Hopalong7

When you start up, while your lead is coming up to temperature, set your mold on top of the pot and let it warm up too, then your first pour should be as gold as your last.

#1- french fry #2- refer to #1 no, not the crispy ones, the soft plastic ones.

My all time favorite "searching" bait. Yes, fish it often, n fish it slow...Anytime the water has warmed significantly and the fish have moved up. I always kept a jig or worm rigged on another rod handy, and would buzz a stump or log or any good looking shallow cover, and as soon as I cleared the cover, switch rods and drop in the jig, right on the cover...Bingo...One of my favorite tactics when partner fishing is for one of us throwing a buzzer, with the other ready with the jig/worm to fire in there, right behind the buzzer. Even when it doesn't produce a strike, it excites 'ol bucket mouth and when the jig or worm drops in right behind...it's on... In fairly open cover I'd often hang a large treble on for a trailer. I also used a "soft" rod and let him set the hook.

Hey guys, I know I'm a newbie here, but I go back 'bout 55 years or more jig fishing. for at least 45 of those 55 years I would NEVER consider putting anything plastic on the back of my jig. Nothing but an Uncle Josh #11 pork chunk would do. I treated my pork with glycerin to make the pork like an old worn out dish rag. When I came to the scales with a decent sack of Bass everyone assumed the jig bite was on. I know it was just something between my ears, but I was totally convinced I could not catch fish with a plastic trailer of any sort. It took me forever to overcome this, and I doubt if I'd have ever tried, if pork didn't get hard to come by. I even made my own at times from butchered pig scraps. Oops...I think I just caught myself in a lie...I did put plastic on my jigs. I'd cut a 3/4- 1" piece out of the body of a ring worm and thread it on the hook shank and then hook the pork chunk in the bend of the hook. It would give the bait more body and slow the rate of fall...Sorry. I well know that it was only physiological but it was still there and very prevalent in my mind. Given the choice today, I'd still go for the pork, but wouldn't have and don't have a problem fishing plastic on my jig. You gotta do what you know in YOUR mind will work. Good Fishin' Guys, Walt

AMEN on the bear hair. Has much more action than bucktail, especially in a small jig. I tie lots of bucktails, but with a longer profile, mostly for Stripers. My go to smallmouth river bait is a small profile 1/8 - 1/4 oz bear hair jig. Walt

I do the same, but put another barrel swivel between the wire shaft and the O-ring. That keeps the weight and shaft from twisting the bait. Walt

Yeah, I agree, that wasn't much of an introduction that I gave myself. Sorry Walt

I know this is a very old thread, but I have lots of Jawtec wacky craws in like new condition that I'd like to get rid of. Walt email me at: wchopkins@yahoo.com if interested.