smalljaw

Slow steady retrieve, you don't want to give it too much action.

I like a 1/0 hook with my marabou jigs. I also like the 3/32oz weight as that fits my needs, yours may differ. I have several different versions that I tie but they all work well. I like the worm nose jig as well as the Midwest finesse jig for my marabou jigs.

Tell that to my 2nd LEE pot that was ruined due to wheel weights with high zinc content...LOL!!!! I have a couple LEE production pots as back up and they won't get wheel weight lead if I have to put them back in service. The RCBS pro melt furnace I use now will never see a wheel weight, it may cost me a bit more for lead but I know what I'm melting and it is worry free.

Apdriver is on the money with the Mustad 32833. I know of some good ones but once you add in that you want something with a reasonable price they all go out the window. Also, Aberdeen hooks are designed to bend out so when you get hung up the hook will straighten out and can then be bent back.

They are plated. There are places that you can send your baits to in order to have the heads chrome plated. I don't know if it would be worth the cost.

I do that exact thing, the double barb holds well and the head shape skims over rocks really well.

http://www.leadersandlures.com/index.php?route=product/category&path=117_124

I modified that mold to take a Mustad 91768 hook and it works. The issue though is the hook you want to use with it. There isn't a lot of room at the top by the hook eye for a large diameter hook. I used the 91768 in a 3/0 for the 3/8oz size, a 2/0 for the 1/4oz and a 1/0 for the 1/8oz and there is very little clearance but it does work. The success you will have will depend on the hook and the cavity you are using.

What about the VMC 7250 in a 1/0 ? It is a long shank hook but it should be a little shorter than a regular 2/0. It is also available in both nickel and black nickel and is small enough in diameter that you would have issue using 8lb line.

I think it is ok to do something like that as long as you market it as such. Perhaps a Halloween series or just a novelty lure as some people are into things like that. It also doesn't mean it it won't work but it is like Travis already said, the head design really offers nothing in the way of performance. I can't help but think of the Rebel crankbaits made to look like Camel Joe, beer cans, and even cartoon characters. Did they work? Yes, but we all know that there are days that fish will eat anything and a skull jighead would fall into that category. The head shape isn't offering more snag resistance, rock crawling ability, or some other trait that would make it a must have. It would be a jig that simply looks cool and then you have to decide if it is worth putting the time and effort into making something like that. I do think that if you wanted to do it just do make a unique head it would be fine but it would be a novelty jig head to most other anglers.

I can't tell what wire or blade sizes the lures have but I'll guess. The first guess is going to be about the smaller spinner on the bottom. I'm seeing a small willow blade but the bait looks to have a heavier wire and a stirrup clevis. Willow blades are harder to get spinning on an in-line spinner but they will work. The one in the picture looks like the wire diameter is making you use a larger clevis and that is the problem. Small willow blades don't have a lot of torque so when you use them they need to be reeled extremely fast to spin. You do have to have the right clevis in order for that to happen though, if the clevis is too big the blade just can't generate enough torque to move the clevis completely around the wire. What you end up with is the blade rocking or wobbling back and forth rather than making full rotations (spinning). If that is the case the lure can't be fixed and you have to start over but I can't say for sure unless I know the wire diameter, blade and clevis size. The larger bait has a couple areas that may be an issue and the first is the skirt. It is out of proportion to the bait size and it might be disrupting water flow coming off the spinner blade keeping it from spinning. The next issue is the paint or whatever the white residue on the wire is, that could be causing a binding issue with the clevis. For that bait I'd clean the wire and then make sure the blade can spin freely. Then I'd take half of the skirt strands off of it and try it again, willow blades are hard to get started and it doesn't take much to affect the way they spin. The other thing is they spin in a tight arc, the skirt material is tied in an umbrella type configuration which makes it flare but pushes it closer to the blade. Just based on that I'm guessing it is causing a major water flow disruption and it is easy to find out if that is the problem. I'm not saying 100% that what I said are the exact issues but that is where I'd begin, good luck and let us know if you figure it out.

I just skimmed your post, I'm sorry. The Gami 345, Eagle Claw 3886, and VMC 7216 will fit the casting jig mold, I'm not sure about the weighted hook mold

The Eagle Claw 3886 is a good hook as is the Gamakatsu 345 and both will fit without modifications. Another one that I really like is the VMC 7216 and should fit with no issues.

Everything that was mentioned here is true. You will find certain colors work better than others but there are work arounds that can help. Some members, like apdriver, have added vibration motors to their fluid beds to keep the paint from forming volcanos. Cadman is correct, if you add 25% - 30% of clear gloss powder it will help the paint to fluidize better. I think it is because the paints that don't fluidize are due to heavier pigments. The last thing is that even though you are seeing volcanos the paint underneath is still fluidized, just give the cup a little shake or stir and you'll see it. To summarize, you can just give the fluid bed a quick shake or stir and then dip you jig and it will be fine. Or you can attach a small vibration device to the fluid bed to keep the paint completely fluidized, or you can try adding some clear powder to the paint, 25%. BTW, when you add clear powder, 25% is added to the total, I break down a pound of powder into 2oz jars. So for a 2oz jar of color you would add 1/4oz of clear to give you 2-1/4oz of powder. Mix the paint thoroughly and then add to the fluid bed.

Will, just stick with the sharpie. The Quick coat marker with the paint is a paint because the hair wants to stick to it so you don't get good overage. The Copic marker works but it takes awhile to dry and while it seems to be a little more colorfast it isn't by leaps and bounds. I was able to clear the sharpie off the hair in 5 minutes and that was after letting the sharpie dry for an hour. The Copic I let dry for the same hour and in the same 5 minute period I didn't get all the color off but I did fade it but these aren't real world test. I know the Copic is expensive but if you aren't using a bunch of colors you can actually get the black marker and then buy a refill bottle and refill the marker when it runs out.

Copic markers are alcohol based ink and work well on lure bodies but I never tried them on bucktail. I'll mark some bucktail with the marker later on and let you know. I also have quick coat lure markers which use actual paint rather than ink. I would think they would be really colorfast but I don't know how the paint would go on the hair. I have quick coat lure markers, Copic markers, and sharpies and I always used a sharpie for that. Mostly because the jigs don't last long enough for the stripes wear off completely. Check back later on, I'll let you know how the markers go on the hair and I'll let them dry and see how each fades in the water side by side with the sharpie.

Aluminum foil.

What is the hook number? Is it a 90 degree hook?

Mark, how long did you use it? Once the hair absorbs the water you will notice the scent matts the fur. When you use it on a zonker tail or claws it isn't as noticeable but use it on a crosscut body and it becomes evident real fast what happens. It is even worse with bucktail but go get a jig with the rabbit the same way only without the scent and compare and see.

Thank you!

Is that what you think or do you have the material? I want to get a definite answer from someone who has the material. I'm only asking because your description isn't close to what I see on my screen.

Do not add scent or dye to a zonker strip, it will ruin the action!!!! If you want to add scent to it you put it on the hide, not the hair. I tie a jig with a rabbit strip with some Acrtic fox hair over it and a chenille collar. The collar I added on is to add scent to because you don't want that on natural material.

I think we are talking about different buzzbait blades. I was talking about the standard old aluminum delta blade, there is no plastic on it. I know there are plastic blades but too much friction on those would probably stop them from spinning.

Welcome to the board!!!! I prefer .052" diameter wire because buzzbaits need to be durable and I never had an issue with that size wire. I never thought that the wire diameter played a part in the sound but after reading your post I think you could very well be right. I always scored the rivet with a utility knife, I can't tell you how many knife blades I've gone through but I bet that amount could easily stock a mid size hardware store. Anyway, scoring the rivet seems to work, I've tried using sand paper and files to rough up the surface of the rivet but the results were always different. The easiest way to test that theory would be to make identical size baits with identical components with the only difference being wire diameter, this could be an interesting project.

Ok, so I've been looking at a skirt color called pale ale for some time now and I have no clue what it is. I'm hoping someone has it so I have an idea if I can use it or not. The problem is colors look different in person, everyone here has probably ordered a color and when they got it they thought it was a mistake. To me on my screen it looks like a washed out green pumpkin, not really green pumpkin but not really watermelon either. So if anyone has that color it would be a great help if you could give me a description rather than me going off of a screen, thanks in advance.