Goo Goo part 2 - Striper Talk Striped Bass Fishing, Surfcasting, Boating

ProfessorM · 12-20-2006, 10:54 AM

I am starting to dry run applying the lips to the goo goo eyes I am making and after looking at the 2 examples I have, thanks Pete, I have noticed that each one has the same lip but mounted in different locations as far as the distance it hangs below the body of the plug. They are also bent in different places in the lip too. Why? One plug seems to be a trolling plug and the smaller version seems to be a casting plug but i am no expert which is why I ask these questions. Is the action different with the location, a yes I would imagine. I am making the trolling plug so do you think I should copy the location of the lip on the troller.

Dah yeah I would think. If you notice the lip doesn't even hang below the body of the plug on the trolling plug which I find a little strange but maybe that is the swimming style of the plug. I have to admit I have never even seen one of these babies swim yet I am trying to make one

dumb I know but I don't own any so I am relying on your expertise to help me. After I make some and swim them from the boat next spring I will be able to make a more educated guess, but for now i am flying blind. It seems like a very straight forward simple plug. Just don't understand the lip location being so different on the 2 versions. Here are some photos to explain my questions

ProfessorM · 12-20-2006, 10:59 AM

more. You can see in the first photo how low one lip hangs below the body and the larger plug the lip doesn't hang below at all, kind of even with the body. The second photo shows that also.

ProfessorM · 12-20-2006, 11:09 AM

Also thanks to the guys that sent me eyes for the plug . I like them but I didn't love them. Hopefully you will not be offended but I wanted the exact eyes so I made them myself, very simple stuff. I will find another use for the ones sent. Here are a few examples of some out of different materials I found around the shop. I think I will use the brads instead of the screws as I like the look of no screw head. I know the original's used brass but I will use strainless. Probably go with the white and black, but the clear with a color underneath could look nice too.

Mugz · 12-20-2006, 11:34 AM

I just finished a goo goo last night...smaller version and center drilled like my model. I'm inetersted in seeing the reponse on this as well. I didn't notice differences on my other goo goo models. I will have to compare them tonight. Thanks for pointing it out, otherwise I may not have noticed. I plan on swimming the one I finished yesterday probably Friday.....I'll let you know the test results.

ProfessorM · 12-20-2006, 12:32 PM

Neither one I have are drilled for the lip on the center of the body. Either above or below the center line. Maybe it was just shoddy workmanship and it didn't much matter where it ended up of maybe there was a method to their madness.

Grapenuts · 12-20-2006, 12:34 PM

blue one is true to shape..the other was rebent to the fisher's liking.

ProfessorM · 12-20-2006, 12:42 PM

I kind of figured that but it is mounted on the face of the plug much lower than the blue one. If the lip, on the yellow one was in the shape of the lip on the blue one , original shape, it would still be a lot lower than the blue. Like stated above may be it was done for a reason or it really didn't matter that much. I needs to know.

Grapenuts · 12-20-2006, 05:11 PM

the doz. or so I own are all like the blue one..screws are all mounted at the top in the curve of the nose.As the newer one's are still on the top but more on the flat[face] of the nose. I think in time they found it simpler just to drop the lip alittle and screw into the flat of the face.Looks like the person who owned the yellow one wanted more of a side to side action out of the plug's tail and closer to the surface then the go deeper with roll.More of a surfster type action.

vineyardblues · 12-20-2006, 08:24 PM

P,
You should be building a better mouse trap

VB

capesams · 12-20-2006, 09:35 PM

considering they were made of crap pine and never sealed it and had no lead.something like ayc or soft maple with lead may get you down in the water abit deeper and or troll them with some short leight of wire.

EricW · 12-20-2006, 11:20 PM

That one with the lip way down isn't what I would call "normal" for a goo goo. I have one like that. I personally havent seen to many like that. Usually you see them like the blue one you have there. Do you want to duplicate the really old style eyes? From what I can tell it is just a bead with a nail. Those white beads you have there should do the trick. He made them that way for a while. The later ones, and I don't know the exact dates but some time in the 60's maybe he had the type with a post on them. There were many styles of these. They green ones I sent you were almost exact duplicates of the eyes that were being used near the end with the veins except that they are green instead of amber.

When I get a chance, (barely have time for anything lately....) I will post some pics of the different eye types in my collection. I just came accross another type that I think was used in the 60's.

Eric

ProfessorM · 12-21-2006, 11:29 AM

Thanks guys I will mount the lip as the blue one is. Steve I made a few out of AYC and a few out of sugar pine. The ayc sits much lower in the water as I hydro oriented them. Where would you weight them, tail or belly? I guess I will try one like that. Thanks Eric I will use the green eyes on one and look forward to the photos. Grapenuts what is the action of the plug when trolled? Never seen one work. Surface, deep diver, wiggle, roll ? Thanks guys for your time. Paul

stripercrazy · 12-21-2006, 12:05 PM

this is a very cool post

good info

capesams · 12-21-2006, 06:08 PM

I'd shoot a 00 in the middle of the belly..or just a tad more towards the front hook....the older ones when thrown out onto the water go plop and sit rather high..float like a cork....swim with a tight wiggle an sometines dart like a darter....kinda like a woman,,doesn't know which way to turn.

ProfessorM · 12-22-2006, 10:21 AM

Thanks Steve. They do float up high, the pine higher than the ayc obviously because it is a heavier wood. When trolled, the original ones, how deep do the swim, ballpark. P.

Diamond Tackle · 12-22-2006, 03:10 PM

Paul,
So did u use the SS screws,or u decided against them? I thought they looked pretty good. The blind Pins or Rivets are nice ,but u really cant take them back out if u needed to. From a manufacturing standpoint the pins are easier cause Im sure they just whacked them in rather than rotating them which can become more tedious I guess.

Mugz · 12-22-2006, 03:39 PM

I test swam my small goo goo with it center drilled. I was amazed at the action.....awesome. Nice wobble with a good wiggle. Very pleasantly surprised with the action. I won't change a thing. Swam 3 to 4 feet deep (could have been deeper I couldn't tell). Hope that helps. I will not be altering anything...happy with the results. Very happy with the surfsters I tested as well.....sick action. I weighted the goo goo between the middle hook and the head.....great action. Hope this helps.

ProfessorM · 12-22-2006, 05:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tinman

Paul,
So did u use the SS screws,or u decided against them? I thought they looked pretty good.

Yes I used them . They worked perfect. I am thru wiring them and not using screw eyes.
Thanks for the weighting info mugz. I will try one weighted in front of the front hook and one weighted in the middle. I am just about finished as I did some work last nite.

stripercrazy · 12-22-2006, 11:50 PM

just put a lip on one and was fumbling

I got lucky...trying to line up the hookholes,thruwire and eyes and mark the screwholes

maybe I'm all thumbs

ProfessorM · 12-23-2006, 12:59 PM

first thing I did was install the lip after thru drill from back to the depth of first hook hole. I did not drill all the way thru as the lip where I installed it is not on center. Then used the lip to drill the hook holes to make sure they lined up with the lip. With the lip in place I also marked where the thru wire will go. Took off lip and drilled from front to meet the front hook hole and also the thru hole from the rear. The eyes were done by eye also using the lip for reference. Much easier than trying to match the lip to the belly holes and eyes and thru hole, because the lip is one of the harder ones to install correctly. IMO.

stripercrazy · 12-23-2006, 02:27 PM

I thought I was doing it the hard way...I drilled the hookholes with the square ends on, and the eyes... then cut off the ends...put the lip on the face and marked the thruhole, drilled it out on the lathe, thenwith a wire thru the body..I tried to line everything up to mark the screwholes....it wasn't pretty

thanks paul

ed

stripercrazy · 12-23-2006, 02:31 PM

swam it... its a popular body, no belly weight and it looks great. 3 feet or so,I can't beleive I've never fished one before, they look great. thanks ed

stripercrazy · 12-31-2006, 12:43 AM

5oz-8.5 inch, has less action than the shorter popular one...longer heavyer..oh no belly weights. happy new year everyone

EricW · 12-31-2006, 04:25 PM

Here are some of the different eyes that were used through the years.

The first one is a real old small swimmer with beads nailed in and painted black and yellow. The second one is 6" swimmer with that other style lip mounted lower like the one you have. These eyes are also a bead type. I have only seen a handful of this style. Most are like the other ones you will will see in my next post with the lip mounted so that the bend in the lip is near the center line of the plug.

EricW · 12-31-2006, 04:30 PM

These next eyes and the rest of the styles that I have seen are plastic with a small black post to secure them. They mesure 9-10 mm wide. They vary by color and whether or not they have veins in them.

EricW · 12-31-2006, 04:33 PM

Here are 2 more. The little blue one I think is from the 60's. I just got this one. I hadn't seen this eye type yet. It is plastic but it looks a little like glass close up. The other one is a popper with the amber veined style eye.

EricW · 12-31-2006, 04:35 PM

This last picture is kind of interesting. If you look closely under the lip there is some newspaper stuck to it. I always found this one neat because you can see that he used to dry these standing up on newspaper.

ProfessorM · 12-31-2006, 07:29 PM

Thanks Eric very helpful. I like the eyes in the 6 inch blue one. I am going to try and copy the paint on that one too. You have a nice collection and some of those colors are psychedelic. The green eyes you sent me are very similar to the red popper. You should bring some to the plugfest if you come.

Striper crazy- nice job. 5 oz that is a heavy girl. The ones I have seen are as light as a feather. No need to add weight to that one. I would think it goes much deeper than the pine originals am I right? Did you like the swimming action or is the extra weight detrimental? P.

stripercrazy · 01-01-2007, 01:31 AM

I liked the swimming..I'll build a ceder one tomarrow nite to compair. I built a 6 inch popular one too.. the 6 inch popular one has more action..shorter and lighter... and the maple's heavy takes a few cranks to get it swimming, slower and tighter swim, its 1.5 inches fat. I've never thrown a goo goo before, the only large plug I have like this one's a jake (looks like a goo goo but its not)I've got a 6 inch goo goo, I'll take them all swimming and post again. but I think your right the heavy wood will slow or hamper the action..ed

ProfessorM · 01-01-2007, 05:14 PM

Since I am making mine for trolling behind the boat and not have to cast it I made mine from AYC and sugar pine. I will go with the lighter wood with the extra action. I belly weighted a few and left a few unweighted. The Pine is light as a feather. I bet it will really dance when trolled. P.