Thread: Bigger hooks how much flash when pouring?

Being as you are just starting out, I would not want to see you saddle yourself with the absolute pure hassle of needlessly trimming away flashing.




Being as you are willing to purchase multiple molds, I would suggest doing just that. Buy molds that will work as designed and then start. Maybe two for salmon and two for crappie. There are so many other aspects to making jigs that you will want to waste your time on that are much more enjoyable than trimming flashing.

It is easy enough to spend a half an hour making just one completed jig. Pouring, trimming, filing, painting, adding eyes, and then hand tying. So you will be wanting to have some fun as you go, or else you will just store everything in the garage in a box marked- MISADVENTURE #37.

I find the process to be much like a hobby and I definitely enjoy creating ridiculous little lures for stupid little fish. In fact, I tend to make rather odd lures and then run around the local lakes catching fish with them. I always get nervous when the local men get close to my boat and start viewing the jigs hanging of my rods. LOL. Also, I am forever fining new things that I need to order so that I can experiment further, and have a nice little collection started. Storage becomes a bigger and bigger issue as I go. Soon my wife may have me in a box in the garage marked misadventure.

Here are a couple of pictures to try to push you over the edge and trick you into thinking that you too want to catch fish on lures that you made. I made this lure, named it the Whirling Dervish and then caught some fish with it. Nice 14” fish in the picture.




Good luck and check out the jig making forum here. Lots of folks with experience and talent. They helped me more than they should have as now I am a lure delinquent.

Double

Part of the problem is finding molds that serve the purpose I want. Smaller jig molds that take heavy hooks..... I don't like to throw anything over 1/2 ounce and there in lies the problem.
The stronger hook molds are all heavier that I have found. And I definitely can't afford a custom mold.

Beginning to think it is just better to buy them from the experts here than to get into something that requires modifying the molds, dealing with the flash and making things too frustrating.

Maybe there is a way to modify a mold to take both the heavier hooks and still be able to make clean lighter hook jig heads. I have the skills, just not necessarily the physical ability if that makes sense.

Either that or I get a couple molds to do some of what I want to do and have the experts here make the ones I need that require a little more finesse and ability than my body will let me do.

If I am cheating with hook size for just a few to fish with I pour them one at a time. Flashing is there but manageable. Don't try a whole mold full. I pour from 1/6th to 1 oz jigs with lots of of hook sizes. I have bought production molds and modified a couple spots for big hooks and leave the rest alone.

Larger hooks on crappie jigs I just don’t see much need for,,but for salmon, I’m sure it’s a totally different game,,,,

For crappie I'll use the recommended hooks, even for trout and other panfish. For salmon and steelhead, they will straighten a 570 on a whim, a 630 does better but have straightened them a lot too.
Also have a lot of problems with the points of both of them getting bent from bouncing off rocks and trees and everything else.

Another thing about using a hook too large for the mold is that if the tie eye sticks up too high you will be in for serious flash without some modifying.