Making it lighter, need advice

Many of you have seen my crocheted jigs but I have a problem. I need to make them lighter.

I know how I am gonna do this with straight shank hooks but I am not sure how to do it with sickle hooks or curved hooks. Of course I tie most of them on these.

What I need is a material that I can shape or already has the shape I need. I try to make a half rounded body with a flat side. This gives the body the right shape and should give it good wobble action on the drop. I use lead wire now for it but that makes it heavier and takes away from the action.

Does anyone have any suggestion as to what to use to make such a shape and keep them lighter? I am gonna use spaghetti beads to make the straight shank ones so that might be a starting point for the sickle hook ones.

What about some heavy mono, maybe off a weed wacker, it does come in different sizes, and would be light.

You try them floats yet ?

How much does it need to be built up. I believe you could use standard nylon trot line then brush it with mixable acrylic resin or epoxy then trim your tie-off and sand it to altar the shape or what ever.

I need width more than anything. Anything to give it some real body instead of just flat to the hook shank. If I can get 3/8 wide on a #6 sickle it would be plenty, that is with the lace or other material on top of it. A little build up top to bottom doesn't hurt but the width is more important.

I have had the floats on the water testing them out for weight I need and such. I think they will work really well once I get them tuned in. Didn't get a bite but I did figure out that I need about 3/4-1 inch of the top out of the water to compensate for any waves any day. I can't cast them very far, not as far as I would like but farther than most others can cast bigger ones with more weight. Just have to get used to them.

How about some gorilla glue. Spread a line on some waxpaper put the hook in it and let it set. It will grow. Then you can trim it to size and cover it with epoxy, then finish. It might be too buoyant but you could wrap a little lead wire on the hook first. Just thoughts.

"gene"

Well, here may be one not thought of... I have tried balsa wood under my thread before to cast with a heavier jig for more distance but slower fall. It did work, sorta, but took some time to carve and taper a piece of wood that small. :mad: Was also somewhat soft, and thread would cut in if ya wraped too tight. Not sure how much tension is needed to do what ya do. You can put enough on to make a 1/32 jig sink very slow, but takes up too much room and you are pretty much left with a big thread body and tail.

Mylar tubing?? Never tried the stuf so just a thought.

The balsa would work but too much time for. They take too much time already. I wish I could figure out how to use the spaghetti beads on the sickle hooks. I have tried a couple and although I can get them to join right the tie is almost impossible. It bunches up way too much at the bend.

The gorilla glue is an option but again, a lot of work to get the right shape and size.

Another way to think of this would be to take a large straw and push it down on a flat surface. The bottom will be pretty much flat with sharp curves to the bottom and a soft curve on top.

I got it what you need is a 2 piece rubber mold your hook's will fit in with injection holes so you can inject a base material in to form around the hook and not gain weight.

Mono would work. I still need the shape and not sure how I would do it with mono.

I like the idea of pouring them using a 2 piece mold with some really stiff rubber or plastic type material. Hopefully the rubber would be stiff enough to hold the shape of the crochet. Plastic would be but have never poured that.

Half round rib, but not sure it is big enough for you that it will help enough. It does have a flat side and a round side though?

Skip

Okay, let's look at this way. What would be the best way to keep something like 50-75# mono filament directly on the sides of the hook? Nothing on top or bottom, just the mono wrapped on the sides so it stays there. But it has to stay there solidly. The nymph rib would work possibly, again, having to keep it on the sides.

For reference, I would say the total width of my average tie is about 1/4 inch in a size 6 and 3/8 inch on a #1/0. I actually prefer a little wider but that is what I get now. 3/8 is a good size for most smaller ones and 1/2 inch would be perfect for the bigger stuff I make.

If anyone has some, take some lead core leader line. Tie it in once all the way down from the eye to the bend on the bend side, wrap it around the hook all the way back to the eye. Then take a pair of plier and smash it from top to bottom. That is what I do now.

It's quite simple go down to a med. supply store get some 10cc sharpies mix your acrylic resin load it in and inject mold.

I have some Glitter D Rib Medium that looks at least as big as 50# mono. Now it's wider than it is thick though since it's flat bottom and round top. Side view looks much smaller than the other way. Maybe the same people that make this also make a large size? I don't know who makes it though.

Another product that I don't know if it would work or not is Pearl Core Braid. It is not solid, but is also not exactly round even though it look like it is. You would probably need to see and touch it. It's not heavy and is much bigger than #75 mono before your crush it down.

Skip

i think if you used leather shoe laces or some thick yarn would work well because they would be lighter then lead wire but once they got wet they would hold some water so you would still have nuff weight to cast...with the yarn you could build the body up in almost any shape you want and you get a huge roll at wally world for a few bucks

i used pearl core braid on my last swap jig with was brown

On the mono, just measure the mono to the shank, cut to lenght, and tie it in on the sides as a base, add a couple drops of Super Glue, to keep it from moving, and then just finish your ties ?

Glad you got the floats wet, and you got the right idea on the tip.

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Originally Posted by CrappieKillerJigs

i used pearl core braid on my last swap jig with was brown

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Think I have 6 colors in that, but not brown. Chart, White, Red, FL Yellow, Orange & Pink. Really pretty stuff.

Skip

I just got 8 packs of mylar braid. Might have to try it although I will use most of it to make Mustad minnows and similar jigs. I never thought of super glue to hold the mono in place. Will have to try it.

Leather works okay and is better than some materials but hard to get it to keep it's form. I have tried to find someone that carries hallow leather rope I saw on a craft site but have never found it. This stuff was perfect. Had a hole in it all the way through and was a nice oval pointed shape.

Yarn is always a good choice but the crochet is so tight that I can never get the yarn to hold the right shape. I have used yarn and chenille many times and it works well, just loses the shape. It also hold a scent for an eternity with the yarn or chenille as the core. The oils slowly leak out over the course of hours.

If I were to use mono, is there a way that anyone can think of to shape it once it is wrapped around the shank? I think it is becoming a really good option for making them as it is clear which is good and light weight. Maybe I will try tying in 2 pieces on the sides of the shank and wrapping with mono over that. Maybe 3 pieces, one on top of the hook and 2 on the sides and that might give me my shape I need after I wrap it.

We will figure out something. Have lots of things to try now. Thanks for the ideas, one will work.

Besides tying jigs I tie flies, and some of the guys from another board use this stuff EZ-SHAPE SPARKLE BODY

E-Z Shape Sparkle Body -- SaltwaterFlies.Com

Except for epoxy it's the only thing I can think of.

fatman

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Originally Posted by fish_4_all

If I were to use mono, is there a way that anyone can think of to shape it once it is wrapped around the shank? I think it is becoming a really good option for making them as it is clear which is good and light weight. Maybe I will try tying in 2 pieces on the sides of the shank and wrapping with mono over that. Maybe 3 pieces, one on top of the hook and 2 on the sides and that might give me my shape I need after I wrap it.

We will figure out something. Have lots of things to try now. Thanks for the ideas, one will work.

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You might try wraping the body, then take a pare of needlenose pliers to smash the mono, it will hold its shape. If it dont work just cut it off and start over, and save the hook. GOOD LUCK