cadman

It is cheaper to buy jigs at the store when it comes down to it. Start -up cost is about $200 give or take with a mold and all the hooks, safety equipment, lead, melting pot, powder paint, toaster oven, and a bunch of other things I'm sure I forgot. Now if you want to do this as a hobby and a passion to make something with your hands and then fish it, well then I would say go for it. All the stuff I'm referring to is regarding jigs. If you are going to start out pick one avenue to follow. Don't try to do them all. If it's cranbaits stick with that until you've mastered it if it's jigs or plastics then pick one and stick to it. If you try to do them all you will get overwhenlmed with too much info and you'll give up for sure and waste a lot of money in the process. Just my thoughts.

Gman, You will run into some snags, don't give up, it does get easier. Your jigs will come out just fine. If you have more questions you can post here or Pm me and I will help answer all of your questions.

Well this is what I checked on my #5304 hooks. 3/0 hook.... wire diameter is .057 with an inside radius of .060 on the eyelet 4/0 hook.... wire diameter is .057 with an inside radius of .061 on the eyelet The eyelet diameter of the pin in the mold is as follows: 1 oz = .092 diameter 3/4 oz = .083 diameter 5/8 oz = .090 diameter 1/2 oz = .076 diameter 3/8 oz = .074 diameter 1/4 oz = .066 diameter Now mind you my molds are pretty well used so the pin diameters in the molds are worn, that is probably why the 3/4 oz cavity diameter is out of normal sequence. It's probably from constantly putting 5304 hooks in there to make them fit and the pin got smaller. All this info is really irrelavant. I know that the #5304's do not fit in both of the Brush jig molds without some pin modification. The Mustad fit perfectly, which is what that mold was intended for. But like you, I love the #5304 hook, and have modified the mold to use that hook. Also a side note. If you do not get the mold halves to close tight all the way , you will get a lot of flash on the jig head. Which is a pain to constantly keep cutting off.

Gman, Are you saying that the 4/0 #5304 eyelet is smaller than the 3/0 #5304 eyelet? I will check and report my findings to you tomorrow.

To be on the safe side when you do modify it, try to file the hook eye pin that is in the mold to sort of a point on both mold halves. This way when you put the Mustad 32786 or the Owner 5304 hook in the mold, the pin will at least hold both hooks in place whlle you pour. Good luck and let us know how it goes.

The 5304 hook is not meant for that mold. The inside diameter on the 5304 hook eye is smaller than the pin in the mold. The brush jig mold is meant for a Mustad 32768 hook as every Mustad hook size fits in each one of those cavities. So with that said you have several options. You either file down the pin in the mold or you completely remove the pin. Now if you file the pin, at least it will hold the hook in place. If you remove the pin, your hook eye especially on the #5304 will be loose in the mold resulting the hook eye moving around and may result in the hook eye being poured too close to the lead. However you can remedy this problem, by pushing the hook eye as far as possible to the top of the hook eye cavity, when you do this, take some tape and tape the hook bend to the mold. This will keep the hook from moving around. I filed my mold, because I love the #5304 hook. If you have further questions feel free to e-mail me.

The hook on the Trokar Arky is a vertical hook or regular eye not a flat eye. With that said, you will have to use double split rings on all these hooks. I'm not saying it won't work, but to me double split rings is a hokie way to make a quality chatterbait. JMPO. Also I don't know how big the eyelets are in all the hooks, so a split ring may or may not fit in all the hooks eyelets. I know the 5304 have smaller eyelets. All you can do is try it and see how it goes. If you have the mold you have nothing to lose.

If it were me and I wanted to buy a another mold ( I already have a 150) of them , I would buy the Trokar Arky mold. Reason being is you can use Trokar hooks if you want to spend the money on hooks, but better yet you can use a whole bunch of the listed hooks if they actually fit. With that said, you can use your 5304, 5317 and then you can even use EWG hooks. Overall it is the best possible choice with a lot of options. Also an Arky jig is excellnt for skipping under docks, open water swimming and rocks. Its only drawback would be weeds. Not too good for weed with its broad head, however buy yourself a different mold for that, and you will be set for any and all conditions. As far as chatterbaits go, I would buy them from someone that makes them and call it a day. Not worth screwing around with opening up hook eyes. I know you will not open a 5304 hook eye as they are very hard and they will snap. Hope this helps. One other thing go to Tackle Warehouse they have the mold you're looking for and it is the cheapest price I've found anywhere on the i-net, and if you order over $50.00 free shipping. If you need any more detailed info PM me. No I don't work for Tackle Warehouse or am affiliated with them in any way.

Wow, that's impressive. Very nice work on that real.

Nice ideas guys. definitely something different. Don't worry Spring will be here soon and we'll all be back on the water. I remember a couple of years ago when the chatterbait hit . There were so many copies it wasn't even funny. Many of the luremakers I know were getting cease and desist letters from the chatterbait lawyers. What a fiasco. I never got into them either. I have a couple of the originals and never caught a bass on it.

Well that's thinking out of the box. Very creative. I'm curious how well that works with the hook moving around?

Keith, Very nice looking bait. When I fish cranks especially for smallies a #5 and #7 Shad Rap are my go to baits. Very nice tight wobble.

I would use something like naphta, lacquer thinner or alcohol. They clean fast and they flash off fast as well.

Looks really nice and clean.

I mainly fish painted jigs. Usually black and blue, green pumpkin and brown and orange. I don't fish un-painted jig. However, many guys catch fish on raw jigs. I think this is a personal choice and a confidence thing.

Nice paint job and definitely something different. Job well done.

Hands down powder paint. For several reasons its harder than any spray on paint, you can do multi-color once you practice enough and it's just fast and easy. No muss no fuss. I f you are looking for a powder paint tutorial PM me and I'll send you instructions on how to.

For the Spoon, the stainless steel wire is probably somewhere around .020 diameter. For the weedguard on the hook that is about .012 diameter, which compresses more.

Very Nice. Good colors

You can make them out of lead, paint them and tie your own skirt on them. Lead is soft and won't abraid line like tungsten does or plastic. PM me your e-mail and I will send you a pic to see if that is what you are looking for.

I have the oppurtunity to buy (2) of the above rods for $200 shipped. Naturally they are used but in very good condition. Except one rod does have some marks by the hook keeper looks like clear coat has come off a little. Would this be an issue with the blank? Also Is that a fair price for this rod?

If you buy a generic lead jig you can paint it any color you want and sell it with any skirt you want. If you buy a Trademarked name like let's say for example "Strike King Whopper Stopper" and sell it as that you will run into legal issues. Also unique jig designs from major companies usually are proprietary and you cannot copy and sell them. The other thing with jigs is you aren't going to buy jigs from Strike King, take them apart and repaint them. It's not cost effective. There are many places where you can purchase raw jigs paint and skirt them yourself and then sell them.

All I can say is get MSDS sheets from the manufacturer. I went and opened up the Spike-It it actually does have a scent to it. Naturally I wouldn't stick my nose in there and keep inhaling it. You have to do what is best for you.

Is there something you are alergic to. The reason I ask is that all the blade dips have no smell, so you can use these in your house with no problem. What are you trying to accomplish?

Well, I accidentally put it on my fingernail and it started to disintegrate. No not really. If it's anything like Spike-It blade dip, I use it for blades and stuff and other than the fact that it stains badly if spilled, there is no harm using it. Have at it and just make sure to keep it covered. If you need to clean it off your hands, acetone will work.