Custom Baits - Forum
Jigs, Spinnerbaits and Sinkers => Crappie / Pan Fish Jigs => Topic started by: ctom on 03/13/21 13:58 UTC
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Not really jigs, but still crappie tackle. I'm a huge fan of the Thill Mini-Stealth floats and have been for thirty years or more, but alas they seem to be going the way of the Edsel so I picked up some materials and set out to make floats that will serve me instead of the the Thills when I run out of them.
(https://i.imgur.com/1abAY3Y.jpg)
These are done using simple hard foam bodies gotten from Hagens. I ordered the 1/8" arcylic stock off fleabay. I made a jig for the drill press to drill the small holes in the ends of the acrylic sticks after cutting to the length I wanted then hand drilled the float bodies using a 1/8" drill bit. Some gel super glue fixed the sticks to the bodies, then some 3/32" latex air line tubing was cut slip on the sticks should I choose to use the floats as fixed ones instead of slip style.
A buddy and I were up early and drove to the big river to check a backwater where we did well last fall but it was still locked in ice. We took a peek at a marina but the same thing. So....we drove back towards home and detoured back down to the lake north of home and hit the dock again if for no other reason than to try the floats with different jig weights. The smaller size will handle 1/32 and 1/24 heads with plastics very nicely. The larger does very well with a 1/16 or the 3/32 heads with plastics. Rigged as slip floats both sizes let line flow thru the holes easily and casting was a charmer. Cost-wise, what is seen in the picture cost about 2/3 of the $2.49 to $2.99 per Thill float and I've still got enough materials to make about 60 more floats. The trickiest part of the whole operation was making the jig to hole the length of plastic stick to drill the small line holes but once the jig was set up things moved along real nice so I should be set for floats for a while now.
For comparison, here's a picture of the Thill Mini-Stealth floats and the one on the right shows the rigging to one's line to make it a static bobber using the latex bands that come with the floats. For water under four feet I prefer the static rigging but have fished this way down to 7 feet if there is no wind. The latex band slides up on the stem out of the way to rig for a slip style float.
(https://i.imgur.com/4uYw7TO.jpg)
What sets these floats apart from most all others is their ability to tip over with the slightest of up-ward hits regardless of how they are rigged. An upward hit is seen instantly.
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Nothing more aggravating that using something for years that works and you like and they quit making it!!!
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'll be trying some balsa too. Would prefer balsa.
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Those look great Tom. What size foam did you use to make them? Thanks.
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The smaller are 5/8", larger are 3/4". I also have 1/2". All from Hagens. The stems are 1/8" acrylic ordered from a Chinese source off fleabay. The stem pieces are all cut at 1 1/2", drilled then glued into the bodies. The line holes in the stems are done with a 1/16" brad point bit. After cutting the stems to length I bent a paper clip to use one end, heated with a propane torch, to put an indent in the arcylic, then drilled on the drill press. The indent and brad point bit keep things centered otherwise the bit likes to wander off center of the acrylic. I used a 1/8" brad point bit to hand ream the holes in the foam bodies. Again the brad point follows the small hole in the bodies that they arrive having so you end up with a fairly straight stem after gluing.
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Thanks for the added information Tom. It is really appreciated.
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We fished these today and they work super nice rigged both as a fixed float [see the Thill picture posted before for rigging fixed] and as a slip float. 1/24 and 1/16 heads were being fished and both sizes worked great. I'm calling this a success.
The Thill Mini-Stealth in size bb2 and bb4 have been my go tos for years but with them totally unavailable I had to try something and these are as close to those as a guy can get quickly, however I am going to use the same acrylic stems and try my hand at turning balsa floats very near identical to the Thills. I'll seal them with clear lacquer them paint them with CS vinyl paints. The ever handy Dremel will be my lathe for the task. I hope to get rolling on this venture during the next week.
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Nice!!