JBlaze

Awesome!

Those are beautiful castings/baits. A couple of questions, They look like black nickel, Are those heads painted, or is this the way they come out of the mold? What do they actually weigh compared to a lead casting out of the same cavity ? Thanks for showing, John

Pete, you're welcome. You are right, Even the initial filing fees are not cheap and there is no guarantee that it will be approved and if it was, there are yearly fees for the life of the patent and on top of that you would need money to defend it should someone try to violate that patent. So for a small entity with a medial income such as myself, I don't think a patent is an option. I also understand that the poor boy patent (put pics, drawings and all info pertaining to the invention/idea in an envelope and send it to yourself by registered/certified mail and do not open it) is virtually worthless also. Thanks for the good advice and well wishes. Hope to see yours on the market one day. John

Pete, I do understand, and I do not feel like it is a tease. It's yours to do with as you please. There are plenty of us who would try to make one for ourselves if we saw it and I really feel that there are some big unscrupulous companies that would take a little mans unique and/or different idea and claim it as their own. Most of what I have seen over the years in lure design is a modification of or a variation of what someone else has already made and an attempt to make it better (I include myself in this statement). I consider myself a lure tinkerer and I have come up with a couple of designs that are so different that I consider them totally my own and no one gets to see them but a select few that I trust completely . Actually there are three of them. A spinner bait that in my opinion, is one of the best slow rolling baits around and I base that statement on the feed back that I have gotten from the fishermen that have used it. I think I posted it back in January of 2007. It is called a pivot point spinner bait. I started making it a year earlier and debated for a long time before showing it. Maybe I am wrong about the big companies, or maybe it isn't as good as I think it is but as far as I know the idea has not been stolen yet. The other two lures are a jig and a crank bait. There is nothing that I have been able to find that is anything like these two. I, like you do not know what I am going to do with them. Right now it is just personal satisfaction in developing something that is so called, out of the box. In less than a year, God willing, I plan on retiring and hopefully will have plenty of time to think about these. I would be willing to bet that there are many ingenious ideas and lures lying around in man-caves that have not been shown because of feelings like mine. I guess I got a little off the subject here but when I start writing, the thoughts that are in my mind just come out. Anyway, Good luck and best wishes with whatever you decide to do with your jig and thanks for showing the video just seeing it is enough to make me try to make one which has such a smooth movement as yours. John

Psilvers, that looks good. Have you caught anything on it? I suppose you don't want to show a close-up of the jig itself. Just curious, what does it weigh and will it stay down deep or is it a shallow running jig? Thanks for showing it. John

Hey Mark, it,s not just on your behalf, although I do want you to see it. It is just so frustating for me when I do something and can't get it to work. I hope someone besides gonfishn is able to see it. I would like some feedback on its action. This is a new one for me. I will get it posted one somehow. Thanks Mark

Mark, I am sorry this is not working. I made this video with a new phone camera. I have just had it a couple of weeks. The video comes up as mp4. All my past videos were done with an older camera and if I remember correctly they were mp3's maybe that is the problem. I am not very computer savvy so I do not understand to much about these things. I will try to make another one with the older camera and see if that corrects the problem.

http://s253.photobucket.com/user/JBlaze1952/media/0707142042.mp4.html?sort=3&o=0

not sure where it was on here but not so long ago someone posted a jointed bait and I asked him what he used for the joints material. He said it was spandex.

I hope this works. http://s253.photobucket.com/user/JBlaze1952/media/0707142042.mp4.html?o=0

Last night, our club held a tournament on Douglas Lake. I got about 4 miles from my hous and it started thundering, lightning and pouring rain so hard that it was hard to see where I was going. It rained up about until almost dark with lots of thunder and lightning. and continued to thunder and lightning long after dark. The reason I am telling you this is, I didn't venture very far from the ramp and left around 11pm because the storms were coming back and it was starting to rain again. I cannot tell you if this jig will catch fish or not as I did not get to go to my favorite spots. The action on the fixed blade jig is strong not subtle in any way. It hammers. I made a bath tub video of it and put it on Photo Bucket but I cannot get the link to work. I will try to figure out what I am doing wrong. it has two different actions. First, the action is not hard to get going, it starts at a slow roll pace and rocks from side to side, almost a roll. it is big enough so that I can see the hook of either side as it rocks. Secondly, I think it has an X-ing movement. although I can't see its head shaking, the skirt is swimming with a very pronounced and smooth flowing S motion, almost like a multi-jointed swim-bait. It was pretty and had I been a fish, I would have bitten it. I do think it will get bit. I was going to take it to a couple of long under water gravel points and work it over them. What I was able to fish last night were steep rocky bank that were in my opinion not conducive to working a swim jig. I was afraid I would hang it up and lose it.

Kasilofchrisn, I agree with you, this is the best tackle building website I have ever found. TU rocks Smalljaw, you too would be included as a member who makes this site what it is and helps to insure its existence. I am sure there are some who come here only to take. But there many others such as yourself whom give of and share their knowledge with others and help those who are having problems or trying to learn something new. I know and have met only a couple of people that are members of this forum but I feel like most all of the members are friends. We all here at TU share a common interest and a need to learn and gain more knowledge regarding our hobby, passion and/or addiction which brings us all together at our convenience. Occasionally, someone reveals a little personal information about themselves on injects some humor into a post. This give TU that personal touch and makes me smile. Then there are the encouraging and great job comments that come when someone shows a new idea or paints a beautiful crank bait etc. these make me feel good. All of this and more make TU what it is, a place with lots of positives and very few negatives. It almost feels like a never ending family reunion where you can come and partake of the goods and bring some of your own to share with the family. Like many of you, I have been making my own tackle for many years but since discovering TU, my interests and building abilities have broadened considerably. Thanks to all of you for making TU what it is. John

Guys, Thanks for understanding. John

I have a confession to make and it is a little embarrassing. I was to excited when he sent me the pic. It was an IM and all it said was," Your Lure". I jumped the gun and assumed it was the jig that caught it. Logan uses a couple of other lures that I make. I found out this morning that he forgot and left the jig in his truck and rode down to the lake with his dad and that he caught the bass on one of the other lures that I make. He thought it was funny that I did that. I would not intentionally lie about or misrepresent anything that I have made so I apologize to all of you for my anxious and careless mistake. I will probably not get a chance to throw it until Tuesday afternoon. We have a club night tournament on the 8th at Douglas Lake. It will be thrown and used if it has any good action at all. I will be sure and post the results on its action and if it did or didn't get me a/some bass. John

I do know that it will catch a bass now. Still no details, just a pic of the firt bass caught on it by a good friend. http://www.tackleunderground.com/community/index.php?/gallery/image/13453-first-bass-caught-on-the-rigid-blade-jig/

Smalljaw, Cadman, Mark, and JSC. Thanks for the compliments. It is old hydro silk stock that I have had for quite some time. I have 6 of those skirts left. Just saving them for something special. I think this may be it. I wish I could find a source for these skirts. They came from Jann's Netcraft many years ago I should know how it works tomorrow when I get to work. One of my friends is going bass'in this afternoon. I let him take it with him after I took my skirt off of it. He will give me a report on how it runs and if it thumps and/or vibrates. Will post his findings when I get home. Kdog, I don't think it will cut my line. a road test will let me know one way or the other. Mark, I did attach a snap lock to the line tie. Will also try it without one. John

Thanks, Will let you know. John