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Jig Making


Bernie

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This past evening a couple of us did our march jig night. We get together and run a mini assembly line. We made about 200 last night. Next step after tonight is tying on the trailing hooks. The ones we prefer for pickerel are the wobble jigs these are flatter style with a slight curve. They tend not to snag as much in rocky bottoms and do have a slight action to them. Here are a few pics.

 

Setting the hook in the mold.

Jigs8.jpg

 

Doing the pour into the mold.

Jigs9.jpg

 

Me trimming the cast.

Jigs4.jpg

Jigs12.jpg

 

My brother Mike and friend Larry on the line powder painting.

Picture041.jpg

Some of the finished jigs and powder paint colours.

Jigs18.jpg

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Taking time to make your own jigs is fun,but when your finnished your finger tips are a bit numb

when you do it all yourself.Nice looking thow Nipisssig.mine are ball head molds,and paint them with

a brush,which is a long process when you have a few colors that you like.The best thing is when you catch fish with the ones you make :thumbsup_anim:

 

Steve

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Cool

 

Nothing like the feeling when you catch a fish on a lure of jigs you made. Can I ask if you treated the jigs heads before paint? I painted a pile of them a few years back and paint barely lasted the trip to the water in the tackle box before it chipped off. I'm thinking I either didn't use the right paint or needed to prime or treat the heads first.

 

Thanks

 

Mike

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I picked up a bottle of that same paint (Pro-Tec) last year just to try it out and touch up old jigs. You heat up the head and dip it. The paint is a powder that melts on contact and hardens almost as quick - pretty neat.

 

You can bake your baits in an oven to "cure" the paint afterwards.

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Hi Folks..Smokey, I used to paint them by hand in the past too-never stayed too well either.The powder paint is trickey at first to get the proper heat to get the smooth finish but after a couple of tries it gets easy. I dont bother to bake mine because I have found by the time it gets worn off the hook is finished anyway.

Jen as far as colours go we just use the ones we find the most effective. Each of us has their own pereference. White is almost always the base coat. Shades of green/yellow,blaze orange,hot pink are my favs.

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Now this post really sparked my intrest, thanks for posting and for the pictures.

 

I have always wanted to make my own jigs and sinkers but just never got around to doing it. I do have a mold for round head jigs and about 1/2 a 5 gal. pail of old wheel weights that we use to use for casting bullets. Would they be OK for making Jigs?

 

Does anyone have any molds or other equipment they might be willing to part with at a reasonable price? I'd really like to get a mold for flat sinkers, 2 and/or 3 oz. Please PM me if you do have equipment or supplies you would like to find a new home for.

 

Further to this; does anyone know what would be required to make your own plastics?

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Big Cliff- www.tackleunderground.com is your best bet for all that is luremaking, them wheel weights will work fine for casting jig heads, a few guys on TU use them.

 

As for plastics, well, that all depends on what you want to do... to start out you can get a good kit for $120. U.S., that'll make i think 300 or so senko type baits... then after that it gets expensive, $130. U.S. for 5gals of plastic, aluminum molds depending on what you want can range from $25 to over $200., RTV molds are cheaper but usually only 1 sided... bah, probably easier to read on TU to see what it'll take lol

 

Nipising- are those the only style jig head you make? trying to find some shakey head jigs, not really up for paying over $1. each...

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Wheel weights work just fine Big Cliff. Try to use the uncoated ones because the coated style give off a stink. Let the lead brew for a while and gently stir or vibrate the pot to get impurities to surface. This gives a better pour into the mold. My brother and I have several molds and will pick up new or old ones if they look like they will cast a good jig. The stuff we use has accumulated and evolved over the last few years to the point of making it a somewhat fun and easy procedure.

 

I have shown this pic before of the finished jigs with a trailing hook before. A couple of these ones have had a seasons fishing on them.

Picture035.jpg

Edited by Nipissing
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i never noticed you were from Poawasson, we stayed up there about 10yrs ago, got my first walleye there casting from shore... stayed on wassie lake (think that's what it was), thinking about going back up for our honeymoon in May aswell, beautiful place!!

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Nice work!

Just a word of caution to beginners....make sure the room is well ventilated during the whole process. Lead fumes are toxic!!

 

I second, third and forth the above statement! Please do not do lead molding in a small confined area without proper ventilation. Also make sure your molds have wood handles or you'll find out how aluminum will hold heat for long periods while molding and pass it to your hands very quickly.

Edited by Garyv
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Makes me wanna go to the basement and dig out my lead pot... I will be digging it out soon enough to cast some slugs for the shotgun... If anyone in the Hamilton/Niagara area ever wants to make some lead, let me know... I have various jig molds as well as some other ones too.

 

cd.

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Thank you for the replies everyone. I will attempt to bring a bunch to Lakair. Might have to schedule another night with the guys to do them.But whoever gets some will be responsible for tying on their own trail hooks.. Thats the biggest pain in the ....... :lol:

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Makes me wanna go to the basement and dig out my lead pot... I will be digging it out soon enough to cast some slugs for the shotgun... If anyone in the Hamilton/Niagara area ever wants to make some lead, let me know... I have various jig molds as well as some other ones too.

 

cd.

 

I have a brand new jig mold (for tubes), a couple hundred hooks, lead, etc. I want to make a batch or two before the softwater season. I could probably use some instruction... I live in Burlington. SHoot me a PM if this interests you at all.

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