Wayupnorth36

Does anyone have much experience with these? Not so much with making them, but with durability? I have a bunch of living rubber sitting around, so I figured I might as well use it up, I was just wondering how well the stuff will hold up to the teeth and fighting over a longer period of time. Alex

Have you looked at the gallery? There are some really nice bucktails in there. #5 -#8 blades are probably the most common size musky bucktails, and then you get your really big ones at 10 and 12 like the Musky Mayhem series. Of course, each manufacturer has a slightly different sizing system, so you should check out the specs before you buy a bunch.

Try Barlow's Tackle for the wire FISHING TACKLE for bass fishing, crappie, walleye, trout.Fishing lures, fishing hooks, lead molds. BARLOWS FISHING TACKLE. You'll also need some roundnose pliers, which you can get there, or you could go to any hobby type store that has jewelry making supplies and get them there. You don't crimp this stuff, you bend a loop and wrap the tag end around the shaft. I think there are some tutorials on this topic. I practiced with some .024" wire cuz it was cheaper and easy to bend.

For musky, use .051" stainless steel wire. the torsion straightened stuff, if you get it by the coil, which will make between 50 and 150 spinners, or you can by it in short lengths from tackle making suppliers, like Stamina or Reel Pro. If I understand what you were describing from e bay, someone is making them out of 7 strand leader wire? I haven't tried it, but I would guess that the blades wouldn't spin as reliably because of the flex. Let me know what happens if you try it, though. Hope this helps. Alex

You can find all the Federal Excise Tax info that you need on the IRS website and even apply for and get your Tax Number (also called Employer Identification Number even if you don't have employees) all online and immediately. Also, there are probably links to your state gov't sites and other sites that have useful info on starting a business (like SCORE), a lot of which has been covered by the previous posts, but some differs on a state-by-state basis.

Aside from trying to ice fish as much as possible, I've been roughing out some blanks on the lathe to make some BullDawg knockoffs, kinda like those "TwisterJerks" in another post. But I came up with them FIRST (sorry, couldn't resist ) Also trying to make a whole ton of big musky bucktail spinners. Some of my friends convinced me to make an online catalogue and sell them online, so I've also got the whole legal gauntlet to run through. And preparing for a musky tourney in early June, so... build build build!

I don't need them personally, but I do use vitamin containers (my grandmother is a vitamin NUT) to store custom paint mixes. Just a suggestion.

Last summer I was searching for a fish crib in over 15 feet of water and I knew i was close, but wasn't quite sure where it was. So I tied on an 1/8th ounce jig tipped with air and nothing else and cast it past where I thought the pile was, hoping to snag it and know for sure. After about 15 feet there was some good solid weight and I announced to my partner that I had found it. Then the pile started taking out line. It turned out that the jig had somehow managed to hook a four inch bluegill through the gill plate and then a 24 inch northern pike had hit the blugill!

You can find roundnose pliers at Hobby Lobby, Sears, Michaels, most craft stores that have anything to do with jewelry making. They mostly sell 5" but you might get lucky and run across a bigger one. I bend a lot of custom made .063" which makes my hand a little tired (I'm strong enough now, cuz I'm a young guy and a weight lifter, too, so I am looking for an easier way, cuz i sure won't be doing this in ten more years!), but bending .051" isn't too bad. You might even find the roundnose pliers in a walmart if you go look in the jewelry making section. Hope this helps Alex

You can go to the IRS website and get all the info you need, including getting your EMPLOYER IDENTIFICATION NUMBER which you will need to pay your FET. Even if you are sole proprietor, this is the number that you need. It takes about five minutes to apply for online, and is free.

yeah, now that I scrolled down further, you're right, Indiana's only go up to nine. My bad. Anyhoo, if you look at Hagen's and Worth and Lakeland, and compare their blades, they have different sizing scales from each other. A Lakeland 8 might be a Hagen's 7 (or whatever). Maybe one of them might carry the size blade that you're looking for, although, those three companies sell bulk.

Does anyone else have trouble with the Hedron site? It seems that it is outdated from 2001 and most of the links don't work. I've been trying to contact them for months

Stamina has them in # 10 Indiana fluted .040 Muskie Spinner Blades

I dyed a bunch of bucktails and even skunktails already this year. You shouldn't have to tan them, I never have. Heck, I don't even debone the tails, I just cut them off, bone, flesh and all. Just salt the base for a day or so. As far as dyes, the laundry section in Walmart, or Walgreens, or pretty much any supermarket will have RIT dye. It has some basic colors. There are some directions on the box, but you have to adjust a little for your particular purpose. I put the tails in with a cup or two of salt and a dash or two of white vinegar into a big metal something-or-other (I don't know what it's called. I've seen people cook turkeys in them in the oven. I found it at the flea market for .50 just for this reason) Pour in the dye and the water and heat it up to a low boil or simmer for an hour or so. Stir it occasionally, maybe two times an hour. When you're done, rinse it in cold water to get off the excess dye, otherwise it gets all over your hands and whatever your hands touch, and it STAINS. I save the old dye in milk cartons, cuz it's still good for another round, why waste? RIT dyes are basic colors. If you want more, try Jacquard dyes. I haven't used them yet, but hope to get around to it this winter. Hope this helps! Alex PS Don't do this inside!

Try inserting brass or aluminum tubing and crimping the ends. Then just put some plumber's epoxy putty or wood filler putty over the ends, dry, sand and seal.