Need advice

[Denny Welch]

I've been spending a lot of time on this spinnerbait page over the last couple weeks. Some the stuff that you guys are making is just incredible. I do not have any experience whatsoever in making spinnerbaits  or bending wire, etc. I'm going to get into it, however. What do they say, "In for a penny, in for a pound."

Could you guys give me some advice on where to look for some "how-to" reference materials, supplies, materials, etc?  Thanks in advance.

[ctom]

My best advice would be to move in with small jaw for the summer, maybe the winter too.

[BareKnuckleJigs]

Mr. Denny, how-to material, I'm not sure.  Without spending the money for a "wire bending machine", an absolute necessity is Round Nose Pliers.  They're a wire benders foundation in tooling (other than Wire Cutters, of course).  I'm a fan of "Brown Camo" Stainless Wire, also.  Round Nose Pliers, if You don't buy anything else but wire.

[smalljaw]

Denny, I'll be glad to help you with stuff and you don't really need an expensive wire former unless you want to make closed loop wire forms which I don't use but some like it as they can use a snap. I make my wire forms with a wire bender called "The Little Blue Bender", it is $25 dollars and you can crank out a lot of "R" bend wire forms. For a basic spinnerbait with the Do-it mold, I love the Ultra Minnow by the way, you only need .035 and .040 wire diameters, once you get it down I'll help you use smaller diameters but it really isn't required. I like .035 for 1/4oz and up to 1/2oz but .040 on a 1/2oz bait makes for a durable bait that you can throw on some big willows for a nice visual deal in stained water. Now the chart, I'll post a link to a chart that will help but there are 2 things that aren't correct, in the chart, the first is the ball bearing swivel, it says for a size #1 but a size #2 is the one you need and it works with everything from 1/4oz up to 3/4oz, the other is the split rings, you don't have to worry about this as most swivels come with them or if you use high Quality like Sampo or the ones I use exclusively, Worth, then they come with them but you can buy them separate in the Worth swivel and Worth makes a special light wire split ring just for their swivels so you don't need to be concerned with the size. Any other question I'll be happy to answer and help you along.       http://www.tacklemaking.com/default.php?pageID=63

[efishnc]

Spinners were my first love as far as bass fishing; and my biggest Delta fish, scaling in at 8-3, was caught on a spinner bait.  After my jig molds, the banana spinner was my first acquisition for auxiliary baits... I have several others now, but the banana will always be my favorite because of it's multiple features.  It is just so versatile that it I highly recommend it, especially for the person that is trying to keep a lower inventory of "stuff" from getting out of hand.  I have made and continue to make both spinners and buzzers from this same mold.  (I now use the buzz-keel for my bass buzzers, but I still use the banana for my musky buzzers because of the heavier weight option.)  The only modification I would recommend to this mold is to drill out the wire groove to .043. 

My spinners aren't works of art like the ones you see posted here (because they are for personal use only, and I know the fish under my boat aren't so snobbish that they will hold out for one with more bling).   The biggest thing, as you likely already know, is personal confidence... after that, it gets to be a matter of changing blades, skirt colors, trailers, etc. with the conditions... so just get dirty with it!

[Denny Welch]

Thanks, guys, for the posts and the PM's.  I'll probably make my first order within the next several weeks  and I'm sure I'll have more questions.  I'm with Efish on at least one thing..."pretty" really isn't in my vocabulary. 

[efishnc]

Denny - I only said my spinners aren't works of art, but I never said they weren't pretty... the fish under my boat at least have some standards!    (No offense taken or intended.)



Also, I use Mustad hooks, which are a bit longer than most others, and then I cheat them down in the mold so the hooks are well back of what most other spinner-baits have... the idea is to eliminate any need for a trailer hook.