so tell me - Striper Talk Striped Bass Fishing, Surfcasting, Boating

bassmaster · 03-25-2005, 10:42 PM

who tests there plugs for afew years???
dont forget the search ingine on the net can be evil.........

Krispy · 03-25-2005, 10:52 PM

been working on the process for a few years

l.i.fish.in.vt · 03-25-2005, 10:57 PM

i heard all plug builders are really bait fishermen in disguise. only been making them for a few years so testing them that long is about right.

thefishingfreak · 03-25-2005, 10:57 PM

is the cave open yet? i wanna test something.

NIB · 03-25-2005, 11:01 PM

I have fished a few of urs for 2 seasons now.one has caugt at least a hundred fish its not long for this world but i still toss it.I have a few of my owns that have done well. i had one i got at least a hundred fish on last fall.It was trashed then i snapped it off.for the most part my plugs suck i am constantly messen wit em.I find the more i do this the more use specific i make things.Its part of the isanity.I get lost in it when I start fishin then i try to remember things as I put some together in the off season.over all as a bunch i am gettin some solid designs.but then I wanna do some other things.that means startin all over.i don't need yrs to know if they will work.they get kilt real fast if they are good.but then again i don't sell any plugs either.

Slipknot · 03-25-2005, 11:02 PM

I wanna test your IQ

Mike P · 03-25-2005, 11:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Slipknot

I wanna test your IQ

You really want to read the results?

Slipknot · 03-26-2005, 12:03 AM

Been testing this plug for a few years now Bassmaster

weird, it kinda looks bunnyish,

just in time for Easter.

I think we'll have snow in June at the rate this winter has gone

Slipknot · 03-26-2005, 12:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mike P

You really want to read the results?

no, I'll forward them to you

JHABS · 03-26-2005, 06:07 AM

BM, How do you test a FLOATER..................

Tagger · 03-26-2005, 07:01 AM

always testing,,all winter.. haven't caught much lately .. building,,testing,,tweaking,,thats the whole hobby ain't it ? Its only been a few years ., Is this a test ?

I didn't test well in high school .. they threw my diploma at me .

BigFish · 03-26-2005, 07:59 AM

I am testing...only building for a year but testing none the less! They catch fish...test over! You testing plugs for 3 years does that mean it took that long for you to catch fish on it?

Karl F · 03-26-2005, 08:12 AM

I had an interesting conversation at the show with somebody who has been fishing and making plugs since before we were in diapers. I know where your coming from Dave... but this gent said something to me.. he said the action of the plug, is only as good as the guy swimming it, he claimed it's up to the angler to impart the action he wants into the plug.... I'm still chewing on that one... I agree to a point,but...shouldn't the plug have some of the required action, built into it?

.... but I am like young grasshopper kung-fu.... still searching and confused...
Tests, everytime we throw one it's a test..... do I have to study for this test?

make plugs, fish eels, catch more fish

that's my Thought of the Day

bassmaster · 03-26-2005, 11:15 AM

good replys guys, im glad this thred is taken the good way

to funny on the pics.
karl, that guy is smart and that is true. you can tweak some plugs that swim like poop to swim better or at its optimum performance.
its an art all in its self to tune a plug. there are tricks that will throw you off as far as tuning goes. such as the sweet spot. Im saying that You may want the plug to stay on top yet you will bent the eye up( now U think that the plug will dive) Yet now You have taken the roll out of the plug and now You are bending the lip down, and then You tweak the eye and lip to get the action You want.
solid colors are great due to the fact that You wont have to worry about roll and get many a type of action out of the plug.
so if you want the slow snake like flaptail likes and talks about or the wiggle like i like most the time then these tweaks will put you on the road to fish.
as far as a danny goes. if you really want a plug to stay on top this is when You would jump to a phat body lure to keep the lure up on top and yet swim great and true along with it being able to dive. I have built some of these only for my self out of another wood other than ayc and pregnated the wood with epoxy and then prime paint. so its all in how far you want to run with it.
Dave>)))'>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`

steelhead · 03-26-2005, 11:36 AM

I've been doing this for about a year now. This winter I made a batch of swimmers with all the same body profile. Then I added diffferent weights and lips to them. There were about 18 in total in the first batch. I was amazed at how differently they all swim and moved and how much I could manipulate their action, and attitude in the water by fiddling with their lips and line tie angles. I've since done two more generations of the same plug, playing with wood type, weights and body profile. Again, eye opening. I still don't know which ones will catch fish, but I've learned so much about what does what relative to action in the water. (Not that I can remember it all. It's kind of like info overload at certain points.) I made these guys dive, roll, wobble, wiggle, swim like a snake. I've also learned that certain lips need to be trimmed and reshaped a bit to get a particular action that I'm looking for. Here's what I've learned for sure... There are clearly rules of thumb. After that, it's sort of an art and a bit of black magic that you build on as you go.

I'm lovin' it and can't wait to see how the fish vote this spring!!!!

bassmaster · 03-26-2005, 02:03 PM

GREAT POSTS. keepem coming......
howelsedo others tweakanddo things thathelp themlearn

Christian · 03-26-2005, 03:01 PM

when im testing my needles i bring slivers of lead flashing, and shove em in the through wire hole till i get what i want, then when i get home i put a drop of 5 min epoxy in the hole.

BigFish · 03-26-2005, 03:32 PM

I had the opportunity a couple of times last season to have BM give me a "how-to" on how to fish some plugs and he knows his stuff!

bassmaster · 03-26-2005, 04:26 PM

how else do others test there plugs,ya donthave to build to reply.
keepem coming, this is good thred

I will fish bass river wheniwantto see a plug swim, its good as ithas fast water at the mouth on the flood.
andwhen on the sand i will test wood, I really love a swell and working wood in it. when I wasmaking pikes all I did was fish them all year to find the best time of day and year for them to work. Me thinks the danny out fishes pikes though cept in spring when herring and shad are around. and that blue and silver is a top color along with olive and gold.
found that at sun up yellow is killer along with all white....

Tagger · 03-26-2005, 04:41 PM

I'm still working a big zagger,,,take 52 probably.. The fish liked the plug, got decent fish on it last year but I want to improve the casting so I added another shot right behind the belly hook . I hope the plug can handle it and I don't kill the action on it ..Thats the hardest part for me,, What good is good action on a plug if you can't reach them ,,added weight seems to deadin a plug .. its a catch 22..That sweet spot your talking about for me is castability with fishabilty . not as easy as it sounds..

Backbeach Jake · 03-26-2005, 04:45 PM

I've just started to test. One in the last batch,a metal lip lefty looking thing, would only come straight in. ? Bent the eye up, nada,down, still nix. Bent the lip down and it turned into a snake. I have sooo much to learn.

Krispy · 03-26-2005, 05:40 PM

My testing grounds

TheRattBoy · 03-26-2005, 06:25 PM

I test my stuff...but last year I had more fun destroying Jigsy's stuff

johnny

Nebe · 03-26-2005, 06:58 PM

When I set about making a plug I look at others plugs and take from them things I like.. for instance, I liked bassmasters round nose on his needles, so i gave me needles round noses. I love habs needles and like they way they ride at 45 degrees so I tried to duplicate that by throwing alot of lead in the tail. AS far as painting, there are certian colors that we all know are killer so i go with what works. The result is a needle that is unique to me, but in the same way its a combination of many peoples designs morpphed into one plug.
With the exceptoin of a few poppers, i have never gone out and copied an exact replica of someones plug, i dont beleive in that.

When I test my plugs I go down to the narrow river in narragansett and swim my darters and swimmers in a few of the rips that are close to shore and not too far of a walk. I bring a pair of plyers, split rings, hooks in 2/0, 3/0, and 4/0 and sometimes a notepad. This winter was the year of learning how to make darters and I had a few that didnt work and alot that were jems. the ones that didnt work didnt get trashed, but are hanging in my shop with notes attached to them explaining why they didnt work- too big of a nose loop, too heavy of a wood, too light a wood... from those I learn what not to do...
Swimmers are pretty hard to screw up, and testing those is just tweaking the loop and lip to get them to wiggle right. sometimes i need to change up a hoook size to give it more belly weight.
next on my list of plugs to learn to make are pikies.. then jointed swimmers. Its fun and in the end, the fish will tell you what they want.
Ive leraned almost everything about building plugs from this board and for that I am thankful

UserRemoved1 · 03-26-2005, 07:48 PM

I remember you testing this plug Dave.....

nightfighter · 03-26-2005, 08:03 PM

I can't say I've tested my own creations, but I do go to a bridge over a saltwater marsh outflow on a falling tide to learn and see how I can work different plugs. Mostly the big wood, the type Manzi seems to favor, and some I got from Scott. Reason is I NEVER see guys up my way throw a darter, a pikie, a danny, or swimmers...never. So I have to test them when I can get them. (Donations accepted)
Pencils and needles rule up here, then topwater poppers, bombers, yozuri and the other off the shelf stuff. Tested the new squidzee last year, threw it a ton, catches too. Still can't figure why I never see those plugs in use up here. Can it be that different, or we just have blinders on???????

Nebe · 03-26-2005, 08:13 PM

you have blinders on... dannies and pikies in mid may where you know there are bass feeding on herring. strong currents call for darters.

Karl F · 03-26-2005, 08:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by #^&#^&#^&#^&#^&#^&#^&#^&#^&#^&#^&

I remember you testing this plug Dave.....

And then youse 2 field tested it together....

bassmaster · 03-26-2005, 09:03 PM

good posts keepem coming....
salty U sick in the nogin
Tagger move your belly hook back 1/4 Inch and then maybe up treble in back or single 1 size. youmayfind that is all You need to do and the plug will retain action.
im lucky that i can fish rather well and grew up phishin.
no swellage just a fact bout me.
ebenand others glad U bums growing with woodage.

Master Says.
thatif Youhave a nice hunk of wood and it feels right and light make a swimmer out of it.
if You have some ayc thats dence them make a darter or needles. or a nice popper.
also picking the right color on the sand can equate to more fish landed. as in a white plug get You fish yet a swap to a yellow and white gets You on every cast.
last spring I pulled of the rack a chart and pink bomber and painted it pearl white. and put 2 vmc trebs on it.
this was #1 plug at a spot in late may loaded with cow bass and shoolies. put on a bone bomber got fish put on a pearl white got fish. then I thought of hueing this plug out asit would add shades of white to it. and bam it would catch when nothing else would. so the point is wood tin plastic Use the mind and try out stuff.
P.S. there was 2 guys from ny there they was nice as they seenme and stayed in there safty zone ( room) I called them over they both had white and that wonder bomber on.
untill theyseen what I made, theycouldnt buy a fish.and I told them if they could find the bomber i have,I dont think thay makem any more. 1 year on nauset that bomber stock was the balls..

Master>|)))'>

DaveP · 03-27-2005, 09:11 AM

I like to make an undrilled test blank and attach lips, hooks, and weight with screw eyes. It's an easy way to change and move stuff around to see what happens. I then start making plugs to fish with. I'll go back and play with the test plug whenever I think of something I want to change.