heavy cover and a bigger presence in the water.

Are you looking for hooks that fit or something similar to the Owner? I'm asking because the hooks mentioned are all light wire and they will work. The lone exception is the Mustad 32833, it has to be specific hooks for specific cavities because the eye leg on that hook is much shorter than most other 90 degree hooks. There are a lot of hooks that will work with that mold but the only hook that is a 1X strong with the larger bite that works in the Owner 5313, and while I try to keep cost to a minimum I can honestly say there isn't anything close to that hook that I found or even heard of for that mold.

You can use a Hagen's tool for "R" bends but you need to adjust the stops and figure out the angles on your own. I use the little blue bend to make "R" bends because that is what that that bender does. The only reason I don't use my Hagen's to do "R" bends is because I use it for other things and it would mean I have to change to set up around and then tweak it to get back to where I had it set. Having the little blue bender makes it easy to just crank out spinnerbait forms fast and easy.

Not to be smart but do you realize how many different jigs are out there that aren't round, football or arky?? A picture is about the oly wany anyone can help you without going through 3/4 of the Do-it catalog. EDIT: The pictures came up after I posted, sorry. Send those pics to CNC Molds-N-Stuff, that isn't any production mold I ever saw, in fact I never saw that head. It is basically a rectangle with a rounded bottom utilizing a flat eye hook.

I use a propane torch to heat the jig and then cure in an oven. If you CAREFULLY read the statement on the website, it states not to use a torch or heat gun to CURE paint. Using a heat gun or torch to heat your jig, or any other method has little to do with how well your paint holds up, it is the curing cycle. I think you either aren't getting the oven to proper temperature or your cure cycle is too short. Remember, 15 minutes at 350 degrees isn't putting your jigs in the oven and setting it to 350 and then turning it on for 15 minutes, it is the jig itself at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Boss recommends 400 degrees for 10 minutes for a lot of their paint, and other paints have different times and temps for different colors and to be honest, I'd pull my teeth out trying to figure out and remember what each color needs to be cured at. For me, 350 for a 15 minute cycle, and in my over that is 21 minutes due to heat up times, works for everything, I have tried every new paint I get with the throw onto the concrete floor test, not simply drop but I throw a painted head against the floor after the cure cycle is done to see if there is any chips, still haven't had any issues.

If you are baking your jigs in a toaster oven you will need an oven thermometer to check the temp. My current toaster oven is set at 325 and the temp is actually 354, my old one I had set at 385 to get 350. I do my jigs at 350 for 15 minutes and I've used BOSS jig armor powder and had no issues, but here is the thing, when I say 15 minutes at 350, the temp of the oven hits 350 before that time begins. I don't just set my oven and put the jigs in for 15 minutes, my oven takes a hair under 4 minutes to reach 350 degrees, so I add 4 minutes to my cure time so I actually put my jigs in and set the timer to 21 minutes, 4 minutes for the oven to reach temp, 2 minutes for the jigs to start getting warm and then 15 minutes of a cure cycle. I also do as Mark does, and that is after the cycle my jigs sit in the oven with the door cracked to cool down for 20 minutes before I remove them, I don't know if that helps but I know that I can throw my jig against the concrete floor in my shop and the paint won't chip.

$66.00 for 50 size 4 willow leaf blades sounds like you purchased Hildebrandt blades. I've used Worth blades exclusively for close to 15 years and never got one with even a blemish. Hildebrandt blades have the best finish and the brass seems a little thin which is why they spin so well but I'm not sure what you have. I'd love to see a picture of your blades, since they are all the same I'm guessing it is the design of the blade and I'm not sure what blade would have that.

Barlow's sells Worth blades.

If you order from Worth and don't have a business or Tax ID you'll need to add 10% to whatever the total is for FET tax. That said, and I'm not sure if I'm getting this right, but you are saying that some of the blades are different than other or are they all the same just with a slight depression toward the edge? Also, spinnerblades are thin and the ones you got are brass blades, do you have a caliper to measure the thickness? I use only Worth blades, I believe LPO blades are made by Lakeland and that is a big deal because Worth and Lakeland are different in their sizes. That fact is important to know with making a good spinnerbait, if you simply shop around for the cheapest blades you'll end up with blades listed as the same size but will actually be a 1/2 to 1 size smaller or larger than the previous blades you purchased, remember, there is no real industry standard so there is variance from 1 manufacturer to the next. My blades are roughly 0.02" thick give or take but I use only Worth blades for 99% of the spinnerbaits I make so it is important to know the brand and all it takes is a phone call, most of the supply stores will be happy to help and will tell you what kind or who makes their blades.

Welcome to the board!! Are you wanting just a ball head that you can use a Gamakatsu hook in? Do-it makes a mold called the Gamakatsu ball bead and it has the sizes you need and in the 1/8oz cavity you should be able to get a 3/0 Gamakatsu 604 to fit and the 1/4oz and up shouldn't have a problem with a 4/0 but ask Jon Barlow to be 100% sure. For a flat eye hook you'll need a different mold and it will depend on what type of flat eye, standard or light wire or heavy wire. You aren't going to find a mold that will use both a 60 degree flat eye and a 90 degree regular eye.

When you want to add glitter to a color powder you have to add in clear powder. Now, when you add the glitter and clear powder you have to shake or mix it really well and then you aren't going to be able to use it in a fluid bed. Apdriver is spot on, the glitter is heavier and sinks while the powder suspends higher up so you don't get even coverage and it won't be consistent. The way I do it is in a 2oz jar, I add 1 tablespoon of glitter, 2 .5 tablespoons of clear powder and then fill the rest of the jar with my color powder. Then I dump that into a 4oz jar and shake it for a good 2 or 3 minutes to make sure it is well mixed. Now I have my glitter color and when I want to use it I shake the bottle again and dump some in a shallow wide bowl and swish my jig head through it and I get a really nice even glitter effect. The reason for the clear powder is it helps keep the color powder from clumping up, if you don't know this then try adding 25% clear to a color that doesn't fluidize well in your fluid bed and see how much better it works. You can also take clear and add glitter to that and then go over your color with the glitter topcoat, or if you use an epoxy topcoat you can add glitter to the epoxy and get the glitter on that way.

As Apdriver has mentioned, you want the eye of the hook in an area of the bait that it doesn't stick out the side after it is poured. The best spot depends on which spinner bait mold you have but generally it will be close to the center of the head. As for hooks, I use the VMC 7250 black nickel, I've been using them for 4 or years now and really like them. I've also used the Gamakatsu 550, the Eagle Claw 608, Mustad 32608 and the Owner 5320 all with no issues so you should be fine with what you choose.

I really like substituting the Eagle Claw Laser Sharp Black Platinum hooks as well as Mustad in certain molds to save some coin without a lot of performance drop off. That said, I bite the bullet and buy the 5313 Owners, there isn't any substitute for that hook that I've found is comparable. It is a 1X strong so it is a stout hook while still light enough to be used by light tackle anglers and so I know you don't want to hear it but you aren't going to find anything to replace that hook with. The only option is to go with a light wire hook or buy the Owner, other hooks that aren't light wire are either to heavy of the eye leg is too short or long, sorry I couldn't be more help.