Hydro Orientated,,,how to...

[gldnbear93]

Tagger,
I have not hydro-oriented a plug yet. I have relied on the belly weight and/or hooks to provide the ballast. Curious as to how subtle or vibrant is the general effect of orienting the body. I realize it will vary from one body to the next, since wood is not uniform in density (which I suppose is a good reason for hydro-orientation). Does the body just flip over to the "right" oreintation or is is a slower roll?

Also, it looks like you shaved the head on that plug after orienting it. Does that affect the natural orientation? Some of the lipless swimmers have a lot of wood cut/shaved off the face. I think this would have some impact on how it sits naturally.

I am going to work on some lipless swimmers this off season. I tracked down a couple of your predators and some orginal magna strikes and I have a nike style proto that I did, So I'm going to be playing around some.

[Slipknot]

Originally Posted by gldnbear93

Tagger,
I have not hydro-oriented a plug yet. I have relied on the belly weight and/or hooks to provide the ballast. Curious as to how subtle or vibrant is the general effect of orienting the body. I realize it will vary from one body to the next, since wood is not uniform in density (which I suppose is a good reason for hydro-orientation). Does the body just flip over to the "right" oreintation or is is a slower roll?

Also, it looks like you shaved the head on that plug after orienting it. Does that affect the natural orientation? Some of the lipless swimmers have a lot of wood cut/shaved off the face. I think this would have some impact on how it sits naturally.

I am going to work on some lipless swimmers this off season. I tracked down a couple of your predators and some orginal magna strikes and I have a nike style proto that I did, So I'm going to be playing around some.

The bigger the plug, the more important it is to hydro-orient.
And if there are any knots at all, or sap on one side of the wood, the density can vary enough for a swimmer to sit totally wrong in the water and may roll right over. I had that happen to a pikie, so those bodies I just made into Patriot pikies.

nice job tagger, thanks for posting it.

[Jigman]

Originally Posted by Slipknot

The bigger the plug, the more important it is to hydro-orient...

As a side note to this, I did up some 9 inch jointed pikies this weekend. Cut before I hydro oriented. The two halfs oriented slightly different. Yep, there is that much difference within one section of wood.

Jigman

[justplugit]

Originally Posted by Karl F

so it would follow that any cutting or drilling or shaping (like a slope face, or pikie face, or rounding of the nose) would also alter the orientation...

Good point Karl, and the problem is once you shape the face your already commited to lip placement.

[Jigman]

Karl, that would make sense. However, I have floated many plugs in sealer after they've been drilled/angled/shaped. They still float right. Don't know? On plugs, like pencils, that I center drill and tail weight, I go ahead and drill the thru-hole and tail weight hole prior to hydro.

Jigman

[Slipknot]

the thru drilling for the wire could possibly change things in thin plugs like a needle if the hole strays offcourse, I know from experience.

[Tagger]

Originally Posted by Karl F

so it would follow that any cutting or drilling or shaping (like a slope face, or pikie face, or rounding of the nose) would also alter the orientation...

alter ? no ... you've already found the heavy side and put heavy side down ... any removal of stock(pikie head) on top just makes that side lighter wich, it already is any way ... still floats that side up .

[Tagger]

Originally Posted by gldnbear93

Tagger,
I have not hydro-oriented a plug yet. I have relied on the belly weight and/or hooks to provide the ballast.
If your adding alot of lead I don't think it matters in most pieces,,I do it out of habbit now ,,although I been liking unweighted plugs ..Float a few you tell me ..
Curious as to how subtle or vibrant is the general effect of orienting the body. I realize it will vary from one body to the next, since wood is not uniform in density (which I suppose is a good reason for hydro-orientation). Does the body just flip over to the "right" oreintation or is is a slower roll?
Some snap right around some slow roll ... every single blank is diffrent out of the same stick ..
Also, it looks like you shaved the head on that plug after orienting it. Does that affect the natural orientation? Some of the lipless swimmers have a lot of wood cut/shaved off the face. I think this would have some impact on how it sits naturally.
Floyd Roman Nike is tail weighted not belly weighted .. Big plug ... use 2" stock ... head is shaved .. Think this makes a huge difference on that plug ..
I am going to work on some lipless swimmers this off season. I tracked down a couple of your predators and some orginal magna strikes and I have a nike style proto that I did, So I'm going to be playing around some.

Good luck all excellent questions .

[Backbeach Jake]

Tagger once quipped that the way wood floats is a force of nature. I had no more to say on the subject. Work with the wood, not against. The wood knows what it's doing. The plugs that I really need to succeed are Hydro-Oriented. Swimmers mostly altho I'll probably go to all my plugs because I really hate to see a pencil coming in on it's side. Nice tutorial, Tagger.

[stripercrazy]

the best post I've read in a while...the jig to drill the hook holes in the medal lip plugs...its so simple its excellent