Used to use a tablespoon as a mold - now only a floor tile and a few molds to make thin-tail minnows

[Hawnjigs]

Was wondering what a samurai hook was. #6 original Matzuo Sickle has been a superb stick and hold choice for tied jigs, not many left but the Victory version looks promising altho it has a point down bend towards the shank narrowing the gap.

We tend to publish success posts, but here's a switcheroo. After an epic smallie canal fest the other day as posted returned yesterday. Fished all the productive holds for hours with best jigs 1/16 #6 black ties + PB motor oil half worms and 2-1/2" Gulp smelt fork tail mins on 1/14 #2 heads and got zero fish landed and just a few drop offs.

Weather was nice - calm wind and sunny - go figger ?

 

[SPOONMINNOW]

Was wondering what a samurai hook was.

That's it, rub it in! Thought I caught it soon enough in the middle of the night. Better than naming the hook bonsai. All that yelling to match the name would surely spook the fish!

We all have excuses why fish weren't caught. Heck, I was lucky to catch 5 small bass in 5 hours on a local lake that also has crappie, y.perch and sunfish. Another lake in the opposite direction, I know I will catch many sunfish, small bass and some crappie in open water - 2 doz. fish minimum in 7-8'. But then again, the first lake has few weeds on bottom and the lake is down 4' from the drought; the other lake has many bottom weeds, dying pads and weed edges.

I, like many, congratulate myself my lure selection that caught fish knowing full well that location is #1: lure selection/presentation #2 on that is on par with #1. Other factors also play into it such as weather, time of year and seasonal patterns. Predictable? One day yes, another day forget about it! Good thing I have an mp3 player to take my mind off zero bites in 4 hours.

 

[hookup]

#6 original Matzuo Sickle has been a superb stick and hold choice for tied jigs

Couple months ago, some stock surfaced at Barlows.

 

[Hawnjigs]

The reason I described my #6 Sickles as "original" is that these likely 15 yr. old hooks were excellent quality More recent mfg quality tanked and I gave up buying them long ago. Declining quality control and lousy customer service is likely what forced Matzuo USA to close.

Many if not most may not have noticed the decline, but I'm very picky about hooks quality.

I'd guess you've got LOTS of Sickles stashed Mr. Hookup.

 

[Hawnjigs]

"Know when to hold, and know when to fold"

Decided to switch to river trout yesterday after getting smallie skunked and it was a fortuitous lucky choice. Got 8 nice ones up to 8# with only a single unusually small 12" in the mix. The fish bit equally well a 1/16 #6 black ball head black marabou tie and a 2-1/2" Gulp Minnow smelt color on a 1/16 #2 red ball head with bead collar bait holder.

The Gulp Minnows are fragile one fish wonders so today switching to pink dyed pearl Powerbait 2" Minnows and trying some other color variations of the 1/16 #6 ball head ties walking farther to different holds.

 

[hookup]

I'd guess you've got LOTS of Sickles stashed Mr. Hookup.

I wouldn't say lots but I do have hundreds of each size up to 2/0

Enough to keep me busy during the winter months

I'm just starting to understand the virtue of the Gulp baits since starting brackish water fishing. I'm use to fragile baits fishing keitechs and senkos in fresh water

 

[Hawnjigs]

Do you like the Sickles better than round bends? Altho I only have use for #6 Sickles they are my fave in that size.

Follow up on the pink dyed Power Bait 2" Minnow. Same bait managed to land 6 trout + 2 biguns dropped off at my feet after feisty battles. Tore up but still attached to the jig head. Got bit by all sizes of trout 10" up to 8#.

Spike-it Dip n Glo marking pen works fine.

So no need to switch out to ties.

 

[hookup]

Do you like the Sickles better than round bends? Altho I only have use for #6 Sickles they are my fave in that size.

Follow up on the pink dyed Power Bait 2" Minnow. Same bait managed to land 6 trout + 2 biguns dropped off at my feet after feisty battles. Tore up but still attached to the jig head. Got bit by all sizes of trout 10" up to 8#.

Spike-it Dip n Glo marking pen works fine.

So no need to switch out to ties.

To be honest, I like Gamakatsu 114's the best

The sickles are much cheaper and work

2/0 is my favorite size. When I fish for bass with those smaller hooks I loose to many of the big ones.

1's are my favorite size for most of the inshore brackish water I fish.

In certain waters, and for certain fish, a spike-it dip pen is golden. Never used the glo so will have to get one & try it.

 

[Hawnjigs]

Gami 114 is my go to hook too, mostly 2/0 tho sometimes 1/0 for downsize baits.

Cheap hooks ain't worth the risk of failure. The 114 has never lost a bigun on a bendout, tho for cats over 20# & big wipers feel more comfortable with Gami 604 heavier wire.

 

[ArtIrish]

One day I happened to stir hot plastic and noticed a film sticking to the tablespoon. Until now, I hadn't seen thin straight tails sold anywhere but wondered if the thin, flat plastic quiver would be a game-changer when curl-tails failed. So I cut the shape of the minnow from the thin sheet and dipped the forward 1/3 a few time to thicken the body for jig rigging:
View attachment 22625
Mad did it catch fish!!!
Next, in order to make more lures in one sitting, I had some glossy floor tiles stored from a kitchen floor replacement and figured: why not pour the film down the slanted tile, cut the shapes and pour plastic a few times on top of a part of the film. Then the body shape was cut into different sizes and then could be dipped once to make the body curves:
View attachment 22609
Just another example of an accidental discovery that led to one of the best all-species, soft plastic lure designs I've ever cast.

A few years later, I happened to discover some molds that did the same thing: the Mojo grub (left and center) and other thin-tail 2-2.5"shapes (two on the right).
When I say they caught everything, I mean EVERYTHING regardless of size or species!
View attachment 22615 View attachment 22624 View attachment 22612
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View attachment 22614View attachment 22617

A short time later I figured: why not attach the thin tail to different lure segments such as this one using a candle:
View attachment 22620View attachment 22621 View attachment 22623
View attachment 22618 View attachment 22616View attachment 22619

Turns out, the body doesn't have to be round, and in fact, the flattened body of the French Fry stick did great catching fish and maybe the ribbing helped.
View attachment 22622View attachment 22626View attachment 22627

Interesting, who sells a mojo grub mold? Thanks

 

[hookup]

Cheap hooks ain't worth the risk of failure.

On this we agree. I've caught some big fish and never lost one on a 114 due to hook breakage.

 

[SPOONMINNOW]

Interesting, who sells a mojo grub mold? Thanks

My mistake. The lures are called

Do-It CNC Mo Magic​

I bought the 2.5" grub mold for $49. Not bad for a 12-cavity, aluminum injection mold. They range in lure size from 2.5"- 8".
I love the thin straight tail and add them to different bodies, though the lure works great right out of the mold.
Barlow's is the source: (right click the link)
https://barlowstackle.com/Do-It-CNC-Mo-Magic-Worm-Molds-P3862/

They have other nice designs, i.e swimbaits, taper tail worms and trout sticks

 

[hookup]

Nice bait. Kind of like a modified grub? If they sell one with a ribbed body it would be killah

 

[SPOONMINNOW]

If they sell one with a ribbed body it would be killah

For sure!!! ...and a flat ribbed body at that!
A flat tail from the Mo Magic shape was joined to a segment of French Fry stick:



It's one of my best hybrids and catches EVERYTHING!!! I add other tail shapes to the Fr Fry body.
( I added perch pattern colors for the H* of it and not because I believe fish are fooled into thinking
it's a perch. )
Fr Fry / curl tail


Fr Fry/ Crappie Magnet double-tail:


Fr Fry with herring tail:

​

 

[Hawnjigs]

Don't have any use for twisters, but those tapered ribbon tails look good.

 

[SPOONMINNOW]

Beats having to use a spoon or floor tile as a mold. JiggerJohn loved them!!

 

[hookup]

I believe that texture attracts the fish. Never seen a minnow with a mirrored surface. Nice job!

 

[SPOONMINNOW]

Texture is one attractant - who knows why except the fish that feel the difference. Smooth or a glassy finish is fine as long as the other elements of the design fit just right. I've posted many photos that prove just that. But one possibility occurred to me last night, namely that most lures FLAUNT THEMSELVES unlike any prey animal. It's like the lure is daring the fish to attack it with its swagger-by-design. It doesn't take much for a lure's action to really irritate the piss out of a fish.

Yesterday I was trying out my 2.5hp Mercury and cast into 3' of water near some pads. A small bass followed the lure all the way to the boat and then struck. All the lure was, was a shad (swimbait) tail attached to a Fr. Fry segment and as we all know, shad tails like the Sassy Shad, produce major body vibrations while in motion. If it wasn't for the wind I would have been able to explore more dying pad areas with other designs, certain that inactive fish would have struck in the 55 degree water.

Oh well, winter isn't here yet and I will get out again before the ice forms to confirm some theories and disprove others.

 

[Hawnjigs]

My fave softie attractant is sparkle. Not the big flashes from glitter, but rather fine grained pearls or dust. The Bobby Garland blue ice Baby Shad has a fine silver dust belly that I wish more bait makers would employ.

The BG BS is a new addition to my KISS bait arsenal, tested and proven on smaller wallys at night, next up will be fair weather river trout.

 

[Hawnjigs]

I believe that texture attracts the fish. Never seen a minnow with a mirrored surface. Nice job!

And yet Kastmasters continue to be super popular.