Long Lake Lures

When I apply too much paint (which happens more times than I'd like to admit) I reheat only the hook eye (heat gun) and run a small length of wire through the hole and then roll the wire between my fingers to gather up the excess.. Be careful not to heat too much or you may end up pulling off more paint than you inetnded.

I use the 2nd technique that Smalljaw describes above, using the Poison tail jighead. You'll need to modify the mold to accomodate the wire, but it's pretty easy with a drill press and a handscrew. Just go slow and check the travel of the bit often. I cut the wire to leave a 5/8" length exposed, then bend it with a pair of wire bending pliers, the kind with a round side and a concave side. Bending 0.051 wire is no problem with these. Hope this helps, Dave

Do yourself a favor and by a pair of Xuron Split ring pliers. They are the best I have used so far. you can get them on ebay for $9 w/2.50 S&H, Hope this helps, Dave

Thank you- here is a pic of the larger ones... The existing channel for the BB wire was an added bonus allowing for the underspin wire without a mod. Dave

Rick, That is a great reminder to help save money! BTW - I also use the scraps left over in the mixing cups and trimmings from previous molds (cut up into small cubes and such)as filler- as long as the uncured silicone has already contacted the master, there is no impact to the resulting mold. Hope this helps, Dave

Update: The mod for the Do-it medium bottom bouncer mold (1/2 to 2 oz) was fairly straightforward. I drilled out the existing wire channel to accomodate the 8/0 and 9/0 hook wire diameter on the top near the sprue, and drilled out the bottom of the cavity to allow for placement of the hook, either at the channel, or in the case of the heavier weights, on the side, leaving the channel open for the an underspin wire. I attached a pic-hope it works. Thanks again for your help, Dave

Thanks for the info!. I am going to order the mold-it should fit the larger Mustad wide gap hooks nicely. I'll let you know how it turns out. Dave

Hi everyone, Does anyone have the Do it BB mold in the medium sizes , 1/2 to 2 oz, and can you please tell me what the length of the 1.5 and 2 oz lead castings are? I have been asked to make heavier weighted swimbait hooks and am trying to figure out if this mold will do it. Thanks in advance for your help! Dave

As I recall, I use Gami 604s size 5/0 in those sizes. Gamis seem to run a bit smaller than the Mustads. Hope this helps, Dave

I went to LC on Saturday for their open house. If you are close to Lagrange, In, I recommend making the trip, because there is so much to see. I picked up a bucket of plastic, some of the new Laser glitter (very promising- ask Kim about it), and some other things. I was looking at the scent rack and noticed that they had one called "Cricket". Being naturally curious, I opened it up to take a whiff and -GAG- it is bad. After making sure all my buddies got a whiff, I spoke with Kim about it and she assured me that it was for real. I will pour a few things and let you know how it works once the ice melts, but would appreciate any of your experiences before I open the bottle again! Thanks, Dave

I mold in a short length of 0.026 SS wire on the backside of the hook and once the head is poured, bend it to form a keeper. Hope this helps, Dave

I also like my buzz baits a little longer than typical, so I ordered some 12" 0.051 shafts from Lurepartsonline and bent my own. I have the Hagens bender(the smaller one that makes loops) and it works well for this. I would imagine for the lighter 1/4 oz baits, you could drop down to 0.040 or so which would make it easier to bend with round tip pliers. Good luck! Dave

Cadman, Vodkaman, Fatman, Thank you very much for all of your help with this. You all went above and beyond, and I appreciate it! I will shop this around locally and let you know what I find. Thanks again, Dave

Hmmmm.Sounds like there could be an issue with your mold. Did you check for anything that could be preventing the mold from closing completely? Mine makes flash-free jigs, even in the smaller sizes, and it doesn't sound like the others are having the flashing problem that you describe either. Some feedback that I can share is that the hooks and weedguards are a PIA to place in the mold as they tend to move very easily. I am also going to order some 0.012 wire from hagens instead of the weedguards in the future Another thing that I noticed is that the 1/16 oz heads tend to get loose if you remove the sprue with too much twisting.. I haven't fished these yet since we are still frozen over so nothing to report there. And to Cadman's point, everyone is sold out of the larger size hooks. LPOL has a replacement from Mustad, but they cost 2X as much. Did anyone try these yet? Hope this helps, Dave

Hi Cadman, Yes please! daakiy01@yahoo.com Thanks! Dave

Cadman, Thanks for the drawing. I appreciate your help! Dave

Judging from the pictures I just looked at, they are definitely not 2 mm, since eyes this small are tiny. Could you measure the eyes on another bait to get an estimate of the size?

Yes, I was buying the blanks from Stamina(LPOL), but then their prices jumped so I went to Barlows. I figured that it may be time to research getting a lighter, more reactive blade. Cadman, Dave, Thanks for the info and the offer of help! If I find a good source of alternate blanks, I will let you all know. Thanks again, Dave

Fatman, Cadman, I realize that this is an older thread, but I was wondering if you found a good supplier of blanks and if the aluminum laser cut blanks worked? I am also thinking of trying the aluminum and am interested in anything that you found. Thanks, Dave

I use LC plastic, both regular and green, and I attach eyes to swimbaits. Degrease the area with alcohol, let dry and then apply a thin film of crazy glue to form a barrier. after the glue is dry, attach eyes, and then seal in place with clear nail polish. Hope this helps, Dave

Kim and Shawn are really great to work with. I find them very honest and fair. Their shipment charges are in line with Stamina/Bear/others. Dave

I saw the same thing after a year of pouring with mystery lead bought on ebay. I wasn't aware of the forming crust (around the wall on the bottom ) until the spout started clogging. I now do the same as Fatman and empty out the pot after each use. Dave

Give Kim a call. She will let you know what size the sockets are. Dave

If it's the mold that resembles the basstrix minnow (#869), it's a 1/4" eye. Hope this helps, Dave