Never too early to play....

[ctom]

.....with the goodies.



I cleaned out a box this morning, as in emptied it and washed it good with Dawn then set it out in the wind to dry. On Friday I did up a few hundred chartreuse tails for the 1.5" Thump-Its and then cooked these up today to go into said box. Some crappie Flukes in these same colors are next in line. For now this is a good start. Also on Friday after making tail stock I fired up the hot pot and cast a mess of 1/32, 1/24 and 1/16 heads all with keeper wires. After the flukes I'll whip up  these colors and a couple others in a coupe other pet bait profiles and then call it a good start on the spring run.

My pet lake north of town has had open water within 75 feet of my pet spring dock all winter thus far. Even with the crappy temps forecast for later this week I think any ice that forms will have a short life span given the current there so maybe I'll be fishing by late Feb or early March.

[Muskygary]

On the jigheads you cast; will you powder paint them, or leave them lead without any paint? (Got to think those three new powder paints will look good on crappie jigs)

[ctom]

I coat my heads with a transparent purple powder paint with lots of blue micro glitter in it. Basically the only color I use on crappie and walleye heads.

[Shaunm81]

Those look good ctom.  As far as the transparent purple head goes is that a protec color or somehow create something yourself?   That sounds like  a really nice color though. 

Oh and I'm wanting to keep jig heads like when they are first casted so would the pro tec clear coat work for that so that the lead wont fade ? I'm wanting to keep them solid chrome looking and no fading.  I noticed pro tec has chrome powder paint also but I'm not sure really what that would be like so I thought maybe that clear would work best for what I'm wanting to do?

[ctom]

I use transparent purple with a dash of the fine blue glitter found with the vinyl lure finish. Use clear protect to keep the heads shiny, not the chrome.

[Fatman]

Wow!! Very nice!! 

[senkosam]

They should sell great !

As for myself, clear body/tail in that design has done as well for me as well as never using painted jig heads. Just suggestions.

keeper wires

?
pic?

[Shaunm81]

Thanks Tom I'm going to pick that up here soon. Just trying to think what all I need next lol

[ctom]

I will, without fail, start my fishing day with the purple/chartreuse tail or junebug/chartreuse tail on the purple head. My second rod, without fail, will have the clear bluegill glitter/chartreuse tail or the clear partycrasher glitter/chartreuse tail and on a plain lead head as Sam suggests. 

[Lines]

Keeper wires?
https://store.do-itmolds.com/Round-Head-Jig-Wire-Keeper_c_373.html
Maybe?

[ctom]

Keeper wires?
https://store.do-itmolds.com/Round-Head-Jig-Wire-Keeper_c_373.html
Maybe?

Absolutely. I nip the keeper barb back by about half and find that that is plenty long enough on the smaller baits.

[Muskygary]

Tom, Have you tried the new purple or blue powder paint?

[ctom]

I have not. Yet to get it actually. It may be in today's mail.

Honestly Gary, I am more interested in the eyes. Those that I saw the last time I was there at headquarters were just unreal.

I plan to play with some transparent purple and a color shift pigment that goes between blue and purple to see if I can get it to bounce back and forth.

[WALLEYE WACKER]

Sweet bait’s Tom