Shimmy hits the big four-oh!

Now that's what I'm talking about... Nice take boys... very nice... Nice jig too... when can I start putting in my order???

Freddie

Mark, did you just refinish an old Megabait or did you make that jig from scratch?

Scratch built Chuck.

Mark;

Could you do a demo at Elk.  I am really interested in how you do this.  Those shimbaits look great.

Jim

just curious, do you use a treble hook on those jigs or do you use the gamkatsu assist type hooks on those?

they look so nice i'd hate to lose one!

 John I've been trying all combos. Mostly one octopus or siwash on the bottom. The big ling ate a two hook rig,  gama assist on top and a 5/0 gama octopus on bottom. The reason I started making them was their relatively short life span. If your on the bottom you get snags or fish!

 Jim I can bring a kit of materials to show and will have some for prizes. The process is not that hard. Fishable jigs can be made with plaster molds and rattle can paint. I used to paint bikes(motorcycles) so I still have an airbrush or two. But my prototypes were just Krylon and wedding dress mesh masking then painted with 2 hour epoxy. Bill posted a link a while ago to the "Tackle Underground" site. Check it out!http://www.tackleunderground.com/index.php

A demo from either/both you and Bill would be awesome.

I've always wanted to try wrapping a rod and making my own jig/lures but things are kind of cramped in an apartment.  With quite a bit of luck though I'll be making the leap to homeowner in the next few months.  Then it will be on...I'm going to have to put bunk beds in my room so Omar can sleep in there and I'll store all of my rods and lures (that I make) in his room. 

for some reason, a 510 assist on the tail does not snag too often for me.

I have used the same 3.5oz megabait all last summer and still have it.
holograph stuff flaking/chipping off, put some epoxy on it.

I see you rotated the back bend 90 degrees from a megabait. siwash
could point up that way with no split ring, but I think those baits land
on their sides on the bottom cause one side of my megabait was worn,
the other much less worn.

 J I still have that jig and Bills swimbait that I used for most of my fish on "The Cape". On my yak I rarely loose jigs. On a PB its a different story, they usually don't back up for you.
 I do use a split ring, so the hook is point up. I noticed wear on both sides of my jigs after fishing. Do you put a bend in yours for more wobble? I noticed the Megas use a pretty soft lead alloy.
 

The single 510 gami assist hook on the tail points to the side at rest. this may make it float down with the hook trailing and mostly pointing up, so it lands on the same side always, and with the hook up. I wonder if that shrink tubing floats a little? that might also help keep that hook up off the bottom a bit.

after last season I re-rigged the hook (same tattered one still!) so the fish will see the fresh side this year,  .

I do not bend the lure, but maybe that one had a little bend or other assymetry in it, who knows?
if it did, then rigging the hook the other way might mess with the magic action of that lure, and that
didn't seem to be the case last sunday.

when I finally lose that one, I'll have to have a moment of silence for a dedicated soldier of a lure!

if I was rigging your lure, I would just rig the assist hook through the tail loop with no split ring.

J