Will Wetline

I paint 2 - 4 dozen jigs at a sitting and have done hundreds using TJ's Tackle 3" fluid bed. Once you get a feel for this system the results are consistently excellent, much better than dipping the jig into the jar. I believe TJ's fluid bed is offered at the best price out there and has worked with no problems. https://www.tjstackle.com/ If you're curing in a toaster oven, spend another few bucks on an oven thermometer so you'll know the exact temperature. You'll enjoy these modest investments for years.

Bob, this day was very unusual regarding hook setting the TRD. Using the procedure described in my post, I regularly land 90% or better. Wish I had underwater footage to see how these missed fish were taking the bait.

Weather report was for sun/haze and 0 - 7 mph wind. Surface temp: 64.3º. By 8:00 I had taken a keeper and a 2 1/2 lb. smallmouth on a popper. Nothing else happening on my first spot so I moved to a large flat to do some "spybaiting" with a Duo Realis Spin Bait 80. I've been fishing this bait for a number of seasons now but don't hear others talking about it, probably because to present it effectively, you use a snooze-inducing cadence - just let it wobble along slowly, fore and aft props whirring. If you have the patience to do this, you'll get a rude awakening from time to time. Early afternoon found me working a long ridge. Nothing deep on the northern end and further disappointment throughout the shallower areas. Would they be coming out of the depths on the southern end mid afternoon? Anchored at about 15' and casting a TRD on a 1/16 oz. Midwest Finesse (mushroom) jighead, I found them but had a problem - I couldn't keep these finicky eaters hooked! My SOP with a TRD is to casually reel down to the fish and firmly sweep set. This afternoon the fourth and the fifth jumped, throwing the bait. All five were between three and four pounds. It's not my style to smash rods on the gunnel so I took a short break. Back at it, I hooked up again. Now I could go home smiling.

What a day!

It was cool and bright early morning. Surface temp was 60.7º. It could be time for topwater. The Duo Realis Popper 64 enticed this smallie and two others which were slightly smaller. Caught this smallmouth with a Canon PowerShot D20. Others have reported seeing many beds; I have spotted relatively few for this time of the season. Weather report was for 5 - 10 mph wind. From 10:30 - 1:30 the water was whitecapped. Then it calmed down enough for the black gnats and I to enjoy my sandwich. By 2:30 I had had enough but I wanted one more fish. A decent smallmouth took a quick look at a Z-Man Jerk ShadZ then veered off. It was time for a TRD to be walked slowly across the bottom. So ended another beautiful, challenging day on Quabbin.

Yes. I don't like the sound of braid for one thing and I can tie a required braid-to-fluoro knot but don't care to. I get adequate distance with straight fluoro to catch clear water smallies so I plan to keep things quiet and simple.

My favorite rod for 3/32 oz. marabou jigs and 1/8 oz. bucktail jigs is St. Croix's Avid 7' Medium Light rod. I like the TFO Resolve 7' 6" ML stick too but was surprised I don't get more distance with it than the 7' St. Croix. I've got Shimano Stradic 2500s on both rods and fill the spools with 6 lb. Seaguar Invizx.

Don, my steelhead fishing buddy for 20+ years, decided d to turn to the dark side. What this meant is that instead of chasing big, berserk trout in New York's Salmon River, he wanted to join me on a trip to Quabbin Reservoir for feisty smallmouth. Don asked what he should bring besides food and drink. Told him to layer up and wear a light rain jacket to shed spray. And don't forget Wanda's wonderful coffee cake. Set Don up with a Rapala DT6 while I tried to get a reaction to a Z-Man Jerk Shadz, a homemade spinnerbait or a Duo Realis Spin Bait 80. No takers. Took a break and enjoyed a snack. Deep and slow might do it and this modest smallie agreed. Don was a good sport in a small boat but we both had enough rocking and rolling by late morning. We motored through the big water carefully to a location with somewhat less wind and, we hoped, a few more fish. Tried reaction baits again and a smallie came up for a look at the Jerk ShadZ but did not take. Don diligently cranked the DT6 without response. Time for another piece of coffee cake and then back to the bottom with the TRD. By mid afternoon dark clouds had rolled in. We were tired of dragging the 12 lb. anchor and resetting it. And the smallies were not being sociable. Let me end this report with a thank you, Don, for your good company and a thank you to Wanda for your world class coffee cake which, if I could have figured out how to keep it on the hook, would have been enjoyed by the bass as well.

Another cold, cloudy, breezy morning. First stop was a spot so secret only 500 or so other anglers knew it. Conditions here are very particular for it to be "on" and they were not, so I moved on. Worked rocky-bottomed areas of a large flat but nothing moving here. Traveled Outside to a spot I always check and got not the faintest of taps. Back Inside I checked both deep ends of a long ridge thoroughly. Nada. Moved to the high point of this ridge which appears to be about 8' deep this year. Could a smallie be cruising around here? Picked up the rod with a 4" Z-Man Scented Jerk ShadZ, a good bait to throw to work out frustration, and started snapping it. Whaddya know - it got whacked! Twenty minutes later a second smallie took the soft jerkbait. Reworked the area with an ultra-reliable Z-Man Finesse TRD and it produced the biggest smallmouth of the day, 3.70 lbs. I no longer smelled like skunk and could rejoin civilization. The sky over the dock was changing as I unloaded the boat; there were dark clouds, bright clouds, brief showers and some blue. I will welcome the sun when I'm out again next week.

Yes sir! Those are fine fish.

My goodness, we have a poetess!

This 4.21 lb. smallmouth took palmered black and purple marabou I tied on a 3/32 oz. Midwest Finesse jighead April 21.

Not optimistic about the bite on my ride in the countryside to Quabbin. There were patches of fog to drive through and it was cold. It had been dark with showers the past few days and the ten day forecast was not encouraging. It seems that spring has stalled. When I got to my first spot, the sky was clearing and there was a nice ripple on the water. A suspending jerkbait to start? Nah, keep it small and subtle with a bucktail retrieved slowly, rod tip angle high to gently pop the jig off rocks. On the third cast I felt a sharp tap. Let's call this a 4.01 lb. attitude adjustment fish. Ten minutes later the surface went flat. This is a time for reflection. Sip coffee. Eat a bagel. Think deep thoughts. See, when the water is calm, the smallies get skittish and seek depth for security. I relaxed until the breeze came back. By late morning I had worked this area thoroughly and took off in search of more wind in a soon-to-be spawning area. Made a couple dozen casts with a favorite Lucky Craft suspending jerkbait. I got no response so went back to the jig. Remember - swim it low and slow, pop it gently off bottom obstructions and into the mouth of . . . Aargh! Here's the day's best bass - 4.18 lbs. - in the day's worst pic. A smile for the last fish. It's 3:00 and this graybeard needs to rest and be at work early the next morning. Before leaving, let's dissect the bad boy bucktail: The head is cast from an 88% bismuth/12% tin alloy. The cavity used is 1/8 oz. in Do-it's Round Head Jig Mold With Socket Eye. The thread collar is 140 denier. The hair that breathes and moves sinuously behind the jighead is, as you know, from the tail of a deer. If you like, a final touch would be two strands of black/red Flashabou-Grizzly Accent. Don't overdo it here because what you'll get with a "less is more" understanding regarding bait making (and presentation) is more fish interest.

This day, my first of the season on Quabbin, the weather was agreeable and I was thinking the smallies might be too. The game plan was to work deep edges of flats and steep drops off rock humps. The bait was a jig that has risen in my early season go-to selection: a 3/32 oz. black/purple marabou pattern, palmered on a mushroom jighead. In the course of my eight hour day, I spotted very few cruisers and had only one smallmouth inhale the jig I was working just fast enough to keep it out of the rocks. But hey, if you're only gonna hook up once, let it be a 4.21 lb. smallmouth! Rod: 7' or 7' 6" ML power, fast action. Reel: 2500 size. Line: a full spool of 6 lb. fluorocarbon. Surface water temps ranged from 49.9º to 54.6º.

The stacked marabou on the mushroom jighead, the hackle tailed marabou minnow, the spinnerbaits and the Bio-Silk skirted, Z-Man split tail jig are new this year. Other baits have come from my bench during the winter design/building season of the past few years.

This bait is designed to be tossed shallow and slowly worked down a steep break to depth. At this point, it will be moseyed along the bottom. Cold water smallies aren't in a hurry. Skirt materials: A few strands of flash on each side of the head will do. LurePartsOnline Bio-Silk is lively stuff. 220 denier thread lashes it all together. The SPRO-Gamakatsu size 0 BB interlock swivel ensures a quick swap of blade size, type and finish. I am also sure that there's no way I'll be attempting to open a fine wire split ring in a small boat that's rocking! We'll be dropping in on chilly Quabbin smallies during the opening week of the season.

Last year was the first time I fished palmered marabou and the water temp was 47º on their first outing. Review: I would certainly try them at a colder temperature, along with bucktail and bear, but remember a key to successful presentation is to work them very slowly.

Invest in the German made. They don't flex.

With the exception of tying the skirt, this is an assembly project rather than a scratch built bait. A wide selection of pre-made skirts are available from LPO if you don't care to thread wrap, wire tie or use a rubber collar. The well-designed and painted head, Bio-Silk silicone skirt material, the SwimTail trailer and the hex willow blades all come from LurePartsOnline.com. The German round nose pliers, split ring pliers, beads, clevis and swivel are from barlowstackle.com. Both of these component suppliers have deep inventories which have been satisfying my bait making needs for years.

Palmered on the left, stacked on the right. As good as the Hareline blood quills are, there's lots of marabou left to tie in line with the shank. I've got a good supply of marabou jigs to start the season, mostly black/purple and brown/burnt orange, so now it's goodbye to fussy feathers and on to spinnerbait making.

OkobojiEagle's post, "Stacking Marabou vs. Palmering," rekindled my interest in working with this fine feather. https://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/topic/245309-stacking-marabou-vs-palmering/#comment-2815248 In the past, I had gotten frustrated working with this fluffy stuff so, before making another mess, I did some research and turned up one excellent video and a second well worth watching: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_WjQkfU_cSQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JPUotb8qN4w Let's start by looking at a few items on the bench. Clockwise from 12:00, you see a jar of head cement which penetrates well and is more controllable than thin super glue. Next is a cut down strap with a tab of velcro on the end used to smooth out ruffled feathers. You definitely want a waste container. Above the bobbin with a spool of 210 thread is J. Stockard's Deluxe Hackle Plier which opens much easier than English hackle pliers. https://www.jsflyfishing.com/products/hackle-plier-deluxe?variant=43244906447077&gclid=Cj0KCQjw2cWgBhDYARIsALggUhrokqLaKRzhhSRTdpZgi1aejOYIT0CTWrpJy-1-OVe6HbPhHfX-8jAaAiaOEALw_wcB Here's a 3/32 oz. Midwest Finesse head with an Owner 5313 size 1 hook. Continue the thread base down the shank if you want to add a wire bait keeper (Do-it WB-800) for a piece of soft plastic. This is the marabou you want. $4.15/pk. from J. Stockard. Full, fluffy, thin-stemmed. Note the curves in the stems. Wetting the tops will keep individual feathers (barbs) out of the way when tying in. Stroke and hold back the rest best you can. Leave enough stem to grasp with hackle pliers. Around and around she goes. Smooth the feathers back as you wrap. Don't set the hook in your flesh. Patience thin? Take a break and remind yourself that tools can be bought but patience must be developed. First feather tied off and second progressing. Be careful not to wet feathers yet to be wrapped but you can dampen a couple of fingers and stroke down those already secured. Saturate the finished wraps with head cement. Have your wondered how these delicate offerings hold up? The jig on the left is fresh out of the vise. The one on the right looks battle weary and it is. Many retrieves have dragged it slowly over sand, rock, rubble, and along the way it had been taken by five smallies. It will be back in action when my season starts in a few weeks.

https://barlowstackle.com/WB800-Keeper-Wire-Form-P3024/ oe, the above keeper is 13/16" long. I put it up against a head I cast from the Do-it Midwest Finesse mold with an Owner 5313 hook (my preferred hook) and it ends right about where the curve of the hook starts. If you're not casting your own you could cut the wire to desired length and wrap it on with thread.

Little George

I've never had a problem with flow. Keep 3 lbs. - 5 lbs. in the pot. Adjust the valve rod as needed for drips, of course. Pewter was a problem, however. It's only 2/3 the weight of lead and it's even more expensive stuff. I put only 1 lb. into the pot and result was drip, drip, drip rather than a steady flow. It may be that a few more ingots would have been an improvement. My solution was to buy Lee's 4 lb. melting pot and use a ladle, something I had wanted to try anyway.

Massachusetts and other New England states has had lead restrictions on lead use for weights and jigs for a few years now. There's information here for not only lure builders who want to "get the lead out," but those who are thinking about getting into jig making, lead or alloy. The Lee Production Pot IV is the standard of the industry used by the hobbyist. It holds 10 lbs. of molten metal and features adjustable heat control. Metal is dispensed from the bottom of the pot. This melter is available from: barlowstackle.com and lurepartsonline.com. These companies also carry molds, hooks, paint, skirts - just about everything you need for lure making. Put the goggles on before you plug the pot in. The container from a turkey pot pie catches most drips but there will be the occasional splatter that escapes. Do not forget to use eye protection. The alloy I've settled on melts at 395º. A "3" setting works well. Have you been wondering about the screwdriver in the first photo? It fits the slot in the top of the valve rod and is used to adjust dripping. Some amount is to be expected with this mechanism because the rod moves a bit with each lift of the handle. One pound ingots of 88% bismuth and 12% tin are available from Rotometals,Inc., a long-established company in California. Here'a a link to this alloy which will take enough heat without melting to fully cure powder paint: https://www.rotometals.com/lead-free-bullet-casting-alloy-bismuth-based/ Read the specs and reviews. In 2012, I opened the mold after my first pour with a bismuth based alloy. I admired the fully formed jig for a while and then, no matter how much I yanked and cursed, I could not get the jig out! What I didn't know at the time was that bismuth is one of the very few substances found on our planet that expands as it cools. And this is why you need Drop Out mold release. https://www.amazon.com/Frankford-Arsenal-Aerosol-Release-Reloading/dp/B00EVNSFKY Sprayed with Drop Out, hook and keeper in place, you are now ready to pour. You can make about 4 dozen pours before you need to let the mold cool down and recoat with release. Filed and ready for paint.