BassNator 1 Posted January 20, 2004 Report Share Posted January 20, 2004 First off, how many of you guys are using dressed trebles on your diving crankbaits? I know most of the topwaters use dressed trebles. Do the dressed trebles hinder the action of any swimming crankbaits, You really dont see a lot of dressed hooks on cranks, so Im assuming they hinder the action. Also the next question, are there any good tutorials out there for DRESSING TREBLES YOURSELF? Thanks for the help. Cody Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tally Posted January 20, 2004 Report Share Posted January 20, 2004 Look at the tutorials under fly tying. There is a lot of information on this site. If you use the search feature you will learn more about what you are looking for and then you will be able to fine tune your question. Tally- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Triton Mike Posted January 20, 2004 Report Share Posted January 20, 2004 Go to my website at http://www.geocities.com/spotcountry Then click on articles and click on "Making of the Doodad" and you'll find everything you need to know on making your own custom dressed trebles. If you have any questions let me know Triton Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nathan Posted January 20, 2004 Report Share Posted January 20, 2004 Cody, I put dressed trebles on about 99% of my cranks.It gives the fish a little more movement and flash to look at.I've never noticed where it effects the action of the bait at all..Nathan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boatnik13 Posted January 21, 2004 Report Share Posted January 21, 2004 On my large cranks(4"-6" wood) I find the same problem and removed them and placed spinners on some insted. Thow my surface lures still have them for its inportant to me and helps tease the fish. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robertjp Posted January 25, 2004 Report Share Posted January 25, 2004 Triton Mike, Great article! By far the best ive seen on this topic. Thank you very much! Bob P. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Markell Posted January 26, 2004 Report Share Posted January 26, 2004 Triton Mike, If I remember correctly, You sold your doodad business a couple yers ago, is the company still selling them today? If so do they have a website? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Triton Mike Posted January 26, 2004 Report Share Posted January 26, 2004 I like to make my tutorials fairly idiot proof . Takes one to know one LOL. Markell you are correct I did sell the business a few years back. The guy I sold it to took a while to get started actually he never got started. He was killed in a car crash shortly before he was to get off the ground. He had a few contracts with some big name companies to mass produce them hence you see several big name companies that came out with their own version of the feather treble. His wife gave me permission to crank back up if I choose to do so but I got my hands in so many fires right now it's not even funny. I guide, build rods and tinker with just about anything having to do with fishing in what little spare time I have. Thanks for the kind words! T Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Markell Posted January 27, 2004 Report Share Posted January 27, 2004 Triton Mike, I am sorry to hear about that. I remember following your doodads on the BFHP and I think back to the success you had with them from time to time. Now that I am making baits and trying new things, that has been an inspirational story. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gr8flyz Posted January 27, 2004 Report Share Posted January 27, 2004 Triton Mike, great article you have there! Most folks that are not tyers don't realize how easy it is to tie their own, or that there are correct ways & wrongs ways to tie them! Do you tie any using bucktail? I like the feathers myself, but they don't hold up well for some applications, like saltwater use. I have a few customers who prefer hair instead of feathers for their bass lures. You have any opinion on this? Also, you're using Chinese necks, which will have a range of feather sizes. Have you tried using strung neck hackle? If you tie a lot of one size hooks, it's a better choice as most all the feathers will be about the same size. Again, great article! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Triton Mike Posted January 27, 2004 Report Share Posted January 27, 2004 Markell, Tinkering and making your own baits is the best way I know of to get an edge on your fellow anglers. I have much more confidence in my stuff than I ever will on store bought stuff. Save money to boot . I've gotten into all kinds of stuff ranging from, Making my own molds (plastic and lead) making spinnerbaits, rods, jig heads and now I am getting into making my own balsa cranks thanks to Blackjack and Skeeter. Lots of fun and not nearly as hard as I thought it would be. The painting is what I need the most help on. Don't get too involved in the selling part like I did. It then becomes a JOB. I was constantly behind 500-1000 hooks at a time and I went from fishing 150+ days a year to 30 days. = no fun. Money is nice but not everything!! Gr8flyz, At the time I only knew of the Chinese necks and liked the color selection they had and they were readily available. I found the other types of necks were more expensive BUT I never did the cost analysis or had the time to try the necks you suggested. Ie it takes time to trim the feathers find one the right size etc. If the hackles you suggested didn't cost too much more than the chinese necks they probably would have been the better deal. The thing that kicked me on the chinese necks is some hackles were ALOT better than others. So consistancy was an issue there. As for bucktails. I have only made a few and the ones I did make were on hair jigs. I think the buck tails will last longer in my opinion. However they BOTH have a different profile. I had Highroller contact me about making bucktails but the price they wanted to pay wasn't even close to what I was selling them for. So I generously declined. Felt like there was no need killing myself anymore than I already was. I still tie from time to time. . T Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
u63405 Posted January 27, 2004 Report Share Posted January 27, 2004 Triton Mike, I purchased all of the materials and followed your instructions as you outlined in your "Doodads" article, and let me say I had lots of fun creating my own doodads and they look GREAT! I was astounded at how simple the process was. Doodads really make the lures stand out. Thanks for a GREAT ARticle and for sharing your expertise. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gr8flyz Posted January 28, 2004 Report Share Posted January 28, 2004 Triton Mike, just for future reference, strung neck hackle is called that because it's sewn together at the butt ends. It's plucked feathers, and basically all the same size. It's available from some suppliers by the 1/4 oz or ounce. I buy it buy the 1/2 LB sometimes. You get a lot more usable feathers for the same $$, that you would spend on either Chinese or Domestic necks. Strung saddle hackle is also available, and I use some for various flies, but prefer the neck hackle for tying trebles. The stem of the feather on saddle hackle it usually to soft, and although it gives great action, it also tend to foul a lot. If you're doing any saltwater fishing & are familiar with Tony Accetta spoons, saddles are the feathers they use to dress the hooks. I tie some big trebles for saltwater, Musky & Peacock Bass anglers sometimes & bucktail is what is used most often. I think it's more for adding bulk than anything else, although it does add some action. I still like feathers best for bass size trebles, and use them on topwaters & divers. I also like to add a little flash to mine, and have become real fond of the holographic flash materials. A little goes a long way. I know what you mean about tying for other companies, I've had some inquiries from a few also, and I'll stick to selling direct. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
