I just received some samples of TD’s very creative jigs. All I can say for now is that they all look great - and I can’t wait to try them.
He make’s um purdy!
Now all we need is some ice to try the little guys out on. Come on Mother Nature ya lazy bag of guts.
One sold on Ebay today that went for $104.50
I will stop by some time at the end of December. Will call first. I have been drilling and grinding on a cheap shad dart mold I have. Just painted and poured 150 Wobble and ultra minnows
I just ordered one of these molds from Do-it. Can’t wait to try it out.
**Get in touch with me when you get it. There are some simple modifications you might want to make in order to have more options…like larger or smaller hooks in each of the cavities.
I have two of the molds. One has been “modified” with so many “enhancements” that my original mold is really chopped up. The good news is that it still produces the original jigs as well as a bunch of new goodies.
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**Get in touch with me when you get it. There are some simple modifications you might want to make in order to have more options…like larger or smaller hooks in each of the cavities.
I have two of the molds. One has been “modified” with so many “enhancements” that my original mold is really chopped up. The good news is that it still produces the original jigs as well as a bunch of new goodies.
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I will thank you.
I was just looking over your write up, and would like to be able to change hook sizes. Just don’t want to mess up the mold so I’m glad you’ll help.
**The major modification is using a small drill bit to both extend the hook eye and to bring it in slightly closer. This allows either larger or smaller hooks to be used than the standard size for which the mold is designed.
Also, if using smaller hooks than called for, you will need to cut small grooves in the lower portion of the mold cavity to accomodate the shorter bend.
Easy once you’ve done it a few times. But scary if you don’t know what you want to accomplish.
One of the inherent design problems with the Wobble Jig mold is that the heads are thin and flat. If you don’t position the hooks properly before pouring you can end up with some of the hook shank exposed in the head. If it is too far forward the hook will rotate inside the head and it will not make a good sturdy jig. That is a good reason for being able to move the eye of the hook back just a smidgen. Saves having to salvage the hooks and repour the heads.
Shoot me a PM when you get your mold. I will give you my address and directions and you can bring the mold and some of your hooks down and we can fine tune it for you. And you can see some of the wild and crazy stuff I make from the wobble jigs.
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what kinda mould is that? never heard of that kind..been dumpin lead for years. somebody got a pic, heck i might have one and done even know it..
**Cabelas had the exclusive rights on them for several years but then discontinued them. Do-It was and is the manufacturer and is now selling them again, but they are not in their catalog. You have to call or go online.
They zig and zag when you jig them upward and flutter on the fall. And, as their name implies, they wobble when trolled or retrieved.
Here are some pics.
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I dont pour em but I know a guy. I have become a big fan of the wobble jig after picking a few up from TD. I dont have an uder water camera to see exactly what the jig is doing but I have found that if pounded on the bottom then raised up and dropped again they get bit. I sometimes use them with no body just a small piece of bait. They may not work every outing but then nothing does, but, they do work more times than not. I find the perch pattern and my beloved red glitter catch almost any fish at some time or other. I prefer the 1/16th oz unless I am in really deep water. Then I will go to a heavier head. I am convinced that wobble jigs catch fish sometimes when other things dont.
**Thanks Brent. Glad you like 'em.
Don’t know if you have had a chance to try the little “jingle jigs” I have been making with the double barb tube jig heads. I add a short piece of wire with a couple of beads and a tiny size 00 Colorado Blade. It flutters when jigged and spins when retrieved. That was what we caught the most and biggest fish on at the Abyss last week…in purty pink.
(see pic)
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I only had one with the spinner blade on it. It was sacrificed to the rock Gods. I will have to make another trip to the tackletorium and look at the new goodies a well as the tried and true. Pink? you mean real men can use pink??? sheesh.
**I can assure you that using pink lures will not make your “equipment” fall off or malfunction. But if there is a concern you can pop a few testosterone pills before each trip.
PS…it seems to catch more of the big fat females.
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TD, Beautiful work as always! What kind of wire do you use on your jigs, and who sells it? Thanks.
**Thankee kindly, Ma’am.
I use several different sizes of wire, depending on the project. For the little jingle jigs I use either .020 or .022 stainless…85 to 105 pound test. Strong but fine enough to work with and not destroy your fingers.
Pure stainless is getting difficult to find. Most places sell only the dark stained wire. I get mine from Jann’s Netcraft. It comes in larger 1/4 pound rolls but I usually order the 30 foot rolls for under $2.
By the way, I simply use a pair of round nose pliers to make all of my loops…not one of those pricy wire bending jigs. Only takes less than a minute to make the bends, add the beads and blade and finish off the top loop.
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Tubedude,
I appreciate the link to the wire, where is the link to the Tube Dude online store? I know with all the time you spend fishing you don’t have time to run a store but I would love to hook up with you and see if I can expand my arsenal a bit.
Btw, for everybody, not just TD, but being a very poor guy, I have made these TYPE of jigs without a mold. Even 40.00 is an enormous amount of money to me. But, if you take a piece of steel stock about 1" dia. grind or file it off slightly rounded, and drill a small hole in the center to admit the hook eye, you can hammer tube jig types into wonderful wobbly jigs.
The problem is that by hand, they can be inconsistent in thickness, and you have to bend the front end upward by hand, so thickness of the lead, angle and wobble won’t always be the same. The up side of that is that every kig is a journey of discovery.
If you get the good tube heads that are long and teardrop shaped this works pretty easy. You can hammer them flat side to side and make heads that look like fry, too. They don’t hang horizontally, either, and though you can trim the lead a bit with wirecutters or something, then you have to file them and it’s a lot more trouble. “Uniqueness” is the main drawback, but I can get em to wiggle pretty well when dropped.
If you slightly.round the punch and hammer them on a hardwood plank like maple, they will be more gently rounded. The lead will split if you hammer too much. Better than nuthin. I use them on crappie and bluegill at UL, Pineview, and Mantua, and they produce.
**I had long lusted after being able to produce a laterally flattened jig head that would flutter on the drop. So I also experimented with several ways of flattening them. One of the best ways was to use a large pair of sidecutters…putting the hook eye down through the gap, setting the pliers on a hard surface and then tapping on the jig until the desire degree of flatness and thinness was obtained.
I actually put up a post on this back in 2005.
LINK TO POST
After making the post, a BFTer who was a machinist made me a couple of flatteners that worked even better. (See pic) I still use that a lot for flattening spinner bodies for some of the ice fishing weights I make.
Bottom line is that it is possible to get a laterally flattened jig head easily enough. But it is tough to get quality control by banging them out by hand. The wobble jig has really solved my quest for that kind of jig head.
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Tubedude,
I appreciate the link to the wire, where is the link to the Tube Dude online store? I know with all the time you spend fishing you don’t have time to run a store but I would love to hook up with you and see if I can expand my arsenal a bit.
******As most folks who know me will attest, I do not run a big commercial operation. I do sell some stuff on a “help a buddy” basis. In fact, I used to have “jig parties” where I would do a show and tell on how to pour and paint jigs, with the idea of helping others learn how to make their own. Don’t do any large groups anymore but I am still happy to do a one on one session for anybody who wants to see what is involved and try making their own. And I have several PDF file writeups on different aspects of jig making, rod building, fly tying, etc.
You would be welcome to visit my playroom and see some of the goodies I put together. Shoot me a PM and I will provide my address and directions.
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PM sent, thanks for the offer.