Same hook in a 3/16th ounce underspin lure. I painted white, white, glow yellow, glow yellow, then quick dip in neon pink. The plastic bait is 2” in total length. This will be used close up to the boat while trolling so I like to make these heavier. I now run four such lines and six long lines using light weight jigs. Some days not a bite on the close jigs, other days the close in jigs out perform the long lines. Stupid fish.

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I read that a short shanked jig snags less and is easier to wiggle free. I rarely get a snag so don’t know how reliable that info really is. Makes sense though as the line would serve as a weed guard if the tip were against it, so….. having the line closer might provide some of a weed guard’s effect.

Anyways I am dialing these fish in. One step forward, two back, two forward one back fashion. I think I have my colors pretty much figured out now. Sizing is still a mystery. The fish change too much for me to keep pace with my guesses. This time next year I should have a much better understanding of when to use what.

I no longer bake my painted jigs as they never encounter hard objects. Besides most get eyes and I slather the UV resin over the heads to secure them. This resin would protect them should I ever decide to slam them against a hard rock or something. This allows me to skip the fluid bed stuff as well as a heavy coat is no longer problematic. I coat the eyes and head with the resin, hit it with the UV light, then a second coat, hit that with the light, then cured outdoors in the Sun. The flashlight serves only to freeze the resin in place so it doesn’t migrate. Keeping the resin out of the hook eye is not easy. I tried using shrink wrap but it served as a straw and sucked the resin up and into the eye. Now I just try to be careful. Having a way to securely hold the jigs for that process is a huge help. I am using my clamps that I made for baking jigs in a vertical position.

I am liking Bob’s Jigs trident tailed bait that was just recently released. Been using it for my Whirling Dervishes. The action compliments the blade. Paddle Tails work well with blades as well though, but the new baits do very well in this regard. They use a less heavy plastic than Slabanator, but heavier than Bobby Garland. I prefer a heavy stiff plastic, but that is just because I am pulling in a straight line fashion and not trying to impart action. If I was dipping not sure what I would like better. The colors are excellent, too. Good job Bob.

I am also liking those Dakota blades. Swimming the lure alongside the boat and observing, they spin differently than Colorado blades. Like Willows spin different, these spin different. More of a rotational spin, or at least I am seeing them in that manner. I bought size #1 and think I would like to go a little smaller. They spin slower too it seems. So they will provide a different look and will come in handy on days when the fish are being overly fickle. Not sure they are better, just different.