05-24 REELLIFE print SINGLE digital - Flipbook - Page 29
I’m cheap.
Well, OK, maybe I’m being
too harsh. I’m – frugal.
Especially when it comes
to things I can do myself
for a fraction of the cost of
buying it. When it comes to
fishing I like to save money
on items I can make to
spend the money on things
I can’t. With that in mind,
I present to you several
fishing items that I make
rather than buy.
BOTTOMFISH LURES
Anyone who bottom fishes
knows how expensive it can
be as you lose your jigs to a
rocky bottom. And if you’re
not losing jigs, you’re not
fishing as effectively as you
could be. Early on I invested
in a lead melting pot to
make my own jigs. It’s an
easy process, made easier
by a product you can buy
on E-Bay, “Amazing Mold
Putty”. This is a two-part
putty that you can use to
create your own jig molds.
from it. Add a swiwash
hook and two eyelets and
you have a jig that any
bottom fish will jump on,
painted or not. Lead is
currently 50 cents a pound
at recycle shops, making
your cost per jig around 2550 cents per jig.
I like to use a chunk of balsa
wood to create the jig,
which I then use the two
putty molds to create the
mold. You’ll be able to easily
make a couple dozen lures
or more before the mold
is destroyed from the hot
lead. The putty runs $17 and
you can make 2-3 jig molds
Early in my downrigger
fishing days, I lost
more than my share of
downrigger balls. Hangups, frayed lines, wire in
the trolling motor – I did it
all. The cost of downrigger
balls was killing me.
DOWNRIGGER “CAN”
