Hook Shank Length

I am learning.

I am discovering that the jig hook size and shape can provide varying results in both hooking and retaining hooked fish. Now don’t go Duhhhhhh on me here. The differences can be very subtle and even small changes can create differing experiences. I know this is true because those that catch a lot of fish have a favorite hook or two.

Let’s take a look at something here.

Attachment 411630

Top one is a great hook for my Free Style design and I really like the performance. It is a Victory sickle in size 1/0.

Under that is a hook I like for my Bat Jigs. It is a Do-It Whacky 60 degree hook in size #2.

Bottom is a new to me Eagle Claw 571 in size 1/0.


Notice that the sizing is way off ? One company’s 1/0 ain’t what the others call 1/0. In fact there is little size difference in the top two even though one is supposed to be three sizes up, Also when compared to the bottom hook in the same size, the top hooks look much larger. So sizing of jig hooks varies wildly.

One of the advantages of making your own jig heads is that you can overcome this issue and dial in a hook that works best for your style. Just like the really good fishermen did. They found a hook that works for them, which means their style of baits and fashion of presentation. Trial and error gets this done best.

VICTORY- I like this hook because it catches fish like crazy. I troll jigs out behind the boat and I almost never lose a fish once the rod bends using these hooks. Very sharp and they have a great shape that works with my style. My baits will fit on the shank in a normal fashion with not too much shank being inside the bait. The hook tip is sitting high and proud above the eye and that is said to be an important feature of any jig. No bending the tip to make the hook “work”. The issue I have is that my plastic baits are made for smaller sized hooks, and I am not very good at piercing and installing baits upon the long shank hooks. I create kinks and weird angles and such.

I have always kind of dangled the bait beside the boat as I am trolling to gain a sense of it’s swimming attitude. I did this while seated in the front of the boat. One day I swam a bait back towards the rear of the boat, with more line out, and walked back there and observed the attitude. Suddenly flaws became very noticeable. Baits that looked like they swam good up front, were actually disasters when some line was paid out. I reckon the line gives it enough freedom to show what I have done wrong. Spinning baits, wobbling, just odd looking jigs. Mind you they still caught fish, but how many fish passed because the minnow looked weird ?


WHACKY - I made some Bat Jigs up and the shorter shank of this hook made it easier to insert the hook into the bait in a straight line fashion. My baits swam better because my errors were not as pronounced. I also observed that the baits seemed to have better action. A more pronounced wobble to the paddle tails. I deduced that this was because of the point where the hook exited the bait. It was coming out near where the tail meets the body. Before with longer shanked hooks there was a section of the fat and sturdy body behind the bend and I feel that was probably inhibiting the wobble some. Keep in mind these are my observations not science.



So I wanted to use a short shank hook in my Free Style mold, so I could get these results in a 90 degree hook. I searched and read about the Matzuo hook. It however is difficult to obtain and is said to have about a 10% waste due to malformations and such. Gamakatzu has a great short shank hook, but at a steep price. I then read about the Eagle Claw 571 hook. This hook is said to be sharp and strong. I was leery but when I got my supply I was impressed. Nicer than the very sad Lil Nasties by far, and very much sharper.

I made up some Free Style heads and here they are with baits.

Attachment 411623Attachment 411629

These are some of my better color combinations and bait styles. Slabonator brand Booty Thumpers that have been cut down in length. Their Hot Rods, again cut down. Bottom right first picture is their large Booty Thumper cut down which is a wild action bait. Makes the rod tips jiggle like crazy. Then second picture are some Crappie Magnet Curly Slabs which have not been cut in length.

I glue the baits to the jig head as that keeps them positioned nicely and the baits seem to last better. I might even experiment with crushed barbs at some point. I like to lift the fish, plop it on the deck and give him slack line as he will thrash about and pitch the jig most times. This lets me re cast quickly and then later I go back and containerize him. Little fish I bring to hand, unhook and pitch back. Glued on baits keeps me fast, which is important because when one bites…..there are others ready to bite. I land the fish and that bait is right back out there.

I plan to test test test of course. There might be some issues with these 571 hooks which I have not foreseen. So far they look to me like they will slaughter the fish. High hopes can be dashed of course, and I like the Whacky hooks in size #6 until I discovered that that was the worse hook ever. Might be good for vertical jigging, but trolling it was horrible. Fish On turned to fish gone about 3/4’s of the time. Nice devils, too. Made me mad.

So small differences in our hooks can lead to wildly differing results. One hook will outperform another, not only when it comes to retaining a hooked fish, but also when it comes to the presentation of the plastic bait. Both aspects are important obviously.

The 571 fits the larger sized heads of the Free Style mold. However, the tip rides onto the mold in the smaller sizes and I just used a hand file and removed a smidgeon of the material to get a good fit. That area is meaningless to the mold anyways so it was easy to do without damaging anything.

Hopefully I will remember to take some pictures the next trip out. Might go Wednesday but this is the time of year winds pick up and blow hard in my area. We get heavy winds for several days at a time. I like calm days as my TM isn’t that good for my boat. Add winds and things get exaggerated even further. I don’t mind the frigid cold, you know 45 degrees because I can wear long pants and regular shoes and such. However cold winds are different. Freezing cold down here already. We got down to 55 degrees last night. Brrrrrrrr cold.

I have used thousands like the top on in many sizes and don’t bend em out, use them like they come. Haven’t used the others but don’t care for the shorter shank on the bottom one for the way I fish. Looks like it reduces the gap between the point and the hook eye.

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Originally Posted by skeetbum

I have used thousands like the top on in many sizes and don’t bend em out, use them like they come. Haven’t used the others but don’t care for the shorter shank on the bottom one for the way I fish. Looks like it reduces the gap between the point and the hook eye.

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It does reduce that diagonal dimension. Which will cause the hook tip to act differently when pressure is applied to the eye via the line pulling hard. Still I think it worth a try to see if an advantage can be found. Great little swimmers is really the goal.

You have it dialed in

I actually was going to comment on another thread about hook sizes varying but haven’t got to it yet. I need to get in my box of hooks to for further pics but here is a quick pic of three different size 4 hooks. They are all from Mustad just different hook numbers. I’m sure once I dig out other size 4 hooks from different manufacturers they’ll vary even more.

Attachment 411680

Eye
Neck
Shank
Barb
Tip
Bend
Gap
Gauge
Material

Eight things that can and will vary from hook to hook. There is no incentive for the makers to employ standards. The hook is far more important than the head shape, but no one much talks about it. The hook’s dimensions can work with your lure or against. With your style or against. I suspect those that catch well either found a hook by luck or by actively looking for one. Either way they are not likely to switch once they found success.

They tell me Winter has the fish demanding smaller jigs. Maybe so.

For jigs I usually use a sickle hook. The profile allows the hook to exit the bait a little farther forward of the tail than a conventional hook. It does allow the use of a larger hook for bait class. The bigger gap of the larger hook certainly helps me get some hooks in them.

When I placed my order with Barlows, I added some of their thin 0.31 wire shafts to the mix. These make great wire extensions for the under spin design I created. They also sold me some inexpensive already painted #0 Colorado spinner blades. I added the swivels. Might add painted designs to them later.




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I rather like the yellow blade as almost every combination of color bait that I use has some yellow in it. These are brighter than I imagined and that is a good thing. The lake waters in my area are all stained, with some being really stained badly. If they can see a bright yellow- let them see yellow blades, too. I see no advantage to having a bright flashy blade unless the water is clearer or fishing more shallow.

The size of the blades looks good to my eyes. I have all sorts of sizes that I will never end up using. Well maybe one day. Anyways choosing a size was difficult for me because I wasn’t sure what I wanted. I think Colorado blades spin best and offer the greatest amount of sound, so I want those. The jig will swim in a cocked attitude ( nose down ) but I am using a slightly heavier jig head to try to offset some of that. The smaller sized blade will also help with that. The “cup” of the blade is not that pronounced so that will also work to lessen the resistance. Finally I have angled the wire in tighter to the body and that will also help lessen the cocked appearance.

These will be in my midrange spread. Not way back there - not in close, but midway back. There the 1/8th oz size will allow for a reasonable depth. I am using longer plastics with these as the heads were already made using the Victory hooks and their longer shanks.

The 571 hook sits in the mold somewhat cocked, so I suspect a modification would allow for an under spin wire, but not sure I even want those shorter shanked hooks, so that will have to wait. If the hooks work well, I will file a little and get a good fit. I was able to lay the wire in the mold with that hook, but the fit wasn’t what I wanted.

The weather liar says Wednesday good, windy rainy this weekend. Testing shall be Wednesday I guess.

Need to work with my new 10 rod layout to see how that will work out. Looked at that again yesterday afternoon and the baits all dangle down off the side and back of the boat at a good distance apart. Some look to be six feet, some maybe four feet apart. All are far enough apart to allow a straight line pull of ten long lines. So I make four of them short lines and can make tight turns. Make two more midway back drops and make even tighter turns. I think it will be just fine. Acceptable at least as there will be foulings I am sure.

I could add a few more rods but there is an issue. That is I land the fish by reeling them from the sides inward, back to front. There is an area near the back of the boat where they seem to do best. I would say this area is from the stern forward about five feet, and from the side of the boat out about five feet. This area is where my fish leave the water, so I need to be clean there with no lines to foul. It is because I am still underway while fighting the fish and they naturally approach the boat in this fashion. So I will have to add rods some other way, that is if there will be any more added. Been a real hoot trying to fine tune the rod layout, as some great ideas fell to the wayside upon putting them into practice.

I now have my furthest out the side rods to the very front, and these are my longest lines as well. Then as I progress down the side of the boat, the lines all move in closer to the boat. Closer. So that the last pair are out the very back of the boat and close to the midline of travel. This prevents the front rods from fouling the back and I can work the fish to that area in the back for lifting without him wrapping me up.

I enjoyed learning how to fashion up jigs with fur and feathers, but the plastics are just so wild it is hard to imagine giving them up for something I tie. Crazy bright colors, and wild actions, things very difficult to build with materials. Instead I can just slip on a ready made bait and go. Eventually they get ripped up, but only after they have landed a goodly amount of fish. If I dipped jigs things would be different I am sure. I would want hair and feathers and such, but dragging behind the boat I think I want plastic baits. Now all I have to do is get better at slipping them onto the hook. LOL

Attachment 411736

3 sizes

3/16th oz- 3/0
1/8th oz 1/0
1/16th oz 1/0
Victory hooks.

I hope to find out if short shank hooks work better tomorrow. Got a nice supply to test.

Those will get the job done

The hook dilemma is an on going experiment. The only time the short shank hook has made a measurable difference to me is live minnow fishing. Live minnows here are hard to come by in high quality so I just skip buying them. If I am fishing a hand tied jig I like my shorter hook and tie a short tail. then and Berkley live gulp for dressing. I am a hook bender though. I will bend the hook out to the side several degrees and it improves hookups. Not in heavy brush though. Great discussion here folks.

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Originally Posted by GrumpyLoomis

The hook dilemma is an on going experiment. The only time the short shank hook has made a measurable difference to me is live minnow fishing. Live minnows here are hard to come by in high quality so I just skip buying them. If I am fishing a hand tied jig I like my shorter hook and tie a short tail. then and Berkley live gulp for dressing. I am a hook bender though. I will bend the hook out to the side several degrees and it improves hookups. Not in heavy brush though. Great discussion here folks.

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Thanks….and I don’t think you’re grumpy at all.

I studied circle hooks and experimented with them extensively, and shared with many others the many things that I had gathered. I prefer an “Off Set Circle” hook over a “True Circle” hook, which has no such bend as you describe. I felt same as you- more hook ups. I have not altered my fine jig hooks in such fashion, but soon will no doubt. Be assured actually.

Thanks for mentioning your insight. I learned that it all has something to do with how easily the tip sticks something…..or misses. I have seen videos of fish playing Yo-Yo, and inhaling and spitting right back out. Growing up as a fish, I reckon, you end up biting all sorts of things you don’t want to actually eat. You get good at quickly determining and learn to be prepared to spit. Imagine you biting into a Wendy’s cheeseburger, and you felt something odd, how quickly you could spit that. Well fish grab our baits and I imagine many do make an attempt to spit. DeathScope could probably show such activity live.

While long lining- A Crappy is alerted that there is an object. They compare the sensations to those things from their past. Historically this - means that. They then track the object. If interested they make an approach that should offer a position from which to strike. They further analyze their clues given to their other senses as they get closer. Then they lock in and charge in for the attack. Upon capture they often times will turn, and this is where an off-set circle really shines. So your modification is very interesting to me. The trolling motor sets all my hooks. If as that TM pulls the jig back out of their mouth, if it turns and finds a spot to stick……well the deal is done right there. He will thrash and resist and that will slide the tip through and he is in to the bend. My rod indicates and I reel him in.

So do you bend to the right or to the left, and does that change for different sides of the boat, and does it make the lure spin ?

I guess I have never experimented with the left bend as the right just comes naturally for me. The True Turn hook got me thinking of this years ago. Those hooks work well for me . On vacation one time I had know true turn hooks so I started bending. That was on hook and minnow set ups. As I moved to my own jigs it has just kinda become my signature jig. I do not bend hooks on the jigs I make for friends and neighbors as everyone has their own theories.

A little disclaimer here on hook bending. The most effective jigs I've found for this are my tiny jigs.Attachment 411823 Here in the north we wind up with water you can walk on,aka ice. When water here goes from the 40's into the 30's fish get slow and finicky. A number 12 or 14 hook shines in performance with the bend. And it is surprising how big of panfish you can catch on a tiny hook.

Very nice. Thank you for sharing.



I tested my latest jig designs today.

Attachment 411825
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Kind of nice out there with it being about 55 degrees, light winds once the boat idled down. LOL

I was all set to test my new rod arrangement and it was pretty good. I was able to extend all ten lines behind the boat with no tangles. Turned 90 degrees and such and still everyone came out great. I was able to guide the fish into the back corner area easily enough and once there it was a quick lift and in.

Initially I had set out a nice spread of jigs of differing styles, sizes and colors. That changed pretty quick when it became obvious that they wanted my minnow imitation.


Attachment 411827

The top two jigs on right hand side. Again these were made with the Eagle Claw 571 jig hook size 1/0, and the Free Style head in the 1/16th oz size. Slabonator’s Hot Rod bait that was cut down in length to better fit on the hook.

The bite was slow today, but those two jigs caught all the fish.

Attachment 411828

There are changes due to seasonal transitions and I am playing catch up. The bladed jigs were ignored, as were the larger jig bodies I had been using. Even the thumper tail jigs were ignored. They wanted a sleek minnow.

Check out Mr Big Pants here.

Attachment 411829

He hit it like a champ.

Attachment 411830

The hook performed very well. Every time the rod indicated, a fish hit the deck. Once there they were unable to toss the jig like they do with longer shanked hooks. Those get pitched 3 times out of 4. Could be the barb, but I suspect it is more of a leverage type of situation. All lures tracked well due to the plastic being attached better. More aligned.

I was very pleased with the hook and wanted to try a different head with it. Once at home I poured up some new ones to use next trip.

Attachment 411831

These are Monster Green with Glow In The Dark powder paint. They glow nicely, too. 2 sizes here, the 1/4 oz and the 3/32nd oz in the Bat Jig design using the new EC 571 hooks in the 1/0 size. I thought a wedge shaped head might do better than the FreeStyle. I have skipped adding eyes and also the baking procedure. My jigs never get chipped and the fish don’t examine them checking for eyeballs or gill plates and fins and such.

Attachment 411832

Check out this profile.

Attachment 411833

Top is a Hot Rod on the 3/32nd sized head, and the one under that is a larger sized Hot Rod on the 1/4 oz head. They swim very sleekly as they go. The tail wobbles imperceptibly to me above the surface, but I imagine quite tantalizingly when viewed from below. This color combination has been popular with my fish all Summer.

I used the 3/32 size because I am cutting away the collar and figure it to be close to 1/16th when done. The 1/4 size because that is as big as it gets for that mold. I really like to have heavy jigs in kind of close, and light jigs back behind me a ways.

I fished the middle of the lakes a lot and the minnows school up and make their way along. Looks kind of hairy when you see them getting smacked around. I imagine these look like scattered minnows trying to find the school again. I really like the profile and while it may seem simple and silly, to me it is a big deal. I have created hundreds and hundreds of jigs, and now this is what I am down to. Dialing them in.

I got a report from a highly experienced fisherman and his teammate and they said the fishing was slow for them, but the ones they managed were nice size. It is so weird how all the fish seem to do the same thing, at the same time. They came up to chat some and then set off in a different direction.

Anyways I felt my take was good and they are cleaned up and in the fridge waiting for dinner tonight. She loves fresh fish and I her, so everything works out. I safely installed the new dryer as well, so I will get the Dat A Boy treatment tonight.

Can you tell I like that hook ?

Very nice. Monster green with glow in the dark? Where did that come from? You have my interest…… :popcorn

Early this morning I awoke, and instead of tossing and turning and bothering her, I just started the coffee and my day. Read new threads and that didn’t take too long. Nothing to do so I found something to do.

Eyes. Yup they are not necessary for jigs that are being trolled, but I added 3D eyes to my Monster jigs. The adhesive backing is not enough to keep them in place. I hear that if you buy expensive eyes that the adhesive will hold. Mine are cheap Chinese eyes and they fall off very easily. However it does make it easier to align them properly. I view the jig straight on to see if they match. Not concerned so much the view from the side. I want symmetry so they swim well.

What I did was using a paring knife and my thumb, affixed the eyes, then stuck the jig onto a scrap piece of styrofoam. Then I applied UV resin to overcoat each eye using a brush. Then quick set the resin with my UV light, and out onto the back deck to cure all day in the Sun. The sunlight cures very well and tonight those silly little eyes will be permanently attached.

I tried using just glue to attach the eyes, and it works fine. However with me wanting to use great big eyes on little jig heads, the edges of the eyes stick out and away from the surface of my Bat Jigs. No issue with the Free Style because it is flat. Bat Jig round. The resin will fill that gap and that prevents weeds from getting in there. Yesterday there were tons of floating weeds and in some areas it was unfishable because the jigs were goobered up. So anything to reduce this is good.

Pain teaches well, so I remembered to be very careful with the resin. If some gets on something, then you touch that something, then rub your eyes…….well it is ugly trust me. Burns like gasoline.

I also tried something odd. I attached a few plastic baits to some jig heads, and when I resinated the eyes, I eased some of it between the jig and the plastic bait to “glue” them tight. Not sure how well it might work, but it is possible I will get a good connection. Maybe better than glue especially given that I am cutting down the baits and have a flat end up against the jig head.

Anyways adding unneeded eyes made the time fly by while I waited to get ready for work.

Attachment 411925
Attachment 411924

I have finished the eyes and started attaching plastic baits. Everyone seems to like these smaller sized baits, and now that Winter is upon us I suspect I should transition downward in sizings. The baits are all about 2” in length, and are sleek and will swim effortlessly behind those green heads.

I weighed the finished heads to check and see what I really have. The 1/4 ounce size weighed in at an average of 0.24 ounces. The 3/32nd size should weigh 0.9375 ounces and weighs instead 0.10, so even after cutting away the collar, the bait is still heavier than stated. For reference a 1/16th ounce weighs 0.0625 ounces. So they are larger than the 1/16th size by some amount. Converting the decimal back to fractions gives a 1/9th ounce as the true size of the head.

So these will dive somewhat deeper than 1/16th oz jigs. About as much as a 1/8th. This means I will need to just be aware that I am somewhat deeper than normal back there.

I have some new baits arriving on Saturday and saved some of the heads for when I get those in hand. Bob’s Jigs out of Hemphill, Texas. He doesn’t just ship and forget. He follows along and sends updates as the package goes. I think this is my third or fourth order from him. Anyways he was more than willing to shoot the colors that I had requested, and get them out the door. I like that kind of willingness to please.

I have a pile of curly tail grubs in the smaller size- 2” and it is time to break those out and make some lures. While I have a nice assortment of bladed jigs, I think the fish are telling me they don’t like them this time of year. Odd but maybe not so much. I just need time on the water to see where the fish take me. The weather liar is claiming highs in the low 60’s today with 15-20 mph winds. Saturday a high of 50 degrees, rain and winds 20 mph. Sunday a high of 67 with winds at 15 mph. Not exactly my kind of weather, but I might make a run at Sunday.

Different lead alloys have different weights by volume. I was trimming the collarsoff some jig heads last night. The Arkie ones seem to be pure lead. They are dead soft. The ones I buy made at a local shop are a much harder alloy. More like one would expect from a cast bullet.

What type of lead are you using? All my lead I use is around 95% lead 5% antimony. I prefer the harder lead and sure it’s heavier. Less likely to wiggle on a hook, wire inserts stay put better and will stay the color you poured it even months later. I made the switch years ago when having the spinner insert wiggle out like you were having problems with.

When I was at Hienz USA we tested softness regularly and when it got too soft the lab techs would add tin. Might try one of the alloys some companies offer.

Oh, one other thing I do now a days. If I think my lead is getting too soft I will add a few wheel weights as it has hardeners and any number of impurities in it. Once a couple of weights melt down in my 10# pot I skim off the crud and continue on. Some times it does not pour the best and leaves my jigs with blemishes, crappie don't care, just us jig pouring folks.

Thanks for the advice.


If my jig heads weight 0.09865 ounces when I expected 0.09754 ounces, I think I can live with that. LOL The actual weight was only something I just wanted to know. Wasn’t a concern or anything where I needed to make adjustments. I write funny I suppose. Appreciated the assist anyways.




Yesterday was NOT Florida weather. It was a cold 50-60 degrees with high winds and rain all day long. Overnight things have gotten worse. It is cold and really windy and really rainy today. I seriously doubt that anyone is fishing my local lakes today. Maybe someone is but he can go ahead and have the entire place to himself.

Tomorrow the rain will have moved on and the winds subsided some and the Sun will peek out occasionally, so I might could go test then. I plan to fish the new jigs and see if the fish have indeed changed their preferences as I imagine they have.



Yesterday morning, I unwrapped the large pork I had bought at the grocery store. Washed it well, then placed it on a baking sheet and slid it into the bottom shelf of the fridge. Last night I pulled it out and let it rest on the counter top a little. ( the fridge dries the surface of the meat )

I slathered French’s Yellow Mustard all over the top and sides, ignoring the fatty bottom side. Then sprinkled Butt Rub powder over that, and added salt and some Old Bay over the top. Onto the komado grill and temperature was set at 220 degrees. Pulled it out this morning 12 hours later and here we are.

Attachment 412026

Once this has rested and cooled thoroughly, I will begin to cut it up. Dock Shooting Jack gave me the idea to vacuum pack the meat, freeze it, and then boil the bags later. I thought that was a great idea and so I will try. I hadn’t done a nice Butt-O-Swine in a long time because we ended up wasting so much of it. Too much meat. The vacuum bags will also allow me to gift smoked butt meat to friends and family during the holiday seasons. Nobody has ever given me Crappie filets and smoked meats for a gift. I think I would have rather liked that, too. They can serve them at their get togethers and such.

I wanted to learn to make fine smoked meats, but struggled horribly so. I tried about five different smokers and all were abject failures. Unable to maintain the temperature. Then I bought a komado from Lowe’s, The Akorn, and everything changed. Suddenly controlling the fire became very easy to do. I later added a computer module ($100) that monitors the temperature and engages a small fan to blow air across the charcoal to maintain an exact temperature. It held 220 all night whilst I slept like a baby. Couldn’t be easier. Set it and forget it and use only a small amount of charcoal. An amazing way to smoke meats.

I also bought a 16 pound turkey and a large turkey breast while at my grocers. Ever since Dad died I have been the man to do The Bird. My family loves Thanksgiving leftovers and one bird is never enough. They also like that oven roasted flavor. So I bake my big bird in the oven and smoke the breasts on the komado. On Turkey Day I will load up both of these and my famous marshmallow/yam suffle’ and away we will go to Mom’s house for the meal. My brother fixes breads, stuffings, mashed potatoes, mashed sweet potatoes, pickle plates, cranberry sauce, and using my pan drippings, a really nice gravy. Mom will make the deserts and such. Always plenty.

We eat around 1:00 pm and then I will load up to go to visit my wife’s family, and not sure what happens there as I have never been. Married just one year you see. Anyways I hope they have a recliner for me to take my traditional nap. I love a nap after the Thanksgiving meal and suspect many of you feel that special need to keep that important tradition alive in your household as well.

If you struggle to bake the perfect turkey, I can highly recommend that you search for Martha Stewart’s Perfect Turkey recipe. I skip the brining operation because many birds come already brined. Butterball birds are brined because that makes for a juicy bird. Basically Mothra taught me to lay cheese cloth on top of the bird and baste with a mixture of butter and white wine. Then remove the cheese cloth near the end and allow the skin to brown. Her time chart for when to turn the bird and such is what I follow and use my cell phone timer to ensure I stay on schedule. Perfect every time. Juicy, perfect color, and everyone loves the flavor. DON’T pack the cavity with stuff as that reduces the temperature inside the bird. Insert a few aromatics and done. Allow hot air to get in there.

Once at Mom’s I will make the “Presentation of the Bird”. This is very important. Everyone loves to see the turkey all done up and looking pretty on a decorated platter. When we are ready to eat I wisk him away to the kitchen where I filet the breasts off. I then slice each against the grain of the muscle and make 3/4” fat slices. Trimming the bird as seen in Normal Rockwell paintings is NOT what you want to do. You end up with thin stringy slices. You want fat juicy slices and you can get that by allowing the bird to rest after cooking, and properly trimming the bird. Hard lesson as Dad always used his electric knife to cut slices off the sides of the breasts. I asked the internet for advice when it was deemed I should do the bird, and I am glad I did.

I like football but absolutely no one else in the entire family likes football. None of them, so I get to miss the Detroit (early) and Dallas (later) games. Not a fan of either team, but I like the tradition of sleeping through most of the later game.



So if you have followed this along properly, you now know exactly how to properly attach the eyes to your jigs to make the best presentation while using the unique antique style powder paints. Good luck men.

No fishing for me today, even so I woke up early, bored to tears. So I made some new heads for when my new plastic baits arrive.

Attachment 412141;p

This is a 1/16th ounce Bat Jig, with collar, painted with glow in the dark chartreuse and a quick dip of the bottom in glow in the dark Monster green, 3D eyes that have two coats of UV resin to secure in place, Eagle Claw 571 hook in size 1/0. I tested the glow aspect and it was very nice. The UV aspect is also very bright, and of course in visual light they are brightly colored. I think they will be crowd pleasers when I finally do get out on the lake.

How did the Boston Butt turn out?
You barbecue computer? BBQ Guru? I have yet to buy one but I have been tempted. Ended up with a pellet grill instead. I do like the Komodo as well. I don't use it as much as it takea forever to cool all of that ceramic off. It does a wonderful job when I do use it

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Originally Posted by DockShootinJack

How did the Boston Butt turn out?
You barbecue computer? BBQ Guru? I have yet to buy one but I have been tempted. Ended up with a pellet grill instead. I do like the Komodo as well. I don't use it as much as it takea forever to cool all of that ceramic off. It does a wonderful job when I do use it

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Butt was wonderful. Lots of flavor and it was a pretty good cut of meat to begin with.

I bought the least expensive komado, the Akorn from Lowes. Joined komadoguru dot com and learned about the blower. It absolutely maintains the same exact temperature until the charcoal runs out. For my usual setup that would be about 16 hours. I use a stainless steel caldron to hold my charcoal as that keeps everything clean. I could add more if I needed more time. I can’t remember the name of the company but heard the one you mentioned works well, too. I start by lighting with a propane torch, attach blower and go about my business.

Komado Joes are very nice but like you say stay hot a long time and are best left outdoors. I was concerned the ceramic would snap and wasn’t sure how the things worked, so I got the Akorn.

BTW- I ended up with four nicely sized vacuum sealed bags in the freezer. We ate some right away. Today I made deviled eggs and I am pretty good at those. I also like to keep some hard boiled eggs in fridge for her to snack on. Great on salads and such.I have seen some of the things you make and am very jealous of your skill set.