What's Cookin' ?

[numbskull]

Chris, sounds like you are describing a standard jr sized Musso surface swimmer. It uses a Lefty 2 midslot (which should be called Musso 2 since Lefty just took it from Musso).

Musso didn't build one like I have shown. He did build a small swimmer for personal use that he never sold. I've since learned it was a fatter plug and used a full sized lip. I think there is a picture of it in the Pinaturo articles. It only had one belly hook.

These plugs were originally something I dreamed up and described in this thread a few years back http://www.striped-bass.com/Stripert...structive.html. The dimensions are in there somewhere. I know Fred (eskimo) built a variation that worked for him. Somebody else actually copied them and was selling them over on the saltwater edge forum a year or two ago.

You can use a lefty 1 midslot for surface use, but they also work very well with a lefty 1 high slot lip and swim as deep as a little conrad set up that way. The ones I built used a small belly weight and tiny tail weight. I like 'em better than the small danny surface swimmer although that plug fishes pretty well itself

[numbskull]

Here are two nice fish (and one great fisherman) taken on the little plug

[chefchris401]

George heres the one Im building, just got back from test swimming it with 3 different lips.

This version is 5.75" long, weighs 2.75 oz rigged the way it is now, carries cut 2/0 hooks and a flag on the rear (3/0 will work too without marrying)

Belly weight is 11 grams and is 2 5/8" back from the nose. Sits just in the body enough to be able to cover it.

Sits low in the water, with just the top 1/4 of the plug exposed.

I tried it with a danny 2 lip first, stayed right on top, maybe 2" down, great tail wag but anything except a slow crawl made it roll out.

Next was a lefty 2 lip, better holding but still rolled out, but not as much.

Best results where with a pikie 3 lip, slow crawl stayed on top, with 2/3 of the body rolling nicely, flag waving and making a nice v wake, on a faster steadier retrieve it went 2 ft down, no matter how hard I tried or fast I cranked it wouldn't roll out.

So Ill be building em with the pikie 3 lip seeing it gives me a more versatile plug for the surf and the conditions I fish. If they were for flat calm water I'd go with the lefty 2, but I barely fish those conditions.

My testing spot is nice it has a little calm back bay on one side and current flow bay side that is usually pretty choppy on the other, so I get most the conditions Ill actually be fishing in.

Think this plug will fit nicely into my rotations and the spots I fish.

[numbskull]

Sounds like you've got something that does what you want, so go with it but for future reference a few thoughts.

A standard surface swimmer is weighted to float level with the water line @ 1/2 way up the plug. I purposely build them heavier to get them working slower, but there is a tradeoff in that they tend to get subsurface easier than I'd want.

A standard lip size would have the angle at or a slight amount below the chin of the plug. The further you drop it the more roll (and depth) you get.

The standard lip for a surface swimmer is a mid-slot lip. In your picture it looks like you are using a high slot lip (and pikie lips are all high slot). This can be made to work if the plug is very fat and buoyant and you want a lip to pull the nose down and put the tail up with a fast wag (think surfster) but usually high slots are used to take a plug down and make it stable.

Just as an experiment you might try the same shape with a lefty 1 mid slot (or pikie 2 with a lower hole punched in it), and less belly weight. It would also allow you to use 3/0 or 6x 2/0 hooks.

Another thing to watch out for when testing plugs at this time of year is how high above the water your rod tip is. We tend to test from docks and jetties and the higher rod position often keeps a plug running higher than you get when you fish lower so be sure to drop your rod tip during the retrieve and see what occurs.

Whatever, the first big fish you hit with it will make it all worthwhile.

[chefchris401]

George thanks for taking the time to elaborate on the lips and process.

The reason/thought process behind this plug is as follows:

I fish a bunch of shallow reef systems, sweeping current with lots of white wash and sub surface plugs are the go to, usually redfins or ss darters fish dead slow, cast into the wash get tight to the plug and slow crank, the pockets are very small and pretty shallow no more than 6 feet, but its about a 50 to 75 yard cast depending on the stage of the tide and how far out you safely get.

So the point of the plug is to cast good (this is one of the better casting metal lips I've built) and be able to dig in/hold in the wash and into the pockets, think this plug will fit that niche great.

Ive done well with eelys there but they lack the needed casting distance to hit the sweet spot.

I barely fish calm water unless its false dawn or sunset, so having a true surface plug isn't called for that much.

I would rather have a plug that will excel in being a subsurface swimmer than I can tune a little to make it stay on top than a true surface swimmer like a danny or surfster. Or one I can just slow crank it for topwater action.

I do have a bunch of lips and weights coming in, and a couple dozen of these bodies turned that havent been drilled out yet for hooks, weights or lip slots. So Ill play around with them and try and find maybe a couple ways to build the same body but have different actions,weights and lips.

If I stick with this lip/weighting it will get 6x 2/0 or 3/0 hooks.

the dock I use for my swim testing is pretty sweet, it extends pretty far out and is level with the water at high tide and sometimes even a little under water, so its a pretty good spot.

Ive made the mistake of testing on a higher perch and then found out the plug is a different animal in the surf.

[Slipknot]

Originally Posted by numbskull

Chris, sounds like you are describing a standard jr sized Musso surface swimmer. It uses a Lefty 2 midslot (which should be called Musso 2 since Lefty just took it from Musso).

Musso didn't build one like I have shown. He did build a small swimmer for personal use that he never sold. I've since learned it was a fatter plug and used a full sized lip. I think there is a picture of it in the Pinaturo articles. It only had one belly hook.

These plugs were originally something I dreamed up and described in this thread a few years back http://www.striped-bass.com/Stripert...structive.html. The dimensions are in there somewhere. I know Fred (eskimo) built a variation that worked for him. Somebody else actually copied them and was selling them over on the saltwater edge forum a year or two ago.

You can use a lefty 1 midslot for surface use, but they also work very well with a lefty 1 high slot lip and swim as deep as a little conrad set up that way. The ones I built used a small belly weight and tiny tail weight. I like 'em better than the small danny surface swimmer although that plug fishes pretty well itself

I think you mean Frank, not Fred. close though
I'm not good with names either


good thread George

I'm sure I'll post something when I have something.

[numbskull]

Originally Posted by Slipknot

I think you mean Frank, not Fred. .

Yup, sorry Frank, Fred is too old to remember any of this stuff