Making jigs and lead weights worth it?

[IowaCrappie]

I was thinking about buying some of the equipment, but I was curious if it is truly ​worth it. Im worried because I would buy 100+ dollars worth of equipment for such low dollar items.

[STUMP HUNTER]

Walk easy because this is a money eating hobby. I started off thinking I would spend a 100 or so to tie a few jigs, now 1000's into it. It's a never ending hole that you will fall into.... but it sure is habit forming!!

[Cray]

No, if you only use a few jigs and weights a year. Now if you like doing things like that and get a lot of self satisfaction from crafting something that you catch fish with go for it. I'm not as bad as stump Hunter but have a few hundred in pour pot, molds, and tying equipment. It is worth every penny to me when I take a jig I made and catch a bunch of fish on it.

[Shine Runner]

I took the plunge because I wanted to make some baits a little different than what was on the market. Cost effective? I say yes and no. Yes after I figured out what materials I liked. No because I spent a lot of money to figure it out. The satisfaction of catching numerous quality fish on baits made yourself, to me, is priceless. I have copied some others, and then tweaked those same examples. I have tied some stuff that I just had to cut off back to the hook/head and start over. Point is try it on a small scale. There are some low price good vises, paints, heads, hooks, and feather/hair/synthetics on the market. Set a dollar goal and see what you can do or how you like it. It is addictive, but rewarding too. Read up on all the threads on this forum and all the jig making sub forums. Good stuff these guys post about the hows, whens, whys, and DON'Ts. Good luck.

[hobo]

you make a jig and catch fish on and you thank you the only one with that jig color good feeling worth every penny you may sale or give some to your friends. IT IS ALL MOST LIKE CAUGH A BIG CRAPPIE mama

[Fatman]

Look at what you use/lose. Are you able to get all the colors in heads and style heads you use?? If you really don't want to pour look at buying the heads you want then paint/tie them. If you see you're going way over what you buy them for then it's a toss up if you want to spend the money to go for it.

I started pouring jigs and sinkers way back in the 1980's and Do-It molds only cost $15 back then, plus I had a small bait shop near me that had a mold rental program - it was nice you tried them all out and from there went and bought the molds you really used all the time.

If you start tying - you'll NEVER!!!! EVER!!!! stick with what you only want to tie at the start!!! Ask anyone here and they'll tell you it's true!!!!!!!!!

If you started pouring and wanted just a Lee bottom pour a ball head no collar assorted mold and a 100 of each size hook you'll be pushing your $100 dollar limit plus the cost of shipping to you. I don't ice fish anymore so my winter months I make tackle.

Your call buddy!!!

[fish_4_all]

I got into pouring to make pencil lead because of the price. Definitely cost effective for me to pour my own with pencil leads at $5-8 a pound. For jig heads, I don't use or lose enough to make it worth while for me to pour them.

I would have to fish a LOT more with jigs and lose a couple hundred a year before I would get into pouring. The prices I find on here for jig heads is much more cost effective than me ever buying 10 different molds to pour my own.

So my 2 cents: If you really want to do it just to do it, go for it. Nothing more rewarding and there is nothing that keeps the cabin fever at bay better than pouring your own stuff, tying your jigs and calculating where and when you will use them and thinking about the fish you will catch with them. If you only want to save money and don't go through a lot of jigs a year, buy them from members on here.

[mncrappie35]

definitely worth it when your at the community fishing hole and your catching fish and nobody else is. They ask you what your using and you show them, and when they ask which store you bought it and you tell them that they won't find that jig at any commercial store. It's priceless.

[canebreaker]

I can't pour jigs for what I can get them on ebay. I'll look for vendors that have a good price for 100 unpainted jigs. Contact the vendor for other products he has. Combine the total with 1 shipping fee. This past year I bought 1,000 1/16, 1/8, 3/16 and 1/4 jigs with shipping for 6.50 per 100. They are mixture of size and styles, but 100 of each.
For sinkers, I'll buy a mold and fill a coffee can of each size for the smaller ones. A 5 gallon bucket of the larger ones. I have a bucket of each from 1 1/2 to 16 oz. bank sinkers. Some I may never use again. Then I trade or sell the mold.
I can't pour bullets fast enough for my demand.

[plateboater]

You cannot find what we make and then you catch fish on it.....nothing like it. Like everything else in life if you want it bad enough you jump in....be warned addictive and a $100 is like getting your little toe touching the pool water. All worth it and multiple people to help your learning curve.