Fishing Light-Headed

[TubeDude]

[cool][blue][size 1]I make all of my own jigs. One of the reasons I first started making leadhead jigs was to be able to have the size weight I wanted on the size hook I needed. Too often, when I was buying jigs, I had to settle for what jig manufacturers thought I needed, and I could never get the right balance of the weight and hook size, to properly fish the size and type plastic I wanted to fish. [/size][/blue]

[#0000ff][size 1]I think fishing the shallow and snaggy waters around Lincoln Beach, on Utah Lake, kind of triggered my buying a mold that I could customize to pour lighter heads on larger hooks. My first experiments were a great success, since I could fish plastics slow and close to the shallow bottom, without constantly snagging and breaking off.[/size][/#0000ff]

[#0000ff][size 1]I took my lighter heads on larger hooks to Willard Bay and found that they worked well there too. I cast twisters or shad parallel to the rocks and could fish them a lot slower without getting "a piece of the rock".[/size][/#0000ff]

[#0000ff][size 1]There are a lot of times when the fish are in a neutral or negative mode and will not chase a fast moving lure. Hauling a heavy head fast enough to keep it from snagging may be too fast for the fish. And, after all, they are the final vote.[/size][/#0000ff]

[#0000ff][size 1]Another thing you get with lighter heads is a slower fall. Bass, walleyes and other predators are sometime suckers for a slow fall, but will shy away from a jig that power dives to the bottom unnaturally. With a slow fall you will often get a "pop on the drop".[/size][/#0000ff]

[#0000ff][size 1]I have been carrying on some PMs and emails with a couple of Utah walleye fans, who wanted examples of the styles and colors I found most effective. I have attached a pic of some of the light stuff. The top three are 1/16 oz. "minnow" heads cast on 2/0 hooks. The Roadrunners are 1/8 oz. and 1/4 oz. With the spinner creating drag, you can move them slower without hazard, even in heavier sizes. [/size][/#0000ff]

[#0000ff][size 1]By the way, those "minnow" heads have the barb close to the head and pointing upward. They are designed for fishing tube jigs. You can fish them with tubes or twisters equally well.[/size][/#0000ff]

[#0000ff][size 1]To be able to pour a head on a larger hook than the mold is designed to accomodate, you need to be skilled with a drill. It requires that you elongate the hook eye portion of the cavity with a light touch of a good drill bit. Do not mess up a good mold if you are not going to be using it for a lot of your new creations. I have a mold that makes six of the same size heads, so modifying one or two does not put me out of business for ever using smaller hooks again.[/size][/#0000ff]
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[BADFISH]

GREAT POST PAT,

ALL THE REST OF YOU TRUST ME, THEY WORK!!! TD WAS KIND ENOUGH TO SEND ME SOME A YEAR OR SO AGO AND I HAVE WORN THE PAINT OFF OF THEM AND TRIED TO DUPLICATE THEM, I HAVE ALSO BEEN ABLE TO "LIGHTEN UP" A FEW JIGS WITH A GOOD PAIR OF WIRE CUTTERS, JUST BY SHAVING OR NIPPING DOWN THE SIZE OF THE LEAD "GOB" ON THE END OF IT ALL, BEING CAREFUL OF COURSE NOT TO CUT THE WIRE OF THE HOOK. I START WITH A 1/4 OUNCE HEAD AND "TRIM" IT DOWN TILL I LIKE WHAT I SEE. THEN YOU CAN BUFF THE CORNERS AND STUFF TO SMOOTH IT OUT. I USE A LITTLE SAND PAPER OR EMERY CLOTH TO ROUND OUT MY JIG. JUST THOUGHT I WOULD ADD ONE MORE TIP...TUBE DUDES JIGS ARE THE BEST THOUGH, HE SHOULD CONSIDER SELLING THE PATTERNS I BET HE STANDS TO MAKE A TIDY PROFIT. THEY ARE THAT GOOD, REALLY, I WOULD HAVE TO SERIOUSLY CONSIDER TOSSING MY WIFE OUT OF THE BOAT TO MAKE ROOM FOR THE JIGS.LOL.....[]

LATERS,
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[utwalleye]

Hey Tube, your .jpg didn't come thru, I get a blank pic. on this one.

sorry to here about your moms hip, hope she gets better soon, with a son like you to take care of her I'm sure you will do good.

I'll talk to you later, chuck
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[TubeDude]

[cool][blue][size 1]Hey BADMAN, thanks for the plug. But I ain't interested in going commercial. It's a matter of "dollars and cents" per hours spent. No way I could factor in my time and come out ahead.[/size][/blue]

[#0000ff][size 1]My whole purpose in posting that stuff is "show and tell". I know quite a few Utah tanglers have started putting together the molds and paints to make their own and they are lovin' it. As I pointed out, it is not just about saving money or showing off. it is about being able to have the right stuff at the right time.[/size][/#0000ff]

[#0000ff][size 1]I used to do the same thing you do. I used wire cutters, files and grinding wheels to shave down heavy heads on large hooks. Then, I went to pinching small split shot on jig hooks and painting them up. They were crude but they worked. When I finally got a good mold that I could make what I wanted I think I made a thousand up, just so I wouldn't run out. Took me a couple of years and a few "friends" helping me, but I finally had to go back to the mold for more jigs.[/size][/#0000ff]

[#0000ff][size 1]I don't even know what you have to pay for painted leadhead jigs these days. I know I have about 10 cents worth of materials in a plain painted jig...and about twice that in a Roadrunner. But, there are several steps and a lot of handling between the pouring and the fishing. Even though I make them up in batches, I am guessing that there is about ten to fifteen minutes of handling to finish each jig. That's not counting the drying time between paint applications.[/size][/#0000ff]

[#0000ff][size 1]If someone wants to make up the higher end stuff, they can buy Gamakatsu jig hooks. that increases the cost per jig by 15 to 20 cents.[/size][/#0000ff]

[#0000ff][size 1]I am happy to share any of the "secrets" I have developed with anyone who wants to try their hand at turning them out. I wish somebody had made me the same offer about 30 years ago. I could probably retire on the money I would have saved in false starts...just to save money on jig heads.[/size][/#0000ff]
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[TubeDude]

[cool][blue][size 1]Hey Chuck, the pic thing might be a temporary settings glitch on your computer. Happens once in awhile.[/size][/blue]

[#0000ff][size 1]I will try PMing it to you.[/size][/#0000ff]

[#0000ff][size 1]My mother broke her right femur...radial fracture. Wasn't that similar to what you did with your snow machine? She wasn't doing anything except walking across the living room. Tripped and went down. Makes you appreciate how good you have it when you see someone suffering so much from something that happened in a split second...to alter their lives forever.[/size][/#0000ff]
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[LloydE]

Another great post! Thanks.

Lloyd
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[wanklovic]

I like fishingses lite headed how you says hmmm[]
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[fish4fish]

I have a question, I have always wondered why a jigs hooks points to the bottom of a lake, wouldnt it make mors sense to have the hook point to the top of the water, that way you could let it bounce off the bottom and not worry near as much about hooking the bottom? is it feasable to make a jig head that is balanced enough to hold a hook upright and still have the same effect on the fish?
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[TubeDude]

[cool][blue][size 1]I am assuming that my positioning of the hooks in the picture is misleading and confusing. If someone has not fished jigs much, it would be easy to mistake the normal fishing position. In actuality, the hook DOES ride up...pointing at the water surface. If you note that the hook eye is on the same side of the jig as the hook itself, you will see this.[/size][/blue]

[#0000ff][size 1]You do raise a good "point" though...about a jig riding more in a horizontal position than at an angle. This can be especially important when vertical jigging, either from a tube or boat...or through the ice. That is where the jig head design can make a difference.[/size][/#0000ff]

[#0000ff][size 1]I make and use a lot of Roadrunners. In the bigger sizes, they balance so that they rest almost horizontally when fished straight down. Some fish prefer this silhouette. (See attached pic of large Roadrunners)[/size][/#0000ff]

[#0000ff][size 1]Another jig design that rides level at rest is the dart head. I also did a post on them awhile back. here is a pic for reference. It also relies on having enough lead ahead of the hook eye to balance the finished jig in a horizontal position...at least while at rest. [/size][/#0000ff]

[#0000ff][size 1]So, the hooks do ride up. Now the question a lot of folks ask is which direction do you have the curly tail going when you put the plastic on the hook? Answer, I personally don't think it matters. I have caught lots of fish both ways and have never had an occasion where they would hit it one way and not another.[/size][/#0000ff]
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