Wire length

[Muskygary]

When you make the spinnerbaits, what length of straight wire do you use? Is there a certain lengtj you use per wire size (.035) or do you aim to end over the spinnerbait head? Does anyone use wire off of the spools, or is it to hard to straighten?

[smalljaw]

The length of wire I use is different for different size baits, for example, on a normal size 1/4oz spinnerbait I cut a rough length of 5" off of a coil of wire, for 3/8oz I cut 5.75" off and for a 1/2oz I'll cut a rough length of 6.5". I buy wire in coils, it springs off pretty good and toward the end of a coil you will have to do minimal straightening but nothing too bad. If you buy pre-made wire forms, they will sometimes give you dimensions like a hook leg and a blade leg or arm, this is where it gets tricky, some will give you a hook leg length of like 1.5" or so, that is the amount of wire that sticks out the end of the bait and it varies based on the size. There are times you'll get the entire dimension which is also kind of wrong as the don't take the hook bend or the "R" bend into account. The amount of wire coming out of the head will vary but you can adjust it, I tend to use a smaller length coming out of the head when using small diameter wire but there is a point where the bait will get off balance to the point it will lay over on its side when you reel at all but the slowest of speeds .

[efishnc]

Similar to SJ, I typically cut .041 or .043 wire for my spinner-baits at 6", which just happens to be the length of the "Little Blue Bender"... (this is a must have tool if you are bending lots of wires); then I slide the wire inside the handle of the LBB, which is 2.75", holding my finger at one end and marking the other to get my bending point... (you can mark it with your fingernails or put a small kink in the wire to mark it); then I put that mark between the pins to make my R-bend (and I personally try to bend 180 degrees opposite of the coil bend).  This would be what I refer to as my standard spinner frame and I use it on both 3/8 & 1/2oz.  Once you get the hang of measuring with this method you can really produce your wire forms in blinding speed.

My Bass buzz-baits are 7", Musky spinners are 8", Musky buzz-baits are 10" (all on .051 wire), and marks on your bench or a mounted steel rule make these easy to duplicate with efficiency... I use my musky buzzers and spinners without a leader, so I am a little more generous with the wire between my line and the hook.

The best part of making your own wire forms is customizing for the feel and action you are personally looking for and getting something that you cannot find in the store.