mnflyfisher

where do you get your copper?

I'm looking for any information from anyone who dabbles with these. What do you find works best to use for fins? Where do you get it and how to you cut/shape them? Glue them into the body? I believe copper seems to be the most common, but what thickness? I have actually used lexan lips with some success. I would like to hear what others have found works well. Any good ways for weighting them besides using/placing enough lead to make it sink/swim at your preferred rate? Maybe use a denser/harder wood? Also, fin position so that they swim correctly? I imagine the fins are placed near the center of balance. At least that is what I did with this one and it seems to swim okay. I made this one with lexan fins that flip up and hold at 90 degrees to the body when the decoy is falling, and then they drop down when you jig it up. It's different, but you can't keep pumping it like a regular decoy to make it glide continuously, once you jig it up the fins drop so the action there is lost and it swings back to the center of the hole - not that that's a bad thing - but I think I like the continuous glide of the fixed fins better. For the tail, I just used the same metal tails that are used on the suick jerk baits since that is what I had lying around.

Yes, I am also trying to conjure up some sturdy metal decoy fins - hinged ones...?

I have used the banjo minnow a lot in the past for bass and pike and have done very very well. I go out bass fishing with am uncle of mine and my dad and can out fish them every time using a banjo minnow.

Hey thanks for the help guys! I'll let you know - probably will be a while before I get around to it though.

try searching for 'probionate' with a 'b' instead of a 'p'.

I was reading a few posts on dying buck tails but am looking for more information. I would like to know the whole process used, from the time you cut the tail off the deer, how do you cure it / cut the hide etc? and what is the whole process for dying the tail? I would like to use the closest thing that is used for the store bought stuff already colored buck tails. This would make a great tutorial (with pics) for the member submitted tutorials section if someone felt ambitious.

I was just wondering what some of the different things are that people use to put over their treble hooks on their lures when not in use and where they get them. A lot of it looks like surgical tubing type of stuff...

I don't have any of the melting stuff for melting and pouring my own lead, nor do I want to invest in that. I have just been using lead shot or egg sinkers and tapping them into my holes with a small hammer. I think I might try pencil lead though - seems you can just cut the size you want, and it's already cylindrical shaped - anyone try this? I noticed they sell pencil lead at one of the local 'specialty' bait shops here that carries some tackle/lure making supplies.

Where do you find cylindrical lead?