Shortlite

Hey guys. Anyone have any idea who else makes jig hooks like those found on the Gamakatsu 211 jighead? It's a short shank beak pattern, which I've found absolutely awesome on small (2") curl tails, paddle tails, shads and shrimp patterns. Have found hooks for my other 2 designs, just one more for the trifecta. Ted..

The website is www.zest-fishing.com Click on the "Bokuno" link at the top left of the page. Translating works ok on the pages. They also showcase some pretty wild reel painting as well. Trying out a pattern I knocked up this weekend, laminating some pine sheets.

Yeah, the Sintra material is interesting, but gluing up the laminates seems to be a bit problematic. If there were some way to get 100% gluing I'd certainly give it a go. For now though, to experiment with, I'll be using wood, probably basswood, cedar or paulownia (spelling?).

G'day fellas. Trawling around the net a while back, I bookmarked a very interesting way to make wooden lures. Quite popular in Japan, they use precut laser cut wooden sheets to laminate the body toegther. Body is cut out, holes for hangers, bibs and all precut, all you have to do is glue up with all the hardware in the kit, shape a bit and round out, then sand and paint. Everything precut, including lexan bibs, hangers preformed with 90 degree bends on the ends, holes to accept them and everything. Interesting, easy concept, quite easy to design your own lures according to the formula. Undoubtedly needs some testing to fine tune new designs, but pretty awesome. Would be cool if you can get all the stuff cut fairly cheaply, then make your own. I am keen to give it a try: templates and lots of paddle pop sticks!!! Not sure if posting the link would be advertising, but I can PM the address to anyone interested in having a squizz.

That should do it. Let the first coat really soak in, then dry. Lightly sand it, then apply the second coat.

Definitely seal it before you test it. Unsealed it will soak up water, and this will affect it buoyancy. It will also need to be dried out thoroughly before painting. In addition, water intrusion will raise the grain of the wood when it dries, necessitating further sanding and surface preparation. Last, but not least, any water not dried out of the wood when you finish will make the wood swell and contract, which can damage the paint and clear coat. It will also rust any hardware inside the lure body.

Won't be painting these heads mate: waste of paint and epoxy. Salty tropicals here are very hard on gear: I've got a few jigheads with teethmarks deep into the lead, right to the hook shank! We use soft plastic stickbaits a lot, and with a darter head they dart side to side quite a lot. A more up and down action with more subtle side to side movement better imitates little shrimp kicking to the surface, and keeps the jig tracking a bit straighter, which often drive fish to strike just because they can catch up easier before the jig gets to the surface. Not too concerned with keeping sharp edges, such as those at the back of the head. The keepers though, I'd want to get as close as possible. The pic is pretty much the final shape. Blunter than the darter, 2 holder collars. Thanks for all the help. I'll look into the RTV silicone molds, make a few heads, then I will customise a mold. If I screw up the mold, I'm only out 35 bucks, and I'll be able to play with some JB Weld to half a$$ fix it!

Cheers Kelly. Great tip there. Do-It do use the holder style keeper. It's on the roundhead model "Gamakatsu hooks". Maybe I could open out the cavity on a 1/16 darter, cut the keeper, and see how that would work. There was also the minnow head that I reckon could have the sides on the cavity opened a bit more, with the spherical cutting bit. For now though, I think I'll try and cut a master and do an RTV mold of it to test out.

Thanks Sagacious. I initally looked at the darter, the bullet, and the bullet nose molds. The darter and bullet seem a little too pointed: I am after what looks like a blunt bullet, like the egghead but with a flat back end. Reason being I don't want extreme darting action when the bait is twitched, just a little. As for cutting with a Dremel bit, I think that would definitley work with a little cleanup afterwards, with the 125 to give me sharper edged cones. Custom it may be. Will keep looking and thinking. Thanks for the help. If anyone gets this done I wants me some free jigs!!!LOL!!

Well, it can be done, because production jigs like the Gamakatsu, Nitro, Lunker City, even some cheapies have similar cone setups. You're quite right in that the problem is to get them consistent and concentric, which is why my attention was to the barb design. I was thinking of a casting too. Read about the high temp silicone RTV moulds: sounds like the ticket, but I'll have to knock up a couple masters first. Don't think I could set that up for higher volume pouring unless I made a few molds though. Anyone used stuff like QuickSil, or RTV for leadheads? How well does the material work: flow, heating, etc?

Thank you so much for the insight guys. While I don't think I have bitten off more than I can chew, holding cards to my chest and being a bit vague ain't helping. Now, the cylinder bit, on it's side and at 45 degrees won't cut the keeper I am looking for. It'll cut a triangular ridge. The conical engraving bit will give the shape I want if you consider it's axis as the hook shank. Here's what I am looking for: Bullet head, 3/16, 1/8, 3/32 and 1/16 oz. Hook: Mustad 32833BLN salmon/steelhead jig hook, sizes 2, 4, 6. These are stouter wire, and have a shorter eye leg than regular aberdeens. Keeper barb like the Lunker City lunker grip cones. Also seen on the Berkley Nitro jigheads available here in Australia. 2 or 3 grip cones. Now the bullet head molds I've seen take 60 degree jig hooks. Even in the smaller sizes the jig hooks are too heavy in wire. There aren't bullet heads made that small. The keepers are not the style I want. With the 32833, the shorter eye leg puts the hook eye in the same position as a 60 degree hook. I am trying to get the hook eye slightly further forward, so as to be closer to the middle of the bullet head. I've been looking at this for a very long time. While it may be good to learn to customise a mold, it's ultimately not what I'm after. I want to make some jigheads for a small group of us. Not for sale, for our own use. I anticipate over time I would want to make quite a few, so that is why I wanted to invest in a mold. Looks like getting one custom made is the logical choice. Here's a quick sketch I knocked up with Paint. Hope it's big enough to see.

Thanks again. What Dremel bit is the one you guys are recommending? If you could give me a model number I would be greatly thankful. Anyone have experience using the bits to open out the cavities to change head shape? I would be looking to shift the hook position forward in the lead also. My design is not a standard shape, nor does my target weights fall into standard sizes. The hooks I have are also just a little different from your regular Aberdeen. At this rate, custom I know can deliver, but the additonal expense is quite high. If there was an easy way to make a mold for casting lead, then I would try that. Maybe I should just let the bloomin' cat out of the bag and put up a sketch, hook (with sizes), desired weights and basic design ideas so we can all brainstorm about it.

Thanks for that. Which cutting tip is that? Is it the little one like a dovetail cutting bit? I have a pointed cone bit, but I think that's just the pointed engraving bit. I guess I could just start shallow and make the cuts a bit deeper until I get a good depth and even keeper height. At this stage I don't think I'll be selling them. Fishing UL in the salt really kicks your arse as far as attrition to your jighead box. The better jigs here are available on Gamakatsu hooks, which are a bit big for some lures. They also cost nearly 2 dollars per jighead (9 bucks for a pack of 5). I got some really good, smaller hooks and want to cast my own.

Thanks heavycover. Any other options? Would it be possible to make a mold to do some rough casts to tweak the design? So far it's the keeper that's proving the main problem. It just seems that not many jigheads use that style of keeper much.

It's all good gator. We are all on the same page here. No harm, no foul. And your little insight is well received also. Yes, craftsmen take more pride in their work, so getting it right straight out of the box is what they aim for. And that's why they work so hard and come up with stuff like this. Striving for perfection. And agreeing to disagree is one of the healthiest things. Neutral buoyancy unachievable.....maybe. I am never out of the testing stage with my lures. Always keen to fish them and get some action. I've even fished them unpainted! Plus yeah, baitfish don't sit around waiting to be eaten! The diving lips that get the lure down will still contribute to getting it deeper when worked. Slow float counteracts diving action, helping keep the bait at the desired depth. Throw in a whole lot more variables, and the real fishing world quickly shows itself to be nothing like a test tank. Ultimately we get as close as we can, and let the fish be the final judge. Tight lines fellas, Ted..

Who's ribbing? I have exchanged PM's with VodkaMan, and have watched the video. I offered the same help: we are now in a discussion about the spreadsheet. No ribbing/screaming/anything. I used quick reply, so no emoticons either, so my bad I guess for not saying that comments like "put the damn thing in the water!" are said in jest, with the best intentions. I am totally in for the spreadsheet by the way. Something to try and iron out inconsistencies is definitely a plus. I know it would definitely help me when it comes to actually molding some of these wooden masters I have laying around and making some resin or foam bodies. Take a chill pill mate

It's already getting there by the sounds of it. Calculating the volume of a hook? Bloody hell..... Well, if you want one set of lures for specific conditions and another set for others, then you will end up with 90 crankbaits in a box. Water temperature and salinity plays a bit part as well. Varying salinity occurs depending on where you fish, and even conditions. Playing with you lures and adapting is one of the keys to success, but keeping down the amount of gear you are slinging is also important. Sticky putty, SuspenDots and SuspenStrips work for those times when you have to weight the bait down to get it to act right. So I just go for a slow float in fresh water, then tweak it when I fish brackish or fresh. You can swap for a thicker wired treble, go up a size, heavier split ring, drop down a size, etc. No need to get all bent out of shape and overcomplicated with calculations and computer programs. Repeatability is fine if you want to be stuck there forever, but need to guarantee the same performance for each bait you produce, ie. ones for sale. Don't waste fishing time!!! We all know tuning is a part of the game. Get close, and do the rest on the water with whatever is at your disposal.

Whereabouts is the thread with the picture and dipping procedure? Very interested indeed. Anyone else have a pic they could post up? Never mind, found it!!! Looks sweet. Thanks guys for explaining the process.

Awesome mate! Paint and epoxy up to the builder though. Lip and hardware assume total uniformity, or very little variance. Great if you have laser cut bibs, etc. Split rings and hooks shouldn't have enough variability to greatly affect that. I suppose you'd have to build up a components database in addition to that, wouldn't you? Definitely a great idea. Will PM you, cheers.

Nice video. Spot on. Care to share the spreadsheet program? I assume it takes into account lure material, density, etc? Sounds and looks like avery useful tool to get you in the ball park, where you then just adjust a little to get what you want. However, I still stand by my statement that you need to put the fittings, spit rings and hooks on before doing the ballast testing: those extra grams will definitely change the attitude of the lure.

Hi guys. I am in the process of designing a jighead to suit UL and L tackle saltwater angling, using heavier gauge Aberdeen style hooks. I figure I'll have to customize a mold to accept the slightly heavier gauge wire, or have a mold custom made. In addition, I want to have a "holder" style keeper setup (I think that's what it's called), which is the sharp cone. Preferably 2 or 3 cones on the shaft. I find this style of keeper holds soft plastic lures best. It's like the LunkerGrip cones on lunker city jigheads, or what you see on annular ring roofing nails. Problem is no molds I have seen available employ this style of keeper. Now, I have my design sketched out, and with basic dimensions. Dimensions will be tweaked to give the size leadheads I want. Appreciate any help you can give. Best regards, Ted.. PS. I am in Australia..

Score!!!!!!!!!

Hahaha. I was just pointing out that the calculation was flawed. Background in Engineering and Science; instinct. Just stick the damn thing in the water!!! Add a little lead. Always going to be trial and error, because (especially with wood) no two pieces will ever be exactly the same. Too many variables. Bottom line in what I was saying is that no lure has the same density as water, because it is a different material. Only water has the density of water. What you get in suspension is an equilibrium of forces. Buoyancy negates weight (which is a force, not a mass: nothing weighs 3 g, it has 3 g of mass). A composite of wood and lead (lead inside a wood body) has a different density than plain wood or plain lead. The calculations for external ballasting is easier than internal ballasting, for this reason. Complex dimensional shape, placement of the lead, etc. Let's just say that simplifiying the density thing, a 8 cm long cylinder of 1 cm diameter has a volume of 6.284 cubic cm. Internal lead weighting doesn't change its volume, just its mass. So 3g of lure + say 5 g of lead has a total mass of 8 g. Density is mass/volume = 8/6.284 = 1.27 g. Greater than density of water. Full stop. If this lure suspends, it is because it's buoyancy is equal to its weight. 8 g of mass weighs 80 Newtons (force). Mass is scalar, Force is vector quantity. Mass just "is", force "acts" on an object or in a direction. Just stick the damn thing in the water!!!!! Hahahahahahaha. Spending too much time trying to work that crap out = waste of time = less productivity = less lures made = loss of fishing time = less fish caught! Git 'er done, git 'er wet, catch some fish!!!

Thanks Spike, I had tried looking for that before. I must have had what my girlfriend calls a "boy" look, and totally missed it. Thanks again.

Hahaha, thx for the welcome. Now, not advocatingviolence or anything illegal, but the best thing to do is to beat all the air out of 'em (reduces buoyancy) and add lots of external concrete ballast (preferably encased). No formula, just overkill! Didn't mean to ruffle feathers going into buoyancy and stuff. Maybe them 1/8 oz balsa lures weighted with 1/2 oz of lead really do float/suspend in vodka? Seriously, doing an accurate calculation is tricky. Getting very close is tricky. So just stick the damn thing in water, add the external ballast, and try and get it to suspend. When it comes to actually drilling out and putting the lead in, take away a little of the lead. Also, test with all the hardware fitted to the lure. I through wire my carved wooden plugs, and drill out the hole to accept the lead, then seal and test. After that, I reckon the epoxy to seal in the lead, paint and topcoat will add more weight too, so I go for enough lead to make the lure float slowly. That's for a suspender. If I still want it to float, then I reduce the lead I put in some more.