Lincoln stuff

[Boatloadakids]

So… met TD at the Lincoln launch at 7:00 this morning. I agreed to the meet up with him even though I could not fish today because of some life issues. He had offered me a sample pack of his latest flig creations in exchange for additional mentoring on ketchin’ cats. We exchanged the obligatory elbow bump and a few curmudgeonly pleasantries as he prepped to launch. I welcomed a few new super fligs to my collection. Big thanks.

I had an hour or so before I had to be back home so I agreed to watch him with my spotting scope from the road and provide helpful instruction and advice via radio. I sure wanted to be out there on the water with him and it was tough having to be spectator. Soon!

I watched /listened to him catch a couple of minor cats while I continued to observe his technique and offer tidbits of piscatorial tutelage. Right away I noticed his casting was deficient in that he consistently used too much wrist action and also had a tendency to elevate his elbow which caused most of his casts to be off course and short. I made many suggestions as he fished; slower speed, bigger hook, different flig, bigger white bass chunk, hook through the gill plate on minnows, basic stuff like that. He responded favorably with a raised thumbs-up gesture… I think it was a thumb?? Anyway, the day turned out to be rather pleasant and I am happy to report that TD is a quick study type and his cat ketchin’ skills are improving. Still, we need more time together to really help him hone his skills. We agreed on another learning session in my boat at a yet to be determined date.

Watch for his version of today’s venture and Thanks Pat, I enjoyed our short visit.

[TubeDude]

@Boatloadakids

So… met TD at the Lincoln launch at 7:00 this morning. I agreed to the meet up with him even though I could not fish today because of some life issues. He had offered me a sample pack of his latest flig creations in exchange for additional mentoring on ketchin’ cats. We exchanged the obligatory elbow bump and a few curmudgeonly pleasantries as he prepped to launch. I welcomed a few new super fligs to my collection. Big thanks.

I had an hour or so before I had to be back home so I agreed to watch him with my spotting scope from the road and provide helpful instruction and advice via radio. I sure wanted to be out there on the water with him and it was tough having to be spectator. Soon!

I watched /listened to him catch a couple of minor cats while I continued to observe his technique and offer tidbits of piscatorial tutelage. Right away I noticed his casting was deficient in that he consistently used too much wrist action and also had a tendency to elevate his elbow which caused most of his casts to be off course and short. I made many suggestions as he fished; slower speed, bigger hook, different flig, bigger white bass chunk, hook through the gill plate on minnows, basic stuff like that. He responded favorably with a raised thumbs-up gesture… I think it was a thumb?? Anyway, the day turned out to be rather pleasant and I am happy to report that TD is a quick study type and his cat ketchin’ skills are improving. Still, we need more time together to really help him hone his skills. We agreed on another learning session in my boat at a yet to be determined date.

Watch for his version of today’s venture and Thanks Pat, I enjoyed our short visit.

**Alright, alright. Yeah, it was good seeing ya again after a long winter…and the elbow bump was especially gratifying. Almost turned around and didn’t make it during a whiteout blizzard between Point of the Mountain and Pleasant Grove. Glad I stuck it out. Left the weather behind as I headed west to Lincoln Beach. Roads dry and temperatue a blistering 35 at launch. Water temp inside the harbor was 48 at launch but outside it was down to 47.

As you observed, I started off trying the shallow cove to the south of the south dike. Nada, zip, zilch. Tried plastics for white bass and/or walleye. Nary a sniff. Motored toward Benjamin Slough making big S turns…watching sonar. Saw a few minor bottom bumps in 4-5 feet of water. Just as I was shutting down to start fishing I hear your golden voice on the radio. You don’t know how much it means to me that you have taken on the onerous chore of mentoring me. And that “hand signal”? You can believe it was a thumbs up…if ya wanna.

After your words of encouragement and advice I promptly caught two cats…one on minnow and the other on a fire tiger flig with white bass attached. Couldn’t have done it without ya. But I didn’t get any more action until after you left. Then the kitties came out to play. I went through over a dozen chub minnows and about a half dozen baby white bass left over from last year. Only missed a couple of bites so almost every bait accounted for a fish. I’ll conservatively say about 15.

No contest entries today, but much fun and lots of tugs. Bent my sticks and stretched my string. The water is still cold at 47 to 48 degrees, but the cats are warming up and getting active. Most of the hits were pretty hard and the fish all fought well. I caught and bump-boarded a couple of 2-footers…as my largest of the day. Most were right about 22 to 23 inches.

My earliest fish came from the mid 4 foot depth range. Later they moved out to the mid 5’ range. I fished two rods. One was an open bail (with line clip) with a whole 5-6" chub minnow. The other was my new Ugly Stick cat rod with a fire tiger flig and either a half or whole white bass. Bites were about 50-50 during the time I fished both. I periodically switched back to pitching plastic…but never caught anything on it.

It had been nice all morning. Glass at times and never more than a light “fishing ripple” from the east or south. But about 11 o’clock the north breeze kicked up and I couldn’t buy a bite on my last two baits for the last half hour before I bagged it and headed for the ramp.

First good day of cat-catchin’ this year. Hope we have many more. Might even agree to climb in the boat with you for some advanced training. I need all I can get.**
imagehosting

[Bovineowner]

That was an entertaining read. Glad to hear the cats are starting to stir. I can’t wait to catch a big one in Goshen bay. BLK, this is the year you break the three foot mark.

[TubeDude]

@catchinon

TD, when you mentioned using white bass for bait it reminded me of an exchange I had with my wife yesterday. She was rummaging around in the freezer and after she spit out an “Ouch!” she asked me if I had left hooks in my bait fish. I explained that the bass have stickery fins and she would just need to be careful. I got the idea she would like me to take them out of “her” freezer. I guess I will take some of them out soon to go fishing with me.

I usually fillet the larger white bass and only freeze small whole ones. But if you have a problem with spines poking holes in your plastic bag…or your tender flesh…use some poultry shears to cut off the spiny fins before freezing. Here’s a pic of a cat that fell for white bass on a flig.

[MSM1970]

I was doing social distanting long before it was cool, Im so good at it we didnt even see each other at lincoln yesterday.

[Rainy]

I am curious as too what a flig is it looks like a crankbait of some sorts if its private i can respect that nice cats by the way

[TubeDude]

@Anglinarcher

TD, At least you are getting PDF’s to post. Maybe this site will get up to speed.

I can’t even remember how long ago I bought my first Float Jigs. There were styrofoam I think, the paint they used came off, etc., etc., but even back in the 80’s they caught fish. The bigest problem I had was that they didn’t make the ones I wanted that would hold up a big chunk of cut bait.

I’m working on that now. :idea: If we get locked out of work like everyone else, I guess I will have lots of time to tinker.

PS, just playing with the features trying to figure it out.

**Yeah. Finally figured out all the hoops to jump through to post a PDF file. But the maximum size is 2 mb. Most who know me and my style know that 2mb is a small file for me. So I have had to break a few of them up into two parts in order to post them. And the system treats pictures and other files as separate entities. And you can’t attach anything besides pictures to a PM. Shall I keep going? Oh well, we gotta be thankful for what we got. We could have lost the whole forum.

I hear ya on the big chunks of cut bait. I found some EVA foam in 1.5" and 2" thick sheets that I use to punch out 1/2" plugs. I put these on big 5/0 and 6/0 hooks…to make Gorilla fligs and Kong fligs. They hold a LOT of bait. They work well for big cats and are even being used for sturgeon. And then there are the “Santee” rigs…using a large pegged float ahead of a big circle hook. I make a lot of those floats too.**

[a_bow_nut]

@TubeDude

They hold a LOT of bait. They work well for big cats and are even being used for sturgeon.

I can attest to that.

[TubeDude]

@fast_randy

I haven’t tried making the big ones yet, Just the medium size. That’s why want to buy some from you. I think mine are starting to look ok. I just need a couple of days of fair wether so I can camp in a tent at Lincoln Beach. I will email you.

**The paint jobs look great. Two thoughts. One is that the hooks look like regular jig hooks. If you can find some big 4/0 or 5/0 heavy bass jig hooks…at least 2X strong…they will hold up better against big kitties. I scored a bunch of the big 8/0 hooks I use for the Kong fligs and I will gladly sell you a few at a good price if you want some.

Second, on the bigger hooks you can use a longer piece of foam. Get a 1.5" thick pad…or cut a 1.5" - 2" piece off the end of your 1" pad and then cut plugs down through that piece from the side. Attached is a pic of how I make 2" plugs. Use the same principle for 1.5" plugs cut from 1" foam pads.**

[fast_randy]

I didn’t have any copper to make a hole cutter. So I cut the foam pad to length. And then just cut them in strips so you have little rectangles. And then I just trim the corners with scissors. And then take the rotor tool to it for final shaping.

[TubeDude]

@Anglinarcher

I just don’t have the time for all of my hobbies so I have to look for semi-production ways to crank stuff out.

I got some Gamies in 4/0 (couldn’t get TD’s 8/0 over the counter), some wine corks from a hardware store, and cut the grove. Glued them in with some epoxy, shapped them to the shapes and sizes I wanted (4 different floatations), sealed them with some wood filler and sanded down, sealed with some clear fingernail polish.

When floating they should have more of a minnow profile verses a sphere or cylinder and have an open gap. They are designed to “cam” into the jaw when pulled past the “lips”.

Now, when I have that thing they call time (I know I use to have some of that), I’ll get the material ready and make molds. I have two different floating foams, one hard and one soft, both more boyant then EVA but only time will tell if they are strong enough. I’ll add pictures of the molds as they are made. Once the mods are created, I can pour 4 jigs in about 5 minutes so cranking them out will be easy. Will take longer to paint them.

TD, I know the Santee Cooper rigs catch fish, but I’m not sure that they are better then FLIGS (do you have FLIGS copyrighted yet, I’m pretty sure it is your creation? lol Am I allowed to use that name?). If I decide later to make them I’ll have to decide if it’s worth the effort. They are fairly easy to buy on-line as peg floats.

You know, I feel I am a pretty good lure designer, good maker, LOUSY painter. I many never post that picture. :sick:

**My philosophy is that if the fish vote for it, it doesn’t matter how purty your paint jobs are to other fisherfolk. I don’t believe that fish (especially catfish) have to have an anatomically accurate paint job of their fave food before they will munch something. Truth is that if they like the sweetener (bait) the flig or float is just a “BDS”…bait delivery system. But I have proven to my own satisfaction that there are times and places where one color pattern works better than some others.

I like the idea of molding your own foam bodies. It costs a bit to get set up with materials and molds, but if you are going to be making a lot it can be a worthwhile investment. I have the cutting, shaping, hooking and painting “down Pat”, but it would still be nice to shorten the process.

We have quite a few Utah cataholics fishing a variety of rigs…including the Santee. Like everything fishing, these things are a subjective subject. Some swear by them. Some swear at them. I know they work, but somehow I just prefer fishing fligs, and getting those hard hook-setting strikes.

And yes, “FLIG” is my original term for floating jigs…but I have not trademarked it. Never planned to go commercial. Don’t care of anybody else uses it…unless they try to trademark it away from me. Then I might get rankled.

If you would like a few of the 8/0 hooks, I can “hook you up”.**

[Anglinarcher]

@fast_randy

I didn’t have any copper to make a hole cutter. So I cut the foam pad to length. And then just cut them in strips so you have little rectangles. And then I just trim the corners with scissors. And then take the rotor tool to it for final shaping.

You did well.

You can take a rotor tool (Dremel for the rest of us) and insert a drill bit down the center of the foam, then insert the drill into the Dremel (a little rubber cement restricts the turning a little) and take a piece of 80 grit sand paper adn lightly apply and it works like a lathe. You can make a cylinder pretty quickly. I like TD’s method, but getting scrap copper is not always easy and new copper plumbing pieces from Home Depot and the likes can be expensive.

---

“TubeDude” pid=‘1096419’ dateline=‘1585069127’ wrote:

“Anglinarcher” pid=‘1096415’ dateline=‘1585066833’ wrote:

I just don’t have the time for all of my hobbies so I have to look for semi-production ways to crank stuff out.

I got some Gamies in 4/0 (couldn’t get TD’s 8/0 over the counter), some wine corks from a hardware store, and cut the grove. Glued them in with some epoxy, shapped them to the shapes and sizes I wanted (4 different floatations), sealed them with some wood filler and sanded down, sealed with some clear fingernail polish.

When floating they should have more of a minnow profile verses a sphere or cylinder and have an open gap. They are designed to “cam” into the jaw when pulled past the “lips”.

Now, when I have that thing they call time (I know I use to have some of that), I’ll get the material ready and make molds. I have two different floating foams, one hard and one soft, both more boyant then EVA but only time will tell if they are strong enough. I’ll add pictures of the molds as they are made. Once the mods are created, I can pour 4 jigs in about 5 minutes so cranking them out will be easy. Will take longer to paint them.

TD, I know the Santee Cooper rigs catch fish, but I’m not sure that they are better then FLIGS (do you have FLIGS copyrighted yet, I’m pretty sure it is your creation? lol Am I allowed to use that name?). If I decide later to make them I’ll have to decide if it’s worth the effort. They are fairly easy to buy on-line as peg floats.

You know, I feel I am a pretty good lure designer, good maker, LOUSY painter. I many never post that picture. :sick:

**My philosophy is that if the fish vote for it, it doesn’t matter how purty your paint jobs are to other fisherfolk. I don’t believe that fish (especially catfish) have to have an anatomically accurate paint job of their fave food before they will munch something. Truth is that if they like the sweetener (bait) the flig or float is just a “BDS”…bait delivery system. But I have proven to my own satisfaction that there are times and places where one color pattern works better than some others.

I like the idea of molding your own foam bodies. It costs a bit to get set up with materials and molds, but if you are going to be making a lot it can be a worthwhile investment. I have the cutting, shaping, hooking and painting “down Pat”, but it would still be nice to shorten the process.

We have quite a few Utah cataholics fishing a variety of rigs…including the Santee. Like everything fishing, these things are a subjective subject. Some swear by them. Some swear at them. I know they work, but somehow I just prefer fishing fligs, and getting those hard hook-setting strikes.

And yes, “FLIG” is my original term for floating jigs…but I have not trademarked it. Never planned to go commercial. Don’t care of anybody else uses it…unless they try to trademark it away from me. Then I might get rankled.

If you would like a few of the 8/0 hooks, I can “hook you up”.**

**Once I get my mold complete, we can trade some completed 4/0 fLIGS for a few 8/0 hooks.

I agree on the BDS. I just don’t like the way the bait hangs directly below the float. I feel I get interference from the line and sometimes get hooks bumped out of the way. You did say “sware at” didn’t you.

I actually wish I could get some 8/0 circle jig hooks to make some specility fFLIGS out of. I love the results I get with circle hooks when I don’t have to gut hook them. It takes some practice to learn to let them turn and move away, and it is not a method to be used everyplace, but…

You wouldn’t have some circle jig hooks laying around would you. LOL**

[TubeDude]

Definitely looks like a good way to get formed foam bodies. My only concern would be for the density and rigidity of that foam. Not all foams are created equal. And big kitties are not kind to wimpy fligs…or even to sturdy ones.

[Anglinarcher]

Ya, I agree. I have three different foams, two rigid and one flexible. I have used all before for some pretty nasty creatures, including some Wolf Fish lures and some Peacock bass lures.

Still, some of the Kitties have about broke my hand if I get it inside and they clamp down, so …

Will have to give them a test. Got to break some eggs to … I mean foam.

[Anglinarcher]

OK, ready to start pouring. It turns out I have three foams I can test.

One is a flexible foam that will bend and flex, yet float well.

One is a ridgid foam, about the density of balsa, but a bit stronger. It will be interesting to see if this one works.

The third, AlumiFoam, is stronger then most wood, floats well, but not as well as the other two. I have tested this with a hammer and it almost can’t be broken. Strong stuff. If it floats well enough, this one will work.

Close, very close. I will let the silicone cure one more day.
any driver policy

[Bduck]

*I remember as a kid catching my share of mud bugs. The last one I got to play with was from Barksdale AFB, Louisiana *

B52H

[Cowboypirate]

‘Bduck’ pid=‘1104295’ dateline=‘1597666763’ wrote:

*I remember as a kid catching my share of mud bugs. The last one I got to play with was from Barksdale AFB, Louisiana *

B52H

The mud bugs we were chasing don’t have quite the fight in em that that Mud Buff has. Cool photo. Were you on the stick or the buttons or the wrenches?

[Bduck]

‘Cowboypirate’ pid=‘1104310’ dateline=‘1597687499’ wrote:

‘Bduck’ pid=‘1104295’ dateline=‘1597666763’ wrote:

*I remember as a kid catching my share of mud bugs. The last one I got to play with was from Barksdale AFB, Louisiana *

B52H

The mud bugs we were chasing don’t have quite the fight in em that that Mud Buff has. Cool photo. Were you on the stick or the buttons or the wrenches?

Tinker AFB, mechanic

[Cowboypirate]

‘Bduck’ pid=‘1104318’ dateline=‘1597695860’ wrote:

‘Cowboypirate’ pid=‘1104310’ dateline=‘1597687499’ wrote:

‘Bduck’ pid=‘1104295’ dateline=‘1597666763’ wrote:

*I remember as a kid catching my share of mud bugs. The last one I got to play with was from Barksdale AFB, Louisiana *

B52H

The mud bugs we were chasing don’t have quite the fight in em that that Mud Buff has. Cool photo. Were you on the stick or the buttons or the wrenches?

Tinker AFB, mechanic

it would have been very fun to put my hands on one of those with my snap-on set. Best I have wrenched on is old dozers and tractors