Bad Brush Guards?

[nwbass]

Months ago, I bought my first brush guards in four different colors. Black, white, green and brown. They all worked great except for the brown ones. They had fuzzy stuff all throughout them and they flared badly when used. They seem to be a tiny bit larger. Pressing them in causes them to flare. I thought maybe it was just a bad batch.

I just bought more brush guards, from a different website. I assume they all come from the same source. The brown are the same as before. Fuzzy stuff and flare when pressed in. Now the white ones do it too.

The old white ones work just fine. I try the new white ones in the same exact jig and they don't fit. So, it's not the jigs.

I tried them in unpainted jigs with the same result. It's not the paint.

The "bad" brush guards are just slightly bigger than the others.

Is this a common problem?

Obviously I could drill them out, but I'm looking for a better solution.

A better source? A better method? Any suggestions?

Thanks for your time.

[Jig Man]

Have you tried taking 2 or 3 strands out and then checking the fit?

[smalljaw]

The issue is the way the ends are fused together. The plastic is melted and you get the "fuzzy" residue and burrs which result if not always an exact fit. Fishing skirts sells the BOSS weed guards which are fused in a different way, they don't have the melted plastic residue and fit really well.  They sell them in both medium and heavy 1/8" (FG-30) and 5/32" (FG-40) available in clear, green pumpkin, black and brown.  https://fishingskirts.com/product-category/boss/boss-weed-guards/

Edited June 28, 2019 by smalljaw

[nwbass]

Thanks smalljaw, I'll give them a try.

[smalljaw]

I know the normal fiber guards have the plastic stringy residue but they have always been fine. The more I thought about your issue and you said all the brown ones were a little larger, could it be possible that you ordered based on color without looking and mistakenly order FG-40 guards which are 5/32" in diameter? I'm asking this as I remember not too long ago when most vendors only had brown in the FG-40 as that color seemed to be out of stock in the FG-30. I know I've made orders on autopilot a time or two and I ordered heavy fiber guards rather than the medium that I originally wanted. 

[Munkin]

I had the same problem so now I just use the BOSS ones from fishing skirts.com. 

 

Allen 

[nwbass]

3 hours ago, smalljaw said:

I know the normal fiber guards have the plastic stringy residue but they have always been fine. The more I thought about your issue and you said all the brown ones were a little larger, could it be possible that you ordered based on color without looking and mistakenly order FG-40 guards which are 5/32" in diameter? I'm asking this as I remember not too long ago when most vendors only had brown in the FG-40 as that color seemed to be out of stock in the FG-30. I know I've made orders on autopilot a time or two and I ordered heavy fiber guards rather than the medium that I originally wanted. 

I don't have the packaging for the old ones, but all the new ones say FG30.

But... I ordered 100 Owner 5304 hooks with this order and got two packs of 50 that aren't the same. One is black chrome, which matches all the ones I've ever used. The other is solid black. They're both the same shape, but when stacked on each other, they're a little different. Not sure if one pack is an older model or what's going on. 

[Jeff Hahn]

I always glue the fiber guards into the jighead after the head is poured.  Since I am going to trim the weed guard anyway, I glue the non-fused end into the  jighead.  Before applying the glue (Loctite Super Glue Gel) necessary, I do a test fit.  If necessary, I will pull out one or two of the fibers to get a perfect fit.  Once the glue has dried, I use small side cutters to trim off the fused end.

[smalljaw]

15 hours ago, nwbass said:

I don't have the packaging for the old ones, but all the new ones say FG30.

But... I ordered 100 Owner 5304 hooks with this order and got two packs of 50 that aren't the same. One is black chrome, which matches all the ones I've ever used. The other is solid black. They're both the same shape, but when stacked on each other, they're a little different. Not sure if one pack is an older model or what's going on. 

What you got with the Owner hooks is old stock with some new. Owner started using that dark black finish and what ever it is it isn't working. I use a good number of Owner hooks but there are a lot of reports of Owner hooks rusting out, specifically the 5304. I have not had this happen yet but I'm also using rust inhibiting boxes. 

[Munkin]

12 hours ago, smalljaw said:

What you got with the Owner hooks is old stock with some new. Owner started using that dark black finish and what ever it is it isn't working. I use a good number of Owner hooks but there are a lot of reports of Owner hooks rusting out, specifically the 5304. I have not had this happen yet but I'm also using rust inhibiting boxes. 

The matte black Owner hooks rust quicker than any hook I have ever used.  That being said they are the cutting point ones which are the sharpest hooks I have ever used. For what they cost it is very disappointing to open your jig box up to find out they have rusted. 

Allen 

 

 

[mark poulson]

Mustad or VMC.

 

[nwbass]

Thanks for the help everyone.

[cadman]

I do exactly what Jeff Hahn does. Most if not all the weedguards that are fuzzy on the end come from Kayser Lure. The way I solve this problem is the stick the loose stranded end into the weedguard hole first. This also keeps the strands straight. If it is a bit too tight, take off a couple of strands. Once the weedguards dry, cut off the fused end at the top. The weedguards are a bit longer than need be, so cutting them at the top is no bi deal. This is the way I do it and it seems to work.