Mandoborg

Nice looking plugs, but I have to be honest, the Blonde Bassman caught my eye immediately !!! Sweet amps when cranked !!!

@eelbasher I've had MANY experirences where a plug didn't swim ' right' during testing, usually in calm water , then killed fish in a rip. I'll throw ' duds' in white water that's a washing machine anyway and still pull a fish here or there. You just never know !!! Jim

Love it !! That makes me happy !!

Been liking those gliders Andrew... You have the weighting down ?? Never tried them as I've actually never fished them.... perhaps next Winters project !!!

Hey guys, hope all is well. This years plugs were fantastic ! I don't want to pick favorites, because ALL THREE of the ones I received were killer !!!...The quality of the work on this forum is awesome and thank you for having these swaps !!......However, I can't let the INCREDIBLE Pike BigAl sent go by without being brought to ya'all's attention. The picture didn't do it justice and it looks amazing in person....Even the tailhook is flawless !!!....Anyway....I just have a quick question, All three of my plugs came fully rigged. I've always sent plugs out bare and let folks rig them up the way they like. Now I feel like a total tool ! Some folks don't like split rings, some don't like cut hooks, some folks don't like VMC, some...... well.... you get the picture !!!....My apologies to the 3 who received my plugs. Should all plugs in the swap be fully rigged before shipping , or just leave it the way it is, personal preference ? Jim

Pretty soon he'll get skunked on a few trips and say it's the worst Spring he's had..... then come tight on a couple trips and say it's the best Spring he's ever had !!! I love reading his blog though , it's always entertaining and he does provide a lot of useful information along with the hyperbole !

Now THAT'S a needlefish I would actually carry !!!! You did good Tommy !!! Where was that in the swap dang it ??!!! :O)

This turned out to be a very cool thread !! I agree with everyone's comments as well, those are pretty slick 1VW.

1VW showed a few of sweet looking little darters that didn't make the swap in the ' showtime finished plug' thread. I thought it would be a pretty cool thing to show us what didn't make the swap for whatever reason....The only thing harder than figuring out what 3 to put IN the swap, was picking three FROM the swap !! Jim

This was a great post !!! It's all in the last sentence !! 'There's no success like failure ' Bob Dylan

If you hit the 2:15 mark you can see my ' Low-Budget' spinner in action. I epoxy after wiring..... kind of nerve wracking wiring a plug with just the paint and a quick dusting of matte clear !! Nicked MANY a tail doing that pesky wrap.....Anyway, I cobbled it up in an afternoon with the intention of building a nicer one one day but hey, this thing works so !! Everything under 7 inch uses springs on both ends of the plug so you can twist it pretty easy while working. Problem is the 8 inch plugs are too big so one side has to be anchored to the spinner leaving very little rotation........ Perhaps I'll build a new one one day.......Nah..... :O)~ Jim

Before my ex 'wife' stole my house I had a beautiful 20x 15 shop in the basement that was almost built entirely out of discarded stuff from when they renovated where I work !! I dumpster dove everyday taking 2x4's, all the electrical stuff I could ever need, insulation, lights.... the works..... the contractor finally asked me if i wanted him to just toss it aside and what I didn't pick, I would toss in the dumpster !!! Worked for me...timing was everything....as it usually is...... damn I miss that shop something awful......but not the situation if you catch my drift !! Always keep your eyes peeled !!

Dang 1VW I had my eye on that one.....How on Earth is BigAl59's blurple pikie still available ??!!! I'll take that one !!! With honorable mention to eelbashers eel skin.... This was the hardest swap I've been involved with so far. SO MANY fishable plugs this year !! THANKS !!! Jim @t_man7

Oh damn, just checked my list and they are indeed all spoken for...my bad.... This is hard.......seeing how I can't decide, a coin flip says a jigman Bottle..... @t_man7

I got my eye on 3, but I have to grab the last Striperknight glider.... @t_man7 You're up !!