smalljaw

Basseducer is spot on with the hooks, I like the Mustad ultra points better than Gamakatsu because the hook stays sharp even after a snag but you could use almost any brand spinnerbait hook depending on the size of the eye. I use .029 an .031 wire on most of my baits and all you need to do is use a small piece of masking tape to hold the wire however I suggest that you tape a piece to each side to keep the wire centered. I use a 3/0 hook for 1/4oz baits and a 4/0 for 3/8oz baits, a 5/0 or 6/0 for 1/2oz works well also.

A good spinnerbait will provide flash and vibration which are the key elements for a spinnerbait but most of us began making our own because we couldn't buy what we were looking for off the shelf like certain colors or blade configurations. A great spinnerbait (for my fishing) has alot of flash and a ton of vibration along with different color, something that the fish haven't seen, the vibration part is done by using quality swivels with light wire and the flash comes from using highly polished blades, most spinnerbaits that you buy that aren't titanium have a heavy wire so the lures are a little more durable but they sacrifice vibration but it's understandable because who wants to spend 5 bucks for a lure that may break after catching a few fish. Most will make baits specific to the bodies of water they fish so they can match the size and color to the predominant forage, I started to make them because I couldn't find a bait that I could fish in moving water (rivers) without rolling over or burn it just below the suface without the bait doing the same thing. These are qualities that make a good bait better.

According to the catalogue, Bass Pro Shops has starflash skirt layers but I believe someone here mentioned that they weren't the same as the starflash skirts. I'd love to find the hydrosilk in layers also but I believe you can only buy the skirts.

RR, try the quick coat lure markers, they're actually a paint stick and it comes with 6 tips so making eyes is fairly easy and after a few minutes you'll be able to put the clear over top without bleeding.

Don't ruin your air brush, like Turkeylegs has stated, you can one fairly cheap. All they are is a badger hobby sand blaster and I'm sure if you take some time and look around you may even find one a little cheaper.

I believe he's refering to paint markers like the quick coat lure markers, these aren't ink like a sharpie but actual paint. You shake them like a rattle can of paint and the tip is valve operated in which you push the tip down to start the flow of paint. The paint is quick drying and after 2 minutes you can coat with epoxy without any problems.

I use the flex coat epoxy to glue my weed guards in, it's a little expensive but it goes a long way for that purpose.

A deep cup blade is as the name suggest, it has a deep cup which lets it spin at a slower speed but also produces more vibration at normal retrieve speeds. They're good for making a night time bait and for use in a bait that's going to be slow rolled.

Thank you Bterril!! I do a ton of smallmouth fishing every year, in fact 90% of my fishing time is spent on smallies and like yourself, I go big. I use 3/8oz to 1/2oz spinnerbaits and 4" Rattlin' Rogue jerkbaits along with 5" senkos and 4" to 4.5" tubes, if the bite is really tough or I'm fishing water less than 45 degrees is the only time I downsize. I've hear all too often that you have to fish smaller lures for smallmouth and it couldn't be farther from the truth, you should see the looks I get from some anglers on the river when they see me using a baitcasting reel spooled up with 12# line and throwing a Zara spook, however it's hard to argue the logic of it when a typical 35 to 40 fish day you land 14 fish in the 3lb class along with a 4 or 5 lber to boot!!

I had the same problem when I first started so what I did was use a pair of round nose pliers and bend that loop by hand, just bend it past the arm a little bit and then bring it back, that will keep the loop closed.

They are very nice to deal with, you call them on the phone and they'll assign you a customer # . They have always been prompt with delivery, within a week but usually sooner.

I believe what you have there is a Berkley slip jig, the line goes completely through the head then tied to a split ring and then the spit ring is placed over the hook and snugged up against barbed collar.

I caught a smallie last season that was 20.25" and weighed 4lb. 4oz but it was a river smallie which run alot less in weight to length compared to lake or resovoir smallies. My personal best smallie was 22" and weighed 5lb.4oz also caught in a river system during pre spawn. It's possible to have some big differences in weight depending on what type of water the fish was caught and what time of the year it caught.

I use the house oven to mine but I only do them once a month before the oven gets cleaned. I have made a simple but efficient way to do alot of jigs at one time and it's cheap. Buy one of those soft aluminum lasagna pans and take a wire coat hanger and cut the straight piece that goes across the bottom off. Make a small hole at each end of the pan and put the hanger wire through so it's now attached at both ends of the pan. Now you have a rack to hang about 20 -25 jigs depending on the size and if you have dripping issues not to worry, it'll just drip into the pan. One more thing with the pan method, you'll need the oven at about 7 degrees hotter than what you want to cure at, I checked the heat inside the pan the first couple of times and it was 7 degrees cooler than the surrounding temp.

If you're just starting out I'd go with pre-bent forms, after you get comfortable you may want to bend your own or you may want to continue to use the ready made forms. The wire diameter you want to use should be on the mold. Pre- bent forms are quick and easy because they are already bent but bending your own allows you to make your own angles plus you'll get more for the money but it'll take up more time.

I thought some of you might like this. I got a catalogue in the mail and they are advertising starflash silicone skirt material in 3' lengths for 2.99.

Try one with a bigger blade, maybe a #4 or #5 colorado might work. I've used the blades from barlows tackle and they worked perfect but I never tried the colorado blade.

I'm not an expert but I believe humidity has something to do with how well your lead pours. I pour most of my jigs and spinnerbaits during the winter months and it seems to go alot smoother with the cooler temps. It may be just me , but I've noticed I get more incomplete pours during the summer months or if it's raining, it may just be coincidence but for me it's alot easier during cool dry weather.

The answer to your question is yes, you can paint and cure jigs with the weedguard in place but it's much easier to do it without. You can cover the weedguard with teflon tubing or aluminum foil to heat and paint the jigs then cure it in an oven at 250-270 for a longer period of time but it's tedious to say the least. The best method I've found is to leave the weedguard out and epoxy in place after painting and curing. To keep the weedguard cavity free of paint is simple also, just go to a home depot or hardware store and buy some 1/8" dowel rod and cut small sections and place in the hole before painting, once it's painted simply remove and cure.

I was looking at the new Janns Netcraft catalog and I really liked the tuboflare finesse skirts so I decided to try and make my own, the final version will be tied with wire but went with a rubber collar just to see how it would come out. I'd appreciate any thoughts. BTW, it's a 1/8oz poison tail jighead.

If you find them let me know also, those look killer!!!

I use that mold and have no problems with it. Make sure you're using the right hooks and proper wire diameter.

If you want to make only "R" bends and swivel loops then a product called the little blue bender is what you want, it works very well and is pretty inexpensive, the boggs tackle maker will make all different kinds of bends which will give you more options especially with in-line spinners but does cost a little more.

There are several things you can do, one is to use an epoxy overcoat, mix glitter in with the epoxy and use a small brush to paint it on. Or you can use a brush for the glitter paint by simply heating your jig and loading up the brush with glitter paint and tap the paint off the brush onto the jig.