Loading the Redfin.

Items you will need:
7” Redfin
Split Ring Pliers
Tape
Epoxy
7/64” Drill Bit and Drill
Sandpaper or Scuff Pad
Shot or BB’s
Syringe if using Water or Mineral Oil
Water or Mineral Oil
Sharpie
Digital Scale
Clear Nail Polish or Fly Tying Cement
Hooks, personal preference
Split Rings, size 5.5 or 6


1. Remove all the stock hooks and split rings, throw them away. They are cheap and will break and the split rings will straighten out.

2. Mark where the hole is to be drilled, I like doing mine off center so not to put more stress on the seam of the plug. I use a sharpie and make a small mark.

3. Slowly drill a hole using a 7/64 drill bit.

4. The plug weighs .750 oz with no hardware, you want the plug to weigh 1.120 oz when loaded with no hardware. The finish weight with hooks will be close to 1.4 to 1.5oz.

5. You can use many different items to load these plugs. Some popular ones are:

10 cc of water
10 cc of mineral oil
Size 7.5 or 8 lead shot, can be obtained from gun supply shops, no special license required cause its not ammo.
BB’s , about 30 to 35 will get you the desired weight if you want to count them, 33 is the magic number.

I use the 7.5 shot, I like the added noise. Plus you never have to worry about the water evaporating. I had a few swell up and leak out on me from sitting in the truck in the heat.

I check and recheck the weight of the plug as I’m loading it, once it gets close to 1.120 oz, I slowly add the shot only a few at a time till it hit’s the desired weight.

6. I epoxy the hole using 6 minute 2 part epoxy. I like to use the back of the package to mix the epoxy. I let the epoxy set up a few minutes so that it doesn’t drip inside the hole and into the plug.

I always tape the area around the hole to keep it as clean and neat as possible, I also lightly sand the area around the hole to help the epoxy bond.

7. Once the epoxy sets up, peel the tape away and allow to fully cure.

8. Once the epoxy is dry I hit it with some clear nail polish or fly tying cement just to make sure its sealed and waterproof.

9. There is a few ways to rig the plug once its done.

Two 4x 3/0 VMC trebles with size 5.5 split rings
One 4x 3/0 VMC treble and size 5.5 split ring for the belly and just a flag in the rear
One 4x 3/0 VMC treble and size 5.5 split ring for the belly

I use a 6x 3/0 VMC treble and size 5.5 split ring for the belly and a dressed siwash size 5 in the rear. I like the siwash to have hackles and bucktail, adds great action.

Most bass will get the front hook or inhale the whole plug, while blues will tend to hit the rear siwash.

10. Add a split ring to the nose loop and your done!

As far as retrieve techniques, it varies spot to spot and night to night. Sometimes a simple straight retrieve, or quick burst then a pause, or short twitches. Try a few techniques and see what works.

I always have two loaded redfins in my bag, usually a Bone and a Blurple.

There are many techniques for loading the redfin, none are right or wrong, its all personal preference. So is color, bone has always produced for me day or night.

More Pics

Last three

Cool. Thanks.

I like loading redfins ,, north bars,, swimming type plugs with liquid . rushes to the arse on cast ,settles fast in the belly . I'll uses shot , copper coated bb's on pencil poppers, because if the shot locks up in the arse who cares ? still weighted correctly .. imho..
I've been loading swimmers with water ,, I wonder if I should be using mineral oil ? I worry about forgetting about the water loaded plugs in the car, late in the season. What are the benifits of mineral oil ?

m-oil does not evaporate as fast .plus oil is lighter than water. but i use 15cc of oil and drill 1/8 hole, use round wood bbq squre and zapagap on hole and wood squre its ezer ive been loading them like that for 25+yrs also try a sented oil like pogie or store juices obtw loaded b.b. lead does NOT swim the lure as good as oil . sorry for the hijack...

Great write up chris. By far my top producing plug all year. Always two in my bag as well.
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Good job with the pics and explanation.

I have 2 I keep in my bag at all times. I have one loaded with copper BB's and one non loaded. From my experience and I throw both of them quite often the loaded one has a tendency to catch fewer and smaller fish. Just curious anybody else have similar results?

been using bb redfins for two years now, murder bass on them

good stuff!!

Chris - I want to take a few things done by the members and add them to articles this fall - OK to do this one too?

Thanks,

John

To make it easy and I find it to work just fine is that I just fill up a bucket of water and little by little I just load up the red fins until it floats just enough that the red gill marking are above water. FYI take into consideration that saltwater is more bouyant than freshwater. It's fast and they cast like a missle. :fishin:

well written explanation; thanks.

My technique is clearly not as fancy but gets the job done and the bass usually don't seem to care.

1) using pliers I heat up a sewing needle and make a small hole off center near head
2) Using a 10cc syringe with 18-20 gauge needle I load in H20
3) I then use the heated sewing needle to melt the hole close; If I have any concern I just add a touch of epoxy.

There is a video of McKenna out there (?youtube) that shows something similar.

I've been using a heated paper clip personally, just in case you don't want to raid your wife's sewing kit ... especially since I have already probably stolen every rubbermaid food storage container she has ever owned....

Switched from loading them to water to shot. There are benefits to both. I have a few with just a flag on the back, a few with trebles on on the back, but most with two split rings and a dressed siwash.

Twitch, retrieve, stop, SMASH. It is like clockwork with these puppies.

I would say more than half of my fish caught this season came on redfins, probably the same ratio for Chef too, good post.

Yes of course John R you can post this whereever you'd like.

Yeah this plug has accounted for a lot of my fish this season, my personal best came on a loaded wonderbread at the ditch on slack tide.

I try not to make it the first plug out the bag, but I always carry two and always throw them.

Bone has always done well for me even in the darkest nights.

For the money and a little bit of time and rerigging them they can't be beat.

Some places sell them for 5 bucks each. How can you beat that?
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There is a tutorial on how to thru wire and load a redfin along with replacing the belly hooks. Google the following including the quotes.

"Modify Your Plastics!"
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device

I have 2 I keep in my bag at all times. I have one loaded with copper BB's and one non loaded. From my experience and I throw both of them quite often the loaded one has a tendency to catch fewer and smaller fish. Just curious anybody else have similar results?

I use both and also prefer the unloaded. It (Imho) definitely has better action unloaded and outfishes the loaded in any situation where the conditions don't warrant a longer cast or getting the plug deep. The loaded is still a really useful plug, although I have to admit that in the conditions where a loaded 7" is warranted, of late I typically throw a northbar bottle darter or megabait jb-150 (while supplies last) unless the prevalent bait is more thinly profiled.

There is a tutorial on how to thru wire and load a redfin along with replacing the belly hooks. Google the following including the quotes.

"Modify Your Plastics!"
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device

I just checked that thread out, that was awesome!

I have 2 I keep in my bag at all times. I have one loaded with copper BB's and one non loaded. From my experience and I throw both of them quite often the loaded one has a tendency to catch fewer and smaller fish. Just curious anybody else have similar results?

This has been my experience as well. I like an unweighted redfin waggling back and forth on top of the surface in calm conditions. distance usually isn't an issue when I'm fishing them like this. Love seeing fish blow up on them. I would rather fish an SP minnow now in the same conditions that loaded redfins are known to work well in, but that's just my perosnal preference...