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Poopdeck

Prison flies

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Thanks, I've been using a fluid bed (single cup) for quite a few years now but so far have resisted the full sized model... I long ago quite doing my own molding.  Instead I have a production outfit that does the molding for me using centrifugal "slinger" molds then ships them to me ready to paint or use as I see fit.  I'm ordering at the 1000 level per size these days and the shipping isn't cheap at all...

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Capt Bob, I've always enjoyed seeing & have been inspired by your flies & jigs.  I also like that style of jig head and I've modified my mold in the same manner with adding a barb. It's a great all around style for shallow water fishing. I use it for some freshwater hair jigs as well as for saltwater. 

I have a fluid bed that I had purchased, made from 4" pipe, with porex filter media in the bottom of the cups. I think I have about a dozen cups now, and can use more of them. I only paint with one color at a time, but have seen others set ups where they can use as many as 8 colors at once.

I pour jigs of many styles & weights, from 1/100 oz in size with size 12 hooks and up to 20 oz. trolling types with 12/0 hooks, and can powder coat any of them with the set up that I have. The small stuff is actually more work to do them.  I bought some silicone caps from a powder coat supply store that I use for covering the hook eyes to keep them clear of powder, and wrap some of the smaller hook eyes with teflon tape for the same purpose. I also use the tape for coating wire baits, as I can wrap the hooks and dip them without having a lot of paint on the hooks. 

The only thing I have problems with coating is longer jigging spoons. The cups are 4"-5" high and will each hold about a half pound of powder, so anything longer has to be dipped one end at a time. I plan on making a few cups for those longer items. 

The jigs I posted were all powder painted.  

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Capt. Bob, those look great.  Can you get those in 1/16th oz.?  I use UL spinning gear in the spots that I just can't fling a fly and 1/16th is the sweet spot for the blanks that I use.  Commercial speck jig hooks just don't hold up for me so I don't bother.  Throwing a tiny storm popper under the bridges is lethal.  Usually can't see a thing,  I just keep it moving and wait for the firecracker to go off.

My favorite fly colors along the Trail are tan or black with just enough green pearl flashabou to look like a couple of scales that have been knocked off.  A tan diver or in the surface bug are my go to flies.  I only fish two lures when spin fishing. The smallest Rapala minnows in black over silver or gold is one. The other is the small storm hopper popper that is clear with black and brown highlights.  I've tried the other popper colors and have never even been bit.  I'm convinced they hit that color popper because they can't quite see it well enough to realize it isn't real.

Swamp

P.S. PM sent

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8 hours ago, tidewaterfly said:

Capt Bob, I've always enjoyed seeing & have been inspired by your flies & jigs.  I also like that style of jig head and I've modified my mold in the same manner with adding a barb. It's a great all around style for shallow water fishing. I use it for some freshwater hair jigs as well as for saltwater. 

I have a fluid bed that I had purchased, made from 4" pipe, with porex filter media in the bottom of the cups. I think I have about a dozen cups now, and can use more of them. I only paint with one color at a time, but have seen others set ups where they can use as many as 8 colors at once.

I pour jigs of many styles & weights, from 1/100 oz in size with size 12 hooks and up to 20 oz. trolling types with 12/0 hooks, and can powder coat any of them with the set up that I have. The small stuff is actually more work to do them.  I bought some silicone caps from a powder coat supply store that I use for covering the hook eyes to keep them clear of powder, and wrap some of the smaller hook eyes with teflon tape for the same purpose. I also use the tape for coating wire baits, as I can wrap the hooks and dip them without having a lot of paint on the hooks. 

The only thing I have problems with coating is longer jigging spoons. The cups are 4"-5" high and will each hold about a half pound of powder, so anything longer has to be dipped one end at a time. I plan on making a few cups for those longer items. 

The jigs I posted were all powder painted.  

Tidewater, the reason I use a fluid bed is because it prevents clogging of the eyes. If your eyes are clogging perhaps you do not have your fluid bed dialed in correctly.  I find it necessary to adjust my air volume depending on color since some colors must be heavier then others and are prone to lay thicker and clog the eyes.  I hate clogged eyes and prefer losing a little powder out the top of the cups to ensure a nice thin layer and clean eyes. 

Of course I do not paint anything near as large as what you are doing. My operation is low budget, homemade and low production in comparrison to you and Capt. Bob's operations. At this point in my lock down busting out some eye holes may be a great way to kill some time though.

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2 hours ago, Poopdeck said:

Tidewater, the reason I use a fluid bed is because it prevents clogging of the eyes. If your eyes are clogging perhaps you do not have your fluid bed dialed in correctly.  I find it necessary to adjust my air volume depending on color since some colors must be heavier then others and are prone to lay thicker and clog the eyes.  I hate clogged eyes and prefer losing a little powder out the top of the cups to ensure a nice thin layer and clean eyes. 

Of course I do not paint anything near as large as what you are doing. My operation is low budget, homemade and low production in comparrison to you and Capt. Bob's operations. At this point in my lock down busting out some eye holes may be a great way to kill some time though.

There are some head styles that I have, where the hook eyes are recessed, so that I have to paint the eyes and most are large enough they don't clog. The primary reason I go thru the effort to cover the eyes, is many of my customers don't like them painted at all. It has nothing to do with the fluid bed. 

I agree with you that these powders are not all the same. I've been using powder paints now for a good many years, and learned a lot about them. There are different types, such as epoxies and polyesters, and each has a use, there's various temperatures that are best for proper coating and curing, and they're affected a lot by moisture. The manufacturers supply the necessary information for heating and duration times. There are precautions that a lot of folks don't take to get the best results, and when they don't get it, they blame it on various things. The fluid bed, if it is working properly is seldom the cause of these problems, although cannot be ruled out entirely. 

I frequent several lure makers forums & social media groups for tackle makers. Man, what Lefty said about the BS with fly fishing, sure applies to a lot of those groups too. It's people, and how they fail to actually research the proper way to do things, and instead rely too much on what they're told by others, who have done the same thing. That's a fallacy with social media, too many rely on hearsay instead of facts. The information is available, but they don't bother to find it. A lot of those guys are using torches & heat guns & various other heat sources, and have no idea what temperatures they have when coating. It's not likely critical for a jig head, but when they have some problem, they blame it on everything except themselves. 

When many of them have coating problems, often they blame the powder or the powder source. I read comments like,  "it's poor quality powder". I buy all the powders that I use by the pound. I don't bother with the "lure" powders. I don't know it to be fact, but suspect that what's sold for painting lures, is likely repackaged from the same manufacturers that I use. Many presume that every business that sells powder paints is manufacturing it, and that's not the case. I suspect in most instances, when they have problems with coating, it's due to moisture in the powder, or a heat related problem. Moisture causes the powder to clump up & get applied too thick, and too much or too little heat can cause similar issues. Fine powders of any type tend to absorb moisture, even from the air due to humidity. In their literature, the powder manufacturers tell you this.

I've read many times how powder paints won't chip, and some claim that they can beat it with a hammer and it doesn't chip, because of "their" special process. That's a lot of hype. One guy even has a video, where he's striking a jighead with a metal tool. Only thing is, the jig is in his hand, and most of the blow is being cushioned. Powder paints when applied and cured properly are very durable, but they're not indestructible. 

I try to follow first, common sense, and second, consistent procedures so that I can get a consistently attractive & durable result. I have not had any complaints from customers so far. I use an oven for heating & curing and set the temps with a thermometer. When I'm not using it, I keep the powder cups sealed and place silica gel packs in them to limit moisture, and I keep them in a cool area so they're not exposed to high temperatures that might affect them. I pay attention to temperatures recommended by the manufacturers too, although for such small surface area with jigs, there is some leeway. 

Most of this is like fly tying. There's basics and good practices, but even when they're not followed, what you get will still work to catch some fish. I contend that all flies will catch fish, but some last longer than others, and the same with this jig making stuff. I've caught plenty of fish with bare, unpainted jigs, but I do like how they look when they're painted nice and with the powder coating, feel that it slows the oxidation of the lead so that I don't end up with all that nasty, gray oxide all over everything in my tackle bags & boxes. For me, that's worth a lot, which is why I started using powder coating in the first place.  👍

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I didn't think about those dang customers not wanting their eyes colored. Glad I don't have any because a blow torch is as exacting as I require. 

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For Swamp Fly... here's the outfit that will probably have those 1/16oz. heads for you (either plain or painted).... https://www.lurepartsonline.com/

They're the retail side of the outfit I use to mold up the jigheads that I use at wholesale and have provided great results for me over the years.... I was interested to hear that you're using dark colors along the Trail.  We were up on Alligator Alley yesterday and I probably should have been using dark colors instead of my usual whites... but since nothing (and I mean nothing) was biting we were probably beating a dead horse (something I'm all too familiar with).  I'll be down in the Ten Thousand Islands area in a few days working out of my skiff again so until then it will be shopwork each day.  So far I've removed the beaten up old cork grip on one of my oldest Sage rods and replaced it (with Sage's new policy on older rods that "lifetime warranty" they advertised 25 years ago isn't worth much so I still have two old Sages that need the same treatment...).  I have one small lure order to fill as well so there goes any spare time - as usual...

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Thanks for the link.  Looks like they don't have that style in 1/16 but they do have some other options.  I might drop them a line to see if they have some "off menu" items that are better.

While there are times that I have done well with bright colors along the trail, I consistently do better with natural earth tone colors (I don't really consider tan/sand to be "dark").  Maybe it's because they see so may bright lures and flies.

That is unfortunate with the Alley.  I would have figured that the fish would be turned on with the outright hot weather we've been having (90+ since Friday).   Every year it seems the fish want something different, it usually takes me a trip or two to dial in.  Years ago I couldn't let a yellow and green Chernobyl Ant be any where near the water for more than a few seconds before something ate it,  haven't been able to make them work at all for the last few.   Last year it was medium to bright green buggers/leaches.  Chart or fl. yellow popper always seem to do well along with yellow or while spiders for topwater.  Tan divers tear the bass up most years.  We'll see what's shakin' this year.

 

Swamp

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I think it was something about the conditions since we never saw anything getting eaten - up and down two different canal systems - just lots of gar at the surface and we were on the water just before sunup.... Unlike the Trail, the waters we were in showed not the slightest bit of current or water movement at all - just a fair number of lazy 'gators and garfish.... The guy I was with needed to get back home before noon and I was glad it was just a morning's exercise...

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Well into my 4th week of the lockdown of me and my boat I though it best to stay away from sharp objects like scissors for a bit. I figured I was safe with a butter knife. Time for a banana cream pie! This will cure what ails you.

 

pie.jpg

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