The Jig Is Up

Can't say enough good things about Barlow's Nova Stone Chameleon paint. With that said, it's really hard to go wrong with Protec Magic Craw Blue. Excellent powder paint that.

@cadmanThose are both amazing suggestions. I have never poured with tin before... I assume that requires a dedicated hot pot... I may have to give that a try. The Bat Jig is another incredible suggestion. That jig does not come with any kind of weedguard, but I think tying a wire weedguard in would be fairly trivial to do. The Do-It Walleye Head Jig (WHJ-7-AR) is kind of in the same boat - no weedguard slot, but it has a nice streamlined design and goes down to 1/16 oz.

Hello all, I am trying to build a very specific kind of jig, to suit the kind of fishing that I do in my region. To be specific, I'd like to build a weedless micro jig that has an extremely slow rate of fall, like you'd see with a 1/16 oz weedless ballhead jig with a finesse TRD trailer on it. I like the rate of fall that said 1/16 oz ballhead jig has, but I want a jig that is more suited to come through grass. The 90-degree eye of my ballhead jig snags grass a little too easily. To be candid, I would go with the Snootie Jig hands-down, since it goes through grass so well. However, that jig only goes down to 1/8 oz, so I'm not sure if it would fall slow enough for what I'm looking for. Any ideas for a weedless jig that fits those requirements? I have been brainstorming this jig for some time, and have yet to find one that exactly ticks all the right boxes. Thank you!

From all I hear, Barlow's plastisol is sourced from Calhoun's. Good stuff, though it might be a little smelly to work with when heated up.

I don't see how it would be. Virtually every lure making shop sells jig spinners just like what the original Beetle Spin uses.

Smalljaw recently posted his version of this jig on YT, for anyone that's interested. He used a Gamakatsu 4124 Big River hook. Super sweet hook, but definitely pricey (around 50 cents a hook, I think).

You and me both, Allen.

Thank you all for the suggestions. I think getting one or both of these molds is probably what I'll have to do to accomplish what I had in mind.

Hello all, I'm looking for a heavy 90 degree jig hook that goes down to a size #4 or even a #6. What I have in mind is a small ballhead jig that would appeal to bass or even a big trout wanting small forage. The hook would need enough strength to not bend out during a fight with 8 or 10 lb line. I've searched a lot on this site and the general consensus points to the Mustad 32833 2X strong steelhead hook. While I agree that it's a dandy hook, I'd love to be able to find something similar that doesn't have the short eye length. Something that would work with minimal modification with most 90 degree jig molds. Only other idea I have is the Mustad 32500 skipjack hook. Seems like this hook can be found in #4 and #6 sizes and is a tad stronger than other hooks in that size range. It's still not as strong as the 32833, which is unfortunate. Does anyone know of any other hooks that fit the bill? Thank you!

That's perfect, thank you so much!

Hello all, I've been brainstorming on making a finesse bladed jig build using my Poison Swingtail mold, something around 1/8 or 1/4 oz. With that said, from all I've read the Shakee blades that most tackle making stores have seem to be suited for bladed jigs that are 3/8 oz and heavier. Does anyone here known of any blades for bladed jigs that are small enough to function well with those 1/8 and/or 1/4 oz sizes? Thank you!

I do not, but you can contact the fine folks at Barlow's Tackle and they should be able to give you info on what hooks fit in that mold. They have a handy chart already that captures most of this, but I know they are more than happy to reply with more specific mold-hook info. Hope that helps!

Another option that is a little outside the box is the Herring Head Mold! It's designed for making underspins, but if you go sans-underspin I'm sure the fish would still eat it! https://barlowstackle.com/Do-It-Herring-Head-Jig-Molds-P3289/ Takes a 90 degree hook and has a lead bait keeper.

I know you said you weren't a wire keeper fan, but I've seen several people use jigs from this mold with their keitech-style swimbaits. https://barlowstackle.com/Do-It-Swimbait-Head-Jig-Mold-P3763/ Got a 90 degree hook on it too. Maybe not your cup of tea, but thought I'd throw it out there, just in case you like the look of it.

Almost 7 years later, and this is still good info! I have the same mold and love it. Does anyone know if those size 2 connector links work in the 1/8 oz slots too??? Seems kinda tough to fit an alternate form in that slot.

I'm glad you brought this up. Victory just recently released their 10604BN hook, which is comparable in size to the Gamakatsu 604. Haven't used that particular hook, but my experience with other Victory hooks has been outstanding. I expect you'd find the same solid quality in the 10604BN.

I literally just had problems with incomplete pours over the weekend. I typically get lead from LPO and Barlow's, but a friend had some free lead from an old muzzle loader ball kit. Even after fluxing that lead, I could not get a complete pour to save my life! The melted lead seemed a lot thicker than what I typically use...even with my Lee Pot at level 10. Anyway, I ended up emptying most of my pot and refilling it with good lead from LPO. After that, I was back in business. Moral of the story (at least for me) - free lead is worth it until it isn't. -Blaine

Now that I'm looking at alternative hooks for this weedless ballhead mold, does anyone know if a 2/0 VMC Barbarian would fit in a larger ballhead size (such as 1/4 or 3/8 oz)?

Thanks for the recommendation. I saw the 574 and the size looks perfect. The bronze hook isn't my favorite, but maybe I'll give them a try anyway.

@smalljawThanks for clarifying on the 604! That VMC hook looks great, I'll have to give it a shot on some of the larger sizes. Too bad the smallest size is 1/0...

Hello all! I use Do-It's weedless ballhead mold (RVB-5-AF) for a ton of stuff. I was wondering - does anyone know if there is a long shank black nickel hook that would fit this mold? It ordinarily takes an EC 570, but I'd love to occasionally fit something like a Gammy 604 in it, with that longer shank. Thank you!

Following up on that, you might consider using a good copolymer line like PLine CX Premium or McCoy's Mean Green Copoly. These are usually thinner and have less memory than traditional mono. Copolymer line is most of what I use, it's good stuff.

Your mileage may vary, but for me I prefer mono for moving baits (even more so if it has treble hooks). Feel is not a priority for me when fishing a spinner. Since braid has no stretch, it does not absorb the shock of a fish hitting a moving bait as well as mono. To me, no stretch means it's easier to pull the treble hooks out of the fish's mouth during the fight. Also, I find it much simpler using straight mono or copolymer line than using braid with a leader. Not sure if you were considering a leader with braid or not, but thought I'd bring that point up since braid with a leader is a common setup. Just my two cents .