A couple of things that I realized/observed over this past week or so is that I have been using hooks that have been too small and that at times the lip on the plug was either too big or the wrong type for the action I was looking for on the plugs I've been making. Several of the plugs that I did recently, by adding a larger belly hook or switching to two belly hooks, the plug became more stable in the water. The same with switching to a smaller lip. Another thing I learned was that sometimes if the lip slot was raised an eighth of an inch (I think Jigman talked about that on one of my posts), the whole plug would settle down.

Several of you made suggestions regarding these tweeks on the plugs I've been working on. It's one thing to read it and a whole other thing to take the time to follow up and try them out and see the results of the changes! And to see how these tweeks affect each other...

Now I have to go find fish to try these little babies out on.

larger hooks = more weight
as far as lips go. you can tweek them by bending them and bending the eye as You know.
the lower the eye hole the more the plug will roll and stay up top.
I find the eye just below dead center is a good bet as You can tune the plug alot better.
U can also shave your lips via a belt sander.
You should try the same plug with 2 types of lips
like the ones NJ tackle sells. as in the danny lip vs the pike lip they sell.
I make a lure where i use a pike lip they make and it out swims alot of plugs it has side to side with no roll.
but part of that is the type of wood and how I weight it.
on a side note If You can find a nice hunk of balsa wood and turn Your body then epoxy it after You weight and drill holes
then wet sand and paint it and then epoxy it again You willhave a strong plug. I do this only with one lure I make and the wood is red western cedar.
I did a set both red and white cedar and weightings with the wider lip and found what I was looking for.
I make my lures plump so they stay up top in fast water. I rather have the plug run true rather than bend the eye and introduce to much roll wich on a solid plug isnt bad but on the multi colord plugs can look horrid yet work.
one thing I did for research was look in Flaptails Bag and stiff tips along with there buddys. i wasnt after colors But what how they where tuning there plug and thats when I came up with my fat boy a danny I been working on for a year to get it to where I wanted it.
so all and all I needed a fatter body and a plug to cast well while not hindering action.
alot of this is knowing how to fish and being able to put it down on wood.
I use to throw bob hans plugs and 1 off dannys I would get along the islands and the shore. I really liked the bob Hans but they would fall apart fast and he used differnt woods at times but none the less it was another good lure to use as the choices where not what they are today.
belive it or not I have a capt bills surfster that swims so great I remeber buying it in red top, it has scars from fish but swims great.
I notice the lip on it and the lip on the bob hans and the lip on my wood that is not ayc and they all have the same thing in common that wider lip would make them swim with out the snake type action of a danny.
so play around with wood types on the same desighn as well as lips. on my dannys I like 2/0 vmc 4X and I cut them ,yeah I know they rust But I like the placement of them to the plug. and a siwash for the tail. now if You like the danny to swim subsurfice then 3/0 and a bend up of the eye and Your there.
also I may add that there is a sweet spot on all plugs. by bending both the lip and the eye You may be bending the lip up and the eye down to achieve the action You desire.
im missin fish and its killin me

I have several of BM'S danny's an i copied the fat belly style to the ones i make It's the finest simplest plug that u can take out of ur bag an catch on.I make mine out of red cedar an plump em up throw in a good shot of lead in the belly an they cast great no fowl hooks an swim pissa.The ones from dave I have are ayc an i cought a ton on the yellow onelast yr.they cast great an that was important in reachin the better fish.I have a big lip we made at my buddy's house i use on some jumbo's that go 3- 4 oz.I can't wait to throw em this fall.So far this yr I have used hard baits on only a few trips out all my fishin has been with jigs an rubber an that type of thing.but that will change soon.:D :happy: