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.

[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]

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.

[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]

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

[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

[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.

[steelhead]

NIB, I'm trying to picture in my mind what you're doing with the scrap wire. Doesn't sound like you've done any drilling yet. You somehow wrap the wire around the plug and the slide hooks up and down the wire? Then water test in a bucket or the kitchen sink to see how it sits in the water?

I've sometimes put .1 ounce of lead in the tail to help stabalize the plug when I cast. Doesn't seem to affect the action too much.

[numbskull]

The big "Danny" I x-rayed has a lead plug 1/2" wide by 1/2" deep (actually a tad more since the top is slightly conical) set deep all the way up against the wire. Of interest, I also shot through a commercially available wooden Atom reproduction. Both the large and small version, in contrast to the original, carry a 1/2" x 1/4+" belly weight, and a 1/4" x 1" through wire tail weight.

[Slipknot]

Originally Posted by numbskull

The big "Danny" I x-rayed has a lead plug 1/2" wide by 1/2" deep (actually a tad more since the top is slightly conical) set deep all the way up against the wire. Of interest, I also shot through a commercially available wooden Atom reproduction. Both the large and small version, in contrast to the original, carry a 1/2" x 1/4+" belly weight, and a 1/4" x 1" through wire tail weight.

can you bring that info next weekend? that sounds like alot of tailweight for a swimmer

[NIB]

Originally Posted by steelhead

NIB, I'm trying to picture in my mind what you're doing with the scrap wire. Doesn't sound like you've done any drilling yet. You somehow wrap the wire around the plug and the slide hooks up and down the wire? Then water test in a bucket or the kitchen sink to see how it sits in the water?'

I've sometimes put .1 ounce of lead in the tail to help stabalize the plug when I cast. Doesn't seem to affect the action too much.

I basically assemble the plug without finishing the tail rap to find the center in reference to balance of the plug.In this condition I balance on a pencil an mark the spot.
On the weight in the tail its ok for a headwind plug with some surf or current.I never weight em like this though.I'll trow a BM type danny in a wind it goes a mile.The smaller plug is less affected by wind.

[NarragansettBil]

SteelHead:

How did you make out with the big Danny? Does it swim well?

[steelhead]

I did several profiles and lips. One swims Pissah :-)