My fall chores are done... the Honey -do list complete.. the boat has been rewired and is sleeping for the winter.. a little paint in the spring and it will be war-ready...
so now it's time to get serious about building a few plugs ...I didn't use as many this season as I have the past few.. but each season.. I pick something to "play with" aside from my needs ( seeing I give almost half away)...

I have decided this will be the year of the bottle.. non alcohol... I currently build 2 sizes.. a 3 ounce and a 2 ounce... as well as a jointed eel bottle..
this season i want to play with size.. I want to make schoolie/LMB size and several sizes inbetween...let the R&D begin!

so what is everyone elses ambitions... what are the rest of you wood rats planning on "playing" with...

I've got a rack of small pikies and spooks left from last winter that need paint first... I just hope I'm not too distracted!

Need any testers/let me know
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I am planning to "play" with some small metal lips I started last winter. I also want to do some needles this year, I didn;t do any last year and now wish I did. As the season winds down I am running low.

Joe is the one guy i never ho'd a plug from :wall:

For me it will be old school ss needles in two sizes with the original weighting and maybe some weight changes on a few.

a small two belly hook danny, my own shape, i only have one left that im saving as a guide.

a flat bottom polaris for the ditch, saw sgt stripers design and really liked it.

and hopefully some banana kits.

I try and only build a few styles each year and keep it to basics i use, plus doing it at friends places I try and make it simple.

I also want to play around with the larry dalhberg resin stuff, now that i have a place to do my building.

Living in a condo I unfortunately have no room for the equipment necessary to turn plugs but I’ll be doing some kits again this year. I tried some of the Salty’s kits last year and did pretty well with the 2oz darters so I’ll probably make a few more of those and plan give the 3oz darters a shot as well. Also want to try a couple danny’s and pikies.

Will also be making an assortment of bucktails, jig heads and tied tail hooks and flags. All good stuff to keep busy during the winter.

Joe is the one guy i never ho'd a plug from :wall:


I'm still building and I aint dead yet.. still plenty of time... come see me at plugfest.. if you can't make it.. we'll reach some sort of an accord...

Living in a condo I unfortunately have no room for the equipment necessary to turn plugs but I’ll be doing some kits again this year. I tried some of the Salty’s kits last year and did pretty well with the 2oz darters so I’ll probably make a few more of those and plan give the 3oz darters a shot as well. Also want to try a couple danny’s and pikies.

Will also be making an assortment of bucktails, jig heads and tied tail hooks and flags. All good stuff to keep busy during the winter.

come to plugfest... I always have bodies that need to be finished... I normally turn a bunch of bodies and finish a few and leave the rest in a pile, bucket or somewhere else in the shop to be finished"someday"...I be happy to give you a few..

Chef, you have any more of those needles with the bumps?

Joe's yellow darter is legendary.. you lose it, and it comes back to you like a lost puppy dog. :)

Chef, you have any more of those needles with the bumps?

the ribbed needle, yes i have 3 left, i really need to make more as the produced really well the first year I fished em, probably cause I threw them all the time, didnt do too much on em this year mainly because all i fished was darters.

I plan to make some more needles, some eelies, some poppers, and some more more canal specials

Nikes, bottle darters ,darters, and a few dart n darts. Once things settle down after baby gets here
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plugs, plugs, plugs, oh lets see. Just got done putting this years plugs away from fishing and I surely don't need anymore plugs. Many lifetimes of plugs hanging from my cellar ceiling. Maybe I will just finish everything I already have turned sitting in boxes down the cellar. That would keep me busy for a long while but I'm not that bright. Probably some more darters and small needles and need to finish up a couple of bass aquas for a favor someone did me. I am sure he has not forgot . Got plenty of everything else, plenty. Elbow will keep me from turning for at least a good month or even 2 with my type of duplicator but I can paint and epoxy stuff already done. Cellar is almost clean enough but I got some things that need to be done in the household or I will catch hell, and deservedly so.

looking to just get down in the cave. Just gutted a room in my house to make a guest room and start a new job in less than two weeks. Still need to fix boat trailer, haul boat, winterize boat. Clean rods and reels. This winter is going to fly by for me.

come to plugfest... I always have bodies that need to be finished... I normally turn a bunch of bodies and finish a few and leave the rest in a pile, bucket or somewhere else in the shop to be finished"someday"...I be happy to give you a few..

Thanks for the offer. I've been thinking of coming up for plugfest for a few years but it never seems to fall on a good weekend for me. Hopefully this will be the year!

Thanks for the offer. I've been thinking of coming up for plugfest for a few years but it never seems to fall on a good weekend for me. Hopefully this will be the year!

Maybe we can ride up. Last year I managed to make my first one with a friend and it was worth it. So if I can get there earlier I will make another.
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More pencils and poppers because well, you just can never have enough. Needles, slow sink and floating, and I've started work on smaller, single belly hook Danny's and Surfster's. I'd like to mess with some handcarves too.
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Building the usual stuff plus going to get my bottles to perfection! Most productive plugs for me this past year were the Jr's and the 6" bottle. Canal trip was the best thing I did all year, threw everything I make and was very satisfied. Build BIG also.

And Paul, I really want one of those "special " darters!!

?...Once things settle down after baby gets here
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Funny, all hell broke loose each time my bundles of joy arrived!

Already started 'building'- had some AWC blanks left over from a project a couple years ago so I have been trying different body shapes with different lips and weights. Got one I'm excited about. Well, maybe 2.

Will be doing those kit darters J mentioned- great plugs. Going to do more glide baits- some for twitching and some for swinging down and across in the breach ways. Pencils and Polaris on my list too. Want to try a slow sinking inverse pencil- rear eye, dark on bottom, white on top, and a flag on the line tie- idea; thrash it, then let sink for several seconds. Maybe some big canal pencils. Oh, definitely some Jersey style sealed plugs.
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Overflow valve on water heater let go today.... I fortunately came into the shop to get a replacement blade for a coping saw and discovered it. Couldn't have been too long, but still had some water to deal with. Anyway, while waiting for the service call, I got the lathe fired up and turned eight ballerinas and a couple spooks. Carbide cutter on a Vega is really a pleasure to work with.
I have a couple more shapes I want to work on, and a couple plugs I want to copy. Plan on turning into January with some drilling and sealing mixed in, as I find that the most tedious step. (I like the turning/shaping the most) But the season is on!.
Need to build a jig for cutting darter slopes, get some ball rasps, and if I'm really good, get a Worksharp.

I started on some plugs today, scored a sweet set from good2hook, lathe and dupe, dupe needs prof m carbide cutter /holder. His is better than the factory.

Got 3 eelys, 6 Danny's, 7 needles, 3 pikies and a bass hawg pencil turned.

Was basically getting the hang of the lathe and vega set up as its been a couple years since I've turned any plugs.

Will get the holes and lip slots drilled on those this weekend and get those sealed.

The back to turning on Monday.

Forgot how much I like turning/building plugs.
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