If thats on your avoid list,  you might consider letting your lawmakers know BEFORE ITS TOO LATE !

https://act.credoaction.com/sign/restric...0%2EeOupBD

The freshwater version of the slip jig has proven extremely successfull, both financially and fishing-wise. After being desplayed in a nation wide published article, I could barely keep up with production. One returning customer I spoke to on the phone said that due to the cormorant pest in his region they would stock only big brown trout (3-4kg!!) and he caught 7 or 8 of them recently in short order. 

Run-through-design is not for everybody though. I keep getting requests from customers who accidentily buy them and then ask me where the heck they should attach the hook. Bearing that and the often compulsory pike wire in mind, I started playing with my swing tail mold. The smallest cavity in tin makes a sweet trout lure in combination with a wide, closed eye VMC Spinner hook #6.

Using open eye hooks combined with an open eye wire form has proven unreliable: The tolerances add up and the fish levers out the hook. The fish down below is a chub, awfull tablefare but demanding sport fish very similar to trout.

Website is down and phone #s don't work - anyone know whats up ?

I´m late doing my taxes, which means homeoffice, which means being online alot, which means reading fishing stuff... long story short, I got interested in the spinnerbait topic. Later in the shop I found some 6/0 Gami long shank fly hooks and a 3/4 oz ultra minnow mold that I once altered into a run-through design. Some size 4 blades, clear tube spacer, all at hand. Note this is cm. Haven´t fished SB (ever!) so every feedback is very welcome. The first water test in the harbour seemed well, though there are no pike...

If I were to host a dog days of August swap,  do y'all think I can get 10 participants.  I would want to see the jigs sent in before Labor day in the hopes that they would distributed in time for labor day.

This is not a sign up, just checking the waters so to speak.  Weather forcasts for me indicate a hot hot august.

Let me know if anyone is interested.

All of my photo image links in posts are now obscured by a mask.  For only $400/year from me, we'll be able to see them again.  I'm sorry, but that's unlikely.  It's a little disturbing to me and definitely disappointing.

How Photobucket is now shaking down its users

I'll be using something else from here on out.  If a member wants to see something from one of my earlier posts, PM me and I'll try to find it, upload it to a hosting service, then edit (or append) the image link to the post so that it displays.  Or, maybe I'll just attach it here.  I've just made too many posts here to attach new images or to upload images and edit (or append) new links to them all.

While searching the web for old ice jigs I found a jig that I recognized from my dads old box (1970s) a grub pattern he taught me how to tie.  What I had found was a jig - Simcoe Bug.  I was taught (and had been tying for years) to tie these with acetate floss and over the years had found good results with size A thread and using scud/pupa fly hooks.

Anyone else tie these?  Have you made any changes over the years improving the original??

After intensive brainpicking with Jigger John, field testing of overly long 20"wig- and rabbit jigs and a close look at Jensen Jig`s Pike Enthraller I´ve now decided on a commercial pike jig design. Most folks here think bottom bouncing when they hear "jig", so I started off with a very light, lead free 1/4th oz arky cavity, making clear it was a swim - jig.

As for weedlessness, I went for a weed-guard-optoion: I provide every jig with a hole in which the customer can glue in a 30 gauge weed guard if needed.

I like a little slower pace and more water movement than the wig jig and jensen designs, so I went for finn racoon as collar. The first cast in the harbour enticed a very large small mouthed flounder to follow up - promising and frustrating at the same time. A trip to a nearby lake was productive, though. 

I've been hooked on these baits the past few weeks. It started when I found a 1/8oz chatterbait that I bought a few years ago and came across it while looking for something else. I took off the rubber skirt and tied it using a combination of crosscut rabbit, rabbit zonkers and silicone rubber strands. During a slow evening when I couldn't buy a bite I tied it on and caught a nice bass on the second cast. Ended up with five more over the next hour before it got dark. I bought more the very next day and tied them using rabbit, craft hair or both. They have been working so well that I bought an Arky head mold and ordered a ton of blades to play with. Crazy tying addiction now has me at about 100+ of these in assorted colors, sizes and head styles. Was playing around and tied up a hot pink one and that even caught a couple bass last week. Black or white seems to work the best so far catching bass up to 4lbs at the couple of city park lakes close to home. Need to try the rivers soon since they are almost at normal level. Some pics... These are 1/4-1/2 oz. Even the heavier baits fish light for there size and can be fished in shallow water.            

For years, I pretty much used 3 jig sizes 1/32, 1/16. 1/24. This season, with everything being so much different, I find myself trying new and unusual things. Most notably, is the addition of 1/8, 3/16, 1/4 and 5/16 ounce jigs to the mix. Casting them is quite cumbersome as i am used to casting one size, one hook size etc etc. Usually, I dump a box of hooks on a baking sheet, sort out a decent pile and start casting. This year, casting 3 - 6 sizes at the same time my baking sheet technique takes up way too much space.

Ive tried a lot of things and each shows promise but each has distinct  disadvantages.  My current is a wire rack which when set up allows me room for 6 or more different hooks all neatly organized but is still cumbersome so I am reaching out and asking how everyone keeps multiple hook sizes organized during casting. I am toying the the idea of a lazy susan but hope someone has a better solution.

Lets hear it all y'all