Hammer Jigs

[TubeDude]

[cool][size 1]Part of last weekend' tackle tinkerin' project was making up some new "hammer jigs". Thought I would post a pic and some basic info, in case all the budding tackle mechanics might wanna try making and using some.[/size]

[size 1]These things were an offshoot of my original "perch urchins", which were simply gold Kastmasters with some prism tape and eyes on them... to simulate the small perch so prized by all the predators in the waters where they lived. Caught lots of trout, walleyes, bass and jumbo perch on those.[/size]

[size 1]I had bought a large supply of the elongated sinkers pictured at the top of the pic...from Smith and Edwards a long time ago. I tried hammering them flat and used both prism tape and paints to come up with some ice colors. The first time I tried them, on Yuba through the ice, they were the hot ticket for the day. They plunged to the bottom in deep water and they were heavy enough to maintain "touch" during a very light bite.[/size]

[size 1]Since then, I have used them in both open and frozen water situations...in a wide range of sizes and colors...to catch lots of fishies on vertical presentations. [/size]

[size 1]These are flat, and they do have some flutter on the drop, but mostly I use them to get down fast with a piece of bait on the hooks. A shivver or a wiggle, followed by absolutely still, is a great technique on neutral days. You don't have to make three foot pumps.[/size]

[size 1]WH2 has field tested them on ciscos in Bear Lake and was almost lynched last year when he used the combination of heavy weight and hot colors to land 3 to 1 over his boatmates. The one ounce size dives to the depths but is not too large to spook fish.[/size]

[size 1]I have noticed more and more manufacturers now selling "slab" spoons...of poured and painted lead. Must be something to it.[/size]
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[Out4Trout]

[cool]Wow, those are nice looking jigs, TD. I especially like the two perch pattern looking ones in the middle of the pic near the top. Never seen any that look quite like those two. Some of the other ones in the pic remind me of a jig that this guy in Nevada makes called "terri-jig" made by a dude named Terri Hansen. To see what one of those looks like, my stepdad has some on his online tackle shop @ www.thefishingzone.net and click on the icon that says "terrijigs."
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[TubeDude]

[cool][size 1]Hey, O4T, you keep butterin' me up and maybe I'll turn loose of a few...on my "field testing"program.[/size]

[size 1]Ya know, the perch pattern was my first color in the series and is still one of the best producers. I think the colors are representative of a lot of different forage species...like sunfish...as well as perch. They also contrast well, with the bars, so they are visible in any water. There are some similarities to the popular "fire tiger" finish.[/size]

[size 1]For some strange reason, that color is hot in salt water too. I have taken quite a few different inshore species along the Pacific and down into the Sea of Cortez. Don't ask me what it represents to them, but they smack it.[/size]

[size 1]Probably the biggest surprise I got on the perch urchin was when fishing for redfish below New Orleans. It was one of those days when I could see reds chasing bait, and tailing, but I couldn't buy a hit on the plastics I normally scored with. Just on a wild hunch, I tied on one of the silly looking perch spoons in my lure box and got hooked up on my first cast. From then on, I had a bent rod until I got tired and went home. It worked well on other trips too.[/size]

[size 1]By the way, if you can find some gold prism tape, you can do the green back and bars with a permanent green marker. The eyes are available as "stickons" through a lot of tackle shops. The orange is from a bottle of paint I got at a hobby shop. Just be sure to coat everything with clear expoxy before dinging your lures on the rocks. Not rocket science, but it works.[/size]

[size 1](Edited in: I couldn't get the website to come up)[/size]
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[southernman]

our guide at lake mead last time had us use these for jigging, "dropping the hammer on 'em" . . .shad colored/shaped lead with a big ole treble on the end . .2-1/2 oz, good for getting down 90-130 feet fast . . .

sm
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[Old_Coot]

[font "Comic Sans MS"][size 2]T Dude,[/size][/font]

[font "Comic Sans MS"][size 2]What's that little piece of wire up in the top left corner of the pictuer? I'm trying to figure out just what it is or how it fits into the skeem of things. I get your drift that you kind of show the progress (how it begins and how they look when finished) but the wire.[/size][/font]

[font "Comic Sans MS"][size 2]And yes, they do look nice.[/size][/font]
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[fish1on]

Nice looking jigs! I will be attending the tying clas at Hooked next week but definitely will be looking into making some of these as well. Like I had said in a PM to you earlier, I have always wanted to get into something like this for a hobby and to use, but never new how to get started.

Thank you for the guidance TD you rule!!!!

P.S. I would always be willing to receive info that you have written in the past, very informative!! Hint Hint
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[TubeDude]

[cool][size 1]Yeah, those big heavy metal Hopkins jigs were (and still are) heavily favored by guys fishing the deep, clear western lakes for winter bass and other species. Same deal...heavy enough to get down to fish country and to maintain a feel so that you know when you got a bite.[/size]

[size 1]I first used those in Powell a lot of years ago for the same type of fishing. It takes practice to get used to using them, and being able to recognize a "pop on the drop"...when a fish intercepts the jig on the way to the bottom after you have raised or jerked it. Probably more fish caught by accident than by design while fishing this method. [/size]

[size 1]Beats heck out of sitting at home, though.[/size]

[size 1]There are a whole bunch of new slab spoons in my new Bass Pro Shop catalog. Jig on!!!!![/size]
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[TubeDude]

[cool][size 1]You crafty old coot, you. You spotted something I meant to comment on, but didn't. No, it is not a Christmas ornament hanger, but I have used those for the same intended purpose. That is, to hang the painted spoons while they dry...before I add the hooks. For safety and other reasons, I do not finish with the hooks until the final coat of epoxy is dry.[/size]

[size 1]If I do not have ornament hangers, I cut a small paper clip into two pieces and make a small loop in one end (for the wire loop on the sinker) and a larger bend in the other (to hang over a wire rack). I use a slotted wire divider from my excess office supplies as a drying rack.[/size]

[size 1]Some of those jigs require six or seven separate paint steps in the total process. You let them dry between each, and try to keep from forgetting anything...harder and harder as I get older.[/size]

[size 1]When I finish the whole process with a coat of clear epoxy paint, I place the wire rack on a cookie sheet, slip it into a 160 degree oven for about 20 - 30 minutes and the epoxy cures up ready to use. That's better than the 24 hour wait for a complete natural cure.[/size]
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[Out4Trout]

[]Oops, it's www.thefishingzone.NET Sorry about that.
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[TubeDude]

[cool][size 1]A lot of good looking colors. Those are made on blanks that come from molds now available. I plan to acquire one of the slab spoon molds myself. I need at least a couple more molds to go with the 25 or so I already have.[/size]

[size 1]Here's some pics from the site:[/size]




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[Out4Trout]

I forgot to mention that these terrijigs are used mostly for the Lahontan Cutthroats at Pyramid and Walker Lake's in Northern Nevada. I have a few but don't want to risk losing them at the berry shorefishing with that sage brush bottom since I just shorefish, but maybe I'll try them this summer in my tube. The wife gets nervous when I go out solo in my tube, so I usually need a buddy in a tube to go tubin'. I like your jigs though, TD, and will have to get some paints and apoxy's and some of that tape stuff. Wish I could make the tying class at hooked, but I probably have to work that night.

Fish on, brethren! (and chica).[pirate]
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[TubeDude]

[cool][size 1]Hey, O4T, you are right in assessing that these lures are best for a vertical presentation, rather than cast and retrieve. For that, you can buy inexpensive lure blanks and do the same kind of custom coloring and prism taping. There are several sizes and weights available, from thin "flutter spoons" to the heavyweights like Kastmasters.[/size]

[size 1]Send me a PM with your email address and I will be happy to send the individual writeups and pics you need to complete a "home study" course. That is, unless polokid is successful in getting private lessons made available. Who knows? With the right enticement you might even be able to get "house calls".[/size]
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[Xman]

nothin like a good ol yo yo eh
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