Thread: Pouring my own jig heads

Lots of people here have used Print-A-Mold. I think they would all recommend him too.

I know you already purchased but there is Simply Crappie (bugman) here on cdc that sells what you were looking for.
Jig Heads - Simply Crappie

Also Steve (gonzz) with Limits Tackle should be able to help.
Limits Tackle - Home

I just finished a reply to your request thread. Maybe a little quick to give up, but when the fever is upon you it is understandable. LOL


I see you are new and I don’t know how much you know about making your own jig heads. It can become, well a bit of a habit. You will need to clear out some storage space around the house. Lots of space. Secure a few locations where you can work with your stuff. Of course a well ventilated space to pour is always a good idea. I use my garage to pour and paint, and an extra bedroom for the finishing. Space is always an issue for jig makers for some reason.

Again I don’t know what you know because you just signed on here, but…… buy the good quality hooks right away. If you are making jigs for yourself and a few others, it is the way to go. While it may be tempting to save some cash and get the 1,000 pack for a few bucks, don’t do it. Get really good hooks to get started with, as sooner or later you will get around to doing so, and you will not have to go on to store boxes of junk hooks. Like I do.

A high quality mold produces cleaner heads, which means less work to get a clean ready to paint head. The Do-It brand molds are not high quality BUT they are available. I saw where Barlows sells a nice one that I feel would suit your needs. In stock, too. The FreeStyle. It has a nice rounded head with flat sides for attaching 3D eyes. Once painted and adorned with 3D eyes the head has a nice round shape to it. You can apply eyes that are small or large as there is no cavity on the side that requires a specific size. It has the wire keeper. The heads will require a little clean up work but at a third the cost and the ability to get it delivered quickly, might be a great choice for you. Others are selling now as well.

The section on this site for jig makers and such, can really be a great resource for you. Before you order ANYTHING….. you can post up there and get clued in on what to get and where to get it. Save…. I said save you money and you can avoid accumulating a bunch of junk. Of course you will gather boxes of junk anyways, but I mean less junk. These guys have all been there done that and will gladly share what they probably discovered the hard way.

Certain sellers can look like a good deal, but once the item is in hand and being used, it can become obvious only then why it was cheap. If someone on the site recommends a seller to you, it is because they will provide a quality product. I have yet to see a recommendation that I felt was done for any reason other than to be truly helpful.

If you think you will want to have thousands of jigs just laying about, strewn about the house actually. If you want to provide storage for multiple boxes. If you wish to spend your idle time messing around with bits-n-bobs, then jig making is definitely for you. If however you just want some jigs to fish with then I recommend buying ready made. If I didn’t already have the melting pot, ladle and lead supply I would have just bought plain heads and painted them myself. The finishing part can be lots of fun and the pouring part not so much.

I would look around on that forum section for a while before ordering any equipment. Look and see what is there and then start asking questions. Of course, you could always do it like I did and just bull ahead and work things out later. LOL

I agree with Micanopy. Get the Freestyle mold, some keepers and quality hooks like Victory sickles or Mustad 32746 if you don't like the small barbs of the Victory's. The money you save by pouring your own plus the satisfaction of catching fish on something you made makes it all worthwhile. You would need a bottom pour pot, lead, hooks, jig mold and keepers so start up cost would be around $200, but after initial start up the more you pour the more you will save.

I am the type of guy that likes to do things myself if possible so that I know it is done right and to my liking. Like reloading my own ammo. I don't think I will ever shoot enough to recoup that money but I think I can making jig heads. Just trying to gather a little more intel on the subject.

I looked a t the Do-It brand molds but they have only one cavity for each size. Or at least the ones I have seen. I am leaning towards the Print-A-Mold Lures jig head mold. I can pout six or seven of the same size at one time. I would just like to get a few more opinions on it before I order.

I kind of like a single shot. I have issues aligning everything just so, and if it gets slightly bumped having to do it all over again. Six hooks with keepers would drive me crazy and that is a short drive.

FS JIG Mold

Fat guys fishing has a 1/16th pill head with keeper. He just calls it a freestyle jig mold. He is very popular and stays busy. He has his lead time posted on his main page.

I’ve used palmolds too. If it’s in stock it wasn’t hard to get here but I’ve read their lead times are longer than fgf. The mold was good though.

Another thing that is possible is to find a mold with all 1/16 round heads. Alter it to fit a keeper. When poured you could use some smooth pliers and squeeze the sides flat to make it a pill head. It may loosen the keeper but a quick bit of superglue may help.

Originally Posted by Lloakley930

FS JIG Mold

Fat guys fishing has a 1/16th pill head with keeper. He just calls it a freestyle jig mold. He is very popular and stays busy. He has his lead time posted on his main page.

I’ve used palmolds too. If it’s in stock it wasn’t hard to get here but I’ve read their lead times are longer than fgf. The mold was good though.

Another thing that is possible is to find a mold with all 1/16 round heads. Alter it to fit a keeper. When poured you could use some smooth pliers and squeeze the sides flat to make it a pill head. It may loosen the keeper but a quick bit of superglue may help.

Would you chose Fat Guys Fishing or Palmolds if you could have only one?

Originally Posted by Critterskinner

Would you chose Fat Guys Fishing or Palmolds if you could have only one?

Fat guys fishing is my first pick on regular molds and pal for custom molds