mgutierrez Posted December 25, 2014 Report Share Posted December 25, 2014 My favorite bladed bait is no longer being made so I am going to try and make my own just for my own use. I bought a Do-it arkie head mold and poured some 1/2 ounce heads to start but when I compared the ones I made to the original the head is noticeably smaller. They are both 1/2 ounce so I don't know whether the original was made with another brand of mold or what. Anyone have any ideas? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cadman Posted December 25, 2014 Report Share Posted December 25, 2014 Welcome to Tackle Underground. The first thing I would do is weigh the original head only, to see if it truly is 1/2 oz. If I were a betting man I would say no. Next I would weigh the 1/2 oz head you poured with the correct hook. I am also going to bet that if it is a Do-It mold it doesn't weigh 1/2 oz either. With that said here are your options. Use the head you have and not worry about it, or go to the next head size up if available. Usually head profile doesn't matter, as you can take a dozen Arkie heads from all different manufacturers and they will probably all be different, because of different mold sizes. Also lead composition and hook size will make a difference in the weight as well. Most important in this bait, is if it tracks true and you get a good wobble on a slow or fast retrieve. You can always slow down your retrieve to get it to stay deeper in the water column. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Hahn Posted December 26, 2014 Report Share Posted December 26, 2014 I use a Do-It Sparkie mold for making my bladed jigs. It is almost identical to the RAD Chatterbait head and the Z_Man head. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mgutierrez Posted December 26, 2014 Author Report Share Posted December 26, 2014 Thanks for the info. What kind of scale do you use to weight the heads? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cadman Posted December 26, 2014 Report Share Posted December 26, 2014 I bought a small digital food scale for about $20.00. It measures in ounces and grams. The grams are more accurate, however if you are off an 1/8 of an ounce on a jig I personally don't think it is that critical. Also you can use the scale for other things around the house like weighing mail or anything else dry weight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Hahn Posted December 27, 2014 Report Share Posted December 27, 2014 I don't worry about the exact weight of my baits. If the mold says 1/4 ounce, for example, I don't care if it's a little light or a little heavy. As long as the 1/4 ounce is smaller than a 3/8 ounce and larger than a 1/8 and 3/16 ounce, I don't care. And, I bet the fish don't care either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
