patrick reif

Some of you may remember Craig Defronzo from Micro Munch Tackle. He was an active member here for some time. He passed away from a cerebellum hemorrhage the other day. He was 48 years old. He left behind a wife and two children. Please keep his family in your thoughts and prayers

I'm cleaning out my dads old shop and found about 15 lbs of lead shot and several lead muzzle loader bullets. I was thinking I could melt these down for jigs, but I'm wondering if these are reasonably pure forms of lead. The shot is at least 30 years old and I seriously doubt dad was concerned about the dangers of lead back then. The bullets are all from the 90's and early 2000's. I would think these would be fairly pure, but I'm not sure

I found an old 6'x8' book shelf sitting beside a bunch of trash cans on trash day in Greensboro, and threw the shelf in the bed of my truck. I cut off the bottom and mounted it to the wall above my microwave. I use the shelves for plastic molds, colorants, flake and additives. I drove nails in the face of the shelf boards and hang my lead molds from those. There's a bunch of everything from bone saws to plastic welders for my kayak on it too, but it's predominantly for baitmaking. Honestly, most of my storage is someone else's junk I repurposed. My paint and solvent locker is a freezer that was hit by lightning. It's airtight, and has a lock to keep the kids out. I'll try to upload a picture of the shelf later.

I think this may be a bit ridiculous to ask, but I'd like to know. With spinnerbait blades there is a huge difference in quality by the manufacturer. Is this also true with chatterbait blades. I have only seen a few options available and want to buy the best that I can. Also, instead of using an Arkie jig head, is there any reason I can't just use my snootie nose jig instead? They both use the 60 degree hook, so I'd think they would swim about the same. The snootie is actually a better swimmer from what I've seen.

Fishingskirts has a chestnut color that is very close.

As a hobby bait maker, it's the best bang for the buck. I buy exclusively from BaitJunkies because of the cost, and don't have a single issue with the plastic or the vendor. It's good for what I need. Order a quart and give it a shot. You may find a new plastic

I modified a 3/16oz round head jig to accept a wire weed guard. It's the only finesse mold I need

I have a 3.5" swimbait mold that does the same thing. The fish don't seem to care. I'm not running a business, so I hold quality control down to a level of "good enough". I'm sure that's not what you want to hear, but if you're just pouring for yourself and a few buddies, it may be worthwhile to consider

I have a Del hand pour mold and have tried to inject with it, and the results are mediocre at best. The injector is too large to fit securely in the port, and the baits are often half formed. You're better off buying a mold from Basstackle, Baitjunkies or Bears and just ordering the injection option.

this is the grub I cut down to fish on the Ned rig. That's a 2/0 Mustad steelhead hook. Great hook at a good price, but I'll still be throwing the Owners from here on out.

I use the worm nose jig mold with Owner 5318 3/0 hooks. Those may seem a little big, but I use 3" to 4" sticks with it and also a 3" Kalins style grub that I've cut the tail short on. I'll also use it for a variety of worms and lizards. I've switched over from Mustad to Owner hooks for almost all my jigs and spinners. It just makes a much better jig IMO.

Home Depot has an rtv high temp silicone for car gaskets. I remember reading about someone making molds from clear silicone sealant, and figured the high temp silicone might be a better choice. Has anyone tried this yet?

The 3.75" super stinger from do it molds is a great drop shot and a deadsticking bait. It has more than one use, and that's become key to me when I buy a new mold.

Erin gave me her cell number so I could text her a picture of a skirt I was having troubles locating. As soon as she received the picture, she sent a text right back with the proper color number and name. I've never had an issue with them. Shipping can be slow at times, but not enough to complain about.

I have the 2.75" Kodiak craw. Is that the one you're asking about? If so, it shoots easily and has been a very productive bait.