This "Is" The Place! - Page 3 - Striper Talk Striped Bass Fishing, Surfcasting, Boating

ProfessorM · 11-28-2010, 11:12 AM

I'm battling a f'd up elbow right now so turning is painful and I have to do that for a living so I have to be careful. Most importantly that is my spook fishing elbow so I need to be cautious. I'd be devastated if I could not do that this spring. That being said I did get 10 small darters started yesterday when I had a few minutes to do something for myself. I'd luv to stop by the Lawrence plug works again some day. Can't stress how important it is to document your ideas and your work as it is so easy to forget what the hell you are doing, at least for me anyway.

Heres where I stand . Birch, maple and a few AYC. I am really starting to enjoy making darters. Fast becoming my favorite plug to make. You have to be pretty precision on your fixtures and your machining and I luv that kind of stuff. I will say this though I have a lot to learn as far as getting them all to be good performers and lots to learn about fishing them but I always have George to bug as far as that goes.

Sgt Striper · 11-28-2010, 11:44 AM

Here's what I worked on this week. Need to epoxy some of them tonight.
Anyone have a GooGoo pattern, would like to have one in the bag!

ProfessorM · 11-28-2010, 12:10 PM

great looking plugs. I got both small and large goo goo info. I will put up later today. Luv to make goo goo's.

ProfessorM · 11-28-2010, 12:24 PM

Here is my next project which will take some time but worth it for sure.. I just took home,from work, a Delta drill press I bought on Craig's list that I just reconditioned. Only took me a year but came out great.

Sgt Striper · 11-30-2010, 03:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ProfessorM

Here is my next project which will take some time but worth it for sure.. I just took home,from work, a Delta drill press I bought on Craig's list that I just reconditioned. Only took me a year but came out great.

Paul, Have a question for ya on that lathe. Sent pm

islander · 11-28-2010, 12:24 PM

Nice darters Paul, One plug I haven't tried to hand carve yet.

ProfessorM · 11-28-2010, 01:58 PM

Goo goo stuff large
I don't have many goo goo's left , gave most of them away. Here is a pic of the last few I have, and the specs.

ProfessorM · 11-28-2010, 02:07 PM

Here are the specs on the med. ones. In the pic you can see I used a flat lip on the med. ones compared to the traditional lip used. I had one with the flat lip so I made a few. It makes it more of a surface plug compared to the deeper diver the traditional lip gives it. I have seen the flat lip used on the large ones and med. plugs. You can use the traditional lip on the med. plug which is how most came. These are only 2 of the sizes I use there are a few more sizes but I would use these so that is all I made. You can also put eelskin grooves in them too.

Also you will notice I have some specs on there for belly wgts. and tail wgts. for both plugs. The original came without either but I have experimented with the weights and it does tone down the action which can get a little too wild sometimes IMO so that is why i tried it. I like the action it gives them too. But the originals I have in my collection and what I have see in others were weightless.

Sgt Striper · 11-28-2010, 07:31 PM

Thanks for posting the photo's and drawings...Would love to get a hold of that book!! Good luck with the lathe restoration, I wouldn't mind having something like that for a winter project.

ProfessorM · 11-28-2010, 07:58 PM

My pleasure. Noticed I wrote wrong dim. on large goo goo for rear hook . The length from the front of plug to rear hook is 4.875 not 1.875.

ProfessorM · 12-01-2010, 12:26 PM

I don't do any work so nutin to clean

wrikerjr · 12-01-2010, 12:58 PM

I always look forward to this thread. This year in addition to all the standard plugs I make I am looking to make a Frech Darter and Frech Banana plug. I have no idea on the plugs as I have never held one in my hands. I want to make these two plugs because I remember when I was a little boy reading the frech plug building articles in the fisherman magazine and then building them with my father. I remember the article on the darter and bannana my father reading it and saying, Riker's can't do these types of things.

I am going to give it a go, if anyone has dimensions that would be much appreciated. Other than that its the standard plugs that I make.

I have been working on a little technique I picked up in a duck call making class i took called friction burning. Its a very simple technique if anyone is interested let me know the results are very cool with a nice old school feel.

ProfessorM · 12-01-2010, 01:54 PM

George has the info for the banana plug I'm pretty sure. If you get the info on the darter i'd luv that. Neat plugs too.

numbskull · 12-01-2010, 07:36 PM

Bananas are us

striperman36 · 12-01-2010, 07:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by numbskull

Bananas are us

That is theee lure

Strike_King · 12-01-2010, 11:16 PM

Been rearranging the shop lately getting ready for the offseason. This winter I will be descending deeper into the circles of bottle darter hell. Should be quite the journey...

ProfessorM · 12-02-2010, 11:56 AM

I got no Chiquita plug

BigFish · 12-05-2010, 07:55 AM

When is this thread going to hit "winter fever pitch"? I have my coffee and will finish my cup, have another and then I am heading out to the shop for the day to work on several projects! So what are you guys working on??

JMAC_kerel · 12-06-2010, 11:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BigFish

When is this thread going to hit "winter fever pitch"? I have my coffee and will finish my cup, have another and then I am heading out to the shop for the day to work on several projects! So what are you guys working on??

Ok I'll bite.

I'm going to be working on some larger sizes and slightly different shapes of stuff that was working well for me this past year. And more than likely, carve some different weighted versions for different conditions.

numbskull · 12-06-2010, 11:45 AM

Those remind me of something. Are you familiar with the Frech plug?

JMAC_kerel · 12-06-2010, 02:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by numbskull

Those remind me of something. Are you familiar with the Frech plug?

I have indeed seen old pics of Frech's banana plug and it's reincarnations. I like that shape a lot including your version. I believe it was originally an adult bunker imitation? Was / is it meant to be fished hanging just under the surface? (judging by the flat back) Someday I think I will try something similar with my own spin on it.

Besides my peanut bunker, the plugs in the pic I posted have a more slender profile. All are made to sink slowly and act like a glider / jerkbait depending on retrieve.

ProfessorM · 12-05-2010, 09:29 AM

turning several sizes of darter's so I can get on to the fun part of doing the angles and then on to ruining them in the sealer and then watching them swim upside down as I test them out. I basically will be doing all my turning in the next week or 2 for everything I will be making this winter. Got all the stock cut and ready to go for everything. Of course there will be some short runs of stuff that I forgot but after 2 weeks or so I am pretty much done with turning for the winter. Then on to the other more time consuming aspects.

Slipknot · 12-05-2010, 09:53 AM

working on these

Backbeach Jake · 12-05-2010, 10:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Slipknot

working on these

Chunkah · 12-05-2010, 10:17 AM

I'm still waiting for my shipment of wood to come in.

I have some leftover from last year, and a boatload of red cedar blanks ready to go, but was kind of hoping to get everything done at once. But I'd say my biggest challenge is cleaning up my workspace. I've got a maybe 20' x 12' area to use for my shop, tool storage (I'm a GC and have a lot of stuff!), and family storage, so organizing and making room is becoming increasingly difficult. Maybe I'll post some pictures of the nightmare....I wish I had the money to rent a space.