More Iron Questions

[1Flatfish]

I know this might be difficult to do, but can anybody describe how a good swimming iron swims as opposed to one that should be thrown out? How do I know if I have a good one, besides catching fish? I know it's not supposed to spin. Also, I have heard that a surface iron is supposed to enter the water more quietly than a heavy iron, so as not to spook nearby surface fish. But my surface iron makes a big splash and my heavy iron enters with a more quiet rip. Am I doing something wrong?

[THE DARKHORSE]

You know it's a good surface-iron when you first get a tingle in your neck, followed by a shiver up your spine . For some it's similar to that first time they saw their wife enter a room with style and grace, demanding respect by her presence alone. You will also know if she get's slammed the first time out fishing with you, she's a keeper .

[forefrazier]

"You will also know if she get's slammed the first time out fishing with you, she's a keeper"

Josh, you talking about the iron or the wife?

[j mo]

good one....

[Geoffkoop]

Originally Posted by THE DARKHORSE

You know it's a good surface-iron when you first get a tingle in your neck, followed by a shiver up your spine . For some it's similar to that first time they saw their wife enter a room with style and grace, demanding respect by her presence alone. You will also know if she get's slammed the first time out fishing with you, she's a keeper .

Classic!

No expert here but you want it to do this -->

[T Bone]

I have a sumo c6 and a tady 4/0 in scrambled egg both are similar size.The tady has way moreaction than the sumo.watch the jig coming up or in and speed up or slow down accordingly.

[MalibuJohnny]

Remember this...to fast, spins out of control. To slow, it will do nothing. Think about this...why do they troll feathers or plugs and not jigs? Each jig has a designed motion, all are designed to act like it is swimming referrelative="t" o:spt="75" coordsize="21600,21600">ath o:connecttype="rect" gradientshapeok="t" o:extrusionok="f">ath>fficeffice" />weather you are dropping it to the bottom, draggin it across kelp patties or letting is sink to the bottom, and jig need a constant speed to make it work. >>
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I was told...a very very long time ago, by a Salas guy...to look for the jig which has a concave face. (This would be the flat side) these imperfections can make the jig swim with more movement and will have a greater high ratio.>>
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But don't believe me....read it here
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Background
The way to a fish's stomach is through his eyeballs, and fishing lures are objects that resemble any of the naturally occurring foods that fish might find attractive. The purpose of the lure is to use movement, color, and vibration to grab the fish's attention and cause him to bite the hook. Lures also seem to have the purpose of attracting the fishermen's attention. Sport fishing is now a huge business, with over $620 million spent on fishing lures in 1991.

Lures fall into several broad categories, each with specific characteristics that catch the fish's attention. All lures have to be kept moving when they are in the water to be effective in mimicking the actions of live bait.

Spoons are among the simplest of lure shapes. As their name suggests, they are rounded pieces of flat metal, just like the bowl of a dinner-table spoon. They can be colored or polished on both sides and use flashes of reflected light to resemble minnows. A single hook can be fastened inside the bowl of the spoon, or a three-pronged (treble) hook can be attached to one end through a small hole. A hole at the opposite end is used to attach the fishing line. The weight of the metal makes it easy to cast, troll, and retrieve.

Spinners are more complicated in appearance with several parts. A wire shaft forms the spine of the spinner, and it has loops or eyes at both ends, one for attaching the fishing line and the other for the hook. The body of the spinner is fixed along the metal spine. It can be made of a row of colored beads or collections of metal rings or cylinders that sparkle and glimmer. A skirt of hair made from a squirrel's tail may add interest. Near the top eye, a flat metal oval, similar to a spoon, is attached with a fine wire. This oval is called a spinner blade; in the water, it spins around the body to provide fish-luring movement.

Spinnerbaits are also known as hairpin lures because they have wire spines that are bent to form a v-shape, much like a spread hairpin. A spinner is wired to an eye at one end of the spinnerbait. At the other end, a hook is concealed in a skirt. The fishing line is tied to the bend forming the two arms of the lure. These lures are relatively large and have two points of action in the skirt and the spinner. Buzzbaits are close cousins of spinnerbaits and have small propellers on one arm instead of the spinner. These propellers attract the catch by vibration rather than flashing light.
Plugs encompass a wide variety of lures. Originally, a plug was a piece of wood or cork shaped like a minnow with hooks on the belly and tail. Now the term includes all wood or plastic objects that are shaped like minnows, other baitfish, and other prey ranging from crayfish and salamanders to small rodents. Plugs can be less than I in (2.54 cm) long and up to 8 in (20.32 cm) long. Poppers, also called topwater plugs, float on the water so they resemble frogs or surface-splashing baitfish. Plugs called floater-diver plugs may have several sets of treble hooks on their undersides as well as small metal or plastic scoops, termed lips, near the line end of the lure. This plug floats on the water surface until the fisherman begins to reel in the lure, then it dives below the water surface in imitation of the motion of a minnow. The lip causes the diving action. A crankbait also has a lip that causes it to dive when retrieved, but it has a wider body and dives deeper (up to 20 ft [6.1 m]) with a wobbling motion like the wriggle of a baitfish. Jerkbaits or stickbaits float but don't have any motion-causing devices like other plugs. The fisherman has to manipulate the rod tip to make these plugs life-like.

Jigs seem too simple to be true. They are weighted hooks with a lead head right behind the hook's eye. The heads and hooks come in many sizes, weights, and shapes with skirts mounted immediately behind the heads to camouflage the business end of the hook. For jigs (also called leadheads) to be effective, they need to dance on the stream bottom like minnows or crawdads, and the fisherman has to apply the right motion to the rod. This action, called jigging, gives them their name. Jigs are often fished with so-called "sweeteners" that are either live bait or plastic lures.
Plastic lures are imitations of worms, bait fish, bottom-dwellers, and even snakes and amphibians. They are molded of soft plastic, often in lurid colors, although blacks and blues seem to be preferred by fish. Again, the motion of the lure and its effectiveness depend on the dramatics of the angler.