Ogajiga

As the old dawgs pass on, good to know the history of classics like the Silver Buddy, Doll Fly, Rock-a-Roo, among others relevant in my area. Roots ! http://nationalbass.com/news/silver-buddy-success#:~:text=Besides a few size additions,lure and the legend began.

The VMC double looks like a classic heavy wire chisel point. I've got some similar classic Mustad 7825 #4 doubles that should be compatible with a 1/4 oz size blade? Is the front hook necessary? Did Mr. Banks design the Silver Buddy for smallies or wallys? Did he have a scientific or engineering background? Based on appearance I would never guess it would vibrate. Absolute Genius!

Eventually I'll mod the mold to fit the available blanks. The snap jiggers do occasionally foul the double trebles on each other or the line, so good advice on the lift slow drop to avoid that. I never use treble hooks, would a single double hook on the tail be sufficient?

Looked it up, & I was wondering if the original Silver Buddy popularized by the late Billy Westmoreland was fished as is unpainted and unembellished? I have a vintage Do-it Pro mold but currently available blanks don't quite fit. I've never fished a blade bait but notice that the local walleye cast & retrieve experts use them very effectively both straight reeling and snap jigging. They appear to prefer the modern versions with fancy colors and holographic flash. And, are the chatter jigs used for other species besides bass? Cast & retrieve or trolled?

Looks like a modified knock off of my Nail Head designed 15 yrs ago. Without the weight of a head to stabilize a hook point upright position, a pinned bait could roll or even spin. Very responsive to angler imparted twitch darts. http://leadfreejigheads.com/images/nails.JPG

Since the OP already has other molds, I don't understand the advantage of having a single mold for tying and pinning plastics? Since Smalljaw ties bucktail on a no collar head, perhaps the best solution would be a wire keeper head which can be cast with or without the keeper. Do-it conveniently offers many jig head styles utilizing both eye sockets and wire keepers to suit both aesthetic and functional preferences.

VMC 7247 ? Gamakatsu 114 has a slightly longer shank relative to point gap ie: a 2/0 Gami has a 1/0 gap, so its comparable to a longer shank standard 1/0. Eye legs might be undersize compared to 32831. I use 114 up to size 2/0, dunno about bigger sizes.

Off the rack soft plastics have been satisfactory for all sizes of walleye, so I have no need for ties. I prefer a custom designed forward eye flat bottom down weighted head for mounting plastics or a downsized version for tying trout jigs. Not sure which production molds include these features.

I have no use for top heavy walleye jig heads, but the local top dawg shoreline walleye experts here use them exclusively for both tying doll flies and pinning plastics. Most are satisfied with the original forward of center hook eye version.

Outstanding innovation and attention to quality detail. But did they have exceptional fish catching ability? For just bass or other species like walleye?

I use Hagen's salmon red premium plastic beads for propeller spin bearings super gllued on hook shanks. Stacked beads stay in place better than singles. There are reasons why the suggested beads are source, type, & color specific.

How about weightless T-rig Gamakatsu EWG worm hooks? Available in sizes #4 - 5/0. Can be weighted with an inline worm weight or split shot.

Thank you for the sharing. I don't know what kind of powder paint my guy uses, assumed Component Systems as the trusted original developer. I think he mentioned oven curing at 325* due to the lower melting point of bismuth-tin alloy est 350-390*. From the posted comments sounds like 350* might be necessary for proper hard cure? I will try a clear liquid top coat to hopefully mitigate the chipping problem.

I don't paint, but have an expert provide me with that service - base color coat + clear glitter top coat - oven cured. Altho the even smooth finish looks perfect, the paint seems to chip easily. No bouncing off hard surfaces on casts, maybe an occasional bottom bump on slow retrieves. Is this normal? Would another top coat provide more durability?