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The reason one has a longer arm is because of the head size difference. Ideally you want your wire to have the same anchor point inside the head, it is usually the thickest part of the head a little forward of the center point. So when you set your wire in the 1/2oz cavity it will sit further back that it would in the 3/8oz cavity. So if the wire forms are the same length your 1/2oz bait will actually look to be made on a smaller wire form. I buy and bend my own wire 99% of the time, I do have pre made wire forms that I use in a pinch but I will normally cut them to my own specs and the reason being is the length of wire can make a difference in what you want the bait to do. I like .035 but I still use .031 on occasion for the sizes you listed, good luck .

Good idea Mark. I may have to make a pair or two of my hemostats smooth jawed. I may even try dipping a pair in some high temp silicone and see how that works? I was thinking it would hold better and keep the hook eye clean.

Ok. So I'm not weird. But a couple of you are really messed up.

When copying a commercial bait, I want the final weight of the copy to be identical to the original. You need a cheap digital scale to do this. Weigh the original and as you build the copy, add up the components and subtract that from the original's weight to determine the amount of ballast needed. For medium sized bass baits, I estimate the weight of an epoxy finish to be .02 oz. using this method, you can build a copy that is within .01-.02 oz of the original. However, it should be noted that the bait may not necessarily swim exactly the same as the original due to the differences in weight distribution of a solid wood or pvc body compared to a plastic shell original. But it will be the close.

See enclosed chart. I believe this is the same one Musky Glen is referring to. However this one goes back to when the company used to be Stamina. I cannot find the one on lurepartsonline.com Stamina Spinnerbait Chart.pdf

That's great people, just a big smile reading this. When it comes to polish or any other type of feminine products I con members of the family to get it for me. Since I make jigs I bypassed the hair dryer Dave and walk proudly down a aisle in Home Depot and got a heat gun. I know I seem to be a coward if your thinking that.........you are RIGHT!! And proud of it! Dale

Years ago when I used to deer hunt there was a certain feminine hygiene product that was great for soaking in doe estrus. It had a string attached to it that made it easy to tie to a twig or low hanging limb. Talk about getting weird looks when I'd go to the store and buy a package of those things. I live in a small town where everybody knows each other so they knew I wasn't married at the time. I just smiled and didn't say a word. Ben

So I looked into this further, as I am in the need of a several thousand weedguards, and this is the info I found in a nutshell. After speaking with some members on this site and getting some opinions, I have finally made a choice. I have also called both companies and was really surprised at the feedback. Now mind you I have never used fishingskirts.com weedguards, however in speaking with them, they are willing to work with me on pricing in volume. On the other hand Kaysure Lure has established pricing, on their price page. Now the quantities I am talking about is 1K to 10K. With that said , I am going to try fishing skirts .com. Kaysure Lures pricing has really increased over the years and many times their weedguard strands do separate from the bunch. Nothing wrong with their product, it's just that we all are trying to save money where we can and with the rounded base on the fishing skirts.com weedguard, it looks like it would be the best decision at this time. I will let you guys know down the road on how their quality control is. Currently they are out of some of the weedguards I want, but once in stock, I will be placing an order. Just an FYI, I am not related to or have any affiliation with either of these companies.

You need a few things to have an accurate price. Add the cost of your molds, plastisol, colorants, glitter, additives and anything else involved. Sum that up and make a test run of a pint or whatever you can afford to do. You need to know how many of the specific baits you can make per gallon of plastisol. So for an example my mold cost $50 and I bought 3 colors at $4.00 a piece, 3 glitters at $4 a piece and a $70 gallon of plastisol. (Fictional numbers for the sake of demonstration). 50+12+12+70=$144 So let's say you're able to make 25 stick baits out of 1 cup of plastisol. There are 16 cups in a gallon. So 16×25=400 stick baits. So you divide total cost $144/400 stick baits. Each bait cost you $.36. This is your break even cost. Please understand that you won't make a dime until you find out three key factors. What's your time worth? What is the cost of packaging? How many baits per hour can you make? A good number to go by is 40% increase on your break even cost. Obviously the mold is a one-time expense. The reason I believe that you should keep including it on the cost is simple. You pay one off and have it built in to add more molds without having prices go up and down. Back to the numbers. So we know each bait cost you $.36 a piece. So a bag of 10 cost you $3.60. Add the price of packaging and your 40% you'll be looking at $5.04 per bag. Remember the more you buy the lower larger runs cost. Set a price that allows an increase of stock, without breaking the bank. Feel free to ask more questions.

I would look into circuit board first, it is generally thinner than lexan. I am getting .083 lexan and .093 lexan in places like home depot or lowes. I don't know if much thinner than that would be strong enough.....or better than CD cases.......circuit board is the way to go here.

All the bucktailed hooks that are manufactured are way overpriced in my opinion.There is probably a tutorial on this sight but all I do is cut off a length of bucktail;stick it through the eye of the hook;even it off on either side of the hook,slide a short length of surgical tubing (usually red) over the eye of the hook and the bucktail.Then I coat the tubing and some of the bucktail with epoxy.When the epoxy cures ,trim off the bucktail that goes through the hook eye and maybe put a second coat of epoxy on it.I've done a few with flashabou and flashabou accent that gives more color choices and more glam.Give it a try ;it beats paying $1 (or more) apiece and it's pretty easy.

if you're using a microwave and want to make clear baits, either buy degassed or degas it yourself. dark baits you wont see a difference.

Yeah! They are five times as stupid as a bass. But fly fishermen like to think they are all born with advanced degrees in physics.

I was thinking the same thing Chris. I wonder if you could take the pliers, hemos, or other device, wrap silicone plumbers tape around the jaw and use it that way. I think I'll give that a try next time I paint some jigs.

I am 49 and my wife asks the same thing.... I think she is a keeper!!!

Very nice. Thanks for sharing, Cadman.

Any way you can link that chart here? I looked and looked and couldn't find it. I know Jann's has a components sizing chart.

The check-out girl gave me some funny looks when I bought a hairdryer - I am completely bald! Dave

Fluid beds are pretty easy. I make mine using a flat cap for the base and use knock out test caps to hold in my membrane. Put the test cap in your fluid bed and knock out the center with a hammer and discard. Remove and save the remaining ring. Place your membrane over the end of the cup and replace the ring. You should have a nice tight membrane that is easily replaced. I use Tyvek from post office envelopes or Vacuum cleaner bag material for my membranes.

Hope all you guy's have a good and prosperous new year, and your lures run well....glider

here is some info on the rp-40 http://360tuna.com/threads/siliicone-rubber-molds.23148/

Spoopa, with you living in Pueblo West I bet you are refering to the spot on gizzard shad. (P-lo Res is full of them). The spot on shad is a False eye used in its defense against predators! If you have a school of 100 shad there are 200 eyes, and 200 "false eyes". These false eyes confuse predators in two ways 1. making them think there are more shad than are actually there. 2. making them look bigger! As far as needing them on baits I would say this is false unless the bite is real tough. (like it can get a P-lo) It a confidence thing!!

Hughesy's metheod is the best for saving time. By far lacquer will dry almost instantly. If you do it my way... you really should let the dot dry for 12 hrs. or more. Especially if you are doing eyes. Dot the first color of red, yellow, or whatever and then let it completely dry before you dot the eyeball. If you do not and you make a mistake and wipe it then it could also remove or smear the color underneath it. Using the water based paint is time consuming. Dotting with lacquer has been a hit and miss for me. Sometimes lacquer gets an air bubble in it and when you dot the lure then the paint can kick that air bubble out and splatter. Then you're screwed. If you are going to use a stencil and spray, then make sure that the material that you are using for the stencil covers the entire side of the lure. That way if there is any overspray it will not get on the side of the bait. Skeeter