Reply With QuoteNICE
Does the jighead mould come with different sizes or do you have to buy a mould for each size?
what sizes are there?
neil
D.I.Y Jigheads
Poodroo and I spent roughly an hour and a half to make our own jigheads this morning. The end result we could not be happier with. To be fair, when I selected some for the closeup shot, I grabbed any 4 of them, 2 x #2/0 and 2 x #3/0 so that we can see the average quality in the finnished result. I'm not fussy!! 50% of them are as nicely finished as you will find in the shops, but now our return on investment is starting to pay for itself. The hooks are averaging .44c each, + gas and the mould we bought 300 jigheads ago.
The satisfaction of making your own and seeing full tacklebox trays like this with mostly your own make is extreemly rewarding.
Scalem
NICE
Does the jighead mould come with different sizes or do you have to buy a mould for each size?
what sizes are there?
neil
Hi Neil,Originally Posted by HONKY DORY
The mould comes with 1/8th and 1/16th, 3 of each size.. But with the use of an engraver we modified the cavities a little for two reasons. The Gamakatsu hardwire hooks are too thick in the shank to allow the lead to flow very well around it, so we honed the cavity out a little. Probably added a small amount of weight in the process, but not much.
We find this "darter" style jighead is ample weight for fishing the bay around the 6 to 8 mtr mark, and does very well in shallow reef areas with minimum snags.
Poodroo
He who aims at nothing is sure to hit it.
Where did you buy the mould from? To be honest I've never seen one in a tackle shop, but then perhaps I've never looked specifically for one.
I know the jigheads are expensive. Too expensive for what they really.
Steve
I agree, they are very expensive to buy, but buying the mold, the burner, facemasks, the time - and our setup is a real basic back yard affair where we could spend lots more money gettin the good gear.... this is the brand of mold, and they have a NSW distributor.
http://www.do-itmolds.com/category.aspx?c=1
It's a lot of fun most of all, and now we have it fine tuned Poodroo and I can pump 100 out in a little over an hour to 2 hours. My girls love painting finger nail polish with glitter, which work a treat, though I am not sure if they are any better than a standard unpainted jigfhead.
Scalem
Hi Scalem,
Sorry to revive an old thread how do find trying to fit different sized hooks in the moulds ?
I mostly use 3/8 sized jig heads but would prefer a 4/0 or 5/0 hook size (for tropical species on the reef), rather than the 2/0 most of the 3/8th weights moulds cater for.
Richard
Richard I am not sure if you are interested or not but I am holding a Knot Tying and Jighead making Meet and Greet at my place early next month.
http://www.ausfish.com.au/vforum/sho...d.php?t=133013
We will show everyone who attends how we make the darter jigheads which Scalem and I are both using. It might give you some ideas.
Regards,
Poodroo
He who aims at nothing is sure to hit it.
No worries Richard, I am a little surprised this has not been a very popular subject, I guess its because Jigheads can be found in shops on specials occasionally which comes close to the net costs of making your own - but hey, its a craft as much as it is rewarding saving a few bucks recycling all my old cast nets.
If you look at the link I provided, the darter mold I bought, being Jig DTR-6-1618 is designed for 2/0 and 3/0 hook sizes. Every Brand of blank hook varies in size from one to another, so what I have found is that I can actually get a 4/0 Gamakatsu into the mold and still get it to work ..... with a little help. Because the hooks are Hard wire ( HW) hooks, the shaft of the hook is a little thick for the lead to flow around it inside the cavity - so I modified the mold slightly with an engraving tool, enlarging the width of where the hook shaft is, which allows the lead to flow around it. For your 5/0 or 6/0 or even 7/0 I would aim for another mold, possibly a Teardrop Jig JTS-5-A or similar where your lead can be much bigger in weight. Offshore you should be looking at anything from 3/8oz ( when the current is mild) to 1 -1/12 oz when the current is running or the wind is pushing you along too hard to get the plastics down.
Hope this helps.
Scalem
Thanks Poodroo but it's a bit of a commute for me from Mackay. Would have loved to hear any tips or tricks you might have on getting the moulding near pefect. I remember moulding sinkers with my dad when i was younger and it took us a few goes to get it right.
Thanks for the info Scalem,
After a big session of reef fishing on the weekend which I lost close to $100 worth of gear (it was worth it, I'm considering outlaying the money to have a setup to make these expensive-to-buy little suckers.
I only use the TT jig heads at the moment, and the most common one i use is a 3/8th jig head with a 5/0 hook. I find the TT's last really well against everything from cod to long tail tuna. The 3/8th just sinks that little bit quicker to the rocky reefs that we fish and with the (up to) 6m tides, you even need that weight on the inshore reefs.
The TT's use the gamakatsu hooks too but i'm not sure what pattern. Which pattern have you guys found to be the best ? I could probably get away with the 4/0 as a good all round size for up here and the type of fishing i do.
I was looking at getting the Pro-106 series mould in the 3/8th because it can handle 4/0's in the mould but also because it is designed for saltwater hooks which are a little thicker. It limits me to just the one size but it's the size i use the most and i figured i can buy the other sizes when i need them.
Richard
I should look more closely at peoples' profile information.
Poodroo
He who aims at nothing is sure to hit it.
Hi Richard,Thanks for the info Scalem,
After a big session of reef fishing on the weekend which I lost close to $100 worth of gear (it was worth it
I only use the TT jig heads at the moment, and the most common one i use is a 3/8th jig head with a 5/0 hook. I find the TT's last really well against everything from cod to long tail tuna. The 3/8th just sinks that little bit quicker to the rocky reefs that we fish and with the (up to) 6m tides, you even need that weight on the inshore reefs.
The TT's use the gamakatsu hooks too but i'm not sure what pattern. Which pattern have you guys found to be the best ? I could probably get away with the 4/0 as a good all round size for up here and the type of fishing i do.
I was looking at getting the Pro-106 series mould in the 3/8th because it can handle 4/0's in the mould but also because it is designed for saltwater hooks which are a little thicker. It limits me to just the one size but it's the size i use the most and i figured i can buy the other sizes when i need them.
Richard
You would be having a little fun in Mackay with plastics, pls remind me with a PM when you put up a post, love to see the results!!
$100.00 an outing is a little hard on the hip pocket without fuel, just remember to get yourself decent gloves, and a good gas mask when you start, avoiding lead fumes
The round head pro series should be fine, and once you have found the right weight as we have in shallow water, you seldom need anything else. Your 3/8 is obviously the right weight as you have found out. I think the hooks you should order from your tackle store is the Gamakatsu J90HW4050 or 5050 as found here http://www.gamakatsu.com.au/products/jighooks.html and they can order from the distributor Jeff Frogley Agencies in Australia who are in Ballina, NSW
The HW won't let you down
Scalem
Brent and I have done our first off shore trip to the 36's. The problem we are having is hook size and weight. We need at least 1 -2 oz. I am looking at making our own jigs too the only reason why is we are unable to find ones that suit our application. Scalem are you able to point us in the right direction?
Gidday Steven,
I'd go the J90HW6050 Gamaghatsu which is about the biggest you can get in a mold to suit. Like I have done, my mold was rated for a 3/0 hook, but I can use the 4/0 with a little modifying with the engraving tool ( or dremmel, is that what some call it?)
I'd look at the Chub Jig JCHS-L or the Teardrop Jig JTS-5-A, both with cavities to 1oz and 5/0 hook. I wish I had one to see it properly, but I can PM you the details of the distributor and my contact who will help you further with selection of mold.
The lead is easy to find, if all else fails, you can buy it from metal wreckers for $3.00 a KG which is a lot of jig heads per KG.
If you think you need heavier than 1oz, I would 1st use a sea anchor which should help. I think going bigger than 1 oz will start meaning you have to go a 7/0 hook to keep in proportion to the size placcie you are using. 2oz on a 5/0 or 6/0 hook would be disproportionate and unnatural looking on a 5" placcie. I can't see any molds for 7/0 hook size, but stand corrected. Not in a do-it brand anyhow.
Scalem
For anyone interested in Bream/flathead size Jig Heads my set-up was $100 (not including hooks or lead) I make my Jigs using Gamakatsu hooks in sizes 1/32 - 1/4 for between 9 - 18 cents using bought snapper lead.
so with me being 22 and fishing for at least another 40 years the $100 bucks is more of an investment to save me money rather than an expense
Cheers,
Mark
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