Jeff Hahn

This morning I heated and squelched (in motor oil) the small figure 8 link. They looked really good and were much more difficult to bend...just like I wanted. So, I poured two baits with them and when I went to bend the eye out slightly to add the blade...SNAP! Heating and squelching hardened them so much that they were super brittle. So, I just heated two more and made two baits. I don't think that just heating them made the metal any harder and might have even made it softer. I'll give those baits a shot this week and see how they perform.

I have a question for those of you who know metals. I make my own vibrating jigs. I have found a new figure 8 connector link to use. (Like the others I have used, one end of the connector is attached to the hook and the other end serves as the eye of the leadhead.) I have made a few baits with this new connector link, but there is a problem. When I catch even a 2 pound bass, the end of the connector that serves as the eye of the leadhead will bend slightly, requiring me to tune the bait again. This new link is made of smaller wire than the others I have used. Plus, it's made of nickel, rather than nickel coated brass. Is there anything I can do to harden this nickel connector link so that it won't bend so easily? Will heating it help...heating and squelching? Thanks for any info!

I use this one: http://www.lurepartsonline.com/Online-Store/Mold-Insert-Components/Wire-Weedguard.html

I prefer the Arkie style head for tying weedless hair jigs for largemouth. The Do-It mold that I have has 1/8 and 1/4, but no 3/16.

Another example of government bureaucrats "finding" a "serious" problem to which they can apply a "solution," when no problem actually exists.

He can make the blades and use them on lures that he makes for himself. But, to sell those blades is a violation of Z-Man's patent.

Or, use a belt sander or bench grinder.

I bet you can find a fingernail polish in a color that is close to that.

Use a spinnerbait hook and then a Figure 8 link attached to the hook that will also serve as the eye on the jighead.

Correct, sorry for the typos.

Sorry, for the typos. That should have been .020 and .011.

Yes, I was referring to the blades that are currently sold through LPO, Jann's, and Barlow's. Those blades measure .20" on my micrometer, while the original RAD blades measure .11". I'm no engineer or physicist, so please correct any misinterpretations. While two identically shaped blades would likely have the same hydrodynamic effect on the bait, I wonder if the thinner (and therefore lighter) blades balance with the head differently than the thicker (and thus heavier) blades? It seems to me that the old RAD baits "hunted" far more erratically than either the Z-Man bait or the baits that I make. To get one of my baits to "hunt" I really have to play with it and I am thinking that the thicker/heavier blade may play a role.

The problem I have with the blades that most tackle supply websites carry is that the metal is way too thick. The original RAD chatterbait used a blade that is about half the thickness of the blades you can buy from tackle making suppliers. The only option might be to order some thin stainless stock and cut the blades out using tin snips and drilling the holes with a dremel and a tiny bit.

I just use the standard Arky Do-It mold.

Until you master the technique and eliminate the drips, why not take some old paperclips, straighten them out, and hand the jigs by the eye instead of the hook. This way, if there is a drip, it will run down the hook shank and you can cut it off with a knife. If you hand the jighead by the hook, the drip will run down and cover the eye.

I never liked the "Y" weedguards. They always seemed too stiff for my tastes. I prefer the standard bristle weedguard or wire. I have made jigs with both a bent wire weedguard like these: http://www.bbcboards.net/showthread.php?t=676111 (top pic), but not using this kind of jighead or the twin cable weedguard like the Stan Sloan jig: http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Zorro_Baits_Casting_Booza_Bug_Jig/descpage-SSZBCJ.html.

I bake mine in my wife's oven in the kitchen and hang them on the regular oven racks. But, I put an old cookie sheet underneath to catch any drips.

This website might give you some answers! http://www.alchemywebsite.com/ Sorry, couldn't resist!

Thanks for the feedback. It sounds like an indelible marker is not only as effective as the dye, but cheaper, more readily avalable, and easier to carry in the boat.

That's what I figured. I really like snelling the Hack Attack flipping hooks. But, the smallest one (4/0) is too large for many of the finesse baits that I flip. I found some short shank spinnerbait hooks from LPO that are a perfect size. But, they only come in bright nickel. I was hoping that this dye would color them black to cut down on the birghtness. But, it sounds like it comes off quickly enough that it wouldn't be worth fooling with.

Has anyone used the lure dye that is designed to be used on metal? I'm not talking about the dye used on soft plastics. But, instead the dye used to change the color of spinnerbait blades or maybe used to dye a hook red? If so, does this dye work well? Does it have to be reapplied every few fishing trips?

I also quit using the rubber bands. I got sick and tired of them dry rotting and breaking on a cast and seeing the strands of the skirt exploding like fireworks. The only time I use them now is when trying out a new skirt color. Once I decide I like it, a use tying thread and clear fingernail polish to secure the skirt to the head.

I use bees wax, but several people here say that you can use candle wax, as well.

I don't know if theyare still in business, but a number of years ago I had Inshore Tackle 3011 College Ave. Corning, NY 14830 (607) 936-0523 make me a number of silicone jig molds. Ask for George Keller or his son Chris.