Tackle Craft Table of Contents Tackle Craft Introduction ................................................................................................... 1 Powder Painting Jig Heads ................................................................................................ 3 Painting Lures .................................................................................................................... 7 Spinner Baits, Buzz Baits ................................................................................................. 11 Spinner Baits 101 ............................................................................................................. 15 Tying Marabou Jigs and Wooly Bugger .......................................................................... 17 Wooden Baits, Crank Baits from Kits ............................................................................. 24 Plastic Worms .................................................................................................................. 31 Dressing Treble Hooks with Flashabou ........................................................................... 38 An Introduction to Fly Tying ........................................................................................... 39 Carolina Clacker and Steel Leader ................................................................................... 54 1 4-H Sportfishing Introduction to Tackle Crafting Ronald A. Howard Jr, Professor and Extension Specialist, 4-H Youth Development, Texas Agricultural Extension Service, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843-2473 Revised by Wm. Jeff Farris (Feb 2003) Missouri Sportfishing Team Tackle crafting involves a wide variety of skills and interests. Some of them are simple and easily mastered. Others are complex, requiring a wide variety of skills. These activities may lead to entrepreneurial endeavors, careers or simply to expanding the recreational content of time spent fishing and preparing to fish. The volunteer working with these lesson plans and the youth involved in taking part in them are the best ones to determine which of these lessons will be used and which may wait until some later time. In general, tackle crafters with limited skills will learn best if simple skills are learned before they are applied to more complex projects. For example, simply learning how to attach a split ring and a hook to a pre-painted spoon or lure body is fun for the participant and teaches a basic skill that will be applied in many other activities. Building things to a pattern or model teaches the learner to follow that pattern or model - a step that should be taken before free-form creativity takes over. There are some good reference materials available to help the less experienced tackle crafter learn more about the projects before trying them on the youths in the club. For general tackle crafting projects I recommend “The Complete Book Of Tackle Making” by C. Boyd Pfeiffer, and “Luremaking” by A. D. Livingston. For fly tying there are many books (too many to list) available on this subject. There is a great deal of information available on videos, that teach many of the subjects, the advantage of videos is being able to see how things are put together. The use of this manual and the 4-H Sportsfishing booklets are good sources of projects and projects ideas. There are many other projects that your group can do that are not included in this material. Don’t be afraid to try new projects that you think your group would like to try. Make sure you look at all the safety concerns of the project and take all the precautions need to make it safe. If you find your project was a success, please write it up and send it to us, if your group liked it other groups may like to do it also. Tackle crafting involves anything to do with the making of tackle or other items used in fishing. This includes projects making lures and baits, to projects making nets, traps, rod building and repair, boat repair and adding special thing to help fishing, etc. Learning to assemble pre-cut and ready-to-finish woodworking projects is an excellent precursor to preparing them for finishing or cutting the pieces themselves. Several of the woodworking activities lend themselves nicely to that progression. If those products are then used in other activities, the value of the learning is enhanced. Clearly, more attention to hazards and safety is required when young people are using power tools, molten lead or sharp cutting instruments than when they are simply opening a split ring; but being prepared and covering safety is a leader responsibility. Since most of the baits we make that use lead can be purchased already made and the risk to young children from the lead is great, it is better to just buy the parts and finish them. Several of the activities included in this set are developed in sequence. Where they are sequential (as in the fly tying material), lessons are designed to teach, then to reinforce, basic skills. As a result, the exercises or lessons are listed in sequence. For best results they should be taught in that same sequence. When that is done, the more basic skills are learned first and skills learned earlier in the sequence are reinforced and expanded in following lessons. Skipping the basic lessons often results in complications later. As a result it is strongly discouraged. Consult the "BEST TIME" section of the lesson plan for information about the sequenced plans and where they fit in the process. An astute reader of the manual may note that the lessons are placed in the manual in sequence for basic learning and that more advanced 2 lessons where free choice can be exercised tend to follow them. Consider the age and skill level of your group members. Remember they learn at different rates and may have different levels of innate ability. Please remember that the product of these lesson plans is the young person participating, not the items that will be produced. Patient, positive leadership by an active listener and cooperative leader will reach the objective of helping kids to achieve their potential most effectively. Keep in mind the equipment the youths in your group have, if no one has a fly rod, then fly tying will not be of great interest to them. Not that these skill are not usable, but tying flies with no way to present them, to them will be pointless. Consider the waters they will be fishing and the type of fish they will be fishing for. Making trout flies is not important to youth that will be fishing a muddy river for catfish. At different ages the motor skills, hand eye coordination may not be at a level to do certain baits. An eight year old may not be skilled enough to make complicated flies, nor be at a point that they can fish with a fly rod. Remember that the lesson plans are a guide, that learning never stops, and that, you are a role model and hero to kids whether you want that position or not. Help others to have some of the fun of teaching and draft your teen leaders as assistants. They will grow from it and so will your kids. Finally, if you have good ideas for activities in this area and are willing to share them with others, please send them to us. We will edit them for format and put them in the next edition, giving you credit for the content. Welcome to some fun stuff! Have fun with the kids and try some new things yourself. Included in the next pages are some sources for materials and information. These are added to help you find the stuff you may need to teach tackle crafting, but remember if you need help, we will be available to give assistance if you need it. There are a few reasons why people make their own tackle. They are for their own pleasure, to save money, or to get the exact bait they want. Tackle crafting, as a hobby, is fun, and the kids love making lures. It is a relaxing (sometimes) hobby. Tackle crafting to save money can be misleading. Most of the time, if you figured all of the cost (including time) you will find that it may cost more to make it yourself. The biggest reason to make it yourself is to get what you want. Some times it will be you can’t find the color, the shape, the quality, or the right design you want. This is in fact how I got started making baits. Mom wanted a pink worm (and you know what momma wants, momma gets!). At the time that color was not popular, so we found a kit in the Bass Pro Shop catalog to make worms. We ordered it; mom got her pink worms and the rest is history. As a bass fisherman, I found that modifying bait improved the number of fish I caught. This is important in tournaments, but also for your own enjoyment. By learning how to modify bait it wasn’t hard to learn to make them. The most important thing you can pass on is your love and enthusiasm for sportfishing. This will not only enrich your life, but the lives of all those you pass this on to. Happy tackle crafting! 3 4-H Sportfishing Painting Leadhead Jigs with Powder Based Epoxy Paint Andy Martin of American Sportfishing Association Updated and modified by Wm. Jeff Farris Objectives Best Time: Anytime Youth and adults will: Develop proper jig painting technique Best Location: Well lighted, dry, comfortable setting Learn the curing/drying process with a worktable of wood or metal, not plastic. Critique painted jigs to improve painting skills Learn safety procedures while using a heat Time Required: 30 to 90 minutes (depending source on how many kids and the number of jig they paint) Have fun while learning Equipment/Materials Youth Development Objectives Safety glasses and Dust mask Participating young people will develop: Matches or lighter Enhanced hand-eye coordination Powder Paint (many colors) Drying rack (see fact Enhanced planning and execution skills sheet) Manage dangerous materials in a safe manner Fire Extinguisher Aluminum foil Practice cooperation Lead Jig heads Roles for Teen and Junior Leaders: Locking forceps (best) or needle nose pliers Teen and Junior Leaders will: Heat source: Alcohol lamp and Denatured alcohol, 1. Demonstrate uses of various types of jigs Sterno can, Gas stove (camp stove will work) 2.