It doesn’t take long for most anglers to see the advantages of making your own jigs. Originally, some think it is strictly to save money. HA! Nobody who sees my collection of molds and accumulated jigs would ever think I was SAVING money.
The main reason I started making my own stuff was to be able to fish with the right lures for specific situations. And, having the right colors was only part of the equation. Most importantly, I could balance the weight of the head to the size of the hook, to allow fishing the right size plastic…at the right depth and speed…for the prevailing conditions. Sometimes you need to pour a small head, using larger hooks. On other occasions, you need more weight to reach the bottom while vertical jigging, but need a smaller hook than would normally be found on the larger head.
Over a year of fishing various waters in Utah, for a variety of species, I use many different “custom” jigs. This often means that I have to customize my jig molds. I don’t think many of my 45 molds have not been modified by drill or file. But, I can now fish large plastics on light heads…3/0 hooks on 1/16 oz. heads. These are a must whenever fishing walleyes or smallmouth in shallow, rocky habitat. Heavier heads keep diving into the snags. With the lighter heads I can retrieve as slow as necessary and still stay out of trouble…mostly.
The problem you encountered with the perch meat, on small jigs, will definitely happen if you do not have enough “gap” on your hooks to offset the size of the bait. Most small jig heads come with size six hooks. Too small for fishing with any kind of bait. I pour a lot of mine on larger size 4…and use the wider gap (extra sharp) Matzuo sickle hooks. I do not miss many strikes when fishing meat on my jigs.
Sometime after Labor Day…when school is back in session and vacations are over…I will probably have another “jig party” in my big 3 car garage. I live in Salt Lake area. Petty4Life lives in Ogden, and he is also planning to have another session in his area. These sessions are good for seeing the basics of jig pouring and painting, and to help you decide whether or not you want to add tacklecraft to your arsenal of accomplishments.
**In the meantime, if you would like a personal tour of the tackletorium, shoot me a PM and I will set up a time that works for both of us. I can do a quick demo on some of the basics, and show you a range of what is possible by making your own goodies. **
The good news is that you do not have to hock the wife and kids to at least get started. A melting pot and a couple of molds will cost you a bit over a hundred dollars…depending upon the size and style of the melter you buy, and where you purchase your stuff. Ebay sometimes has good buys.
Once you get “lead in your veins”, you will develop a craving for new and different molds. And, you will also become addicted to the fumes of the adhesives and finishes. Your friends will talk about you when they often see you with stray bits of sparkly glitter on your face and hands…wondering if you have been spending time at the local “girlie bar”.
But, as TubeBabe concedes, it keeps me off the streets.