[reeves]

Gosh Bruce, thanks for the nice compliments. I only try to do the best I can and hope that it is acceptable to others. Am glad it worked out for you and the pike. It is a 1oz that was designed for BIG bass. And really, if you want another just let me know, not a problem.

[spnrbatr]

the key is your wire. used the smallest you can get away with. I like .029 wire with a closed loop. You need to make alot of them due to breakage but man do they catch alot of fish. One more piece of advice, get your mold pretty hot for even pouring. Hope this helps, let me know how every thing comes out.

[JSC]

I have gotta go along with small gauge wire as #1 requirement .... for personal use or for some one who knows that they are not going to last all that long ... have a bag full of them.
Use as large a blade that you can without off balanceing the lure (gotta have that smaller "lead" blade) .. Proportioned size skirt and hook ... and I do want a plastic trailer to give the bait some body.
Colors ... as long as I have Black and white (Shades of white may vary) I personaly do not worry about the color of the head ... if you are selling them you have to be concerned about how it looks to catch as many fishermen as you can.
My 2 cents
JSC

[captsully18]

Wow! What a great response. Just the type answers I was hoping to get. ALL of these are good tips and well worth hanging on to.

Thank y'all a lot.

David

[Uncle Grump]

Originally Posted by Spike-A-Pike

Dave,

Seeing George's post reminds me of another key aspect of a spinners, both in-line and spinnerbaits, a good quality finish. During the TU Meet in Clinton this year, I got to meet George and see first hand the level of quality he produces in his spinnerbaits. The paint and skirt are top notch and lure fishes great. I spent about 30 minutes casting one of his pike/musky sized lures and it bagged a nice pike... But, as I was fishing it, I kept looking at the spinner, watching it work, and I finally had to remove it a put it back in my tackle box.

You see, I value that spinnerbait too much to risk loosing it. Common of most spinnerbaits, it has an "R" bend frame. Since I couldn't use a musky leader with the "R" bend frame, I tied it directly to my 60# braid and that one pike told me I was risking more than I was prepared to lose.

So Dave, figure out if there are any design issues that have to be considered for the targeted species before you build too many.

And George, that spinnerbait will go after large mouth bass in the future, but no more toothy critters where line breakage could be an issue - It tracks great and the action is fantastic! If you ever start making a spinnerbait with a twisted eye design, just let me know!

Assuming I understand what your describing w/ R-bend spinners - keeping the leader from moving around on the shaft of the spinner bait - The solution is simple.....

Get your self some 1/8" id clear plastic tubing - any home center / quality hardware store will have it. Cut it in to sections about 1/8 of a inch long, so you have small "donuts". Place a donut over the R bend, then slide the snap of the leader thru the space between the top of the donut and the bend in the spinner bait frame.

UG

[Spike-A-Pike]

Uncle Grump,
I have never heard of that or seen that done before; but it makes so much sense is such a simple fix... There is a whole new bunch of spinner baits that have just become small musky baits. The snap may slide up and down the spinner when a good size fish gets on, but it is worth testing to find out.

George,
I'll test this new method a while and if it works as well as I think it will, that big spinner is back in the musky game. I know I could replace it, but it wouldn't have the same meaning that I place on that one. Another Marine on this sight, my son, was surprised to learn how many Marines I met at the meet. Semper Fi George!

[Uncle Grump]

Spike-a-Pike

I've been doing the "donut" thing to my spinner baits for years - all of mine see duty on the toothie critters - up here - MN - you're as likely to encounter a NP as a LMB or SMB.

I've not tryed this solution when fishing for musky - but the worst I can see happening is the donut getting busted if the fish could some how exert "backward" pressure on the donut (toward the open portion of the R).

I keep a 35mm film canister w/ a couple dozen donuts in my boxes.

UG

[heavycover]

Components and design are the most important features to a good spinnerbait. I think alot of times people let a fancy appearance overshadow functionality. I would compare it to bicycles. A Huffy bike with a pretty paint job "looks" like a great bike compared to the expensive ones, until you ride it for a couple months and it falls apart. But it sure looked good. Wire design for weedlessnes and stability, durable paint, Sampo swivels, and quality blades make a good spinnerbait.

[captsully18]

Thanks, again, guys. This getting to be a really cool thread. Lots of ideas about spinnerbaits, inline spinners, just everything. This is gettin' better than I had hoped for.

David

[JSC]

Had to put in another 2 cents worth.
Ball bearing swivels make a great "Smooth Running" bait .... but do you all ways want it to be smooth running ? I belive the regular old crane swivel fills the bill ... it starts easy and will have a squeal from the "Non Ball Bearing" surfaces as well as added vibration from this rougher spin ..... (the small wire theory is that you get better vibration) ... Take the Buzz Bait and getting a squeal out of the spin ... why not out of a spinner bait ??
Just food for thought and see how it may get battered around ..
JSC