Thread: Fish bit the strangest things!

You might try Mann's Jelly worms Fire Tails. When I used to use them fishing bass the bream would always grab the fire tail and pull it off.

Originally Posted by Jamesdean

how are you putting them together? heating the two pieces and sticking them together, or are you using some type of glue?

I believe he uses candle flame ... but, glue would work (esp. when mods are being done in the boat). If using glue, I recommend Loctite Super Glue Gel Control (blue/grey bottle), as I've used it to glue plastic bodies to jigheads & had excellent results.

I sometimes use Pro Soft Bait Glue but is doesn't work on all plastics and takes time to set before putting the mod down. I've never tried Loctite but I'll give it a try. A candle flame is quick and easy but you need a steady hand and an good eye for making sure the parts are lined up exactly and straight. But even with a candle, I use a battery powered heat gun to smooth around the seam otherwise one or two fish will cause the seam to come apart. I use a Weller ($13 at Amazon) and three rechargeable batteries.

The advantages of modification include:
1. changing a tail or adding a different body to a tail and then throwing the body or tail in the garbage or storing them for future mod
example
2. changing the action, profile and/or size of a lure - it can make a huge difference!
3. using lures you've had in storage for years and putting parts of them to good use
4. knowing you can remake and therefore keep certain designs at hand when needed
5. not being limited to existing designs, most of which you'll find are inferior to you own imaginings or mine (which you are welcome to copy at any time).
6. seeing that color is secondary to design, but may enhance it. The Claw may work with most body colors, for example.
7. the realization why fish bite lures:

if what they see excites and incites - they strike!

All the other reasons not design-related matter not and more important - it becomes self evident that a lure can look and move completely unnatural and catch fish galore almost any month of any year. The problem is, is that there will be so many good designs you may come up with, you'll have a difficult time choosing!

As regards size: certain designs do better at certain times when reduced in size such as when the bite is tough.
in waters that have decent size panfish (though bass and pickerel will attack), a larger size
really does incite larger fish to strike.

As regards lure action-by-design: much of the time subtle-action tails or no tail generate the most strikes. In this case slow retrieves with pauses and subtle rod tip actions incite the strike. Different bodies with different tails can surprise you at how well they improve fish counts. In the following example I cut off the curly tails from two grubs, melted the ends together, wacky rigged the lure with a 1/24 oz jig and caught fish like no tomorrow!
.

...and then I rigged it the usual way and caught fish like no tomorrow!


Never assume anything when it comes to lure design. You never know until you fish it.

Thank you CrappiePappy and Spoonminnow. This sounds like what will be one of my winter time projects to keep me busy and not going stir crazy on those days there's freezing weather out and I'm stuck inside. Will help with the boredom for sure...

Originally Posted by Jamesdean

Thank you CrappiePappy and Spoonminnow. This sounds like what will be one of my winter time projects to keep me busy and not going stir crazy on those days there's freezing weather out and I'm stuck inside. Will help with the boredom for sure...

Why wait until winter?!!

Well right now I have two projects going on that takes up 90% of my days and when I get done with them or decide I'm done for the day, thier's cooking dinner, and then I'm exhausted and want to go to bed. After a cup or two of coffee in the AM I usually start working on the projects...remodeling a bit of this mobile home. Try to have each project done before momma gets home on week-ends she comes home. sometimes it's two weeks and sometimes it's every week-end. try to surprise her with what I got done. and when I'm not working on the house, I'm working on my boat, see thread, "let the restore begin" here in the Missouri state section....

man you got spare time bro …...LOL
looks like it worked out well to me …
KABOOM

Good pics and post.