Custom Baits - Forum
Jigs, Spinnerbaits and Sinkers => Bass Jigs => Topic started by: Bayou Burner on 01/08/19 12:11 UTC
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1st off, I’m new to the forum and like to ask if anyone has modded a Snootie head jig to accept a screw lock keeper. If so, how would one go about it. Thanks.
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Can't help with the mod, but welcome aboard Bayou Burner!
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Thanks!
A little info on me: I’m from SE Texas and generally fish salt/Brackish water. Interested in making my own jigheads as I lose them occasionally to snags, trees, etc. lol. The Snootie jig has sparked my interest as I use a similar type jig w/a screw lock. Going to be used with soft plastics no skirt. I do fish for Bass but not often. I catch Bass in the Brackish water I fish from time to time though. Ive been watching a ton of videos on YouTube and soaking up much as I can.
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Welcome aboard from Southern Iowa Bayou Burner. I know there are many members in here who do marvelous mods on jig head molds. I'm sure someone will help you out.
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I really love the Snootie, that is my heavy cover pitching jig. Since you aren't going to use a skirt you can slide the plastic bait you are putting on it right up onto the ball collar. Now I know you are worried about that and I have a solution that is easier. Modifying your mold to add a screw lock coming out of the collar isn't hard but it will take time and patience and you can mess up the mold easily. Instead of a screw lock use a wire keeper like what is on the Mid West Finesse jig or new Freestyle jig. The mod is easy, put you hook in the mold and add the wire keeper, you can even use the longer keeper that is available. Once you hook is in then lay the keeper in the mold so the top of the keeper wire in in the ball section of the collar. Then when it is in place you can close the mold and hold it tight and strike the mold with a dead blow hammer or rubber mallet. If you don't have any of those then place a block of wood on each side of the mold and strike it with a regular hammer, by doing that it will make an indent in each mold half that you can carve out with a Dremel. If you have a vise you can do the same thing except instead on hitting it with a hammer you put the mold in a vise, wood blocks on each side of the mold, and crank the vise until the mold is closed. Take an engraving bit for the Dremel and just widen out the area on each mold half until the mold closes. It took me longer to explain this as it does to make the mod, I've done this to every ball collar jig mold I have and it works great for holding your plastic in place and is easier to to do than the screw lock.
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Thanks for the suggestion, Smalljaw! Thanks Line! I really don’t like that type of keeper and I’m partial to the screw locks- Sometimes those Seatrout/Snook that I chase get color picky and it’s easily for me to change out colors with those. Your description was great and I will definitely consider using it though. I’ve been eyeballing the shake it jig also. That mold looks great. I could definitely utilize that one as it uses a larger hook for my needs. Thanks again for the help and welcoming me to a great forum!
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When did snook start showing up in numbers around your area. Lived there almost all my life until I moved to southeastern\central Louisiana.
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When did snook start showing up in numbers around your area. Lived there almost all my life until I moved to southeastern\central Louisiana.
About 3 years ago- The pattern has held true from mid to late February though October/November. Small 5-15lb class Tarpon too.
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Hi BB-
Another option, and probably the quickest, is to attach your screw locks to the eye of the jig, but I'm guessing you'll want something with a longer shank than commercially available so you will have to make your own... this is easily done by wrapping some stainless wire around a nail (while using pliers or vice-grip to hold it), then make the connecting hook/loop (with round nose pliers) as far from the coil as you desire... I make similar keepers for some of my plastics on muskie baits.
Best of luck in your tinkering... (keep us posted on your success or further needs).
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Interesting, Fished many a day all around east bay, sabine lake, big lake, south shore, and the jetties. Never once heard of one being caught. I really miss the fishing at times there, but the marsh over here is abundantly beneficial to me. Around Sabine Lake I could catch bass, reds, trout, and flounder. Here we can do it in the same canal and even add crappie. Still no snook though. I bet that is a pretty cool experience.
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Interesting, Fished many a day all around east bay, sabine lake, big lake, south shore, and the jetties. Never once heard of one being caught. I really miss the fishing at times there, but the marsh over here is abundantly beneficial to me. Around Sabine Lake I could catch bass, reds, trout, and flounder. Here we can do it in the same canal and even add crappie. Still no snook though. I bet that is a pretty cool experience.
I have some family from Alexandria and years ago, we used to fish Calcasieu Lake every spring. Love that’s place. I’m a little further south from Sabine. Chocolate Bayou/Bay, part of the Galveston bay complex. I tried to post some pics from my phone but no luck. I linked my biggest Snook and a Tarpon from Fishbrain.
https://fishbrain.onelink.me/2683494222?af_dp=fishbrain://v2/catches/VRYJJEu4&af_web_dp=https://fishbrain.com/v2/catches/VRYJJEu4&pid=share_catch
https://fishbrain.onelink.me/2683494222?af_dp=fishbrain://v2/catches/tIz_ZoIv&af_web_dp=https://fishbrain.com/v2/catches/tIz_ZoIv&pid=share_catch
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Thanks for the suggestion, efishnc! That sounds like a quick rig up.
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Nice looking fish. As a kid we had a camp on the Bolivar Peninsula and I fished the east bay everyday or made the run down the IC to galveston wells and jetties. Lost the biggest speck of my life in Big Pastuer Bayou. That was easily a 28 inch fish which sounds crazy. Caught some really great fish in the bay and big lake. Seen a few 29 inch fish but not on my hook. My aunt lives right down from the dog track and I still have plenty of family that way. Storms really took a toll on all my child hood spots. Orange to Houston has seen way to much water in the last 10 years and my family and friends have had some rough times but recovered well. I know fish the cocodrie area over here most days. Lots of water to fish but have seen coastal erosion and just how fast it works the last 23 years. Fishing is good for numbers but trophy trout are rare. I think I have caught a handful of 5 lb. plus fish with 6 being the biggest. Numbers are nice and they make for great eating and cooking with friends. I really like the new free style jig and it is a great fit over here on our swim baits and eels. I actually like the hook keepers on the jig heads but do use screw locks on the swim bait hooks with the lead on the shank. Midwest finesse is nice on stick baits and carrots. If I was back home though with some sand bars and less oyster reefs I would use a stand up or snootie.
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I do plenty of fishing down here in south Louisiana hell I'm in in the gulf watching fish wishing I could fish them right now haha but i have been on A big bass kick lately since they dont have much water to fish them anymore figured I'd fish them while we still have some between the saltwater moving further up and them gating everything off it's getting to be slim pickings these days
Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk
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Welcome aboard Letsgofishing985! Always fun to hear from other parts of the country and what's offered for fishing where you're at.
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Letsgo where you fishing at down here
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putting a coilform on a snootie is actually pretty easy and does not hurt the mold
shakybass on ebay sells 3 sizes of coil forms, the smallest of which is 1/8" diameter, the same as the weed guard pin
I just turned down the last 1/4" or so of a 1/8" pin to fit inside the coil form to keep the lead out and it casted just fine with no further mold mods
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Welcome aboard the Do-It forums mkg! That's a slick mod for casting those springs. I like the concept.
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Doubtful that you are a true newb with that as your first post, mkg, but welcome to the forum.
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That looks great! I’m intending to use it as a jighead w/a spring lock keeper though.
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Yea, I've been reading you guys stuff for a while now,
Gotten some good ideas
Thought I'd share my latest project
I like using the 5/8 oz snootie for flipping, but sometimes wish it were heavier
so I made my own 1oz and 1 1/4oz snootie style jigs
These were poured from a bondo mold over a 7/0 Mustad flipping hook
Time for testing, the ice is gone