I guess Smokey and I are puttiong on the jig making show at Slipknots house. We're going to make some jigs and tie some. We'll give evryone one of some sort too.

Here's a preview of how we do it.

We melt the lead in a 20 lb capacity Lee bottom pour "Production Pot 4". We use Do-it molds and Mustad 34184 hooks. We love the 8/0 34184's. :) We heat the lead to the lowest temp we can use and get a good pour for that particular jig. You can turn it down a little after several jigs when the molds get hot and the lead gets down a little in the pot. The lower the pour temp the less fumes coming off the lead. Its vcery important.

We load the hooks and pour , wait about a second after the last bit freexes then dop them in a bucket of water. The water gets hot but we don't chnge it til its full of jigs. Then we dump all the finished ones out and let dry. We then use a lot of them just like that with curltails or fin s fish.

We also dip some in rustoleum and let them hang til dry. They gotta be very dry or the head cement will blister the paint. We paint them white or black but you could do anything you wanted. We tie on long bucktail with red thread and seal with head cement. I tie the bucktail on in about 4 to 6 bundles depending on the size of the jig.

I have molds for shad heads , balls and smilin bills . We use hundreds of balls a year jigging the canal , usually with a curltail on there. I like to backbounce the balls but like to drift the fully tied SB's so we make lots of both. We only make a few shad heads but I have molds to go to 3 or 4 OZ. I think 4 oz. The SB's go to 5 OZ.

Anyway , that's it. I hope people will post here some info about what they have planned to demonstrate.

I will be demonstrating the fine art of learning, and notetaking. :D I will be bringing one bucktail for you, it may not be in the greatest shape, but usable, unless Canalratt1 and I get lucky sat morning.

unless Canalratt1 and I get lucy sat morning. Who's Lucy? - just kidding ;)

Seeing that I have little to offer by way of jig/plug/rubba making, I intend to do like a sponge and soak up info...

Maybe come January/February a few of us can host a light rod building pow wow, easy rod building basics... that sort of thing...

Saltheart, What is Backbouncing??? Just curious. I have used ALL jigs in ditch and feel I could be enlightened by a new method???

I plan on turning a few plugs and demonstrating how I drill plugs for through wire. I should have wood for about a dozen plugs between Cherry, Mahogony, and Hard Maple.

I hope to learn how to weight them and the right way to finish them..................

I'll be bringing my molds! I'm still looking for an eel-skin mold.

I was hoping to demonstrate all the steps to put out a custom wood plug. Starting with the dowel, drill the thru hole,turn it to a shape and sand, mark for holes for the eyes,belly hook and lead, then putty and sand. then prime or oil. then paint, then epoxy, and finally wire it and add hooks. And if it has a metal lip, install that too, or even make one from scratch.

I plan on paying close attention to Salthearts and Got stripers crafts also. I want to someday be able to pour my own jigs and lead inserts for plugs.

I think I may have to bring my camcorder. ;)