Got these guys all sinking the same. 6" and the bigger one is 8". Very slow, neutral attitude. When they settle on the bottom of the test tank, the belly hook assembly supports the plug in a horizontal position with the tail hook off the bottom. I want these guys to be more like a slow sinking/suspending jerk bait, I think, where I can manipulate them and impart some action. I will be interesting to see how they swim when they hit the real water soon.

so getting them wet before they are sealed
doesn't make them want to split?

how long until they are dry enough to paint afterwards?

They've been dipped and sealed already. Did that after all the drilling and messing around with them. I'll pop a coat of epoxy on 'em before they take a drink.

FYI, epoxy adds about 1.4 grams to the plug.

We'll have to see how that affects the sink rate. Lighter hooks. Maybe it's not a big deal one way or another....

FYI, epoxy adds about 1.4 grams to the plug.


I use this to my advantage, since the salt is too far for me to test stuff. Once I get it where I want it in fresh water, the added weight of the finish USUALLY balance out the added density of seawater. At least close enough for me except in vary rare instances (suspending needles).

We'll have to see how that affects the sink rate. Lighter hooks. Maybe it's not a big deal one way or another....

Lighter hooks a big deal. I wouldn't do that. :eek:

Lighter hooks a big deal. I wouldn't do that. :eek:

depends... dowsizing from a 4/0 to a 3/0 or even a 2/0 on a 6" needle is no big deal as long as they are all 4x

Try a heavier wood for them....I've been digging the mahogany lately, and you can get 2x2 ballisters of it right in Salem.....just needs an extra coat of primer to smooth them out.

you can get away with a lot less weight with the heavier woods

The squidy one has potential. It can be twitched and made to glide pretty nicely. The next one down swims by itself hanging in current like a fish hovering in the water as well as twitching and gliding. The third one down seems dead by comparison. The big one has potential, but I think I'm going to try shifting the shoulders forward to match the smaller one that swims and glides.

The best needles in 80% of all fishing applications ride the surface cutting a vee wake with thier nose while the lower 2/3rds of the body are just under the surface film. These needles will hold that attitude while in the lightest of current as well.

A needle that has those attributes is a killing machine. Dress the tails in a siwash with feathers, bucktail and crystal flash.

Flaptail, I'll try making a few with that as my criteria. Probably means a bit more tail weight or slightly less belly weight than how I've got these guys balanced. Why the single look on the back vs a treble?