Ogajiga

"pirkfan", at approx. what temp for how long a time does tin pest become a problem? I've read some published info but you seem to have personal experience? Is storing indoors a good enuf solution to avoid tin pest? Solders, especially silver bearing, are expensive(!) so I'm experimenting with adding bismuth up to 5% to pure tin. Bismuth added alloy is harder to pour so if possible I prefer to stick to pure tin.

The current VMC hooks website only lists the 60* 7161 BN down to 1/0, but Hagen's offers them down to #2 black and RED in their current catalog. Their website is: www.hagensfish.com If anyone wants a look at the smaller #6, #4, & #2 BN sizes I can send a few. As I recall, Daiichi used to be the only choice for a heavier wire chem sharp small jig hook for steelhead, which is probably why Mustad chose to offer their small size 32833 alternate. Generally, as others have posted, www.capainhookswarehouse.com often has the best prices for jig hooks by the 100.

I don't powder paint but have gotten my tin heads done by others. Melting point of tin 450*F is carefully do-able. Paint jobs look no different from lead heads - smooth and hard.

VMC 9147 is my sharp & strong micro hook of choice up to #8. Used to like #6s, but the last batch of BN was softer wire than previous, and #4 and up have always been too bendy IMO. 9147 is thin wire, not recommended for salt water except for #8 & smaller micro jigs. VMC 7161 is max heavy wire BN and possibly the best choice for a shorter shank wide gap salt water jig hook in small sizes down to #6. The 60* eye leg allows for forward eye placement in jigs. I was going to try Daiichi years ago, but Blakemore sent me samples with defective temper. Check your message box Wilfish.

I'm considering a purchase of this mold, and was wondering if those new fangled wire collars are an improvement over the standard cast collars? http://www.barlowstackle.com/Do-It-Teardrop-Jig-Moldbrwith-Wire-Keeper-P2528C242.aspx

"I lost more fish because of that cutting point tearing a big hole in the mouth of a fish than because of line breaking or any other reason" Always wondered about those Owner and Trokar edged points, Thanks for that info. To clarify, as a specialist in small heavy wire jig hook castings, I recall Gamakatsu was the first mfg. to produce a 2x chem sharp forged 90* steelhead jig hook, followed in order(I think) by Matzuo, Owner, and Mustad. Of course the bottom line isn't who knocked off who but whose product offers best performance and value. But Eagle CLaw's new EL hooks looking like direct copies of Ultra Points even with similar model #s is a bit uncomfortable. But its all good, since Mustad quality has gotten unreliable and alternate choices are welcome.

I've learned not to mess with molds unless absolutely necessary. As mentioned, some Do-its have a cavity surface ruff enuf to stick castings, & careful smoothing helps considerably. Recently I had a 7 cavity round head mold with one cavity that would never fill out. While there wasn't any visible obstruction to melt flow, smoothing out the inlet gate surfaces fixed the problem. Its possible to create a lip at the edges of cavities which obstruct casting removal if you try to sand the surfaces smooth. And, if you sand off the sharp cavity edge, you could also create a part line ridge on castings.

The one(and only) EL3052 sample I got appeared to have the same soft wire temper as the 570s. Maybe my sample was atypical and hopefully, EC production runs will stiffen the temper like the EL111BP since soft wire 90* Aberdeen jig hooks are already served by the 570 series.

Ask any local here who likes seafood, which is pretty much all of us, about lomi o'io and you will get a reply "Ho brah, some ono!" or "Broke dah mowt!" The few C&R flats guides here are up against some serious tradition. Geez, 35# jacks must be an unpleasant surprise if jigging table fish. Kinda like monster carp in fresh water. No doubt both are capable of punishing battles on light gear, but I'm with the ABC crowd when inland fishing - Anything But Carp. Unfortunately carp will bite small jigs and are so prolific in some waters that accidental snagging wastes lots of "real" fishing time. OK, will PM for an address exchange.

4-5% tin added to your lead will keep it shiny longer.

Dunno about mileage, but its at least a two hour drive from my home on the eastern tip of the Big Island to any west side shoreline going around the island either way or up & over the middle thru the saddle between Mauna Loa & Mauna Kea. My K-bay flats wading was mostly thru the 60s. Of course its probably easier to target crustacean crunchers with natural bait, but as mentioned artificials properly presented are effective. I've seen flats "skimmer" jigs available online. Our half dozen or so most prevalent jack species are indeed valued as food. And unlike out your way, bonefish are highly prized for "o'io lomi" or fishcake. Probably won't get the opportunity, but I think beach or wade jigging for FL pompano would be well served by my Hawaiian experiences. Altho posting for fellow jig tiers in both local fishing forums, only one replied.

Sight jigged a few bonefish on the flats of Kaneohe Bay 40+ years ago. On my current home Big Island blind jigged a few on plastics - best was 8# on a 6" Culprit worm. This is the lava rock east side - sandy beaches are 2+ hours drive to the west side, so I can't target jig bonefish in my home waters, unless on a float craft to access sediment accretion outslide stream mouths. No doubt permit or bonefish will hit a jig, I even got a 4# bonie deep jigging a rather large Crocodile spoon intended for 20#+ giant trevally & amberjacks. I'm sure a southern road trip will get you anything you like and more on your jigs. I've actually never seen St. Croix, G. Loomis, Kistler etc. rods that are trendy out your way. The population here is blue or no collar, and low to midline Daiwa, Shimano, & Penn rods & reels are mainstream. Altho my sometimes partner jigging expert throws Stellas, Stradics are generally considered high end here. Back on the subject of pompano jig hooks, yes the pic jigs are VMC 7161.

I don't participate in the runs - looks like 50-100 anglers throwing 2-3" twister tails or dunking bait spread over several hundred yards of bayfront seawall. Living on an island there is no need to bump shoulders & cross lines at the same spot to enjoy quiet water time. You've got great gear Wilfish - mine is kinda low end - for 1/4 oz. jigs pictured 6-1/2' Clarus MH, Supercaster 240XS with 20# Fireline Braid. Jigs are "nothing fancy" unpainted 1/4 oz. #4 heavy VMC rabbit fur + Flashabou on a custom HeVhed

Wilfish, I'm actually a bit further south/west from you, around 6,000 miles. Having grown up wading the flats of Kaneohe Bay flinging jigs at jacks, ladyfish, barracuda, & even a few bonefish makes me comfortable bumping ideas with FL nearshore jiggers, even tho I "haven't had the opportunity yet". Local Hilo Bay runs of pompano similar papio have me running the other way to avoid the crowds. Having far more jig hooks than I'll ever use. I feel knowledgeable enuf to say "you get what you pay for".

Cadman, thanks for the heads up. I would rather support an American than overseas bizness. What model #s are you impressed with? Besides point quality, another concern of mine is wire strength, which Eagle Claw appears to lack precision control over. A customer of mine just complained that he has bent out 7/0 EC 413s ON THE STRIKE, not even having the opportunity to fight the hookups. He uses 100# braid to throw jigs, but still...Years ago I was quite satisfied with EC heavy wire point quality and just right wire temper, then their quality control went to heck.

If a single cavity mold can suit your needs, I've gotten my money's worth(under $100) from my High Tech jig mold. http://www.hitechluremolds.com/ Altho the website claims the finished mold is CNC machined, mine was cast in brass blocks mounted on pliers. This surprised me as the exact copy of my ruff model had some flaws which were reproduced. Still, the castings are one of my favorite 1/4 oz. heads for personal use. High Tech owner Ron Hammontree is a nice enuf guy, but may be limited by the quality(or lack) of your prototype model. Of course, there is a well known and discussed master jig mold maker whom I would never recommend to anyone after my 2 year wait experience.

Fatman, I'm doing fine without DaiIchi hooks. In particular, Ultra Point 32833 suits my needs for a reasonably priced premium quality heavier wire 90* small jig hook. So far, those salmon/steelhead tuff hooks haven't exhibited the quality control problems I've noticed in recent 32786. Since Do-it now offers ball head molds specific to the 32833 hook, the short legs aren't a problem.

Rednek, what size hooks do you mean by "mini" ?

I'd like to add that Owner and Gamakatsu heavier wire 90* hooks often have a unique hook eye/leg configuration that may not fit well in either the Do-it EC 570 or 630 type molds. Only way to check for proper fit is physically with the hooks & mold in hand, or ask on this forum including the specific hook, mold, & casting size.

Great pics, SD, both for the 60*-30* bend conversions and the forward hook eye mod. Probably, the Owner 5317 60* cutters could be bent from to 30*, but there is a possibility that the temper might be too hard to shank bend. Unusual, but possible in my experience. Only way to find out is to test a particular batch. Except for the custom 5/0 batch made for Gary Yamamoto, I'm not aware of a Gamakatsu 30*. Their 291 60* are(were?) available in black nickel 3/0 & up. I have some of the GY 5/0s if you'd like a look.

I've read that zinc can be cast into sinkers with a pot & ladle setup, but in my experience zinc contaminated wheel weight melt makes a mess because the zinc tends to stick to cast iron and is harder to remove than lead. Also, research indicates that zinc is very toxic to little water critters which form the base of aquatic food chains. I once found a zincer in a CO reservoir that was rotting and falling apart due to dis-solution into the water. Here's a quick link. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zinc_toxicity

The pictured sinkers appear to be machine cast judging by the small inlet gate breaks and hard alloys. Excellent CUSTOM designs so I would guess the swivels are a custom run & I've not seen them available for public purchase.

A major advantage of Romar swiveled Bass Casting sinkers is spin on both sides of the barrel, compared to the Do-it line locks which bury half the swivel in the Drop Shot sinkers. Quality of the latest batch of Romars I bought this year has slipped somewhat - the line pinch arm isn't as evenly formed as previous, but the barrel spin is still IMO noticeably smoother than cranes.

The Romar line locks distributed by Rosco are the import barrel type with wire wrap eyes, quite different from the crane style designed for Do-it Drop Shot molds. The #8 Romars are castable in a Do-it Bass Casting Sinker mold designed for #7 barrel swivels. The Romar line lock arms will crunch fit in the eye sockets, but pour OK. Because the #8s are smaller than #7s, there might be a bit of melt bleed into the swivel which isn't a problem WITH THE MOLD I HAVE- others of the same model might pour differently. Rosco has a rather high minimum order on the Romars, so if you want to try a few email me. hawnjigs@yahoo.com

I don't use weedguards but a Dremel engraving bit in a proper size pin vise could be used for scoring out a simple straight groove slot for a wire guard. Heck, an un-powered Dremel could also me used. I've done lots of hook shank slot enlargement mods on the cheap with a proper size cut hook shank mounted in a vise grip.