Am I too early?











Sorry, the Danish didn't make it.....:hee:

Shhhhhhhhhh......Eddy will hear us.

:)

G'morning, George. Get your snow shoveled yet?

Here's what I've started.

A smaller version (to fit a lefty1 lip) of the low floating, slow wagging, unstable, skinny donny (white pictured) that have done so well for me.

A fatter, higher riding, tail weighted, full size version of the same plug (green cloud)......that I gave to early bird, and swam fantastic, but he under-appreciated so I took it back.

Some Musso/BM wad clones to try.

And these are some variations on a big 3 oz needle of my own I've been fishing the last several years and liking.

Also a picture of my secret plug building weapon

You've been very busy. So far I have 3 protos spun.
One being that Norris needle, using my patented WAG method from the pic.
I marked some squares to turn some pikies later today.

Do I see correctly, do you use an actual plug for a pattern with that duplicator?

I've been thinking pikies as well. Seems like the GRS slim has been a good plug for some people (I've never seen one), and I'm intrigued by the shape Rock posted of one of his early plugs. Then again, these musso pines I've built swim subsurface well so I'm not sure what I will gain by moving to a pikie shape (other than a prettier plug).

Good morning guys.

You're up early!

Do I see correctly, do you use an actual plug for a pattern with that duplicator?

Yeah, that is a first. I usually use a plexiglass template in a holder that goes in the same spot. Making the templates accurately has proven difficult (without slicing the original plug in half). I tied the copier trick but it didn't work for me, and tracing the original is always off by the thickness/angle of the pencil. Then cutting and smoothing the plexiglass leads to inaccuracies.

You're up early!

Thank god we can't see him.

Thank god we can't see him.

LOL You sound just like my wife George.

I gotta go pray for my epoxy.

Pbdad said he'd be dropping in.
These are for him.
The unfinished is a Atom Jr body Bob Pond gave Flap
The other is the 54b plug he is building
And what is in it.

George i had great success in Rhody with the Musso you gave me at the last plugfest.I was doing so well i had to take it off as too many bluefish showed up and i got scared of losing it.:uhuh:

Still looks shinny in the pics :smash: Must be your finish.

Down here we are still fishing. Winter storm last night so I took a break to clean of my lathe\tools last night. I got so caught up in making hand carved plugs that I have not turned a plug in 2 years.

I think I'm going to turn some small swimmers tonight after
my kids confirmation party. :grins:

good afternoon ... i was here at 5 but you's all were sleeping .. I havn't turned one plug yet ... what a slug ..

Looks like we're building a crowd,here.

I'm thinking some handcarves myself, 'Knight. Sandeels from wood.
Hey, Tagger! Did you go back to bed?

no ...went over there for a minute ..

Sooooo, where's BF? We're gonna have to dock him...

*@#%^$&*()&)* I feel like crap. I thought I'd say that cause my wife and daughter don't care.

Nice plague going around, couple of them actually. They've had me looking over my shoulder for a month now, lucky so far. Get better soon.

*@#%^$&*()&)* I feel like crap. I thought I'd say that cause my wife and daughter don't care.

Are you sick and tired of being sick and tired ? We can run a meeting here if you like ..

Turned some small poppers last night also painted up a some bottledarters.

cool pattern on that paint Lu ... sick of the same old screens ... thats very different

Thanks Eddy.That plug is a blem i was practicing on i have a few good patterns like that i got from a member at the second plugbash he had some great patterns.

Good Morning Guys. I passed out after I woke. Had a little headache. Must of been the smell of wood chips and sealer!!!. Heres whats coming out of my Plug Dungeon. 5" Stubbys needles( My stapleford), A-40's copied from an old 50"s wallhanger & BM repros . Next round of spinning will be the Atom jr style from the early seventys, BM spin Atom and a odd Atom Jr. which was given to me by an old friend. It was broke at the rear hook hanger. I epoxied it together and fish with skin. This model is slightly thinner in body and shorter by1/4". This plug also had a tail weight. Is it an Atom 54B ??

Geeze I gotta get to work, you guys are burying me..with awesome stuff no less..

that's the problem with being the last in the house to get sick. Nobody wants to hear about it any more ok back to plugs. Here is what I did this week and weekend.
First is a needle I am addicted to. I made some skinner maple ones and some of th normal size AYC. Got the soft maple from Scott and it is beautiful stuff and not too much waste. I always use a few varieties of wood to see if some really good might happen.
Second is the Nike size I like and out of a few different woods

Third is the slim danny, Gary2 copy. I gave my next to last one to George's friend. Really like this plug. Kind of an in between plug. I tried some out of Port Orford for the first time but I prefer AYC.

that is very strange ... the placement of the weight below the thru wire ..

Great looking plugs guys looks like 2010 is going to be a good plugbuilding year.Sorta like wine i can smell the ayc bouquet with a hint of port oxford in that nike.:rotf2:

Paul ,,, that needle .. is that your own design ? ...

George I got lots of favors to ask you.:chased: Can I borrow that orangie, red, Bassaqua you have hanging on your wall. I need to see that color up close. Can I have one of those Musso danny things in a naked form. The kid you were fishing this fall from the boat. I need to make some for a friend as payment for his services and I have never done one. Why the pikie lip on the one you gave Lu?

George I got lots of favors to ask you.:chased: Can I borrow that orangie, red, Bassaqua you have hanging on your wall. I need to see that color up close. Can I have one of those Musso danny things in a naked form. The kid you were fishing this fall from the boat. I need to make some for a friend as payment for his services and I have never done one. Why the pikie lip on the one you gave Lu?

Ya noticed:uhuh:

that is very strange ... the placement of the weight below the thru wire ..

Yes you are right that must of been a pain to drill as you need a big hole and then either fill or just cap it.I would guess is to lower the center of gravity to not get as much roll.

Thanks George on the xray of the A54b. I questioned the model earlier. Now you confirmed what model it is. Mucho grazies. I see you been doing Wadds. Are you conventionally weighting them? Would you like try my maverick way in weighting. It's a little more time but it makes building a fun challenge.

Ed. I took a much smaller one gave to me by Capesams, whom he told me was made my Tony Stezko Sr.. I took the plug and lengthen it a lot. Then this year I took the template and moved it back a smidge to make it quite a bit smaller in dia. It really doesn't have any greater action than any other needles but I just luv the lines. I am going to make some smaller ones like Steve gave me too. Perfect for boat fishing.

I did not say i didn't like, did I. No I really like it a lot and will probably be back for some more.:uhuh:

The Xray of the 54b might be of a molded plastic version. Thats the one I have.

Hello to all, this is what I have been working on this week! Thanks to Prof. M I got a Nike done last night. I'm pretty satisfied with it. Trying to get more info on some of the old plugs so I can reproduce this winter, love the old ones!! Lou

Good morning everyone. Looks like everybody is busy. We've got ice all over everything here this morning. Gonna do some more building this afternoon. Here's a couple things I've got done recently.

Some stuff for freshwater. Small handcarved stuff and a scaled down jointed. Small swimmers that I fish in both fresh and salt the little blue over white has been a great largemouth plug. And a couple thin swimmers.

37118

37119

37120

Thanks George on the xray of the A54b. I questioned the model earlier. Now you confirmed what model it is. Mucho grazies. I see you been doing Wadds. Are you conventionally weighting them? Would you like try my maverick way in weighting. It's a little more time but it makes building a fun challenge.

Let us know how that works out if you can.:uhuh:

Ya noticed:uhuh:

eye for detail:smash:

Hello to all, this is what I have been working on this week! Thanks to Prof. M I got a Nike done last night. I'm pretty satisfied with it. Trying to get more info on some of the old plugs so I can reproduce this winter, love the old ones!! Lou

nice job on the Nike. It is a really nice plug and fun to build. Got as many curves as a pregnant women.

Hi guys and Ted and Sgt. those plugs look :drool::drool::drool:.

Couple more. Some yozuri bomber type handcarved stuff. And another handcarved I been playing with.37124

37125

37126

[QUOTE=the greek;728489] And a couple thin swimmers.

I got one of those. Nice plug

Where the hell is the Lawrence? hungover?

Ok i have to ask were is the Big Guy.Lu calling Bigfish:wall::wall::wall:

LOL Paul we posted at the same time.:rotf2::rotf2:

got a few more going.

some Lido flaptails

some small poppers I did pretty good on in the ditch this year

some more topwaters. I was very happy with this bastardization of a jigman spook and youzouri hydro pencil. I weighted it horizontal on center from one side to the other. Did 2 with belly wgts too just to see if it works better. Caught a lot of fish from the boat on it in the spring and the fall. My best job of the year. I like it out of red cedar, epoxy sealed, but I tried several other species of wood too this time.

Paul me thinks you are part beaver the way you chew through all that wood.

Let us know how that works out if you can.:uhuh:

Lu. This weighting works great. My buddys love the way it casts, fishes and catches. The weight is a 1/4" lead rod 3" long. Approx. 1oz. Pix of blank b/4 turned and a finished turning. A 1/4' dowel is glued in the drilled weight hole b/4 turned.

Paul on the jigspook did you insert your weight side to side and then drill through it?

LOL . that ain't the half of it Lu. I go like crazy turning now then I am done for the year pretty much for the turning. Then I take a more leisurely pace to finish the stuff and I won't finish it all just what I feel like doing. I really don't enjoy the turning all that much after the first one and am glad to get it out of the way. I do like all the other aspects though and make them last longer. Kind of like getting rid of the candy outside to get to the rich chocolate center.:uhuh:

Paul on the jigspook did you insert your weight side to side and then drill through it?

yes and I really liked the action. It is a pretty big weight for that size plug but it is kind of a fat plug too so it is a wash.

The turned model shows if you look hard, the dowel plug in the tail. The blank shows the dimentions. 3"from hook hole center to nose, showing the 3" area for the weight and the length from tail to end of weight hole 5". Plug 8.25" total length.

Lu. This weighting works great. My buddys love the way it casts, fishes and catches. The weight is a 1/4" lead rod 3" long. Approx. 1oz. Pix of blank b/4 turned and a finished turning. A 1/4' dowel is glued in the drilled weight hole b/4 turned.

I will show you my similar way later. I got to go get ready for Church the wife is yelling at me.

Hey guys, I'll get back later. Gotta vacuum the family room and then go and play in the "Dungeon". Have a great day.

Thanks Pbadad and everyone else.Talk to you later off to do some chores.Have a great days guys.

Good stuff guys. Sorry I missed it, I was on kid duty this morning. Seems like a thread that will keep going though. I'll take some pics this afternoon.

Anyone ever try one of these, I've had good luck with it, swam perfect on the first try!

Yes, I have, but without the original to copy mine sucked. The line tie on the larger version is not on center.

Hey Paul. The plug Lu showed is a copy of a standard Musso Pine Sr. It uses a Pikie 3 lip. The plug you, Art, and a few others (Eddy I think) have is a creation I call a skinny donny. It is more heavily weighted and uses a lefty 2 mid slot lip. Very unstable plug that guys who use spinning tackle have a hard time reeling slowly enough. Don't have any unfinished ones left...they're all freehand anyways so they vary some. I'll see if I wrote down what I put in it for weight.

Pb.....the xray is of the wooden smaller atom jr. I don't know much about the styrofoam version......Grapenuts is the guy to ask about anything atom. I copied the 54b name from you, so we both may be wrong. Daignault makes mention of a heavily weighted atom jr that he caught 2 fifty pound fish on.....perhaps that is what you have although I always assumed it was a wood version.

Sgt Striper......what old plugs are you interested in, I might be able to help.

Lu, thanks for fishing the plug. I noticed that since I started heat setting the createx and drying the epoxied plugs in a heated box (@100 degrees) they have been much more durable.

Funny you mention that George as i just made this out of something i used to keep all my flammables in.Two walled steel and look at my heating source:jump1:

You can't see it but there is a turkey thermometer taped to the roof on the inside.:rotf2::rotf2:When it pops lures are done.

Try two or three light bulbs on a rheostat, Lu. You'll melt less extension cords that way.

Gee, I didn't know they made cabinets for flammables. I just store them under my wife's home office. ;)

You guys are all unreal. Some real talent on this board. I wish I had 1/1000 of the woodturning/problem solving/skill that you guys have.

George gets up to 200degrees in about 5 minutes with the heat gun.I am working on getting a thermostat and another heat source though.I have not burned or even come close to heating up any extension cords and this was a quick setup to test out.My wheels are still spinning:smash:.

Anyone ever try one of these, I've had good luck with it, swam perfect on the first try!


Yes I built a few and this one was my first and best attempt. It swims nice and takes on a little darter like character in current. It is weighted mid point like a danny. I tried to make a better casting one with a tail weight and it was a turd. This is one of my favorite plugs to fish sometimes I just like watching it swim.

37137

37138

Getting some house projects out of the way but I did get to start a few.

37139

Anyone ever try one of these, I've had good luck with it, swam perfect on the first try!

Funny as Tagger asked me about these a week or 2 ago. looks like a neat plugs

Nice Mussos lipless swimmer Sgt. those are on my todo list.

George gets up to 200degrees in about 5 minutes with the heat gun.I am working on getting a thermostat and another heat source though.I have not burned or even come close to heating up any extension cords and this was a quick setup to test out.My wheels are still spinning:smash:.

I too am using, since early last year, 2 heated plastic spinner boxes where I get it up over 100 with 2 small light bulbs. The Sys. 3 Clear Coat seems to like it that way a lot. I am only doing 6 plugs per box or 12 total every time I do it.

Lu. This weighting works great. My buddys love the way it casts, fishes and catches. The weight is a 1/4" lead rod 3" long. Approx. 1oz. Pix of blank b/4 turned and a finished turning. A 1/4' dowel is glued in the drilled weight hole b/4 turned.

ok here is how I do it most times. This was showed to me by Mr. Manzi several years ago. Slip told me it was his idea that Dave copied form him so I don't know which was which and don't care. It works and makes it real easy and I know of a few comm. guys that do it his way now since I showed them where to get materials. Just want to let you know it's not my idea. I keep telling people I never had an original idea in my life but don't let me see it because I can plagiarize with the best of them.
Anyway back to the useful info.
I use hard plastic tubing. The OD is 1/4 inch and the ID holds a tail grommet very tight so the tail grommet won't slid around on you. You can use it in any combo you want. Wgt., plastic, wgt, plastic. 1 wgt then plastic. Pretty much any way you want so no dowels and gluing and re drilling. In the last pic you see some larger stuff. 3/8 OD for larger weighting . You then take the 1/4' stuff which happens to fit nice and perfect into the 3/8 stuff and then the tail grommet fits into the 1/4" stuff. You can see I have 100 foot rolls of the stuff, enough for 5 lifetimes of needles but the stuff is very cheap and that is how it is sold. It took some searching to get the right wall thickness but here is the place I got it. Just make sure you get the right wall thickness. If you need help just ask and if you want to try a little let me know and I can send you some as god knows i got plenty.

LDPE and HDPE Tubing. | U.S. Plastic Corp. (http://www.usplastic.com/catalog/item.aspx?itemid=23758&clickid=redirect)

Excellent post Paul so much to learn so little time.

you can also buy the same thing in hard nylon [spacers] in different inside an outside dia...at the hardware stores in all those little side boxes...been useing them for years in rod building when I need more or less space between the spring that holds the different size thread spools......if you don't need a big coil that is.

Yes true but you probably have one of those old fashion hardware stores. None around me anymore with all the big stores. A big coil is only like 7 bucks and you can give some to your buddies.

sorry guys....looks like i missed a great time! my router was cooked when i got up this am and i am posting this from my wifes tiny iphone and it sucks! hope to be back on tuesday and i will see you all next sunday morn at 8!
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device

all your big reg.hardware stores like ace....servise starr....most lumber yards....carry the spacers....along with all the other little do -dad's nuts an bolts an things.

sorry guys....looks like i missed a great time! my router was cooked when i got up this am and i am posting this from my wifes tiny iphone and it sucks! hope to be back on tuesday and i will see you all next sunday morn at 8!
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device

No worries Larry as i am catching up to you in my post count.:wavey:

Paul, The tubing in rolls is a great idea. I've been using dowels and the plastic sleeves from a hardware store. In my version of the Wadd needle the 1/4' lead rod is not put in the middle w/the thru wire inside. It's offset approx. 3/16" on center below the wire hole. Becauseof the plug taper the insert hole becomes exposed and this requires a dowel filler. When done inside the blank b/4 turning it eliminates shaping the dowel after the fact.

ah I see. Glad you explained that. 3/16 below center. neat idea. good thinking.

I use wooden plugs to fill the oversize thru hole, the tubing won't give you any bouyancy.
The whole thing is about the difference between the center of bouyancy and the center of gravity?, at least I remember the terms as that. Read a little bit about yatch design and you will find some good explanations. Weight in the ends makes the boat/plug respond slower, weight in the middle makes it quicker. It's not just how much weight it's where you put it. Don Musso is a master of this, look at a superstrikes weight placement.

all very good points but TBO I am not looking for buoyancy if I am using that application and all that weight on such a thin dia. plug. I am looking more for the attitude of the plug as it is reeled in or sinks. If I am going for buoyancy than I am probably using a few small belly wgts.only. This is just my 2 cents . You made a valid observation. Jolly good show.

I'll take a picture of the end of plug.

The whole thing is about the difference between the center of bouyancy and the center of gravity?, Weight in the ends makes the boat/plug respond slower, weight in the middle makes it quicker. It's not just how much weight it's where you put it. Don Musso is a master of this, look at a superstrikes weight placement.


Hello.......everybody sleeping in this Sun?

This seems a good place to start. I've found that a little tail weight instead of a hook in the butt of a danny gets you a slower but wider action (I think because of momentum) that bass seem to like. Also helps the plug cast better, and balance better (since the lip and snap on the front end pull the face down).

That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

That sounds good, I think I'll give that a try. My Danny's have little bit to much roll..need to address that too.
Thanks for the surfster measurements, got one done. I'll take a pic and post in a few minutes.

Roll is a different issue and has more to do with the lip and line tie location than weighting.

But before you get too caught up in roll, my best catching danny/donny style plug is so unstable it will do a barrel roll with a twitch of the rod tip. Forget the eyes, keep your paint scheme subtle, and reel sloooowwwwww (conventional tackle helps).....you may be surprised.

Good Morning all. Have you guys had a chance to clean up the saw dust from the week? I filled a 30gal. garbage pail!! On weighting Dannys; I use a 1/2" diameter belly weight slug low to the belly. I feel the lower the weight the harder it is to pull the belly up. I have a few Bm style dannys I made. they swim extremely well. very little roll w/a nice slow side to side. Pinching up the lip sides a little helps somewhat.

Here's the big surfster and the Nike's.
Now on the Danny's you are just tail weighting, or tail and belly?

George, on the matter of line tie location, what difference would one find with the same lip i.e. Lefty 2 with a mid hole and hi hole? Could the difference of fractions be made up by bending the wire up or down to create the action of a fixed lip hole?

1/2" Belly weight only. Dead center no tail weight.

My Danny spec are; 2.1oz w/o hooks (white cedar), 1 11/32" dia, 7/8" nose, 13/16" tail. Hooks 1 1/4" & 4" from nose

I'm doing 3/8" belly weight in center, Danny low slot lip, cut just above center.

Here one of the Dannys. The weight hole is circled.

Sorry I am late! Yes sleeping in George....Christmas party last night! Didn't drink a thing just tired! Give me a minute to catch up, post a pic and warm my coffee! Nice looking surfster Sgt.!:drool:

Sorry I'm late coach...

Tailweighted dannys, I've done that and do except for the little fat ones. Works well to slow it down.
With pikies, too. slowes them down and make them swim more "S" like.

Go home Fred...we can't play today!:rotf2:

Danny eyes: I made a few and didn't like the way they looked while swimming. Some rolled so much that it looked as tho the eyes were on top of the plug. I imagine that a fish would think "What the H!!" seeing a baitfish with it's eyes bobbing all over the place.

Go home Fred...we can't play today!:rotf2:

Errahhh, I am home.
But I got as far as the door......:smash:

OK! Here we are.....where I was last week. ProfM gave me the primed Nike body and I turned this copy by hand which I will use as a template! Got a new duplicator coming shortly! I can't wait to get some of these done and ready for paint! I have never swam a Nike before! I am looking forward to making some very small versions for fresh water use!

When they swim, they are a thing of beauty. Never mastered them, came close and actually had fish following. Tagger gave me an unfinished one with all the circles and chechmarks in the appropiate places after my WAG attempts. I may revisit the Nike.

So where is Lou and the Prof?? George you crawl back into bed?

Danny eyes: I made a few and didn't like the way they looked while swimming. Some rolled so much that it looked as tho the eyes were on top of the plug. I imagine that a fish would think "What the H!!" seeing a baitfish with it's eyes bobbing all over the place.

fish also might think...hmmm... EZ dinner...dying baitfish that can't swim right side up...slurp...

:huh:

Karl! Yep that's a good point.:uhuh:

Fred makes this "Dying Danny"......thing swims ugly as hairy ass......but I watched the fish pound this thing one night down the back! Fred got I think his biggest surf bass that night if memory serves?! Went a healthy 30 pounds easy right Fred?:uhuh: Awesome plug....just like Karl said.....floundering, dying baitfish!

His or mine ? and where's the large one :)

Hi guys soory i am late major toothache i can't wait to see the dntist tomorrow.:smash:

That little plug...:love:
I fished it like this:
Cast wait , do absolutely nothing
Big yank, wait
Start slowly cranking
WHAM
Repeat
Best night I ever had. Now the truth, that plug was s**t beginner luck, the first of two swimmers of any kind that I ever built. Larry you have the other in olive.

Nope! I lost that to a bluefish that had good taste Fred! You still have a master I hope?

Ooo Lu toothaches suck. Did that this Spring, missed the best part of June because of it. Hope it gets resolved quick.

Speaking of turds that catch fish i made some small musso darters (used the wrong wood) darted nice then would roll completely over and come across the top of the water smaking a few times then roll back and start darting again.The bass were like piranhas on it and wanted nothing else.A friend fishing next to me could not buy a hit we both were just laughing it was every cast go figure.

Nope! I lost that to a bluefish that had good taste Fred! You still have a master I hope?

The original hangs from the rafters of the ManCave..

You guys should buy stock in anbesol as i am drinking this stuff like water.:uhuh:

Sgt. I love surfsters but I tried several before I designed my "Prey" swimmer and hated the action on them! They all rolled 180 degrees and they were just but ugly in the water! I wanted mine to wiggle and actually swim just below the surface. So I simply put a 00 slug of lead in the belly to act as a keel......it swims beautiful and drops below the surface easily without benefit of the sloped head! Try one without the lead in the belly Sgt. and one with a shot of lead....see how you like it?

You guys should buy stock in anbesol as i am drinking this stuff like water.:uhuh:

Hey Lou! Take your Anbesol spam to scuppers......whatcha got for plugs Lou???:rotf2:

But weren't surfsters originally designed for flat water thats why no weight and alot of roll?So when you bring it in slowly it has that wounded baitfish action.

Small polaris poppers:uhuh:Also i am starting to finish up some bannna plugs given to me by the late Al Bentson.

The original after the only night it was ever fished..

But weren't surfsters originally designed for flat water thats why no weight and alot of roll?So when you bring it in slowly it has that wounded baitfish action.
yep..and do the tagger hydro on these for sure

Small polaris poppers:uhuh:Also i am starting to finish up some bannna plugs given to me by the late Al Bentson.

you struck gold!


:wave: lu

Wheres Salty i wanted to show him the new motor i got for my spinner.

The original after the only night it was ever fished..

i have two of your second or third generation of those...great plugs!

Good morning all. Been finishing up some stuff. I'm pretty much done fishing for the year so it's little things like this that help pass time. Nice to get to see what others are up to.

http://i896.photobucket.com/albums/ac167/alphabaits/monsterbuild037.jpg

No wonder...I was always under the impression that surfsters were for surf...no wonder mine swam like crap. That and all I know about them is their name.

Looking like a wounded baitfish yeah.......but a 180 degree roll is just plain ugly. Might be great in calm, slow water but the "Prey" swims in calm water and it excells in fast moving and rough water! It works great in the canal!!

Very nice, Greek. I'm giving handcarves a go this winter, too. Couple roughed out so far.

Not a believer in hydro-orientation. I believe the belly weight (when using one) and or the weight of the hooks and hardware will offsett any wood density issues. Just my .02 cents.....no offense Tagger.;)

Looking like a wounded baitfish yeah.......but a 180 degree roll is just plain ugly. Might be great in calm, slow water but the "Prey" swims in calm water and it excells in fast moving and rough water! It works great in the canal!!

That is whats great about making custom plugs you tailor them to suit your needs.Fishing on the North Shore of L.I. (Sound side) water is flat most nights surfsters do great in these conditions.Larry i don't have one of your prey swimmers we will have to trade so i can try one out.

Greek what kind of eyes are those? Can you post a pic of a few on the table?

Nice handcarve! I gotta try that!

Hello Ted :wave: Nice handcarve :drool:

I owe you one Lou! Lets swap then!:drool: I need a Lou plug!

Hello, I went to church and prayed for Paul's gastroenterologist. Hope the guy has a good face mask.

Gee Lu, a bridgeport couldn't fix that tooth for you? Them dentists will put a hole in your plug buying budget.

Speaking of keels, anybody here ever seen a Shakespeare Egyptian Wobbler? They made a "striper" version. The plug has a keel fin (a lot of their plugs did). Thinking I might try one for fun.

As for lips and roll, the wider the lip relative to the width of the plug, the more the problem. The lower the line tie the more it is magnified, but high line ties pull a plug deeper.

Many guys these days build "dannys" using fat bodies for buoyancy, underweight them, then use a high slot lip to pull it down and get it working. Makes for an impressive surface wake and a fast action. The originals have a lot of weight in them (10-12 grams for a medium), less bulbous midsections (less buoyancy) and low slot lips. They sit lower in the water and work at slower speeds than much of the new stuff. Even the Beachmaster dannys are now fatter than their original version (and the Pichneys).

Not sure the fish care, but I like dannys/donnys long with a slow wag and that start working at the slowest speed I can stand. As Fred pointed out, sometimes letting them sit and barely moving them is the best method, but it takes a better man than me to cast a plug out there then not start retrieving it right away.

her i am Moe. Sucks Lou. I'm a little under the weather today and i only got a few hours till I have to drink the drain O for tomorrow. I'm friggin staving.
Larry those look great.
I had the pleasure of Numby stopping by the shop this week to drop off some real nice older plugs for me to measure and look at.
Yesterday I traveled up to Reading to spend the afternoon with Joe, Rockfish9. He has a great shop and I learned a lot as he was gracious enough to make a few of his darters for me and I was able to watch and learn. Left with some nice plugs too. Joe is a very generous person and I had a great time talking about plugs, fixtures, and dust collection and most of all fishing. Joe is one hell of a fisherman and has been at it for a long time. Been building his own plugs for a long time too. We had some good laughs too.
Thats about it. Did some turning this week but not enough to mention.

Not a believer in hydro-orientation. I believe the belly weight (when using one) and or the weight of the hooks and hardware will offsett any wood density issues. Just my .02 cents.....no offense Tagger.;)

took a long time, but i converted... i have some "commercial" and "Non-commercial" wooden plugs that don't sit right in the water, or swim properly... and the weight of the hooks, hardware etc. did not correct the issues... by taking these plugs and dissecting them and the issues they had individually... hydro would have cured most of the ills... once all hardware and weights removed..and just dropped the wood in a bucket... well seeing is believing the float test told the tale, before and after...
also proper weight placement ...tail weights have to be dead on center...(belly weights too, but that is a given)
i have a commercial made (no names and never will reveal so no PM's please :D) pencil that sits with the belly hook almost full out of water...will not correct on retrieve either... easy culprit to ID...tail weight is way off center , so plugs lays about 100 degrees out...
no quality control in that shop.....

never say never Larry.. and i'm freaking bull-headed...but i converted.. i'm drinking the hydro now.. :D

LOL.


I too am trying to do some old style dannies this year, thinner heavier ones like G stated. We will see if they work any good.

Talk to you all Next week. Have to finish the bathroom grout work , set up a rod and turn some Atom jrs.

Here you go Larry. I just buy the clear ones and paint my own.

http://i896.photobucket.com/albums/ac167/alphabaits/monsterbuild034.jpg

http://i896.photobucket.com/albums/ac167/alphabaits/monsterbuild032.jpg

http://i896.photobucket.com/albums/ac167/alphabaits/monsterbuild035.jpg

Presto...an egyptian wobbler......not mine, sad to say. Cool plug. A stabilzer and interesting head/lip idea.

took a long time, but i converted... i have some "commercial" and "Non-commercial" wooden plugs that don't sit right in the water, or swim properly... and the weight of the hooks, hardware etc. did not correct the issues... by taking these plugs and dissecting them and the issues they had individually... hydro would have cured most of the ills... once all hardware and weights removed..and just dropped the wood in a bucket... well seeing is believing the float test told the tale, before and after...
also proper weight placement ...tail weights have to be dead on center...(belly weights too, but that is a given)
i have a commercial made (no names and never will reveal so no PM's please :D) pencil that sits with the belly hook almost full out of water...will not correct on retrieve either... easy culprit to ID...tail weight is way off center , so plugs lays about 100 degrees out...
no quality control in that shop.....

never say never Larry.. and i'm freaking bull-headed...but i converted.. i'm drinking the hydro now.. :D

I made some special step drills at work for this exact thing.:uhuh:

I owe you one Lou! Lets swap then!:drool: I need a Lou plug!

Larry i know what you want pick one and the others are going to the Jimmy Z auction on the other site.

Karl its all good. We all have our methods and I respect the hydro method. Its what makes building interesting and challenging. Thats why we are here this morning....talking ideas, methods and theories!:uhuh:

I like the middle.....I call it "Bumble Bee". I have a Danny painted the same way! Thats generous of you Lou! Have any choices on colors for your "Prey"?

Thanks Greek!

How's about mullet?

Blue or Silver?

Presto...an egyptian wobbler......not mine, sad to say. Cool plug. A stabilzer and interesting head/lip idea.

:eyes:

WOW... George...any other shots of that one...top...bottom...keel..

dimensions?

that is most pissah....

walk like an egyptian.......... ...... ....... .....

Blue or Silver?

Tough one ok Blue please and thanks Larry.

:eyes:

WOW... George...any other shots of that one...top...bottom...keel..

dimensions?

that is most pissah....

walk like an egyptian.......... ...... ....... .....

I am also interested in seeing this.

Looks like a deep swimming plug.You guys kill me with all your knowledge and access to these old plugs.

I have to seal a few Lou....none ready for paint right now. Gonna be a few weeks...that ok?

Never ever seen one of those George! Very interesting???!:uhuh:

Larry take all the time that you need i will mail this out to you this week.We can settle up at plugfest.

Thanks Lou! That sounds great! Darn nice of you!

Thanks Lou! That sounds great! Darn nice of you!

Your no different Larry.Thanks i can't wait:drool::drool::drool:

Same time next Sunday guys?? I will try to be on time next week!:) 8:00 am.

Of all the metal lip swimmer types that Ive tried, the surfster was the one that gave me the biggest headache. When done right they have a real sexy wiggle to them and do not roll 180 degrees :uhuh: Seemed that if you make them too thin or too thick they roll real bad. I also found that I needed two belly hooks (I use a teaser for the tail though a third hook could also be used) to make them swim right. Certainly not a plug that I would use in heavy current. The 1 1/2 oz size I make has done well for me and a few others off the beaches in Rhody. Work them slow and on top, boom :love:

Jigman

Of all the metal lip swimmer types that Ive tried, the surfster was the one that gave me the biggest headache. When done right they have a real sexy wiggle to them and do not roll 180 degrees :uhuh: Seemed that if you make them too thin or too thick they roll real bad. I also found that I needed two belly hooks (I use a teaser for the tail though a third hook could also be used) to make them swim right. Certainly not a plug that I would use in heavy current. The 1 1/2 oz size I make has done well for me and a few others off the beaches in Rhody. Work them slow and on top, boom :love:

Jigman

Surfsters. :drool:

:nopics:

OK! Here we are.....where I was last week. ProfM gave me the primed Nike body and I turned this copy by hand which I will use as a template! Got a new duplicator coming shortly! I can't wait to get some of these done and ready for paint! I have never swam a Nike before! I am looking forward to making some very small versions for fresh water use!

Here's the little one, found it in my friends coffee table the other day!
Cell phone pic. sorry, if you want measurements let me know.

Can this thread carry on throughout the week for those of us who work on sunday? :smash:

Thanks to numbskull, I've been slowly accomplishing some Musso Jr. and Sr. knock offs. The Dimensions are accurate now I'm working on the weighting. Only 6.125" but both the SS and Pine come in at 2.75oz.

Oh yeah and some pencils too.

I think the original pine I saw weighed 2.5-2.6 oz rigged so you are very close.

Speaking of turds that catch fish i made some small musso darters (used the wrong wood) darted nice then would roll completely over and come across the top of the water smaking a few times then roll back and start darting again.The bass were like piranhas on it and wanted nothing else.A friend fishing next to me could not buy a hit we both were just laughing it was every cast go figure.

You know, Lu, Roy L told me his friend got a high 30 lb fish in the canal this fall on a darter that was doing exactly the same thing. If you stop to think about it, a combined sub-surface and surface plug might have something to say for it.

Oh yeah and some pencils too.

Those pencils are sweet......great shape :kewl:

I think the original pine I saw weighed 2.5-2.6 oz rigged so you are very close.

Did you recall if the orig. had a small tail weight?

2.75oz was 12grams in the belly (tried to account for the hole I drilled through the weight) plus a tail weight.

Did you recall if the orig. had a small tail weight?

2.75oz was 12grams in the belly (tried to account for the hole I drilled through the weight) plus a tail weight.

No tail weight. But it did carry a tail hook (which I don't use). Float it. If it sits close to level rigged the way you want with water at the tail and just below the lip slot you should be good. The Pine Srs and SSs I built came out heavy but fish fine.

these will carry a flag as well.
I will float them tonight and swim some others tomorrow.

nice job F.
Pencils are very clean looking. Great job.

A couple of recent 1 1/2 oz surfsters. Bottom one is actually black/blue swirl with a black back.

37185

Jigman

that is very strange ... the placement of the weight below the thru wire ..

Good Morning all. I'm early. No paper yet. Got 8" snow w/ wind blown drifts up to 2" . God I hate snow. Gotta plow later. George, I've been studying the 2- A54B pixs. In the xray it looks like the wire hole is say 5/16" and the weight is on the bottom and the wire slides over the top. It doesn't seem like a double cut hole by the shadow marks. I finally got the blank template set up on the lathe. Using my plastic Atom version, I come up with 1 1/16" diameter, 5 3/8" length. The pix looks like 1 1/8" dia. like an Atom Jr w/ 5 5/8"length. Do you know what the swim characteristics were in this plug w/ just a recessed tailweight? I looks to cast better the an A-jr.

Prof M. here is the rear view of my weight placement of my belly weight Wadd. the hole 3/16" and below a 1/4" dowel plugging up the remaining hole. Put entire blank on lathe and spin away. I do go slower when I approach the dowel area.

Morning.....need coffee! Back in a few!:yawn:

Morning larry

Just drained my first cup....going for a second! Morning Islander! Clear your driveway yet?

Oh yeah, coffee, be right back..

Larry we don't have much up my way, in southern Maine. Justed started snowing around 5

My neighbor is coming over with his snowblower (good neighbor) so I ain't budgin' till he comes over....and I do not believe in doing it more than once! Will wait until its done!

I have not done much plug wise this week? I did clear a small batch of plugs but no turning or anything? Christmas has me busy!:deer:

Here in Clinton we have about an inch but it's comeing straight down in small flakes. I'll have a sore back by the time it's done..

Mornin Larry. Went downstairs to drill out my first A-54B proto. Now, where to throw it. My pond is frozen w/ snow. I'll have to wait for xmas. suppose to warm up and rain.

Go to your local municipal swimming pool?? Or the "Y"? I am sure they would not mind you swimming a chunk of wood with sharp hooks on it through the masses?!!:rotf2:

Heres the first good one off the dupe. Finally after 5 misfits!

Actually thats what I do when I open the pool at my house. My neighbors say you never catch anything out of your pool!!! By the end of the week I'll try a brook near work if I can slosh to it.

Curious? Do you banish them to "The Island of Misfit Plugs"?:rotf2:

Larry, do have any plans to do a airbrush clinic @ Plugfest? A few members of CSA would like to see a master at work.

in the Moisture meter thread yesterday I mentionen that I'd cut some limbs to use as stock. I turned to de-bark and straighten. 3 weeks ago. Here's some pix

I give my misfits to a great member of the club, Big Tim. He's learning the ropes and just got an airbrush.

I could do something if folks would like....be my pleasure! I ain't no Ryan Smith but who is?:rotf2:

B.J. what kind of wood?

Fred....ummmmm.....is that morning wood?:rotf2:


Anyone spit their coffee all over the keyboard?:rotf2:

You do some terrific paintwork, I'd like to see you technique.

Fred....ummmmm.....is that morning wood?:rotf2:


Anyone spit their coffee all over the keyboard?:rotf2:

Funny, but a window into your mind that I wish I hadn't looked thru

Oh boy, Billy D with a dupe! This could be dangerous... ;)

Small mind, small window....you have to close one eye to take a peek!

I could go on but I'd get booted :rotf2:
Anyway you can see how the wood "unstraightened " itself. I thought that was interesting. I suppose if I'd quartered it it would hsvr been worse. I did quarter some wild grapevine and it warped itself something fierce

What kind of wood is that Fred? Cypress?

That's Eastern red cedar.

Morning guys just cleared snow so i can open the door.Have over 20 inches with big drifts.My back is hurting just looking at it as i have a long driveway.:wall:

I 'm still looking for my car.

Mornin Lou.

Mornin Mr. Vogt. Yeh the dupe is a great invention. Plenty of sawdust in the shop. I have a sample of the remains for you!!

George, I've been studying the 2- A54B pixs. In the xray it looks like the wire hole is say 5/16" and the weight is on the bottom and the wire slides over the top. It doesn't seem like a double cut hole by the shadow marks. I finally got the blank template set up on the lathe. Using my plastic Atom version, I come up with 1 1/16" diameter, 5 3/8" length. The pix looks like 1 1/8" dia. like an Atom Jr w/ 5 5/8"length. Do you know what the swim characteristics were in this plug w/ just a recessed tailweight? I looks to cast better the an A-jr.

The small wooden atom jr I have is 5 1/2" long and 1.18" (1 3/16' I think) wide.

The larger unfinished wood atom jr body I have is 6 1/4" long and 1.20 thick. No hook holes. The tail is .53" wide, the tail taper begins about 2 1/2" from the end and is straight over the last 2 ". The diameter at 2" from the tail is 1.17" (approx 1 1/8). The nose is quite blunt, curving over about 3/8". The plug is very tight grained white cedar. Old growth I'll bet. Nothing like the white cedar we can get now.

The smaller version (whose xray I posted) is .68" at the tail, begins it's taper a 2 1/2 ", most of which occurs after 2", but instead of straight is a hair concave. It's hooks are 1" and 3 1/2" back. The daimeter at the second hook is 1.09" (about 1 1/6).

The line tie is 5/16" below the lip slot. The lip is similar to the one Salty sells.

Grapevine, about 5years old. It was 6" thick and straight. Quartered it and it immediately corkscrewed..

I have to go shovel the driveway now:fury: i will be back in a bit.Built a paint shaker last night i know Salty will get a good laugh out of it but the thing works like you won't believe.:uhuh:

Morning guys just cleared snow so i can open the door.Have over 20 inches with big drifts.My back is hurting just looking at it as i have a long driveway.:wall:

Don't you have a wife?

Good morning everyone... I'm jealous of what you guys already have going. I haven't gotten to work any plug stuff yet, its hard for me to get to it before the holidays but I have a few hours to play this afternoon. I've been meaning to experiment a bit with the musso swimmer shapes but I don't have anything to work from. Can someone post some basic length width dimensions ?

Thanks George. What do you think of the weighting?

Good morning!
I have the same problem, altho here I sit. But I guess we all need a little rest time. After Christmas, money and time will loosen up a bit.
I will spin some ornaments from the grape vine today. I think that the spiral grain will look nice.

Good morning everyone... I'm jealous of what you guys already have going. I haven't gotten to work any plug stuff yet, its hard for me to get to it before the holidays but I have a few hours to play this afternoon. I've been meaning to experiment a bit with the musso swimmer shapes but I don't have anything to work from. Can someone post some basic length width dimensions ?

Much about these has been posted previously. Here are some details on the 6" Musso pine I measured (but no longer have). If you are interested in the big swimmers pm me, or better yet come by Falmouth this week and I can show you what I know.

Here are the details on the pine jr I sent ******. The size of weight is in there.

The junior musso I measured was a pine.
it is 6 1/8" long
.85" at the nose
.5" at the tail
widest spot was 3" from the nose and measured 1.3" wide
the weight was also 3" from the nose and is 3/8" diameter and 3/4" height....drilled through
first hook is 1.25" from nose, second hook 4"
diameter 2" from either end is 1.2" (it is 1.11" at the first hook)
The lip slot is above center on the plug I saw. about .34" from the top of the plug to the slot.
The plug weighed 2.5oz, but I don't recall if this was rigged or not

I suspect the lower lip slot position that appears to be used on some plugs I've seen on line (I've never actually inspected one) was a later change and used primarily in surface swimmers (which I have not built in the Jr size).

The pine uses a high slot lefty 2 lip
The ss presumably uses the mid slot lip
I've not xrayed a maple jr....the maple sr carries a much smaller weight than the pine or ss. I think he just weighted them to float level and low.

Nice chatting guys. Gotta go an clean the snow. Have a great week and holiday. TTYS

Thanks George. What do you think of the weighting?

Sorry Bill, missed this. You are correct, the weight is just shoved in along the wire.

Much about these has been posted previously. Here are some details on the 6" Musso pine I measured (but no longer have). If you are interested in the big swimmers pm me, or better yet come by Falmouth this week and I can show you what I know.

Here are the details on the pine jr I sent ******. The size of weight is in there.

The junior musso I measured was a pine.
it is 6 1/8" long
.85" at the nose
.5" at the tail
widest spot was 3" from the nose and measured 1.3" wide
the weight was also 3" from the nose and is 3/8" diameter and 3/4" height....drilled through
first hook is 1.25" from nose, second hook 4"
diameter 2" from either end is 1.2" (it is 1.11" at the first hook)
The lip slot is above center on the plug I saw. about .34" from the top of the plug to the slot.
The plug weighed 2.5oz, but I don't recall if this was rigged or not

I suspect the lower lip slot position that appears to be used on some plugs I've seen on line (I've never actually inspected one) was a later change and used primarily in surface swimmers (which I have not built in the Jr size).

The pine uses a high slot lefty 2 lip
The ss presumably uses the mid slot lip
I've not xrayed a maple jr....the maple sr carries a much smaller weight than the pine or ss. I think he just weighted them to float level and low.

Thanks George thats plenty to get me started. I'm not sure what I will do with the shape. I will have to try some normal ones that go by the specs, but I'm tossing around the idea of doing some lipless stuff like the nike uses. When I was picking up wood around thanksgiving I got some maple for darters and they did not have any 5/4 so I ended up with 6/4 and it started me thinking maybe I could try and make some heavy swimmers that go down a bit. I had a lot of luck with the darters last year but I don't make any swimmers that go deep. I think a lot of guys built conrads for this purpose last year, but I really like the shape of the musso.

Prof M. here is the rear view of my weight placement of my belly weight Wadd. the hole 3/16" and below a 1/4" dowel plugging up the remaining hole. Put entire blank on lathe and spin away. I do go slower when I approach the dowel area.

thanks for the photo. Neat idea.

Hey George by the way that 6" Musso swimmer that I was lent may be a surface swimmer and not a Pine, as someone pointed out to me that the line tie is very low on the face. I has a P above the lip but it doesn't look like the line tie is in the right place for a Pine. Do you think the weighting is the same as the pine? It weighs 2.1 oz's without hooks.

That weight being shoved in "BELOW" the thru wire I have to guess is because the weight they used did not have a hole to pass the wire through? I would not jam the weight in below the wire as I do not think it will do anything performance wise to simply use a traditional wire through the weight approach! My .02 cents!

I may have to agree with Lawrence on this one if it is used on a thin plug like a needle but if that technique was used on a larger dia. plug like a swimmer or larger I think it may have some merit. My 3 cents.

Just speculating here because all this hurts my head. Wouldn't a weight lower than the center of the plug tend to lessen or eliminate roll? Like a sailboat's keel?

that would be my thought Fred.

Do you think the weighting is the same as the pine? It weighs 2.1 oz's without hooks.

Yes, I suspect the SS jr is weighted the same as the Pine Jr (I think .4 oz is about what 3 3/0 trebles weigh and the pine I had weighed 2.5oz). The SS sr and Pine sr are weighted the same. Get it to me and I'll xray it to be sure. Is the lip slot .34 down from the head?

I don't think Bob Pond had any subtle plan when he shoved that weight in there. Probably just pencil lead he could get easily.

Paul, which darter did you build. The Musso or the Gibbs? If the Gibbs did you go old school or new school with the hook/weight placement?

Speaking of darters, since I like to talk to myself, did anybody see the bit on Melnyk's blog about thinking a blurple plastic musso loaded to float neutral was his favorite plug? Maybe I'll need to fool with those oversealed over heavy bodies I still have.

numbskull i think those overweight darters swim just fine :)

haven't caught on it yet, but I like the action

I feel like I'm sitting in back of Grad school class..
Pretty cool

I have the Musso's all turned exactly like the beauty you lent me. I am on to the angles this week. I made most out of birch and 2 out of AYC and a pine one to use as my set up piece. Going to do a few thru drilled all the way thru and a few drilled from the rear to the front hook hole and then drill the front thru hole by hand after the angles are done to see which is the easiest. I still intend to do some of the Gibbs small size and the thinner Gibbs size too but may not get to them till later this winter. I am going to concentrate on the Musso. I will also let you take a pic of the Musso SS and maybe the peanut conrad. Thank you.

What blog are you refering too G.?

This one, Paul. Surfcasting.com (http://www.surfcasting.com/) He is an interesting guy.

Thanks for the reminder , George. I haven't been there in a very long time, things are a little different.

thanks G. I just watched him on Monster fish on Nat geo channel catch a big striper while floating around in a wet suit . It just got over.

8am or 8pm? :biglaugh:

still messing with the musso's as well.

Also started some needle's but want to try maple along with the birch ones. Finished these up over the week in the heated room vs. the garage.

Very nice job Frank. Really well done. How long are they?
I did good in the canal on pretty small poppers last year and am making a few more this year. Very similar in shape. I also like a very small amount of crystal flash and hair on the rear treble.

5.75" almost 2oz on the dot.
usually put a single siwash w/hackle on the back but need to sit down and actually tie some up.

still messing with a slow sinking version similar to a superstrike, its just a completely different animal when made out of wood it seems. A lot of work to keep up but sometimes it seems they will only take it on the drop back.

On that weight placement in that Atom 54B plug. I drilled a 11/32" hole in tail , inserted the wrie then pushed a 1/4" solder rod 1 1/4" length into the hole to the hook hole. You have to force it thru then the weight has to remain in the lower half. The trouble I notice is that it ends off to the side somewhat. I'm sure this will effect the balance. I will swim it later and at least see what a tailweight only swimmer swims like. I probably will end up through wiring a longer 1/4" tailweight. The 1/4" rod at that length is 11 grams.

I love when is snows! I hit the lathe hard after shoveling for 4 hours! I have a bunch of 6 1/2" chunky pencils spun up. They worked well last spring and cast a country mile.

Finished these up over the week in the heated room vs. the garage.

First rate!!!! Those are on the to do list for me as well. I actually cut a large plastic superstrike in half to get a pattern (getting more and more like Eddy everyday). I know they are not as good a plug as the 2.5oz version, but I'm hoping I can solve that and come out with something larger and heavier. I noted the hook and weight placement are somewhat different between the two different sized plugs.

Spent yesterday drilling, drilling, and drilling. Managed to fckup a bunch of Musso (BM) wadd clones cutting the eye angles :wall:. The stock I start with is rarely true square (I rip rough lumber to width but don't bother jointing and thickness planing it) and the special brad point drill bits I use don't run true if started in a drive/tail center hole so I drill my plugs after cutting off the ends. Getting eye holes perpendicular to the hook hole (without building a jig for each style plug) is something I still struggle with.

Got darter slopes to fckup today. The firewood pile ought to grow fast. I need one of those rubber mallets that's in Mr K's second picture. The wooden one is starting to leave a mark on my forehead,

I need one of those rubber mallets that's in Mr K's second picture. The wooden one is starting to leave a mark on my forehead,

Don't be fooled, the rubber mallet hurts. It just doesn't leave a dent!

numbskull, try putting a piece of dowel in the belly hole that you drill, and if you don't already have one, a improvised v-block works great. (2 pieces of 1x with a 3/4"-1" gap between)

the longer the dowel the easier it is to get it horizontal as you have a longer "gauge" to look at when drilling.

[QUOTE=numbskull;733608]First rate!!!! Those are on the to do list for me as well. I actually cut a large plastic superstrike in half to get a pattern (getting more and more like Eddy everyday). I know they are not as good a plug as the 2.5oz version, but I'm hoping I can solve that and come out with something larger and heavier. I noted the hook and weight placement are somewhat different between the two different sized plugs.

If your cutting it in half just for a pattern then let me know. I can vector it and the plug can be kept in one piece. It's very accurate. The most it will be off is a coupe of pixels. I actually might have a large version at home.

The sinking version I was messing with sunk but tail first. I was try to get it to sink more like a needle so I added a chin weight but it was to much. absolute helicopter.

[QUOTE=numbskull;733608]
The sinking version I was messing with sunk but tail first. I was try to get it to sink more like a needle so I added a chin weight but it was to much. absolute helicopter.

Why do we do this to ourselves??? I tried making a prototype out of mahogany last season and it sunk FBI informant! Will try again this season.

First rate!!!! Those are on the to do list for me as well. I actually cut a large plastic superstrike in half to get a pattern (getting more and more like Eddy everyday). I know they are not as good a plug as the 2.5oz version, but I'm hoping I can solve that and come out with something larger and heavier. I noted the hook and weight placement are somewhat different between the two different sized plugs.

Spent yesterday drilling, drilling, and drilling. Managed to fckup a bunch of Musso (BM) wadd clones cutting the eye angles :wall:. The stock I start with is rarely true square (I rip rough lumber to width but don't bother jointing and thickness planing it) and the special brad point drill bits I use don't run true if started in a drive/tail center hole so I drill my plugs after cutting off the ends. Getting eye holes perpendicular to the hook hole (without building a jig for each style plug) is something I still struggle with.

Got darter slopes to fckup today. The firewood pile ought to grow fast. I need one of those rubber mallets that's in Mr K's second picture. The wooden one is starting to leave a mark on my forehead,

Talk to Paul before you cut those slopes.....there is a better way.....

Talk to Paul before you cut those slopes.....there is a better way.....

Nah, I do it on the bandsaw about the same as you, only I use the same pinned cradle I use to mark the layout lines. It is the belt sander where I screw 'em up. That is the step I'd love to eliminate. I hate belt sanders, probably I should get a rotary one I can sight down from above with.

George, are you holding your belt sander on edge?
It's easy to make a cradle for it to turn it into an edge sander.so you can eyeball whar you are sanding easier.
you could also setup a specific jig for sanding the slope so they come out all the same. I'd be glad to help you with that someday if you want.

Mine is an old, old, old Sears thing with 8" by 36" (or something like that) platen and worn bronze bearings. The price was right, free. Been paying for it ever since.

If it's free, it's for me!

Time to invest in a belt/disc combo Numbskull. Short money, and very handy.

Nah, I do it on the bandsaw about the same as you, only I use the same pinned cradle I use to mark the layout lines. It is the belt sander where I screw 'em up. That is the step I'd love to eliminate. I hate belt sanders, probably I should get a rotary one I can sight down from above with.

I used to use the bandsaw/belt sander. There is a MUCH better way. Jigs and the table saw. Jigs make up VERY quickly and make cutting the slopes EXTREMELY easy and VERY consistant. All I use the BS for is easing the angle between slopes.

Mine is an old, old, old Sears thing with 8" by 36" (or something like that) platen and worn bronze bearings. The price was right, free. Been paying for it ever since.

George i have literally tons of all kinds of bronze and other types of bushing making materials.If you need some made let me know i would be glad to manufacture them for you.

I went out the the harbor which was the only open water and tested a NCG setup on a 1201L and swam my version of the Atom 54B. I was impress all around. The rod casted great with the concept set up , 30,20,12,8,8,8,8,8,10tip. The Atom 54B was the other homerun. Swam down just under <1', wiggle ever so nicely. used 2/0 treble on the belly w/pennant on tail. Very nice S wiggle. Thanks for all your help George. By the way I put 11gram tailweight thru the wire. I cut a 7 gram in half and put the half and a whole one into a 17/64" hole up to the swivel hole shy of going inside the hook hole 1/16". Filled the void w/ wooden spacer. Got to get some of the roll plastic Prof. M has.

Numbskull i saw this on the other site and thought you would like this.:drool::drool::drool:

See you guys in the am??:uhuh:

I hope i don't stay up to late plan on taking my wife to dinner and then to see Avatar as she did not want anything to do with seeing it when she first saw the previews and now she wants me to take her.I am glad because now i get to go to a new imax they just opened and heard good things about it.Not busting your chops Larry but i will give you my honest opinion after i see it.I also need to take pics of my paint shaker for you guys which works great btw.I had paint just sitting here for over a year (createx) all the paint on the bottom and the clear separeted on top like oil and vinegar took 30 sec to get it mixed.See you in the morning.

See you guys in the am??:uhuh:

I'll be here. This was a great idea,btw, Larry.

Be there w/ 8o'clock coffee. Hey Lou, I have been putting in a ballbearing roller in all my paint bottles. Shake it, the ball rattles and continue till mixed. so far so good.

never say never Larry.. and i'm freaking bull-headed...but i converted.. i'm drinking the hydro now.. :D


Never,ever thought i would hear that. :shocked:
"The End" must be near. :hihi: