smalljaw

As I mentioned in my previous post, I had the coffin shaped blades that are on the regular chatterbait, I purchased them from Barlow's Tackle many years ago but Z-Man forced vendors to stop selling the blades or manufacturers to stop making them. I was using the coffin shaped blades on various head styles with 1 split ring, and some with 2 split rings and others I attached directly. I then got some of the new rounded blades and I used them on the same heads attached in the same ways, I found that there wasn't a lot of difference, the only noticeable thing to me was there seemed to be more thump with the rounded blades. The other difference was in cover, if I was throwing the bait around brush and hitting limbs with it, the coffin style blade came through stuff a little easier and recovered quicker after hitting, I don't think it is enough of a difference to be critical, the same as the rounded blade producing more or a different vibration, very minor differences. I would bet profile, sound, and action are more of a factor, I like using the flat eye hook of the pro swim jig with a single split ring, I get a very erratic action and that has a very big effect on fish hitting, especially smallmouth in my waters. I'll be fishing the bait at a moderate pace and it will just suddenly go wide left and that is when a lot of my strikes come, when I would fish the bait on an Arkie style head with the blade attached direct I would really have to speed the bait up in order to get it that same directional change. Some anglers prefer for the bait to have just a hard vibration while tracking relatively straight as they claim better hook up percentages but my own experience has the more erratic bait getting more strikes on average, at least for me.

Well the first issue is you can't attach the blade direct to the Trokar pro swim jig since it uses a flat eye hook, you have to use a split ring. The other issue isn't the blade, I had a bunch of the coffin shaped blades like the original chatterbait and I too was worried about the rounded blades. I can tell you the rounded blades vibrate well, in fact they aren't tapered so the base is wider and they seem to have as harder thump. We call those fish "Bowfin" where I live and I'm thinking if you are getting more bites on the chatterbait is probably due to sound, but it could be the overall size of the bait as well as any number of other factors, you really need to change 1 small thing at a time and then try it out. The best way to compare is to fish side by side with someone and have them fish a chatterbait and you fish your own, fishing at the same time so you take out the time variable that maybe it is just a coincidence you're fishing 1 bait when the bite is better.

Try pouring a couple without the weed guard and see what happens. Are you ladle pouring or are you using a bottom pour pot, if using a bottom pour try changing the distance between the spout and the gate. I know I have had heads that the collar wasn't filling all the way and so I would put the gate directly on the spout so it was almost injecting the lead into the cavity and when I cut the sprue off it was hollow. I simply moved the mold down a little bit and the problem was solved.

I prefer the blade attached by split ring because it is more erratic and has a wide searching type action. The only issue is that with the split ring on, it puts the blade at a higher position so you only get a little head tick if any and the sound is how the bait got its name, "chatterbait". An Arkie or Sparkie head is wide enough to get that sound as long as you attach the blade direct. I think action is better than the sound and with the blade producing good vibration I think sound isn't critical but that is me. I haven't used any of the newer variations on the chatterbait but I have fished the original a good bit before making my own, and I've tried a lot of different ways and head styles and so far the one that has worked best for me is the Trokar pro swim jig head with a split ring attached blade, that combination works really well for me.

There is 1 place I know of, grandpa bobs custom jigs. You'll get an even better price, the problem is wait time, if he has them in stock you'll get them fast, if he doesn't you may wait as long as 2 months. You will find no better prices on hair, chenille, feathers, thread, flash or most everything else he carries and if you don't mind waiting with zero communication then you'll save some money and get a decent product but if you take a chance and think that you'll just cancel the order and stop payment if it takes too long, well you'll be out because unlike most vendors Bob charges your card whether the items are in stock or not so he doesn't cancel orders because he doesn't even look at emails. The reason I mentioned him is because he will fill your order and you won't find a better price but if you need them right away you will have to look elsewhere or call him and hope he answers the phone. Good luck.

Cadman, I have FG-12 weed guards and they are .018 and there are 12 to 13 strands in a bundle. I believe the FG-9 has 7 strands per bundle.

Did you try adjusting the flow rate by turning the set screw to allow the plunger rod to lift higher? As for the lead temp, well that doesn't sound right but the only way to be sure it isn't getting hotter is by using an infrared thermostat or an immersion probe to get an accurate temp of the lead. The light on the switch will go off from time to time, once the lead hits temp the unit will shut off until the temp drops and it will turn back on again and the red light will be on. Being that the unit is 15 years old there is a good possibility the thermostat or heating element may not be 100%, I know you said it had low hours but remember that it is still 15 years old and unless you know exactly how it was used or the true amount of hours on the unit, you are just taking someone's word that it had low hours, someone who wanted to sell the unit so they may be motivated to make it sound like an even better deal. So try adjusting the flow rate and get a temp gun, $25 is what they cost but it will let you know if your lead is getting up in temp or just staying the same.

You'll get away with doing that to a heavier hook but not a light wire. I think you'd be better off trying to bend it without heating it. You know what might work for you, buy a pack of the Owner Twist Lock Light hooks in a 4/0 and remove the screw lock. I've poured swim jigs with that hook for a friend of mine, it was a little costly but it does work, the hook might be a little heavier than .045 but it is thinner than anything else in a 30 degree, especially at that size.

What size hook are you wanting to use? I don't think you'll find a 3/0 or 4/0 that light in a 30 degree bend. Gamakatsu has a new one out but it is similar to the Mustad 32886 and the EC 3886BP.

Contact Cadman, he had some reducer pins made that make it easy to reduce the size of the weed guard. The pin is 1/8" diameter just like an FG-30 but the end is turned down to 5/64", the size of the FG-12 and I believe there are also some with the end turned down to 1/16" which is an FG-9. Now, there will be some modification on your part, you have to lay the hook in the mold and then place the reducer pin in the weed guard slot so that the area that is still 1/8" is right at the cavity entrance so lead doesn't leak out, and the smaller portion is in the cavity to leave a smaller hole for the smaller weed guard. What you will notice is you may have to trim the smaller end of the pin because the angle and distance for each weedless mold is different so the pins are made one size so it is very likely you'll have to trim the end but then you have a pin to allow you to reduce the weed guard size for any mold you'll like and the pins aren't expensive.

The Trokar Pro Swim Jig mold is really good. I didn't think I'd like it because of the heavy wire flat eye hook but I did want a heady duty swim jig so I got the mold and I really, really like it. The jig pictured would be easy to make, paint the head green pumpkin and add the black with a paint marker or eye dotter, use the BOSS 3D eyes in chartreuse red ring and the skirt is Green motor oil Dalmation with living image summer craw dalmation.

That is a spin cast mold from a larger manufacturer and you can't buy it. You'll either have to have one made or find something else. The Do-it brush head has a similar design but no eyes and the angle of the head is steeper.

Apdriver is 100% correct, while you can pour some decent sizes with a bottom pour, LEE doesn't recommend pouring anything over 1 ounce with the bottom pour, you really need to use a larger ladle. I believe you can get an 8 ounce and a 16 ounce ladle, that will probably work better for those weights.

You can still airbrush without having to polish the mold. If you are using Createx or other airbrush paint you have to use a primer or white paint as a base, that should fill in slight imperfections. If it is that bad that primer won't help then you need engine enamel and it has to be applied in at least 2 or 3 thin coats. Who makes the mold, I had several spinnerbait molds including a custom and none have been bad enough to need to be polished.

Yes, that is me, and thanks for the compliment, I appreciate it.

Both will fit, in fact that mold is the most versatile I have. I can use more hooks in that without modification than any other, I use Owner 5313, 5304, Mustad 32786, Trokar TK 835, and the Trokar TK 840. Just about any heavy duty 90 or 60 degree hook will work, the only issue is with the smaller sizes of 5304, the post in the hook eye part of the cavity may have to be filed down but it does work.

Go to the auto parts store and get Permatex red high temp RTV silicone, that is the stuff Cadman is talking about. Put a dab in each eye and then let cure, remember to do that on each side of the mold. When it cures you can cut it flush with a razor blade and it will be good. As Smallmouthaholic said, when the mold is closed with nothing in it you can hold it up to the light and if you can see light through it the mold is defective. Mine is the same way, I pre-ordered it through Zeiner's and while they offered to replace it I just kept it and used it with the silicone fix. BTW, mine isn't bad, the 1/16oz gets a small amount of lead around the eye, the 3/32oz is perfect as is the 1/8oz nd then a little bit on the 5/32oz then the 3/16oz and 1/4oz are bad but I don't use those sizes much so the silicone fix is fine and it lasts for a long while.

If you are using a head with a regular vertical line tie on the hook you will need to either open the hook eye up or use two split rings to position the blade the right way. The flat eye hook allows you to put the blade on with a single split ring and yes, I've made a chatterbait out of the poison tail swing jig. Look up "That guy Skimpy", he posted a youtube video here how he made his poison tail swing jig into a chatterbait, it will be helpful if you have that mold. I have used football and Arky style heads not to mention both banana and ultra minnow spinnerbait heads and right now the one I like the best is the Trokar Pro Swim Jig, Cadman posted pictures of his baits made with that head style. I've made them with the blade attached direct to the head and by single and double split rings and my favorite bait is the single split ring and the Pro swim jig works well because it uses a heavy wire flat eye hook so just add the split ring and blade and you are done. I like the single split ring over direct attachment and double split ring for a couple of reasons, the first is that having the split ring gives the blade more travel and what you get is a bait with a lot of vibration but it also has a much more erratic searching type action compared to the direct attachment. The second reason is that it still makes sound, not as much as the direct attachment but more than the double split ring, the double split ring is very erratic but the blade is too far from the head so no contact is made and the bait is silent. If you have the flat eye Arky head that is what I'd go with for your first ones as using the split ring would be easier than opening hooks, I did that and while it works you will have some that will break either on opening or when squeezing shut.

I have to give a review on this because I'm really happy with the results. I got the 4 color 5ml tube set from Barlow's just to see if it would work with Devcon 2 Ton epoxy and it does, really well I might add. I have fine glitter I mix with paint to make custom glitter colors and I have extra fine glitter to mix with epoxy but none of it has given me the look this has. You can't even see it and then when you move the lure a bit you get this bright shine, almost a glow. It gives the same effect to a lead or metal lure that laser glitter gives to a soft plastic, really nice for adding flash yet still being subtle. Just like the extra fine glitter, a little goes a long way , I mix a little in with the epoxy and then coat and what I like the most is when the epoxy cures there are no rough spots. I tried this 4 times now before writing a review because I wanted to try it a few times in different concentrations to see how it looks and reacts and it has all been great so far. The extra fine glitter I mixed with epoxy in the past would require a second thin coat of plain epoxy over the glitter coat because if you used a medium concentration of glitter it would create a rough feeling but like I said, not so with this. I know I'm probably late to the show with this as I've had this on my list of things to try for quite some time now but I felt like I should put this out there in case someone else hasn't tried it and is looking to add some kind of sparkle or flash to their lures with great results in an easy way.

I use the same sizes as Cadman. I use a #3 split ring and a size 2 duo lock snap and I use the exact same head as Cadman as well. I get my supplies from Barlow's Tackle but most should be the same but there is one word of caution, if you buy a name Duo lock snap like Eagle Claw, Decoy, or Owner, the size goes out the window as they are all over the place. If you buy from one of the normal places like Barlow's LPO, or Jann's, then a size #2 should work fine for anything 1/4oz to 1/2oz as they all seem to get them from the same manufacturer.

I've been using the 5313 as well as the 5304 for a few years now. The 5313 was the same solid black but only in the 3/0 size, the smaller size #1 and 1/0 had the "black chrome" look you are describing but it is also how the finish is described by Owner.

For those wanting a cutting point hook for swim jigs and poison tails, your wish has been granted. The Gamakatsu 345 is available in 3/0, 4/0, and 5/0. The only place I saw it was LPO but I imagine it will be available in most places pretty soon.

The best color for night fishing is black/purple combination. Most of the guys here pour our own heads and there are a bunch of different styles but what you have there will work but like I said, if you want a good night time color, black/purple and if you can find a black nickel blade it would be even better.

The 604 will work, I've used the 1/0 but I'm guessing the size 1 will work as well.

I think the reason you see the EWG style hooks is because most run creature style baits like Beavers or some sort or larger craw. Being in PA where a 5lb fish is big I use EWG style hooks but I tend to use smaller 2/0 and 3/0 because I like using the Beaver style baits as well as the Biffle Bug. The difference for me is I like using both the regular size and the smaller sizes but straight shaked hooks for me are heavy style flipping hooks and my regular worm hooks are for worms that I don't run on a swing jig so I have no use for them. I prefer the EWG style but I just downsize from the standard 4/0 and 5/0 that mass produced models use to 2/0 and 3/0 sizes that work better for the size baits I'm using and the size fish I normally catch.