Yup mahogany sure does look a lot closer to squid when natural.

That was the logic. Added big silver eyes near the tail.
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Baby Steps
 

Finally turning some wood! Until recently, we hadn't had cold weather so I just kept fishing. Hard finding time to make noise with a 14 month old, when he's up I want to be with him and when he's napping, I want to do the same.

My Winter plans are:
8" Darters
BM Jr's & some variations in lip / wood
various needles
Gary2 Slims
(if time provides maybe some oddball plugs)

Sunday afternoon I turned some bodies
Attachment 62525

And a while back I was able to finish some, awaiting a sealer bath
Attachment 62524

Paul and/or George,

On your AYC darters are you adding weight? Also, what length darter is your cutoff for not using AYC? Or, if you are using it for any length darter, more specifically on the larger side (7"+), would you add weight to counter the plug's buoyancy? I'm giving this a shot but would appreciate your thoughts and experiences
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I can speak for myself. No weight in mine. If you want more of a sinker use birch or maple. I have made them up to 10" out of Ayc. Upper water column darter. The larger darter i make copied after Pichney's large darter i make out of birch no weight.
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Ok cool, thank you.

I'll give it a shot, it'll be nice to have a large darter in shallower water and that fast recovery after bumping a rock.
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I tried adding a small tail weight to one (Hydro'd after epoxying in the weight) and had better results than any belly weighted version but still went unweighted.

Frank you did this on an ayc darter but still deviced to go without the weight? What about the weighted darter made you give up on the plug?
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The tail on the darters I made were really tapered so while they swam fine once the plug started going they seemed to hang up right when I started to retrieve them. I'm sure if the tail was bit thicker it would work but really they cast fine without any lead.

If you're using maple and thicker profile like you have a above I'd go without weight.

Ok cool. I did a few AYC today no weight and put 2 belly weights in 2 other AYC darters equally spaced from center to see what happens.

2 more I set the cutting point in more just to turn a thinner profile.

I fished the maple darters all last year and was happy, so this is a cool test to see what happens with a different wood
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I'm sure they'll work for you. Options are always good
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I agree I often make a few out of a few different species for different sink rates and situations once I have it set up to do my regular run. Sometimes they suck sometimes you get surprised for hardly much effort since it is already set up to go.

Now I'm pumped. I can't wait to throw my duds or studs into the drink.

Still waiting on George to weigh in... Or does he put weights in his darters? I think he likes cutting cross grain on the slopes and lip, no?
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Didn't take these out for swim but rather a sink. Took a needle I had good success with last year and made them a bit thicker so they'd have the same sink rate but with a 6X 3/0 in front and 6/0 in back.

Good god. Frank that's the one. That's the plug you will find your Bertha
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Not sure about a lip but I messed with a darter needle thing. Doesn't seem to dart if it sinks and I never done well on needles that float so they sit in a box.

Some slim darters I finished last week and some others I wired up tonight.

All beauties. You going to make me beg. Got no Nanook of the North darters
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nice looking stuff. big girls love datas

Where did you get the eyes from, look nice.
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I like floating needles. 6x because you are fishing rocks? On a beach I don't think that would be necessary.
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.

They're from Lisa and Ed's eyes, Frank. Cheap and have plenty of sizes and colors. I buy the clear eyes too and occasionally paint them what I what (I painted the bone eyes on the bone pencil).
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The Nanook darters work on ice too.

The latest 4x hooks from VMC seemed to just crumpled all last season. Started using the 6x on most at least the belly hooks on anything I was fishing.
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Just curious. Thanks
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Took some maple Donnys for a swim today. They weigh in at around 3.2oz with no added weight and sit with the entire nose of the plug slightly subsurface and the water line about mid way at the tail. No hook on the rear of them when I tested. They swam with a lot of side to side action but didn't seem to dig for the bottom as much as I had expected. I didn't play with tuning the line tie or lips (pikie 3 and lefty high slot) yet.

Has anyone fished and original that could can give me some idea of how they swam?
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I swam a maple junior (I think it was weighted) with a lefty 2 high slot and although it swam deeper it didn't tag bottom where I swim plugs and its only 5'.

I bet a maple rattler slope head would go deep.

Thanks maybe I'll have to cut a slope head on one and see how it swims.

I got some info from someone who fishes the originals pretty often and he said they probably get down around 8' or maybe more. Not sure if these will get that deep or not. I still need to swim them in some open water.

Jay how much weight you putting in. 8-10 grams?

Hi Billy,

Right now I've got no weight in the maple Donnys. From what I've been able to find out the originals were unweighted.
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