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Northwest Reel Life April 2024 Volume 3 Issue 7 - Flipbook - Page 30


I had been making my
own bottom fishing jigs so
I thought, “Why not make
downrigger balls?”. Rather
than buy a mold and be
stuck making just one
size, I looked at other mold
ideas and came upon tin
cans. They work great! Each
ounce is about one pound
of lead.
The loops can be made
from heavy gauge wire. The
process is straightforward,
just bend the wire loop and
insert it into the can, melt
lead (it will take multiple
times), and pour. The can
remains and will last a long
time before it rusts away
and even then what is left is
a solid chunk of lead. I have
had no issues with the can
spinning and can make a
15-pound “can” for around
$7.50 at today’s lead prices.
One word of caution – lead
is poisonous. You should
handle it with care, wearing
gloves and a mask, and do
your melting outside so you
have maximum ventilation.
If you have children, be
sure to have the lead stored
safely so they cannot get
into it.
FISH BLEEDING CLAMP
This next money saver I
have to give credit to my
friend Mark Nordahl. Mark
is actually my inspiration for
finding things to make out
of household items.
Mark is a master at
tinkering and has shown
me lots of innovations
over the years. The Fish
Bleeding Clamp is a simple
but ingenious way to
easily bleed your fish while
keeping your boat clean. It
consists of a cable clamp
(found at Home Depot or
Lowes), a four-foot length
of weed wacker line, and a
few crimps. The clamp goes
through the fish’s mouth,
out the gills, and can then
be secured to a cleat as you
bleed the fish over the side
of the boat. You can get a
large clamp for bigger fish
like salmon, and a small
clamp for kokanee.
I have one of each in my
boat and use it every time I
catch a fish to keep.
CHEAPER DOWNRIGGER CLIPS
Did you know you can often
find bulk downrigger clips
that have no cable attached
to them for a quarter of
the price of the finished
product? It’s easy to finish
the job yourself and save a
lot of money in the process.
Again using the weed
wacker line simply cut a
three-piece length and use
crimps to connect one end
to the downrigger clip and
one end to a Longline Snap.