walkercope Posted April 19, 2022 Report Share Posted April 19, 2022 Anyone making their own blades for bladed jigs (chatterbaits)? I've been playing with mixing fly tying techniques into conventional lures and an issue I've found is that big trailers with a lot of drag will keep the blade from vibrating because the force of the water pressure on the blade isn't enough to counteract the drag force on the trailer and the blade just stays in the forward position. So It's got me wondering how do manufacturers decide where to drill the holes on the blade to attach the clip? I haven't thrown my latest one yet (see below) so not sure if I'll have to modify the blade but I'm expecting I'll have to drill another hole in the blade closer to the jig head to get it to vibrate. This one's 12.5in total length, tied onto a 2oz picasso shock blade. I know the hook situation isn't good but I can fix that later once I get the swim I want. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hillbilly voodoo Posted April 19, 2022 Report Share Posted April 19, 2022 I have never fished or built a bladed jig but you just sparked my interest looking at that bait. I like the look of it Do you think you could put a larger blade on it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
walkercope Posted April 20, 2022 Author Report Share Posted April 20, 2022 (edited) 5 hours ago, Hillbilly voodoo said: I have never fished or built a bladed jig but you just sparked my interest looking at that bait. I like the look of it Do you think you could put a larger blade on it? Do larger blades exist? these are the biggest I've seen. I drilled a hole on the blade further down from the factory holes and fished it a bit tonight, blade vibrates well even at a slow retrieve so I'm happy with it. Only issue is the fibers squish down a bit so it doesn't keep quite as good of a profile but I'm happy with it Edited April 20, 2022 by walkercope Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hillbilly voodoo Posted April 20, 2022 Report Share Posted April 20, 2022 Don’t know if they come any bigger but odds are you could cut your own Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jig Man Posted April 20, 2022 Report Share Posted April 20, 2022 Have you looked at the magnum at Barlow’s? https://barlowstackle.com/Shakee-Blades-Stainless-Steel-P727/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JD_mudbug Posted April 20, 2022 Report Share Posted April 20, 2022 LPO makes a magnum blade as well. https://www.lurepartsonline.com/Mag-Jig-Dancer-Blades_2 I find that the magnum LPO blades are too big and don't give as sharp as a vibration as I like. I trim them down some with metal shears and a file to get the vibration I want. You need to smooth the edges with a file in case the line should hit the blade on a cast or pause/rip during a retrieve. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
walkercope Posted April 20, 2022 Author Report Share Posted April 20, 2022 32 minutes ago, JD_mudbug said: LPO makes a magnum blade as well. https://www.lurepartsonline.com/Mag-Jig-Dancer-Blades_2 I find that the magnum LPO blades are too big and don't give as sharp as a vibration as I like. I trim them down some with metal shears and a file to get the vibration I want. You need to smooth the edges with a file in case the line should hit the blade on a cast or pause/rip during a retrieve. You're going for a higher frequency vibration then? I've never put any thought to slow vs fast. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JD_mudbug Posted April 20, 2022 Report Share Posted April 20, 2022 Yes, I wanted a higher frequency. The LPO magnum jig dancer blades have a low frequency. I think they should sell a size halfway between the normal size and mag size. The big blade Chatterbait size is right in-between the 2 LPO sizes. The LPO mag blade has a much bigger surface area than the big blade Chatterbait when you hold them next to each other. Fortunately, it is easy to trim down the mag blades and smooth the edges. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...