Back in The Lab 2021

[DrNip]

Nice post on mold mod, sweet trip on fishes!


Sent from my iPhone using Crappie.com Fishing mobile app

Getting back out in the garage today and going to pour up some older molds I haven't in awhile.

Oooooh……modifications. I see what you did there. You widened the gap to allow the eye to lay flat in that spot. I am sure it is giving great results with that hook. I would have done something silly like file that section below the head, that separates the shank from the insert, and move the shank to the left, bringing the eye in closer to the original gap, and left that area alone. Then any extra lead could be easily removed, similar to removing a collar. Of course then there would be no bait keeper anymore, but I glue my plastics anyways.

I might also have been tempted to just close the gap between head and eye using powder paint.

I have enjoyed the modifications you did to my Bat Jig, and you gave me the confidence to modify it further. I also modified my Free Style mold as well. Those molds are about a third of the cost of that CNC mold. You must have really wanted this due to troubles with the braid getting in there. Even a tiny gap and that stuff just pops through, and I always worry after the extraction process if the line has been nicked.

I am actually considering going back to all mono because of the way the braid wraps the rod tips and it’s evil nature when it comes to my under spin jigs. Any sort of wrap becomes a complicated disaster. Also, I will clear the rod tip, grasp the handle preparing to cast and look, and sure enough the tip is wrapped again. LOL

I keep your jigs on my desk and still admire them. So I know the wedge shaped head is not new for you. So can you say why you like that particular shape, or was it all about being able to secure the mold ?

Just like everything since I was a little boy I've tweaked, twisted and/or modded anything and everything to make it better. I've modded many of both lead and plastic molds. Sometimes I've screwed up but I've learned and adapted with each one. Your bat jig I did like 4 years ago. Now a days I would've used a drill press on the hook eye part.

A simple solution to braid slipping would be just paint the eye and then run wire through it or just paint up to the eye to close it. I will still have to do this on the hooks I have with gaps.

Nothing special about this style head. I like the shape and look of it. Just another tool in my bag to catch crappie. Jigheads I prefer are weedless round head, pill head, hatchet head and egg head.

If you are making the switch from non braid I suggest this. Best I have found and I've used them all. I believe when I spool it my handle is on the left side and I put the label side of the spool towards the ground. It is some smooth line and doesn't get the crazy line twist like mono. I normally use 8lb for my casting but they sent me this 6lb by mistake once so they sent me out the correct and this was free.