Thanks for the input guys! I'm hoping to reduce some of the trial and error by getting as close as possible on the first build and then I expect to have to do some testing and make some adjustments from there.
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Originally Posted by numbskull
That out of the way, I have some other thoughts about this issue.
First, needles are strange plugs. They all seem to work no matter how they are shaped or weighted. I suspect it has more to do with their long narrow profile than their specific action or retrieve speed.
Years ago I spent a lot of time figuring out how to make them swim which turns out to be unnecessary. Likewise I stressed over sink rates and sink angles/balance points which also didn't seem to matter (except for casting distance). I thought I was getting somewhere until I built a copy of an old Eelpunt needle that was Steve Shiraka's favorite plug (and a plug others had taken 50+ lb fish on) and found out the effing thing floats and comes in straight as a toy boat!
So now I don't stress it too much. On calm nights I throw lighter stuff, on rough nights heavier stuff. I'll carry a long one and a short one, a light one and a dark one but I no longer believe that for needles the specific action of what I throw means a lot.......which is why I prefer darters and swimmers but that's another issue.
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I don’t know yet if I think action means a whole lot with needles. The ones I’ve done best with do swim nicely but I’ve also had some nice fish on a lighter version that I made out of basswood that comes in like a stick. I mainly focus on the sink rate and the angle that it comes in at when retrieved (the lift you mentioned) because it allows me to control the dept. I want to be able to fish them near the bottom and I’ve started building different versions out of lighter and heavier woods to give me options when fishing different areas and conditions. One of the advantages that I have found with building them myself is that I can build a version specifically for an area or conditions that I want to fish. Might be a lot of work for nothing but it's been fun playing around and trying to make the "perfect" needle for each spot and sent of conditions. I've certainly learned a lot about fishing them and why they do what they do through the process.