Big Danny Help

[steelhead]

Trying to make a 7 1/2" danny. Zoomed it up from a 6" Pinchney. Finally figured out a lip that I think will work on #^&#^&#^&#^&#^&#^&#^&#^&#^&#^&#^&'s site after doing some extrapolating of dimensions. Got the hook hole placement worked out. What I'm hoping is that someone can tell me what the original hook sizes are. I'm assuming there is some sort of belly weight. the 6" seems to typically have one centered in the belly. Was wondering if the bigger one is the same or if it might have two?

[capesams]

used to be when 4/0's were min.. sometimes 5/0.....reason being the hook would lay up against the belly so only one barb[arm] was hanging down..they wanted that barb large cause the fish they were catching were large,,maybe the thought on this has gotten lost in these days of new.

[numbskull]

Here you go, this is a beachmaster danny which I think is identical.

Length 7 3/8
nose 1"
tail 13/16"
belly 1 1/2" (midway @ 3 5/8" from nose)
Weight 1/2" (probably also 1/2" deep) 3 5/16" from nose
front hook 1 3/8" from nose
back hook 4 3/4 " from nose
Hook size 4/0 (but they'll carry a 5/0)
lip (see picture) 1 1/32 wide at face, 9/32 from first bend to second, 1 1/4 wide at second bend, 3/4 " from second bend to tip, wire hole 1/4" down

Good luck

[steelhead]

Thanks CS. I find that my hooks are getting bigger the more I get into this. I think somehow they also stablize the plug, especially when there's some current or wave action.

[steelhead]

Numbskull. Thanks to you, too! Those dimensions are almot exactly what I had come up with by making the 6" Pinchney plug 1.25 times bigger to get the 7 1/2" dimension. The lip is a bit different. The lip I found mimics the square profile that is on the 6" Pinchey plug at
1 1/8" wide. The lip slot, the lip and the size of the lip between the two breaks were dead on. The lip in your picture looks more pikie like or lefty like in profile.

[steelhead]

A 1/2" slug in the belly? That's a chunk of Lead!

[numbskull]

It is also crimped up on the edges. I don't know if the original big Dannys were. I've had Beachmasters both ways, and the big Gibbs copy (which is underweighted) had a flat lip but swam fine. These big Dannys are wonderful night-time plugs. I suspect they've taken more big bass, at least along rocky coastlines, than any other plug made. If I had to choose just one plug to own, it would be a big yellow Danny.

[numbskull]

Originally Posted by steelhead

A 1/2" slug in the belly? That's a chunk of Lead!

I'll try to xray one for you to see at the plugfest. When Beachmasters were hard to find, I would drill out the weight on a Gibbs and put in a 1/2" x 1/2" slug. You can pour em yourself if you drill out a piece of maple.

[steelhead]

That would be awesome! I don't pour lead, so I'll have to come up with some other solution on that end of things.... Also know what color this first one is going to be :-) Can't wait to hammer Large from the Yak! I assume at night they were black?

[jklett]

What does the crimped edges of the lip do? I just did some big dannies and I didn't turn up the edges of the lips and they swim pretty good but with a bit more roll than I would have liked. Would the turned up edges help mellow the roll some? I guess I shouldn't have made my prototype a solid color.

[capesams]

check out the atom thread about lips.


black
white
yellow
blue/silver

[The Dad Fisherman]

Originally Posted by steelhead

That would be awesome! I don't pour lead, so I'll have to come up with some other solution on that end of things....

John, Take a ride up to the Kittery trading Post....They have Muzzleloader balls in Various sizes that are perfect for weighting. No F.I.D. needed to buy...hell its Maine they didn't even ask for a Drivers license.....

I picked up a 100 of the .40 cal. at about $6 that weigh in about 1/5 of an ounce. Plenty of sizes to choose from.

[nightfighter]

TDF and Steel,
Pouring is pretty straightforward, in the shop. When you need, we will take the maple or poplar and drill out the size you need. I heat in a ladle normally used for setting in toilet flanges. (I need turned bodies )

[steelhead]

Yooo. Nightfighter!!! I smell a trade! 1/2" x 1/2" slugs for bodies!Smells good to me! TDF, Hitting Kittery Trading Post on their kayak demo day in March. I'll take a look at the musket balls as well!

[NIB]

I'm a big hook guy.There are a few things u should know 1 3/8 is to far forward for the front hook its gonna tangle on the line I go 1 1/2 back min.then 2 7/8 -3 " to the back hook.Thats plenty of rm for 4/0's.Some like to tighten up on the front or back hook some to keep the weight in the plugs axis but i like to make sure the big hooks don't tangle. U gotta be carefull U don't want the weight to kill the action of the plug.U put that tail hook to far back an the lip don't wanna drag it.In old days the big hook was also the keel weight in alot of plugs thats why 5/0 where so well used.If u go 4/0 a 1/4 by 1/4 piece of a nj tackle tail wieght will be more than enough lead.Especially bein u are usin what looks like pine which could be slightly heavier.I like to make the tail thinner this enables em to work easier.If u notice the pic of the beachmaster danny the body has more taper from midsection to tail.I take that a little further.I love big danny's.There's nothing like slingin big wood an havin it get killed.

[steelhead]

Nib, You're right, That's pine. that's what I've got lying around right now. I have no idea how old it is. Came from my Mom's basement.
Only got enough to do one more, maybe two. It sure drank from the well when I dipped it this AM. My final hook holes are 1 3/4" back from the from the front and 4 7/8" back from the front. Centered the belly weight hole.

Also have a piece of mahogany that's thick enough. What do you think? Or should I save that for something else?

[numbskull]

NIB, what were Dannys originally made from? I'd always assumed it was pine, but why I don't recall.

[numbskull]

Originally Posted by steelhead

That would be awesome! I don't pour lead, so I'll have to come up with some other solution on that end of things.... Also know what color this first one is going to be :-) Can't wait to hammer Large from the Yak! I assume at night they were black?

Go with yellow back/white belly, if you've got to pick one. Also, you might find these plugs a bit heavy to cast from a kayak, on the end of a rod they have some heft.

[thefishingfreak]

weight looks BIG, like .50 cal

save em if ya want, cause i ain't leaving them up forever.
mike

[steelhead]

That looks like a giant Donny Musso swimmer! Cool!

Was wondering the same thing about the wood... Musso used several different kinds from what I've been able to gather, depending on whether he wanted surfwce or subsurface.

Was throwing 3 ounces from the yak last year. Don't haver to toss far cuase you can get so close :-)

[NIB]

The

[NIB]

The lighter the wood the easier it is to get it to swim.Of course it also means it's not as dense or durable.Pine is a good choice.red cedar is lighter.It's easy to work from a light base piece u can always add weight.U have to make sacrifices to remove wieght.I think the musso pinchney/Beachmaster clan used some kinda pine. I also got some Smaller 6" Danny's that he must've made out of maple.Obviously made for special ops fishing.Turn one in the mahogony an save it fot the big water.I have found that some of the ayc goes heavier (sap wood) i save these for when I want something heavier.Bassmaster like to use ayc for his danny's the six inch models went close to 3 once but still swam pissa.He exaggerated the girth in the middle of the plug to make it bouyant.He taught me alot about metal lips.Without tellin me anything.we learned together but I learned just from lookin at all his creations. I miss him he was the man.

[steelhead]

He was good to me as I got started in this a few falls ago. Traded some wonderful emails full of advice, helpful hints, encouragement and support! Never have had the chance to turn a plugs or fish with him. Hope to some day... BM,if you're out there, PM me. I got a plug for you :-)

[capesams]

white pine/northen/eastern,,also white cedar,,the stuff trash bins and garden shed's are made from.

[steelhead]

Turned another this AM.
Much better profile thanks to input and pictures posted by you guys.

[numbskull]

Looking good, but maybe wait to weight it. I might be able to give you the weight dimensions tonight. The weight you're showing looks like the size they used in the medium Dannys.

[steelhead]

Good eye. It is a medium danny weight. It's got to dry overnight at least before I weight it anyways. Looking forward to hearing what the weight dimensions are for these bigger ones :-)

[NIB]

I know lots of guys work off a template when the build a plug.an thats good if'n u wanna make a hole bunch an weed thru the not so good ones.I don't have a duplicator so i do most of my work by selective posistioning of hook holes weight an so forth.Here's what i do I will spin a blank an put the hooks where i think they will work best with the size of the hook an weight balancing as the determining factors.I always have some scrap wire lyin around so i string em up an try to balance the plug in the middle thats where the weight goes. Sometimes I will put it just back of that center 1/8" to give it a little casting Balance. This will keep it from tumbling as much an lessen the chance of hook fouling on the line.Now someytimes in a plug that size I will go wit a 5/0 on the front an a 4/0 on the back wit just tail feathers on the tail no hook.or 2-5/0's an no tail hook.Or a 4/0 front 3/0 rear u get the idea.I like to mix it up.Don't be pigeon holed into thinkin this hook goes on this plug.Use the hooks as a tool just like u would a certain lure for a certain situation.If I find a shape that works I work off the weight,the single most important thing is the weight.I can vary from one piece of wood to another an perhaps is the main reason some plugs work an some are dogs.I almost always take my stuff to the water an test em out wit hooks I have bent in so they don't harm the blank.I will go with several sizes to see what the differences are.Then I write things down its important if u make a good one an wanna reproduce it.Its a pita but its what works for me.I really can't see doin it any other way. Makin plugs is a chore to me the love is gone.There's not enuff instant gratification in it. I hate the waiting between stages of finishing.Alot of my own stuff i prime paint a epoxy the same day.no sealer an trash em when they are done.I have more lures than I can ever throw.I only make em if i think i can make something better than what i can buy or if I need something to fill a space in my arsenal.so testing is something i do to be sure it will perform as needed.Its a good practice.I learned alot about fishing thru this trial an error technique.Then again I make instant oatmeal an sit around an do nothing for a hour.If u get the idea.

[Pete F.]

Is that a NJT #3 Pikie lip? Or did ja make it?

[steelhead]

It's an NJT # 3 pikie. That was the closest visually and dimensionally to the picture of the lip that Numbskull posted that I had.