Basic Bladed Jigs

[Ringonu]

i still need to work on my powder painting.  Way too much paint. I may pony up for a fluid bed.  These are very simple using barlows tackle 1/4oz shakee heads and blades, zmans banded skirts and rings/snaps I had around. Total cost is around a $1.80 per.  No clue how the work yet but hope to test them this weekend.

 

[Dave A]

Nice work- I like to bend the blade backward a few degrees  at the level of the snap to modify the action.

[Ringonu]

Thanks for the tip.  I've only fished a chatterbait a couple times.  I liked the action amd thought it would be fun to make my own.  Once I get the rest of my airbrush necessities in that will be my next adventure

[Cmiller]

Now start tying your own skirts! It has become my new activity I do while commercials are on tv.

[Bluebasser86]

I agree with bending the blade. You'll learn where and how sharply to bend it to get the action your prefer. They work with the flat blade, but the work way better for me with the bent blades. Tying your own skirts make them last a lot longer as well. A simple ziptie on the skirts you have on will make them last a lot longer. Being able to create your own colors is nice too.

[Ringonu]

8 hours ago, Cmiller said:

Now start tying your own skirts! It has become my new activity I do while commercials are on tv.

I may do that this winter.  These were made quick just to see how they fished and most will be given away.  I may have purchased all the materials while under the influence of bourbon so there's that too.

[Dave A]

Here are a couple pics showing where I like to bend the blade. I put it in a vise and bend it with a bar. Hope this helps,

Dave

BTW, this is one of the heads poured using the modified poison tail mold I showed in another posting. I use 0.051 stainless wire to make the loop.

Edited June 23, 2016 by Dave A
corrected spelling error

[Ringonu]

I was thinking about doing something similar but with an ultra minnow spinnerbait mold.  I may buy some premade off ebay first and test it out to see if I like it.

[Rrd]

Dave, 

curious do you find that bending at the line attachment changes the action as compared to the "traditional" bend at the top?

[Dave A]

It's been a few years, but this is what I recall:

With no bend in the blade, the action was too erratic. But, I didn't want the usual rhythmic chatter, so I bent the blade at various places and found this location to provide the hunting action I wanted. The amount of bend also affects the action, which is why the bend is so slight. 

When I get a chance, I'll compare the action with the bend at the top and post the info.

Dave

[Bluebasser86]

55 minutes ago, Dave A said:

It's been a few years, but this is what I recall:

With no bend in the blade, the action was too erratic. But, I didn't want the usual rhythmic chatter, so I bent the blade at various places and found this location to provide the hunting action I wanted. The amount of bend also affects the action, which is why the bend is so slight. 

When I get a chance, I'll compare the action with the bend at the top and post the info.

Dave

I agree that the flat blade was more erratic than I liked. The slight bend, far down in the blade like in your picture has an erratic kick to the side fairly frequently but not as often as the flat blade. The higher/sharper bend tends to create a more straight running bait but can still be bent to kick out on occasion. The sharper the bend, the higher the bait will ride in the water also. I tend to bend mine further down and not as sharp as in the pictures I posted and I bend them at an angle. That allows for the steady vibration, but because of the angled bend, the blade kicks out occasionally and the bait follows. 

[primetime]

I have been having luck using the large blade instead of the standard blade on 3/8 and 1/2...I took a few off a few really old Rad Z Man 3/4 oz flashback shads and those blades are really cheap and thin, but when you put one on a Either the Barlows Arkie, or any swim jig I prefer a bullet style with the line tie similar to above. I also use a standard blade on the 1/4 and it seems to work well, I need to try a few different blades since the Z-man blades are running low.

I found a bunch of Rad FLipping Chatterbaits that had a rattle hanging from the body, banana head in chrome, and a keeper to hang your trailer, and then some original old 2004? that had heads similar to the VMC Moon Heads that are thin and round, have the eye, and a barbarian style hook, plus a mono weedguard that comes extra long with a long SK style Skirt. 

The hooks on those were actually good, and seeing all the versions they have made from the Chatter frog, Chatter Stick Jerkbaits, Flash back shad and minnow, all the new ones, Flipping, Micro etc...It gives you lots of ideas..The Diezel chatterbait is nothing more than the Z-man jigheads you buy over the counter in a pack of 3 I believe, and they are cheap, then just add a blade and you can slide one in without a ring. 

I bend the blades as well down and up and straight depending on weight and trailer but most times I like it down so it vibrates harder and seems to move a slower speeds which is what I am after. I love it when they are just right and kick out like it ripped out of grass every few feet, I used to use a Magic shad for that now I use a Kropto relax Segmented boot tail swimbait which apparently is the best selling soft bait in Europe for Zander but made here in the States and Exported. I think I spelled it right but at 2.75 and 3.5" they do not cause the bait to get too eratic which a magic shad seems to do, a regular senko is actually a good trailer on the lighter ones 1/8-3/16, or a GYB Tiny Ika.

I am hooked on making these things now, I am back in the bladed jig phase this year and trying to find the "Magic Lure" since every company is throwing on a blade to a jig attached all kinds of ways. 

Do the Bubble blades cause the bait to run more erratic or just harder with more resistance? or would it be less, I was going to try some of those since shipping is free this weekend.

Nice job on the jigs..Sometimes buying the skirts is the easiest way to go and when you only pay .30 each it is hard to beat that price unless you buy a ton of the same color on another site. I like the mix and match discount, but Janns has the mix for 17.50 and it is decent.

[fishwizzard]

Hi,

I am really getting into bladed jigs, but am having trouble finding good ones that are lighter (1/8-3/16) in weight.  The lighter Z-man ones seem to be about 50/50 in terms of running right and no one else seems to offer them.  I would love to know if anyone here has ever tried making ones this small, or is there something inherent in the design that doesn't work well at light weights? 

[Bluebasser86]

On 7/14/2016 at 2:49 PM, Bunnielab said:

Hi,

I am really getting into bladed jigs, but am having trouble finding good ones that are lighter (1/8-3/16) in weight.  The lighter Z-man ones seem to be about 50/50 in terms of running right and no one else seems to offer them.  I would love to know if anyone here has ever tried making ones this small, or is there something inherent in the design that doesn't work well at light weights? 

Nobody offers a small enough blade to make ones that light and the regular size blades have too much lift to fish a head that light. 

I've had really good luck with the Zman versions in the 1/16 and 1/8 (the micro I believe). They don't come with a skirt but a small plastic minnow body. I put a 2" grub on them and kill the trout in the spring but they catch about anything. 

[fishwizzard]

Yea, that is what I first used them for, but I realized they work great as a substitute for small spinnerbaits in a lot of the ponds that I fish, but they cast better and I can slow roll them more eaisly.  

But the 1/16oz Zman ones seem to be about 50/50 on actualy "chattering". Is there a way to tune them?

[Bluebasser86]

16 hours ago, Bunnielab said:

Yea, that is what I first used them for, but I realized they work great as a substitute for small spinnerbaits in a lot of the ponds that I fish, but they cast better and I can slow roll them more eaisly.  

But the 1/16oz Zman ones seem to be about 50/50 on actualy "chattering". Is there a way to tune them?

I've never had one that didn't work so I can't say. Sometimes if they don't work when they first touch down a quick pop of the rod tip gets them working.