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mark poulson

Fat Ika Mold

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The reason I asked is because Ray is looking for a mold, and so much has been posted here about problems getting Del's molds on time.  Maybe that has changed now, but I wanted to see what else is out there.

It's good to know there are some alternatives out there.

The Del's mold is actually a little longer than the original Ika, 2.25" plus the nib for skirt attachment,and a little fatter, 5/8" at the 1 1/8" long cylindrical middle section.  It tapers the same at each end, similar to the original.  It makes casting them weightless even better.  Plus the added length lets me use a 5/0 VMC EWG hook.

I load them up (a cup of plastic) with both salt and blasting medium, plus a table spoon of my old Caney Creek sinking additive, to make them stronger.

They cast like missles!

Edited by mark poulson
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I have the Bass Tackle kit and it is great!  I mold the bodies with high density additive from Do-it....rig the bait backwards and the thing falls backward...just like a real craw! Great for throwing under a dock or hanging brush ! I use the yellow high vis Power Pro so I can give it a lot of slack to let it swim...and watch the line for the hit.

 

A really good way to make the hot blade to mold the two pieces together is to weld a metal scrapper onto a soldering iron tip. You can buy a flat tip soldering tip (kind of looks like a screw driver blade) at Home Depot.

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Bob,

Did you ever make a prototype?

 

Specifically of a Fat Ika.  No.  I did do some molds when I was learning how to do the design side that were very similar to current production stuff, but in I try not to knowingly do knockoffs.  I have made other successful dual plane molds using two pieces of angle and a third piece of flat bar.  Setup is a pain, and its time consuming so it tends to be an expensive mold, but its very doable.  The big key is indexing everything, so you can rotate the angle to cut the second side.  For a nice twintail skirted grub that could be be one shot laminated some liberties need to be taken with the design, or a 4th piece needs to be used to complete the sprue.  

 

I've considered doing a similar bait to the Ika that fishes like one, but is obviously not one, but I really don't want to hear from people asking, "That's ok, but can you make it more exactly match an Ika?"  LOL.  

 

The biggest problem I had with Ikas is setting the hook.  I was thinking a round nose straight body version might do the trick.  Average the body diameter to be the same volume, so its not quite as thick in the middle.  Hmmmm.... I haven't fished an Ika in ages.  Maybe I'll make my version for myself, and just not offer it for sale.  Then I only have to listen to my fishing partners whine that its not exactly like an Ika.  LOL.  

 

FYI: For flipping one trick I used to use for Ikas was to rig it skirt up, with a screw lock flipping sinker screwed into the other end.  I  lost a lot of sinkers fishing it that way, but it would shoot through cane and tulies like a bullet.  A Neko rig sinker would probably work just as good, and is probably cheaper.  Hmmmm..... for flipping a tightly ribbed version might be good too, because ribs tend to mash out of the way better on a hook set.  

 

Sorry guys.  I gotta go play in the shop.  

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Dumb question. How do you fish a fat ika?

 

I like to think of the fat Ika as a weedless finesse jig.

I rig it with the 5/0 ewg hook going through the skirt end 1/4"+-, then turned out, and passed through the bottom of the bait, 1/4" up from the end, and skin hooked.

It is fat, so you need a hook with a big bite/gap, so when the fish bites it his bite can move the hook belly enough to pop the point out.

I usually pinch a split shot on the line above the hook , and slide it down tight to the line tie, to help it fall a little faster.  I vary the size of the split shot, depending on wind, current, and how deep I'm fishing.

If I'm fishing grass, I put a buck shot double rattle claw on the hook before I pass it through the bottom, so the rattles look line pinchers, and are dragged behind the bait as it comes through the weeds.

I use a baitcaster, a med. heavy rod, and 17lb fluoro.  The Ika casts really well.

Just pull it slow, and keep it moving slowly.  When it hits something, pause and then pull it free.  I usually get bit when it comes free, as though they have been following it, and decide to eat when it looks like it's escaping.

In clear, rocky lakes with weed edge, I cast up onto the bank, drag it back out to the weed line, and then pull it through until it snags.  When it pops free, they bite.  Or throw it parallel to the shore on the inside of the weed line, and drag it slowly back.  The bass are right on the inside edge, and will eat it.

If there is an outside weed line, again throw it parallel and work it slowly back.

It is a good bait to pitch tight to cover, since it's almost weedless and doesn't snag very often.  

Yo yo it up and down in brush and trees.  The skirt flares as it falls. 

It falls away from you, so you can pitch it to overhangs, and it will glide back, if you give it line.

Green pumpkin with green and purple flake is a great bluegill imitator, and looks like a crawdad, too.

Oxblood/red flake works, watermelon/ red flake works, black/red or blue flake works.

In the winter I fish it even slower, and use scent.

Edited by mark poulson
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