Hello my name is Bob Norton and my brother is Glenn. I posted here a few weeks ago looking for a mentor in my area (Point Pleasant NJ). We met up with one of your fellow builders Bill Charleston for some fine instruction in plug building. We met at Bill's shop 4 times to make our first plugs. We were so fortunate to have Bill. His shop was the best and he was a great instructor. This site has given me and my brother a great start in plug building. Words can not express our gratitude for Bill's stepping up and lending a hand to get us started. We are putting together our shop this weekend and in the coming weeks. We have a new Turncrafter Pro/w extension, and maybe a Vega 5200 in the future. We had other tools needed as we also carved decoys for competition and to gun over. I am posting pictures of our first plugs. Mine is the Blue one, and my brothers is the Yellow one. My brother is pictured with Bill in Bills shop. Again thanks to you guys and especially Bill, we are on our way to yet another addiction. Comments on our first plugs are welcome. More pictures as we start our own turnings.

Bob

You's are off to a great start!

I like the blue one with the glitter in it, looks like one the girls will like.

Good luck to you both when you give them their maiden voyage into the suds. :kewl:

You are so lucky hooking up with Bill .. He saved you alot of time and money going thru the learning curve .. Great guy .. Don't tell him I said that . Shop is imaculate .. I'm in a cramped dust box ... If I was you I buy Bill a nice gift certificate for Mc Donalds ..

your having way to much fun already... :bl:

nice plugmanship guys

hey if you wouldn't mind , post some pics of your
decoys too... and good luck surfcasting those beauties :kewl:

wow looks great.
:kewl:

Nice work! Your set-up looks sweet....

very nice firsts!! :bl: tell bill his shop is too clean :wiggle:.

I'll ecco what everone else has said, you are off to a great start, having been tutored by an experienced plug maker has saved you much time and experimentation.... enjoy your new hobby, it's a great way to stay close to the bass when the skies turn grey and the snow piles up outside...

welcome! Bill is good people :bounce:

You are off to a great start, congrats.
Bill is a good guy, that was very nice of him :btu:

Just wait until you catch fish on your own plugs, you'll really be hooked.

Nice plugs, and that is what makes this community great.

Bill is one of the best!

If I was a fish I would bounce all over those poppers!!! They are sweet!!!

That Yellow/red head is Awesome....Nice Job.....They have a Smack-it look to them :kewl:

Whoa! Nice lookin' stuff there but there is only one problem, Bill's shop is way to organized and clean!!!!!!!!!!!:rotflmao:

Your hooked now, no looking back!

Very nice work! I though that the shop was a store at first. Although my first plugs are long gone, the dust and chips are still in my shop.

Beautiful work. :btu:
Kind of Bill to get you over the curve in a short time.:)
Your decoy building experience should help in alot of ways. Like Rav says,post some pics of your decoys. :)

Beautiful.....now go fish them together and let us know who wins!

Nice plugs. Shop is way to clean and organized. Looks like an operating room . Bill you must have a maid come in and dust once a week. I prefer to spend 20 minutes looking for one of the 50 screwdrivers I own. Now I can see that contraption your dup.is mounted on.

Thanks!
Bob and Glenn had a real desire to learn the basics and that they did! I gave them the whole deal.
My shop is not really all that clean. Sure it's organized but there is saw dust and cedar chips all over.
I hope that my teaching these two guys the basics brings two more people into the forum. Two guys that can contribute some great stuff to the cause. I had a blast teaching them and will remember it for a long time.

Paul, I'm the maid!

Ok Some wanted to see the decoy work. Here a a few shots. Mostly Bay gunners in Jersey White Cedar hollowed out. A couple are in cork. Some are mine and some my brothers. Not sure how this relates to plugs. Oh yea I have a plug in my 12GA does that count.

Tight Lines

Bob

A couple more.

Bob

Beautiful work - decoys are awsome. The blue popper will catch large for sure. Charlestown's shop is too clean!! I wish I had that kind of space:hihi::hihi::hihi:

A couple more.

Bob



Did you guys go to the Tuckerton Decoy show? I took my Family down there and they got a kick out of it.

Striperknight

Down there every year. My brother took first place year before last for a rig of decoys he made. Our heritage is from tuckerton. Great grandfather was a Bayman (Clammer and Duck Hunting Guide) some pictures of him are in the Tuckerton Seaport. Its in the blood.

Bob

Beautiful head on that Bluebill. :btu:

Good work guys

They look great. I'll ditto everyones positive comments about your first creations.