This "Is" The Place!

[ProfessorM]

turning several sizes of darter's so I can get on to the fun part of doing the angles and then on to ruining them in the sealer and then watching them swim upside down as I test them out. I basically will be doing all my turning in the next week or 2 for everything I will be making this winter. Got all the stock cut and ready to go for everything. Of course there will be some short runs of stuff that I forgot but after 2 weeks or so I am pretty much done with turning for the winter. Then on to the other more time consuming aspects.

[Slipknot]

working on these

[Backbeach Jake]

Originally Posted by Slipknot

working on these

[Chunkah]

I'm still waiting for my shipment of wood to come in. I have some leftover from last year, and a boatload of red cedar blanks ready to go, but was kind of hoping to get everything done at once. But I'd say my biggest challenge is cleaning up my workspace. I've got a maybe 20' x 12' area to use for my shop, tool storage (I'm a GC and have a lot of stuff!), and family storage, so organizing and making room is becoming increasingly difficult. Maybe I'll post some pictures of the nightmare....I wish I had the money to rent a space.

[BigFish]

Hmmmm....Slip! I been a very good boy this year!!!

[striperman36]

Still trying to get fishscale right with the airbrush. How do people do it.
Flap found that nice copper netting. I've tried bridal veil and larger wash bags, never turns out nice?

Lower pressure?

[BigFish]

Striperman anytime you want to come by for a tutorial lets do it.....glad to help! What size Tulle' are you using?? Bigger is sometimes better....sometimes! I use a few different sizes! Key is to go light with the spray as you do not want it to fill up the holes and tack onto the cloth! I do a light spray on both sides (you get good at knowing how heavy to spray after awhile) then I let it set for only a minute or so before I remove the Tulle'! Mind you some use a jig (box) where you lift the plug into the netting, spray and remove where as I clip my netting on so I get the effect I want! Many different ways to do a good job and everyone has their method that works for them!

[Slipknot]

don't worry, there are many of you on the list, it is long

Originally Posted by BigFish

Hmmmm....Slip! I been a very good boy this year!!!

Originally Posted by Backbeach Jake

[striperman36]

Originally Posted by BigFish

Striperman anytime you want to come by for a tutorial lets do it.....glad to help! What size Tulle' are you using?? Bigger is sometimes better....sometimes! I use a few different sizes! Key is to go light with the spray as you do not want it to fill up the holes and tack onto the cloth! I do a light spray on both sides (you get good at knowing how heavy to spray after awhile) then I let it set for only a minute or so before I remove the Tulle'! Mind you some use a jig (box) where you lift the plug into the netting, spray and remove where as I clip my netting on so I get the effect I want! Many different ways to do a good job and everyone has their method that works for them!

Is this a plugfest tutorial?

[the greek]

Originally Posted by Slipknot

working on these

Them Pikies are all wrong, they need EAGLES paintjobs .

[Diggin Jiggin]

Nice stuff guys. I'm still working thru the honey do list that built up during fishing season...You guys will be done before I even get started.

[ProfessorM]

I lost my honey do list so I figure I got lots of spare time to make plugs.

[blondterror]

my wife puts my honey do on the "white board" on the fridge.... i suppose I can erase a few items......

[Swimmer]

Originally Posted by the greek

Them Pikies are all wrong, they need EAGLES paintjobs .

To say this on a Sunday is blasphemous.

[wrikerjr]

lets say it on Monday then those plugs should be cowboy plugs

[numbskull]

Well, it only took 18 months, but I promised Benny Raw I'd build him a Masterlure popper..........getting closer.

(the perspective is weird, they're the same size but I moved the front hook back a shade to try and reduce fouling.....as Masterlure did on a later version). The original had a alongside the wire weight in a 1/4" hole that could and does slide anywhere from the tail to the front hook, so weighting will be a guess. Will start out in the tail and go from there.

[JMAC_kerel]

Originally Posted by BigFish

When is this thread going to hit "winter fever pitch"? I have my coffee and will finish my cup, have another and then I am heading out to the shop for the day to work on several projects! So what are you guys working on??

Ok I'll bite. I'm going to be working on some larger sizes and slightly different shapes of stuff that was working well for me this past year. And more than likely, carve some different weighted versions for different conditions.

[numbskull]

Those remind me of something. Are you familiar with the Frech plug?

[JMAC_kerel]

Originally Posted by numbskull

Those remind me of something. Are you familiar with the Frech plug?

I have indeed seen old pics of Frech's banana plug and it's reincarnations. I like that shape a lot including your version. I believe it was originally an adult bunker imitation? Was / is it meant to be fished hanging just under the surface? (judging by the flat back) Someday I think I will try something similar with my own spin on it.

Besides my peanut bunker, the plugs in the pic I posted have a more slender profile. All are made to sink slowly and act like a glider / jerkbait depending on retrieve.

[numbskull]

I suspect you are on to something. Glider baits are not common in saltwater. Bagleys made a big one for a while but it drew little interest.
Frech's banana is sort of a cross between a glider and a weak acting darter.

Recently the Sebiele Shad has caught on. Just a heavy fat glider. The musky guys have been using similar stuff for decades. Opened my eyes, though, when I watched Ernie (Mr Striper) do a job with one on a night I couldn't even draw a hit. If Ernie can catch fish on something, you know it must be damn good.

I recall an excellent thread about gliders 1/2 a dozen years ago by a guy who built lots of them for musky. If I recall, he made the point that the action was dependent on the weight distribution. He described taking a standard ballerina/howdy shape and making a simple glider to learn. They were all set up to sit dead level and to sink slowly or suspend. I think (but may have it backwards) that if you weighted them on each end they would do circles, and if you weighted them dead center they would run straight. By adjusting the distance between the weights you could get the action you wanted. Has that been your experience?

Here is the one and only glider I ever built, about 6 years ago (then got side tracked building bananas and lazyfish). Tested, but never fished it (lacked faith). It has been sitting in a discard box ever since. Between getting schooled by Ernie and seeing what you are doing, gliders may just end up on the to do list this winter. Thanks

[tysdad115]

Originally Posted by Slipknot

don't worry, there are many of you on the list, it is long

Great plugs Slip

[JMAC_kerel]

Originally Posted by numbskull

I suspect you are on to something. Glider baits are not common in saltwater. Bagleys made a big one for a while but it drew little interest.
Frech's banana is sort of a cross between a glider and a weak acting darter.

Recently the Sebiele Shad has caught on. Just a heavy fat glider. The musky guys have been using similar stuff for decades. Opened my eyes, though, when I watched Ernie (Mr Striper) do a job with one on a night I couldn't even draw a hit. If Ernie can catch fish on something, you know it must be damn good.

I recall an excellent thread about gliders 1/2 a dozen years ago by a guy who built lots of them for musky. If I recall, he made the point that the action was dependent on the weight distribution. He described taking a standard ballerina/howdy shape and making a simple glider to learn. They were all set up to sit dead level and to sink slowly or suspend. I think (but may have it backwards) that if you weighted them on each end they would do circles, and if you weighted them dead center they would run straight. By adjusting the distance between the weights you could get the action you wanted. Has that been your experience?

Here is the one and only glider I ever built, about 6 years ago (then got side tracked building bananas and lazyfish). Tested, but never fished it (lacked faith). It has been sitting in a discard box ever since. Between getting schooled by Ernie and seeing what you are doing, gliders may just end up on the to do list this winter. Thanks

Thats a beautiful glider right there. (You should never have boxed it! Have faith and fish that bugger ) Yes, the smaller ones I usually build have the weight(s) located pretty close to center and close to the bottom edge. I have found I get more 'action' with lighter wood that way. On the larger plugs I have made I do have to move the weights around both forward and backward a bit. The gliders/slider etc are by no means new to the salt, but I agree you don't see as many of them around like the more traditional style plugs.

[Jigman]

Originally Posted by numbskull

...I recall an excellent thread about gliders 1/2 a dozen years ago by a guy who built lots of them for musky. If I recall, he made the point that the action was dependent on the weight distribution. He described taking a standard ballerina/howdy shape and making a simple glider to learn. They were all set up to sit dead level and to sink slowly or suspend. I think (but may have it backwards) that if you weighted them on each end they would do circles, and if you weighted them dead center they would run straight. By adjusting the distance between the weights you could get the action you wanted. Has that been your experience?...

Determine how much weight it takes to sink the blank you have. Split into two equal sections. One will go close to the front of the plug, one close to the tail. You have to test float to determine the right locations. When set up right the plug will sink level.

Jigman

[Backbeach Jake]

Originally Posted by ProfessorM

I lost my honey do list so I figure I got lots of spare time to make plugs.

Funny
Don't have a dog so I guess the cat ate mine. Just a guess from all the scratches on my arms...

[numbskull]

Spent the week procrastinating.
Did turn some poppers.....looking like it will be a popper winter for me.
Few other odds and ends (skin plug and bottle).

Noticed something. Pichney used the Blue Streak as a model for his conrad, slopehead, and original A40 (the later one is thinner). See the photos. The A40 is slightly shorter in the tail and longer in the nose, but the same dimensions in between. The red plug on the bottom is a Blue Streak Jr. It uses the same shape as the Popper, just the nose is shorter.

[numbskull]

In the popper thread, Grapes mentioned how good ''all three sizes" of the Blue Streak popper were. Of course I only have the large, so naturally that drove me nuts. But when I noticed that Blue streak didn't bother with a different shape for their Jr atom, I guessed they would have used the same body for their Jr popper. Furthermore, on the xray I could see the large popper was weighted with two 3/4" weights, so it seemed likely that they used one 3/4 weight in the Jr popper.

So I built one, rigged it, and floated it. It floats identical to the large version which makes me think I got it right. What' ya say Steve, close?

As for the smaller one.......well I do have a small reverse squid I could use as a model........I wonder......

[Sgt Striper]

Working on just about everything this week, Nikes, Danny's, Goo Goo's, small needles, and an attempt at the Lido Flaptail. Looks like I'll be doing some old time poppers too, plus can't resist trying anything that the Prof. posts Paul and I are definitely on the same wavelength!
How about we try plug of the week/month on this Sunday thread?

[Grapenuts]

Originally Posted by numbskull

In the popper thread, Grapes mentioned how good ''all three sizes" of the Blue Streak popper were. Of course I only have the large, so naturally that drove me nuts. But when I noticed that Blue streak didn't bother with a different shape for their Jr atom, I guessed they would have used the same body for their Jr popper. Furthermore, on the xray I could see the large popper was weighted with two 3/4" weights, so it seemed likely that they used one 3/4 weight in the Jr popper.

So I built one, rigged it, and floated it. It floats identical to the large version which makes me think I got it right. What' ya say Steve, close?

As for the smaller one.......well I do have a small reverse squid I could use as a model........I wonder......

The med size is 6" long on the nose//1-5/16" dia.....the smallest is 5-1/8" long w/the dia. being 1-1/16 instead of the reg. 1-5/16" the others are...capt'n bill's // bob pond and woolner also made poppers from their swimmer bodies.As did alot of RI builders back in the day....one body..two plugs....I made one plug style I can get 3 different lures from...needle-swimmer an a spook....but it gets boring turning alot of the same at once.

[ProfessorM]

nice stuff. Snook Bait did a lot of those type poppers.

[eskimo]

I'm slow

I've been working on these slim style pencils the last couple of nights. Basically just for the canal.

I tend use my pencils like spooks with slow sweeps but with the rod tip still in the air. Skinnier pencils tend to cause less commotion so I'm always looking for a way to slim them down.

The plug is only 1.1" at the widest point and to keep the weight around 3oz I had to compensate by extending the length. It has a flat bottom but only around the belly hook which on the first one I try out is centered. Next I will try to move it an 1/8" from center like a use on most pencils.