CJ

Nice fish! Crankin' cold water with a Shad Rap! Good job!

Nice work!!!

First off, it all depends on what I want for the presentation. Some heads stand up on the bottom, some don't. Some swim well with the hook always up, some don't. That's just some things to think about. A good jig head that is tying friendly would be the tear drop for hair. I look at the collar on a jig head to make sure I have enough room for tying and I like the way a tear drop tapers down to the collar. Some heads can be tough to tie if it has a small collar and also look at the type of collar or keeper. Some arkie molds have just a ball on the end. This will give you less flair out of the hair when you tighten down on. Just a thought.

Very nice smalljaw! I noticed you did something I've been trying to learn, multiple jig head paint. Is that powder coat?

I personally have been throwing it on 12# fluorocarbon on a 6' 10" finesse jig rod (MH/Fast). Any spinnerbait rod would be good and you could go with a medium power. Slow roll them on the bottom has been best so far but I think you could fish them with about any spinnerbait type presentation. Sometimes on the slow retrieve I kill it to make sure I'm staying down on the bottom. Just what I've done so far.

You should go to "Tacklemaking" under forums on this sight, use the search bar, and you'll find everything you need to know.

I didn't read all replies but Sam hit on a big part of price difference. Look at Zoom. They pretty much throw their plastics in a basic labeled, zip lock. Rage Tail has clam shell packaging that keep all the lures in perfect form. Those clam shells aren't cheap. This is just a good example of the many expense's that are involved with getting the lures made to getting them to the shelves. Not saying that all Zoom are junk, there not. I do think Rage Tail is a fine line of baits!

Did you get the shallow or deep ones?

Last year the March BFL on KY Lake was won on a single Colorado spinnerbait. The TVA was pulling a lot of water and the lake was muddy. He was throwing a 3/4 OZ with, I think, a #6 size blade. He was fishing 3-5 ft. deep on flats at the mouths of the bays and in the back of some bays. I fish these spinnerbaits in that type conditions and I fish black ones at night during the summer. In both cases, I slow roll them on the bottom and make sure I'm making contact with the bottom most of the time. Colorado blades put out more vibration than willows so I look for a time I need to make more vibe (less viability). Spinnerbaits are a lure that will work year around and just about everywhere on the globe.

I believe there is a lot left to be discovered with this lure. The under spin jigs have been around for decades and are proven fish catchers. Most anglers love to fish these on deeper structure that has clear water during prespawn. However I bet this lure is going to be great throughout the year as a finesse type lure for those tough days where the fish don't want to bite. The test runs I did on this lure were more than I expected! The action of the buck tail and hackle are very unique and life-like. The profile of the bait is spot on and I think versatility in presentations will be a strong point too. I also expect that clear water isn't going to be mandatory for this lure to produce. This lure will be getting it's first real test at the ABA Championship in April on Lake Dardenelle!

It's a new mold called herring head jig

I make my own:

That's a good un' right there! Way to go! Funny how some big girls stay that deep this time of year.

Same identical bait. Both companies are Pradco. Pradco just dropped the Excalibur name all around.

I mean that when I pour the heads for this lure I have to use a ladle to pour it. I have a spout on my melting pot that will release the lead into the mold but these heads won't fill properly by using it. I have to pour the lead fast to get them full. Some molds will say that they are "ladle pour only", mostly spinnerbait molds.

I poured it myself. I tied a few out of the Shin Spin as well. It is a little tight around the collar.

Holy smokes! You da man Paul! After I read the story I felt like I was there and I'm being really nice to Nikki at this moment. Way to go bud. Looks like it's time! That is a chunk!!!

Love it!!!

I always line watch. Especially with a jerkbait because I can even use line watching as a reference for the action I'm trying to get for the bite. But yes I've had the line jump several times or a fish knock it slack. I always use 10# flouro As far as rod goes, I like my 6' med/mod overall but I do have a 6' 3" med fast. Med/fast will give you a sharper action when you twitch, bump, sweep, or yank. You have better hook up with a med light/mod and more fish will get in the boat, IMO. I like shorter rods to keep from hitting anything when I'm fishing it.

I like the dam end of this lake. I would bet some fish will spawn on the shallow flats around the islands if the bottom is right. I really like the long narrow point or gravel bar if the depth was right for prespawn. I like where the water drops off deep right off the shore (probably the only place I would get near the bank on this lake in prespawn) by the dam and I would be looking at the bends in the channels that run back into the bays.

There is no "rear back and set" to jerkbait fishing IMO. It's more like a sweeping motion of just a reel down and sweep. Most of the time with the right rod, line, and good hooks, a fish will hook themselves. Jerkbaits can be a more advanced fishing skill. Try to keep the mindset of feeding the lure to them, especially in cold water. Let them take it, don't take it away from the fish. They may just bump it and then come back and get it. As the water warms, they will get to where they crush it. Another thought is to not horse them to the boat once they're on, especially smallmouth and spots. The best day I ever had was on a jerkbait and I was having to free spool the big smallies and let them do what they wanted before I showed them the boat because when they seen the boat, it was round 2. Also know that sometime smaller fish like gills will bump them as well. So you could mistake them for bass. Usually if a big fish makes the move, they mean business. All these fish came on a jerkbait plus around 20 more 3-4 lb. + smallmouth and LM. Jerkbaits are deadly and a whole lot of fun once you get them down.

I know, I'm throwing some bucktail and feathers on everything but this is really my version of a classic. I built it from the pour up. I really like this mold but I found it's ladle pour only for me. The test run was great. Swims with the hook up! I used a really soft bucktail in a sexy shad pattern, one twisted saddle hackle and a couple really soft yet long neck hackles for the top feathers. Then accented with some blue pearl flash. You can't tell in the photo but it really makes the gray back pop. I kept the profile a little more slim for my style but I bet this will catch em!

Looks like you got a good start. I bet they would catch fish!

Those jigs are nice! I have to admit I winch down hard my jigs but I'm also tying bigger profile baits. I even snap 280 Ultra thread at times. I really don't like GSP (gel spool). It's just too slick and doesn't hold material as well but extremely strong.