gliders

[Jig Man]

 

Have seen a few comments in various threads and talked with some folks via PM's on gliders. Figured it might be of interest to others, so some of my thoughts on getting started with building them are below. This certainly is not the only way to do it, and may not be the best way, but it should help to get folks started in the right direction. Expect to have a good amount of trial and error as you work through your first ones. 

 

First off, we need to look at the action we are after. I know a lot of the surf crowd seems to want to cast and retrieve slowly to get a sort of darter like swim. Can definitely catch fish that way. To me, what is cool about these plugs is that you have multiple options for how to use them and can cover a good amount of the water column. In addition to the swim, a good glider should be able to walk the dog underwater (or on top too if it sinks slow). They will catch both day and night. 

 

Several things to keep in mind with these plugs, mostly shape and weight related. I find that flat sides seem to work better. Also, you want a little taper at the nose and tail. Belly to back, you also want a smooth transition from nose to belly to tail. Too much of a drop belly, or too extreme on the profile and it can have a negative impact on the action. You also do not want the plug to be too thin side to side. Striper sized gliders, I'll looking at a minimum of 3/4 inch thick. A larger glider may need more thickness.

 

Weighting is where it can get tricky. First off, you want the lead low in the belly of the glider. For example, if you know you need a 1/4 oz slug of lead, and you have the choice between a 3/8 or 1/2 inch diameter slug, go for the 1/2 inch. Again, there are certainly a bunch of different ways to weigh these plugs. Starting out, I recommend what I suggest below. Once you get a better feel for how these plugs behave with different amounts of lead, you can always tweak the amount and location(s). 

 

Start out with your glider all rigged with hardware. Attach a slug of lead with tape or rubber band and test float. At this point you just need to know how much lead it will take to sink the plug at the rate you want it to sink. I like them to sink slow, but will do heavier ones specifically for heavy current areas. Once you know how much lead it takes to sink the glider, split the amount into two equal slugs. The first one you will insert in the plug near the nose. Next, attach the second slug to the plug behind the belly hook. Tape or rubber band for this. Test float. Move the rear slug of lead around until the glider sinks flat or slightly tail down. I like them slightly tail down to allow for snaps and line weight that will be added to the nose when you fish them. Once you find the location where the plug will sink how you want, mark that location and add the lead. Test float again to insure that the plug does sink like you want it. At this point you are ready to take it to the water to test cast. Adjust the lead as needed during the test casting. Take notes along the way so you can recreate the plug. Note that in most cases you will need to test float all of your gliders to get them to sink right. 

 

Once the plug is weighted correctly, paint and clear, then time to fish them!  

 

Those are some basics to get folks started. I'm sure some of the other builders on the site can provide some additional input. 

[fishless]

@adobo this will help you if you are still interested in giving it a try.

[t_man7]

Great information, thanks for sharing Jigman!

[eelbasher]

@Jig Man great info! This will definitely help me out as I’m taking a walk down the glider road. Thanks for writing this up

[Ed White]

Yeah, this is what we needed. I have a few in progress, some small that I'm pretty sure will work, at least the test version did, and a larger one just starting the process. Pics to follow.

Thanks Jigman!

[Mr.Belmar]

Interesting- thanks for sharing!! 
 

some good tips and tricks that could be used on any style or design, thanks! 
 

I would really like to see some pics of what your all working on! 

[Ed White]

Here's a few pics

So the little white guy is an ugly tester that worked especially around the peanuts this Fall. Heavy enough to cast great, and it would weave its way back to me on a steady retrieve.

2 more copies of that one, and a bigger tester, 3/4' thick, 7ish inches long, 3-1/4 Oz as it sits there. Pure guesswork so far, need to wire it up and throw it in some water.

 

 

I'll get more pics up as we go

[Mr.Belmar]

Wow nice @Ed White !!

 

thanks so much for sharing, I’m really liking the large size and would be interested in how it swims (or glides lol) most gliders I have seen are like the smaller size… but I always prefer bigger and heavier plugs so I’d be interested in hearing!!! Nice work! Also cool to see where you placed your weight with the pencil marks and all 

[ADTR14]

Thanks for the info! I’ll have to give them a try at some point

 

Any particular findings for a shorter in height glider vs a taller? I’m thinking a trout profile vs a bluegill profile

Edited January 20, 2022 by ADTR14

[Punch63]

Nice post Jigman, you helped me out a lot and I appreciate it.

[eelbasher]

9 hours ago, Ed White said:

Here's a few pics

So the little white guy is an ugly tester that worked especially around the peanuts this Fall. Heavy enough to cast great, and it would weave its way back to me on a steady retrieve.

2 more copies of that one, and a bigger tester, 3/4' thick, 7ish inches long, 3-1/4 Oz as it sits there. Pure guesswork so far, need to wire it up and throw it in some water.

 

 

I'll get more pics up as we go

What wood you using for them? Looking good!

[Macker]

A big thank you Jigman from me also!

[lonellr]

Awesome! I'm definitely following this thread. I just dipped my toes into the world of gliders. Finished my first batch to test out this season. After the first batch, I realized I definitely need to get a router.

 

 

[eelbasher]

22 mins ago, lonellr said:

Awesome! I'm definitely following this thread. I just dipped my toes into the world of gliders. Finished my first batch to test out this season. After the first batch, I realized I definitely need to get a router.

 

 

Amazing paint on those. Wow

[Jig Man]

Couple of shots of some recent ones I did. Quick rattle can paint jobs. Top ones are 5.5 inch and 1.75 oz, next is 6 inch and 2.5 oz., jointed is 6.5 inch and 2 oz. The jointed will also work like a swimbait if you sweep the rod tip or crank a little faster. Top view of the larger one so you can see the nose and tail taper better.