The bottle plug
 

This was a lure that I used almost exclusively pre-needlefish days. Over the years it has slowly taken the back seat in my plugbag, sometimes never seeing the water. Last season I pick up a few new ones and dressed them up for battle. They still work pretty well. I would like to get a hold of a handful of 3-4 oz custom bottle plugs. I don't see many guys making them anymore. I have one from someone here (don't recall whom) a nice 2 oz version.
Anyone got any leads? Someone needs to capture this relatively untapped market (hint):D

When you say Bottle Plug do you mean Casting Swimmers or Polaris Poppers? I gets confused easy.....and I've been messing with making both this winter.

Got a 1/2 dozen Casting Swimmers awaiting the dip as we speak

Not the popper, I am referring to the classic stan gibbs swimmer style...no metal lip, countored head.

You should be in the MOASS i just made 40 3oz. for the guys in it.Great lure and proven cow catcher.

:eyes:

I only need 6 real nice ones.

mrpogie makes a killer bottle plug. Don't know if he is on this site or not. Have not seen he on the other site for a while.

Booger, got photos?

Jigman

Like these I presume. Waiting for epoxy. The bottom one is in case I go fishing with Eddy.

Salty,

Great minds think alike. I had checked your site as well as a few others just prior to posting just to make sure no one had one.

I'll keep an eye out for them.

thanks
:kewl:

I saw Mrpogie looking around here the other day.Salty i know what you did to them:laugha: :wave:

Great paintjobs on them George.Should i make smaller ones also because i want to go fishing with Eddie too?

Something to look forward to for sure. :claps:

Salty,
I'm an old-style plug junkie, and would love to see you put out an effective bottle. They get much more distance than metal-lips, and dig in much better in rough water. Gibbs, back in the day, used to produce some nice bottles, but I'm sure you're familiar with the recent ones. When you puttin' out?

Gibbs? Any older ones in boxes?:rotflmao:

The Gibbs Bottle plugs are great in rough water. Really dig in. Problem we always had with them was the contoured lip would wear out from hitting the rocks and the plug wouldn't swim as good. Super Strike plastic models last a little bit longer but still get dinged up. My friend Zeke took care of that by fitting the Gibbs wood bottle plugs with a metal lip that he would grind to shape and insert over the contoured lip - then rewire the plug. The lip was then protected for use in rocky areas. I've tried for quite a few years to get a plug maker to build a casting swimmer with a metal lip - make it right and it will be in demand. Anyone willing to experiment?

DZ

that would be fairly simple to make..all one would have to do is to contract a spin caster to cast the head of the plug in a light metal- the head would have to be cast with the through wire hole in it, and it would have to have a collar that could slide into the wooden or plastic body- some good epoxy and your good to go- things to worry about is the possibillity of the metal head being too heavy.

Eben,
Doesn't need to be that difficult. Zeke used metal lips from broken Atom Juniors. Would grind them to the shape of the bottle lip - make a small slit in the head of the bottle - epoxy it in then rewire the plug. The plug would cast and swim just as good as the original.

DZ

You’re right Salty – when it’s a business decision it just doesn’t make sense to make a plug that will last longer and I understand that aspect in today’s environment.
But I’m from a more “frugal” time period. Re-painting plugs, replacing lips on Rebel’s, and tinkering with plugs was always the norm for me and my casting partners.

Today’s plug market is much more competitive. New ideas and gimmicks are needed for marketing. I have the ideas but not the expertise to build them (I hated wood shop).

I’m just trying to get some of the many talented plug builders to do something different.
In past posts I’ve mentioned many different ideas such as a reverse needlefish and the re-incarnation of the Wad and stubby needles. These older ideas have inspired recent creations that are now being marketed. It is my hope that someone will take the idea of a metal lip bottle plug and start to build….and they will be the first.
DZ

Someone already makes them but the only way you can see one is if you fish at a certain spot on a certain tide and in the wee hours of the night.No bs just have to understand that some oldtime plugmakers just make them for themselves and some friends, there are true geniouses out there still just have to be lucky and fortunate enough to meet some of them and then you have to earn their trust.

How about encapsulating the ridge of the lip of the bottleneck with a film of silicon rubber.

:eek5: Your dog is a fish licker..:rude: