just informational

I test my plugs before I make a bunch, otherwise I am wasting my time. The Green Death plug I made and gave as a gift to two of my buddies, as I said before, had not been water tested yet.....however, I have a proto and will be swimming it before I make any more.:D In fact, funny you posted this, with the nice warm day I was outside making a couple of proto's of plugs I was hoping to use this season:btu: Good thread Slip!;)

i just wing it:rolleyes:
all of my stuff is you guysez' blanks.
so if they dont swim it's your fault:D

I won't say they ALL , get tested, I test the proto, fine tune it as needed, then I wll copy as many of those that I plan on making, weight and set them up the same as the proto.
I winged it a couple of times, and live to regret it.

good thread, Slip.

I had one batch of 10" needle (about 6) that I labored over and they were dogs.....had to re-weight them and what a pain, so I know what you mean Karl!:smash: Live and learn!:tm:

I thoroughly test the proto-types before I make up a bunch. The protos don't get paint. Well, they get a coat of primer and a line down the back from a sharpie so I can better see the action, but no fancy paint jobs. After I've gotten the action down, I'll make a template, and turn a few. Those are tested before paint. After that, usually just go ahead and paint without testing. I'll test cast them a few times before fishing them in case they need some final tweaking.

Jigman

I test some.. and some I dont bother with if I know its going to swim... On the batch of darters i just made, I painted and will clearcoat with out testing and any that dont swim are going in the trash... I need the practice with painting and clearcoating so thats why i chose to do it that way :huh:

I plan on testing the prototype of whatever I am making and get it so that it does what I want before I turn a bunch. Once the protype works, I'll make up a bunch of them and feel confidant that they all will fish.

Eben I will take your trash. :D

Originally posted by thefishingfreak
i just wing it:rolleyes:
all of my stuff is you guysez' blanks.
so if they dont swim it's your fault:D

LMAO:rotf3: :hidin:

Originally posted by Jigman
I thoroughly test the proto-types before I make up a bunch. The protos don't get paint. Well, they get a coat of primer and a line down the back from a sharpie so I can better see the action, but no fancy paint jobs. After I've gotten the action down, I'll make a template, and turn a few. Those are tested before paint. After that, usually just go ahead and paint without testing. I'll test cast them a few times before fishing them in case they need some final tweaking.

Jigman

NICE:D

I test prototypes in my "test tank" (actually it is a brook in my back yard), until I get the action I am looking for. Then I take the prototypes down to the North River where I can test them in different types of current. When all the tinkering is done, reweighting, reshaping lips etc, the prototypes that don't pan out get chucked, and the ones that do get patched up and painted/repainted and end up in my plug bag. Usually I make even my prototypes from a duplicator template so that if they work out, I have an accurate template all done. I keep a record on the template specifying dimensions, location and size of holes, weights etc, so that when I make a batch they are as close to the final prototype as possible. In most cases I don't test every plug, at least not until I am out on the water and fine tune them. Some types of plugs such as popping plugs are very forgiving as most of the action comes from the guy holding the rod. Swimming plugs rely heavily on the design of the plug, and a really bad plug is hard to make work. I don't sell, and I tune those plugs that I will be giving to individuals who don't know how. I find that almost any wooden plug, and many plastic ones, need tuning to get optimum performance. Even soft baits need to be rigged exactingly to get their best performance.

test, yes but if its a plug I've got a good sense for, ie. working from one I've made and am happy how it moves I wont test.

I test at a lake until it freezes.

i don,t test mine, i leave that to the guys that know how to catch fish.LOL. not having acess to the right conditions to test my plugs all winter. i usually just float them to see how they float. i like to test my plugs with fish, as long as they float or sink right side upi give them a shot.i think the only way to tell if a plug swims right is to catch fish on them. a plug can have all the right moves but if it doesn't catch what good is it?

Like some mentioned here I also like to get the proto correct b4 making a batch.


The plug cant roll over and for me at least it needs to throw into the wind.

My protos are yellow:D

I test my plugs on fish for a year or two or three
why make something that aint gonna catch.....................

I wait 2 0r 3 yrs then I copie BM"s plugs.I didn't see that one on the poll.:D

it's right there, what are you blind :smash:

Originally posted by Slipknot
it's right there, what are you blind :smash:
Geeze , I must be missed that totally. No wonder the kids used to laugh a me . Testing is another skill that I've got to learn. What may look like pissa action to me may be fugly to others:confused:

i take measurements from plugs i'm going to copy, only testing is done is a float test in the sink, after that they get tested on the fish. :)

Where's the all of the above button? I test e'm sometimes, float sometimes, wing it sometimes... some plugs I have down pat and yes I even copy BM and a bunch of you other bastages as well :devil:... but mine work better :laughs: :rolleyes:. Depends on what I'm making I guess.

-Dave

Actually I don't use a duplicator.Sometimes I like to put a piece of on the lathe an see where it takes me.Turning is the fun part.paintinting is also fun.For me.I go crazy with paints.So I go down to marina an test em in the backwaters then I'll go 1 block to the beach an see how they fair in the enviroment they are ment to be used.sometimes if I feel confident they'll work I seal em up first.or if they are made out of a wood i don't want to get wet I seal em..other times i just rigg em up without sealing.for the most part I check most the plugs i make before I go any further.I got a hole roll of crappy thin soft wire i use for this an I take the hooks an bend the points in so they don' mar the plugs.i got cups of old hooks connnected to swivels an split rings an grommets an old hardware i save for this. an i go down with a box of stuff an make some notes so i can remember what works best.I seem to make similar designs that require similar hardware i guess to keep things simple.

Now I can't vote because of some blockin thing with my norton but if i had to It would definetly be the one that says No I don't have to i'm that good.:D