Getting ready
 

.....for plugfest. Some odds and ends laying around got finished.

hows that pencle work? is it easyer to werk than a regular pencle and hows that little swimmer on the bottom swim looks
good

........and an end shot of the bass seeker knockoff. Yeah, I know, use a grommet....! Too lazy.

Ces't bon mon amis!:claps:

Neba glaub tervanti !!! :claps: ,, Who made the bass seeker... ?

Quick question for all you plug builders.
We people be selling at plugfest? Just to off set all their hard labor!
VB

?????? That raises another question .. What kind of event is plugfest ? I been telling people its just builders.. They wanted to post it "over there" last year and I said,, I believe its just builders.. If it is a general public thing,, people better keep a better eye on thier plugs .

You've been making some really nice and interesting looking stuff. Can't wait to see some of it next weekend.

I've finally got my first batch of the year on the spinner now...

I think Paw Paw did, Eddy. It was one of the baits that got them going, I believe (but don't bank on it). Most of them had a deeply cupped face, almost popper style, but some were flat like mine. It swims pretty well............actually, too well........it has more action than I like in a swimmer. Tried to slow it with a heavy tail hook, but that brings the nose too high and it looses its bite. Maybe that's why they cupped the face. I'll probably upsize the belly trebles and put a tail on it (maybe with a little weight back there as well).

Dave, regarding the pencils, I don't think they are anything special. They're just an upsized version of a throw away (single hook) bluefish plug I made by the dozens when I was much younger. They're easy to work, with a lot of splash and short zigags, but for bass I find the slower gliding action of a 2 1/2 oz Gibbs very hard to beat (I think the Gibbs is one of the three best bass plugs ever built).

Nice. Look forward to seeing them in person

looking great George...why no belly hook on the small needle?..
or, do I just not see it?

Like everyone else, I had to try a pocket rocket.....again (I've made them before but never had much faith in them, Tim Coleman aside, and they're too light for the tackle I use). That little bugger has 3" of 7/32 through wire weight in it. Weighs about 1.4 oz with a 5/0 siwash. Still lighter than I like.

I'd still throw a belly treble on that.. I've seen it done, and it works well...

Probably should. It would add a little more weight. Needles are strange creatures, weight 'em level and they go deep, weight 'em in the butt and they plane right to the top. I'm finding bottles are even more mysterious. So much to learn, so much to screw up. :think:

It looks like a Pocket Rocket, Nice color to

Here are a few more. The brown one was supposed to be a squid color, but looks more like a turd. :hs:

George, for the bottle darters or even on a regular bottle swimmer, how do you shape the front lip ? I'm guessing you start on a band saw but how do you round the sides ??

Back in my youth, antything resembeling a turd in the Merrimack river got devoured... looking at the shape/design of those plugs... the color probably wont matter.... they will be eaten happily anyways...

looking foreward to seeing them in person.

I'll PM you a link to Mr Pogies thread on this subject (one that still has pictures). Basically you layout the shape, rough out some waste with a saw, sand back to the linetie level with a sanding drum, then tilt the plug up or down to cut the sweep back to the layout lines.
There is a lot more to it than the thread explains, getting the curve correct and how you weight the plug changes things a lot, but the actual shaping by a sanding drum, after roughing out most of the waste is pretty easy.

Hey George those are very nice. Beautiful job. Maybe if I make it over someday:rollem: for a hand carve lesson you can show me one of those too?

Numbskull,
VERY nice. Consider adding another shot of weight into that rocket about where a forward treble would go. Should push the weight close to 2 ozs. Maybe then you could use it with your tackle? I know the original Danny's came in various weights. One I have has 4 slugs of lead. Remember: the original was meant to be a "Wooden Hopkins" - the Hopkins it was imitating was the No=Eql
(2 ounce model.) Size 3 1/2

DZ

Absolutely, it would make my day.

DZ, thank you for the input, I'll try it.

Ya just keep knockin the cover off the ball, George. :btu:

George - that bass seeker is awesome. Will you have it at plugfest? I have got to get a closer look. As usual - great work. :hihi: :hihi:

Lookin good George :kewl:


Have Paul come by and get me on the way :) I'd love to see your laboratory someday too.

Wear protective gear, trust me....:hihi: