Making jigs for cod fishing. Do-it-yourself sea fishing tackle: pilker

adriatic nature opens rubric handmade a conversation with a master of “pilker building” from the city of Evpatoria, Sergei Rostetsky. Sergey is known, probably, not only to all spinning players of the Black Sea coast, but also to most anglers who are interested in sea fishing for predators, thanks to his excellent jigs, which he has been making for a long time, gradually supplementing and expanding them the lineup. Constant tests of baits in the real conditions of the Black Sea allow Sergey to check, refine the models and make sure of their high catchability. Sergey with great pleasure answers the questions of readers and subscribers of the personal pages in the social network "Facebook" and does not conceal from anyone the secrets of postings, the choice of lures and shares any other useful information regarding helping readers in their future fishing sea adventures. Of course, Sergey Rostetsky's jigs will be loved and predatory fish Adriatic sea.

- Sergey, hello! Thank you for agreeing to talk about your lures on the pages adriatic nature. We are sure that your experiments with marine jigs in the Black Sea and your thoughtful approach in their manufacture, which turned into knowledge of the issue, will give everyone a lot of food for thought when reading our conversation. To begin with, please tell me, how did you get to such a life that you started making jigs yourself?-)

- There was not enough money for bait-). And this is true.

- Have you done anything with your hands before?

– Yes, always.

– And why precisely pilkers? Because they were the most catchy baits of the ones you've come across before? Why not "silicone" or wobblers, for example?

- I just started with the manufacture of wobblers and “silicone”-).

(Pilkers by Sergey Rostetsky. Photo by © Sergey Rostetsky)

– adriatic nature I noticed on facebook that you got carried away with “jigging” after you got the bait of the Japanese company Xesta, namely the After Burner Mini jigsaw?

- Yes. As well as a jig from the Japanese company Shout! jigdangan.

- Did these baits surprise you with the number of bites? Compared to wobblers and “silicone”?

– Surprised by the “quality” of bites. On the “iron” the bites are meaner.

- And, as far as I understand, you started making copies of these models for yourself until you began to invent your own?

- In general, yes. And also there were a lot of different experiments with nails, skewers, and other pieces of iron.

(Crafts from nails. Photo © Sergey Rostetsky)

- And how did the nails with skewers show themselves?

Both nails and skewers work. The garfish pecked perfectly at the nails, they didn’t really try on horse mackerel, it was no longer her season, and then there was no time for nails. And it is also caught on pieces of skewers. And you don’t even need to bend it, it plays so cool when it’s straight.

- It's funny, of course.

- There was exactly one funny case with a nail - the first fishing trip. Friends at first laughed at me, and then for some reason they stopped-). After the first caught garfish-).

(Nail in action. Photo © Sergey Rostetsky)

- About forms. Based on what criteria do you come up with them? What performance characteristics should a jig have to arouse interest in fish?

- Firstly, appearance somehow resembling fodder objects. Secondly, depending on which fish specifically I want to make it. Sargan, for example, often loves fast wiring. This means that a wide bait will not work, it will jump out of the water at high speeds. When you need, on the contrary, slower wiring with a beautiful “shedding” at pauses, then the bait should be wider, with a convex side or ribs along the sides. That is, for different postings different forms.

(Pilker "Stavridka" at work. Photo © Sergey Rostetsky)

- How important is it that the color of the bait reminds the predator of the usual object of hunting? If you look at the color schemes of the jigs on the market in Japan, you might be surprised by the endless number of their options.

- I noticed only one pattern. In those days when it bites badly on natural colors, it usually bites well on “acid”. And, accordingly, vice versa. That is, he does not eat “acid”, but is caught on natural colors. With what it is connected - I do not know. But the transparency of water, lighting, time of day - just do not play a role in this. I can't explain it, just an observation. Everyone can experiment and draw their own conclusions. Maybe even opposite.

(Pilker “Mackerel” and catch. Photo © Sergey Rostetsky)

- An interesting observation. How important do you think right choice bait weight? There were such situations when you picked the right color, and the bait, suppose the fish refuses to eat 12 grams, but just cast 15 grams?

- Often. There was a vivid example of bluefish. I had exactly the same baits in weights of 12, 15 and 18 grams. Painted the same, the shape is the same. Only the weight is different. The depth of fishing was up to 4 meters. So, the bluefish did not react at all to pilkers weighing 12 grams. At 15 - pecked, but so-so. But at 18 - on each cast. Moreover, the fish was in the entire water column and not far from the pier, that is, all the baits reached it. But here is a heavier and larger gave best result. The situation is often similar for horse mackerel and garfish, especially for garfish. He doesn’t want 15 grams, but he is actively caught at 35. Again, the jigs reach him everything, but the heavy one moves faster, and this turns him on.

(Pilker “Tulka” is a killer of garfish. Photo by © Sergey Rostetsky)

– How often do you use assist hooks when fishing with jigs? Under what circumstances do you put them, under what not?

- I almost always do. But there is one “but”. If out of 10 caught fish the assist caught only one, two, or even none at all, I take it off completely. It happens when the horse mackerel categorically does not want to peck at the bait with an assist, as soon as you take it off, the bite improves. It happens and vice versa, 90% of the fish to assist. Then I take off the tee and catch it for pleasure, without any overlaps, with the wildest wires-). But this happens much less frequently.

– What manufacturer’s tees and hooks do you equip your jigs with?

- Anyone. If only they were sharp. Single hooks usually choose those that are made of thick wire. Even carp fit.

(Pilker "Scad" and horse mackerel. Photo © Sergey Rostetsky)

– What, in your opinion, should be the characteristics of a kit for a spinner who decides that your jigs should be in his box?

- Well, boxes for baits are needed, and more spacious - this is the main thing!-) The rest is not important.

- So, in your opinion, you can start fishing with jigs using the gear that you already have at hand?

- In most cases, it is not possible, but necessary. Suddenly do not like the theme itself? Why throw money away then? I love slow sticks, but this is my personal view on spinning rods. Yes, and fast sticks “merge” horse mackerel. Everyone must choose for himself what he likes. Cord PE #0.6-0.8, leash made of fluorocarbon 0.2 - 0.26 mm - this is for our trifle if. Horse mackerel, garfish and so on.

- Do I understand correctly that today you are making 6 models of pilkers: “Mackerel”, “Hamsa”, “Tulka”, “Anchovy”, “Scad” and “Dalnoboyka”?

- Yes. The rest are still rejected for technical reasons.

(Pilker “Tulka” and garfish. Photo © Sergey Rostetsky)

- So you plan to expand the range?

- Naturally. Now I'm trying to make a new model, but the master who makes the molds according to my order is busy. Will have to wait. There will be a small copy of the crucian carp, if any. “Karas” is almost ready, it remains only to make eye sockets. But this is where I got stuck. Because first I need to find out the weight of the bait with the intended size, but the master has not yet calculated it. If you then have to reduce the model, then the eyes will also decrease, and this is no longer the case. In short, everything happens slowly, but I would like it to be yesterday!-)

- Tell me a few words about the features of the wiring of pilkers? Are there any tricks?

- It is advisable to change (dramatically and dramatically) the position of the tip of the spinning rod during wiring. That is, if you twitch sideways, for example, or down, it doesn’t matter, and then you sharply lift the spinning up and make two or three jerks with pauses. After you lead the bait, as at the beginning of the posting. And you make such game changes several times on one cast. Biting improves at times, almost always! Bites occur mainly at the moment of a sharp change in the direction of movement of the bait.

(Combination of jigsaw + silicone bait. Photo © Sergey Rostetsky)

– What do you think about the combination of jigsaw and silicone lure?

– This question is one of the most frequent topics for Internet battles in recent times. Usually there are disputes about “Jig plus silicone is not aesthetically pleasing”, because in this case the jigsaw simply plays the role of a load. My opinion is that most of the time it is. Check it out easier in the process fishing. For example, the following situation: a horse mackerel bites well on a jig, equipped behind with a single hook with a silicone bait attached to it. What exactly gives a good result is very easy to understand, just remove the silicone and continue to fish with a jig. If it bites the same way - why then use the installation with silicone? If it doesn’t bite, we mount the silicone bait on a jig head or an “eared” weight, cast it - it bites. We come to the conclusion that in this situation the jig works like a conventional sinker. True, it may happen that with the use of the same rather heavy “eared” load, for example, weighing 8 grams, the bite will worsen. This will most likely be due to the fact that an 8 gram ball sinks at a much higher rate than a planning jig of the same weight. But if we talk about the weight of the bait, for example, 3 grams, then there will most likely be no difference in the catchability of the rigs.
Let me share one more observation. If you catch horse mackerel on a self-sufficient oscillating lure, weighing from 2 to 7 grams, not a buler or barakuri, but on a classic bait, then silicone on a single hook improves the bite at times. It is more difficult to catch horse mackerel on a “bare” oscillating lure. The garfish and the medium-sized Black Sea bluefish perfectly attack baits without any silicone, unless, of course, you throw them to the fish. But with the “throw-in” when fishing on oscillating baubles, problems often arise.

– How often do you put sabiki in front of the jig? And when? And how does the bite change?

- Rarely. Only when you need to catch more fish in the same time. But the “quality” of the fish immediately drops. And the buzz from bites is not at all the same. There is no malice in them, because of which we catch on pieces of iron!

Pilker "Mackerel". It is produced in weights of 25 and 110 grams (photo © Sergey Rostetsky).

Pilker "Hamsa". Available in weights of 21, 27, 35, 45 and 75 grams (photo © Sergey Rostetsky).

Pilker "Tulka". Available in a weight of 15 grams (photo © Sergey Rostetsky).

Pilker "Anchovy". Available in a weight of 12 grams (photo © Sergey Rostetsky).

Pilker "Stavridka". Available in weights of 12, 18, 24 and 35 grams (photo © Sergey Rostetsky).

Pilker "Dalnoboyka". Available in weights of 24 and 33 grams (photo © Sergey Rostetsky).

Assists of Sergey Rostetsky (photo © Sergey Rostetsky).

Pilker and sabiki by Sergei Rostetsky (photo © Sergey Rostetsky).

pilker (pilker). What does it have to do with fishing? And is it really important that a jigsaw is made by hand or purchased in a store? For those anglers who have never used this bait, it will be interesting to know that there is no more popular spinner in the northern seas. Halibut and cod, saithe and flounder are the main trophies of sea hunting using a jig or, in the local dialect, punda.

Their catchability was also in demand when fishing in reservoirs and rivers within the country. The best examples of jigs for cod turned out to be no less popular with fans of zander, pike and perch fishing, both in a plumb line and when jigging. Their size and shape have changed somewhat, but the equipment has remained the same. But the high cost of such spinners is increasingly forcing local fishermen to make jigs with their own hands.

First of all, it should be noted that the best pilkers for sea ​​fishing These are heavy spinners for sheer lure. They can be classified according to several characteristic features:

• First of all, by weight. According to this indicator, jigs are selected depending on the fishing conditions. Depending on the speed of the current, the depth of the bait and the wind speed, it can reach up to 700 and even 1000 g.
• According to their design features. They can be round, tubular, multifaceted and flat. Traditionally, do-it-yourself cod jigs have an aspect ratio of 6:1. At the same time, their thickness is related to the width as 1:2 and, in some cases, as 1:1.
• According to the material of manufacture. These can be stainless or chrome-plated tubes filled with lead. Often there are samples from a profiled, steel bar. In the manufacture of home-made jigs for cod fishing, brass, cupronickel, copper and stainless steel are often used, using lead, sand and tungsten for their balancing.

Important! The cost of sea lures of this type sometimes reaches 25 € per piece, and their life expectancy is no more than two or three hours. That is why the ability to make do-it-yourself jigs for sea fishing has not only tactical, but also purely economic significance.

Technical details for the manufacture of sea fishing jigs

According to the majority of well-known experts in sea fishing, the most catchy, in terms of design features, are trihedral punds and flat specimens with a wide end. In addition, many cod hunters recommend equipping them with various rattles and luminous balls. It is believed that light-reflecting and light-accumulating stickers activate fish biting well in any conditions.

All these nuances are actively used by connoisseurs of vertical lure in the manufacture of marine jigs with their own hands. A simple tool, accessible, and sometimes junk, material and skillful hands leave no doubt that home-made cod jigs, in terms of catchability, are no worse than branded products. Only one of the popular firms produces various jigs over 40 tons. per year, without any problems with their implementation.

Home production of catchy pilkers

Having prepared several dozen good pounds before the fishing season, you can be sure that the upcoming cod hunt will not cause great financial damage to its participant. Moreover, no matter how diverse the range of marine spinners for vertical and jig wiring, the most popular were and remain tubular samples with lead balancing. They are also the most convenient for making at home.

The material costs for equipping such a home production are extremely small:

• Equipment. This is, first of all, an angle grinder, a miniature machine (in household slang - "grinder") with a set of cutting and cleaning discs. Household grinder with cleaning and polishing wheels. A small screwdriver with a set of bits and drills.
• Devices and tools. Locksmith vice with jaws up to 125 mm. A gas cartridge with a burner for melting lead or babbitt. Mobile injection molds for casting copies of spinners. Casting ladle with wood-lined handle. Set of needle files, hammer and core.
• Materials. Assortment of any tubes from the most diverse material. They can be made of stainless steel, steel with a decorative or anti-corrosion coating, copper, brass or AMG-6 aluminum alloy. Lead from old batteries or balance weights from a tire shop. Babbit from old plain bearings. Alabaster or plaster for molding products in molds.

Important! All of the listed components of home production are not unique. Furthermore almost all home masters have them. To make a collapsible mold from chipboard or multi-layer plywood is within the power of all DIYers without exception. The source material for pundas is completely junk - old baby carriages, faucets from kitchens and bathrooms that have become unusable.

Technology for the manufacture of pilkers from pipes

This is one of the most popular and easy-to-make models of spinners. The tube beveled on both sides and the equipment attached to it leave no secrets for those who would like to know how to make a jigsaw with their own hands. Some difficulties may arise when it will be necessary to make a lure with a load differentiated along the length or a rattle inside.

When making jigs for sea fishing with your own hands, it is best to focus on the source material in the form of a stainless or chrome (nickel) pipe:

• When cutting blanks with a grinder, it should be borne in mind that a tube filled with lead is Ø16 mm. and a length of 1 cm. will weigh 22.6 g. If the diameter is 25 mm. then the weight will already be 55.4 g. Based on these data, it will be easy to calculate the length of the workpiece for the jig with the required weight.
• You can bevel the ends at any chosen angle. They can be either parallel or perpendicular. After cutting the blanks, their ends should be carefully cleaned from internal and external burrs.
• Then you need to carefully clamp the workpiece in a vice and drill one hole Ø2 mm. from each side. With a larger drill, remove the chamfers from the holes.
• Weigh the tubular billet simultaneously with the lead scrap, achieving the calculated weight indicators. Melt the suspended lead with a gas burner.
• Fix the workpiece with a self-tapping screw on a vertical stand if its end bevels are made at 90 0 or on a horizontal stand if the bevels are parallel. Pour all the molten lead into the workpiece. Wait for the semi-finished product to cool completely and release from fastening.
• Clean up any lead leaks and calibrate the holes. Sand the entire surface of the future baubles with emery cloth of various grain sizes. Polish it on felt and cloth wheels to a mirror finish using GOI paste.
• After installing the winding rings, swivels and carabiners, we can say that the manufacture of the jigsaw with our own hands is completed.

Important! A rattle can be made from a short piece of pipe, filled with steel or tungsten balls. A rattle wrapped in food foil can be lowered inside the main workpiece in the middle of the pouring process.

Production of a cast pilker

This technology is intended, first of all, to obtain exact copies of spinners of complex shape. For mass production of jigs, it is quite complicated and requires certain professional skills and accuracy. But with a certain skill and the availability of sufficient time, it can be relevant. A collection of unique forms will allow you to replenish the missing copies without the hassle.

Difficulties with the manufacture of cast pundas may arise due to the lack of source material - babbitt B-83. It is he who is the most suitable material in terms of strength. The process of making spinners looks like this:

• Using self-tapping screws for wood, chipboard or multilayer plywood, it is necessary to make a molding box that is suitable in size for placing a jigsaw in it. The main requirement for the quality of such a box is the absence of the slightest gaps in the mating parts.
• Dilute alabaster or gypsum to the density of fatty sour cream and fill half of the mold with it. Lay the copied jigsaw in plaster. Install two guide rods at the corners.
• Let the plaster set for 30 minutes. Dismantle the box, take out the plaster cast and clean it from drips. Cut the plane of the spinner by half the thickness of the workpiece.
• Lubricate the cleaned surface with petroleum jelly and place back in the mold box. Dilute the next portion of gypsum and fill the mold completely with it. Let the plaster set.
• Dismantle the box and separate the two halves. Remove the sample from the form. Remove streaks and correct possible defects with mashed bread crumb or plasticine. Make a sprue by drilling a small hole in two mold halves at the same time and countersinking it by a significant amount.
• Let the molds dry completely for three days. After their expiration, it is possible to fill the assembled form with molten babbit. After hardening, you can get the casting and start machining it.

Important! Babbitt jigs cannot match the durability of stainless steel lures. When hitting stones, the holes under the winding rings can be deformed.

Solid material pilker

Introducing step by step manufacturing pilker from a piece of hexagon:

Step 3. We mount a tee to one of the rings.

From sheet material

In addition to the methods listed above, jigs for sea fishing can be made from sheet material by making a pattern for this. By soldering, such a pattern turns into a three-dimensional model of a complex shape. After that, it is filled with lead and machined in the same way as tubular models.

It is important to note that if the production of pounds in practice does not turn out to be burdensome, then preparing gear for cod with your own hands will seem like entertainment at all. Various stickers, Assist hooks, luminous beads and flashing lanterns cannot deliver anything but pleasure.

Pilker is an elongated blank with weighting and hooks, in general it reminds me of a file. They are caught on sea fishing in a plumb line at great depths of halibut, cod, flounder. For lovers of "salty fishing", the sea jig is considered a catchy bait.

But also in freshwater reservoirs Pilker is a popular tackle. Spinningists have already taken a fancy to this bait, adopted the fishing technique and noticed that it works great for deep-sea zander, and also gives good results when fishing for pike, perch and catfish. Although you need to adapt to this bait, as well as the wiring technique.

In sea fishing, heavier spinners are used, which are also larger in size. Catch this bait from boats and boats. For some spinning players, several fishing trips may be “empty” in terms of the result, and sometimes they may be disappointed in this bait. I must say right away that it is necessary to understand how to do the wiring correctly, without reducing or increasing its speed, and then you will have worthy specimens of fish on the hook. I recommend doing wiring in the form of jumps - twitching the tip of the spinning rod with the selection of fishing line by the reel. At the bottom, you can try to apply the well-known wiring with a step. This will have a greater impact on the search for and catching zander.

I’ll note right away that fishing with a jig in freshwater reservoirs is carried out on a clean bottom, where there will be no snags or pitfalls. This bait is not intended for such fishing.

The color of this bait from my point of view does not matter. The store will charge you extra money for this. An absolutely gray, unpainted jig will be as catchy as one decorated with super modern colors and colors. Everyone can make a jigsaw with their own hands and get a lot from it positive emotions especially when you catch your first fish.

Do-it-yourself pilker