smalljaw

Kayser Lure, they make a lot of fiber weed guards and they might be able to make the "V" style.

Welcome to TU!!!! You answered your own question, the only thing that changed is the lead. You need some antimony, I purchase 3%-5% antimonial lead from Roto metals. https://www.rotometals.com/antimonial-lead-ingots-5-pounds-3-5-antimony-lead/

I like them myself and I purchased mine from Barlow's Tackle but they stopped carrying them. I don't think they sold well which is why they are hard to find. They perform extremely well, so well that I don't know why more people haven't used them. That maybe changing though, I saw a new product, it is a rubber band that you use the split a regular fiber guard into a "V" but I'd rather buy the guards.

What size head are you looking for?

The "MF" is metal flake and you can get it at living rubber company, here is the link - https://www.livingrubber.com/collections/silicone-metal-flake/products/bubblegum-crystal-flake-silicon-skirting-mpf51

As others have said, cover the hook points before painting. You don't need to buy any tubing to cover the points, simply wrap with some aluminum foil, wrap it tight and it will hold and the heat won't be an issue.

If they are 15 years old or older then they will probably look different than current ones. All hook manufacturers have upgrades in the last 8 - 10 years, Eagle Claw just finished with their own hook point revision not too long ago. Mustad also began manufacturing some of their hooks in China and I've had some issues with some of the models after they did this. I still use a few Mustad hooks but not as many as I once did, For the 32786 I now use the Eagle Claw 786BP and the VMC 7161. Anyway, the hooks you got should be fine and if you are worried about the point just hit it with a hook file.

Allen, have you found the hooks you are looking for yet? If you are looking at smaller NED hooks, Mustad has the 37188 in a size #2 but if you go to Captain Hooks they still have some in the #1 size. You need to hurry though as it is now discontinued and when it is gone it is gone.

What size hook and are you talking light wire or something stout? I'm asking because I know of some but some guys idea of a NED hook is a 2/0 while others are a #4 and others it is a #1 or #2.

I will say this, if you need the 4/0 go with the Gami 291 bronze or 294 black nickel. I'll also make a 3/8oz ball head but I use a 3/0 Owner 5313 and I don't need the extra gap, the profile is small and it falls pretty fast for a 3/8oz jig. I don't have any issues with hooking or landing fish, I do understand you want that larger gap but the 3/0 5313 is stout and will keep the profile on the small side with no issues hooking a fish.

I'm confused, the Owner 5313 is a 90 degree hook but you're asking for a 60 degree bend? I think for a 60 degree in a 4/0 that is a little shorter than other 60 degree hooks of the same size is the Gamakatsu 294 but LPO is the only place I know that has it in a 4/0.

Thank you for the compliment Mike, I know I spent a lot of money learning to make tackle before there was a TU. Now I try to help others so they may get more enjoyment and less frustration from this hobby. Hildebrandt blades are the benchmark because they used 24K gold plating that was also polished. The reason they probably don't make the size #2 Colorado anymore is probably because it isn't used much for bass fishing anymore and trout and panfish guys have moved on to different blade styles. In bass fishing circles anglers have moved to using heavier baits, not many throw the 1/4oz tandem bait with the #3.5 willow and #2 Colorado. I still make that very bait which is why I recommended the #2 gold Colorado from Barlow's, it shouldn't overpower your bait and the plating is really high quality for a good price.

They aren't Hildebrandt but Barlow's Tackle sells a #2 Gold plated brass Colorado blade that should work for you. https://barlowstackle.com/Premium-Gold-Colorado-Blades-Smooth-Finish-P668/

Not really, unless you are using a really small blade on a bait with large wire and a big clevis.

Yep, Mark is 100% correct!!! Clevis size is determined by wire diameter and a Bass/Pike bait in 1/2oz and 3/4oz is likely to have .041" to .043" diameter wire so a #3 clevis is probably going to be your best bet.

It sounds like a lot of expense until you see how many feathers are in a pound. Toadfrog is right though, you pay by the length, but the feathers you need are probably the least expensive type. From the look of that lure you need plain old 5" to 7" strung hackle, and that is the range it is sold. That just means most feathers will be between 5" and 7" long, there may be a few shorter ones but not many. The Spirit River stuff is like $9.00 for a pack but you get a good amount of feathers and it is high quality for strung hackle and the feathers are in the 5" to 7" range. https://www.jsflyfishing.com/spirit-river-uv2-strung-saddle

Probably any strung saddle hackle will work, the more important thing you need to know is the length. Strung saddle hackle comes in various lengths and you will also need longer length feathers than what is on the lure. For example if you want to make a lure with feathers that are 4" long you'll need to by 5" to 7" lengths in strung hackle. The best brand I've found is distributed by Hareline Dubbin. co. and it is the Spirit River brand, the quality of their strung hackle is really good and is perfect for lures like the one pictured.

When you say "barrel roll" are you talking about a spring loop like you see on a beetle spin wire form? I would think that would work as well but it isn't used very much and I wouldn't be able to tell you if it is better. I was told a long time ago that the reason you don't see many larger spinnerbaits with that type of line tie is because when you tie your line to it you are stopping the blade arm from vibrating. I don't know if that is true or not but I do know that when fishing the same size spinnerbait in a closed loop and an "R" bend on the same line, rod, and reel made in the same wire diameter you can feel the difference. The "R" bend vibrates noticeably more than a closed loop but I'm not sure if it is enough to make a huge difference in the amount of fish you catch. The other issue is wire diameter and bending the spring loop, if that is what you mean by barrel roll. I make that loop with .031" wire for beetle spin wire forms and I use a round nose pliers to do it but it would be hard doing it with anything over .041" which makes the twisted or closed loop a better option but again, I'm not sure about the barrel roll.

If you are using them for musky then you will want the twisted wire form also known as a closed loop. The closed loop makes a bait a little more durable but it cuts vibration down. It can also pinch your line but again, if using them for musky that isn't going to be an issue. Bass anglers usually use 10lb to 15lb line fluorocarbon or monofilament or 30 to 50lb braid with spinnerbaits so the line is thin and if the bait turns during the cast it can catch and get pinched on the twisted wire.

Good eye Musky Glenn!!! I never thought about that and you are right, the blade arm rides almost parallel to the water surface while the body is on like a 30 - 40 degree angle. I'll bet that's it.

Have you tried the Do-it weed wire guards? They are used in the wacky jig, I actually like them in the 1/16oz wacky jig as they are very light but still go a good job.

I used the 90# nylon coated for tube jigs that were unpainted and they were 1/8oz to 1/4oz range. For what you want I would use the uncoated as it will be easier to work with on the smaller heads. The nylon coating needs to be trimmed back on the end that is going into the cavity, if you pour with the nylon coating on the wire your heads will end up with holes. For 1/16oz jigs go with 60lb uncoated which is .018 diameter and for the 1/8oz I'd go with 90lb which is .024 diameter. One thing to remember with the uncoated wire is when you paint your jig also heat the end of the wire and dip that in the powder as well and then cure. The powder on the end of the wire will keep it from unraveling since there isn't a nylon coating keeping it in place. https://www.cabelas.com/product/American-Fishing-Wire-SurfStrand-Uncoated-Wire/711866.uts

If you use a Mustad 32746 in a size #1 and 1/0 you don't need any modification as they will work.

You need harder lead, Rotometals sells 5% antimonial lead and that works really well. They also sell nuggets of 70% lead with 30% antimony, if you use 1lb of that to 19 or 20 lbs of soft lead it will really help and isn't too hard. I use 5% antimonial lead and it makes a difference, if you just want to use scrap lead find older wheel weights. You need to be careful with wheel weights as the newer ones have a high percentage of zinc which will corrode your pot in short order. Don't worry about hard lead and other molds, 5% antimony will harden the lead up that you may need to run your pot at a little higher temp but all your molds should pour fine with it. EDIT: I almost forgot, you NEED to cut the sprue off with a gate shear or diagonal cutter. If you are twisting or breaking the sprue off then you'll loosen the head all the time.