Materials
Hook: Mustad 34011
or equivalent; Size 6 to 2 for small patterns and 2/0 to 4/0 for large
Spoons.
Thread: Fine,
Clear Tying Mono
Tail: Holographic
Tinsel or Flashabou; Silver is probably the most popular, but you may
vary you color choice at will.
Eyes: Silver Prismatic
Stick-On.
Body Frame: For
hook sizes 6 to 2, use 15-pound-test Surflon coated wire. Move up to 20-pound-test
for larger hooks.
Spoon Body: 5-Minute
Epoxy mixed with your color choice of extra-fine glitter. Vary the color
with dyes.
Body: Metallic
synthetic.
Step 1: Put a smooth,
sway back bend in the hook shank with a pair of needle nose pliers. Make
sure the sway slopes gently from the eye to just before the bend.
Step 2: Place the hook
in your vise, and start your thread wrap at the bend.
Step 3: Tie in the tail
material, making the tail the same length as the hook shank.
Step 4: Wrap the thread
forward to the eye, and tie in your body wrap material (Flashabou, etc.).
Wrap along the hook shank to the bend, back up to the eye, tie it in,
and trim the excess.
Step 5: Cut about a 4-inch
length of the Surflon wire. Center its middle over the shank behind the
hook eye, and tie it in, using Figure-8 wraps. Be careful not to kink
the wire. You should be left with two fairly equal lengths of the wire,
flaring out from the sides of the hook.
Step 6: Wrap the clear
mono tying thread back to the bend. Bring both ends of the wire back to
the bend, and give it a couple of wraps of thread, but so tight that you
can't pull on the wire to shape the frame. Adjust the wire into a teardrop
shape, full at the eye and narrow at the bend. When you're satisfied with
the shape, give it a few more tight turns of thread at the bend, trim
the excess, tie it in, and whip finish your mono thread.
Step 7: Place a Prism
Eye on the top and bottom where you made the Figure-8 wraps behind the
hook eye, and mix a batch of 5-Minute epoxy. If you like, add glitter
flakes and/or coloring. A resin dye will work, but it can leave the body
opague, and you may not want a completely solid color. I've used acryllic,
vinyl, and latex paints as well. It takes a bit longer, but if you mix
in only a very small amount, the epoxy will still set, and you'll have
better color control. Of course, you may also leave the body clear with
just a hint of glitter. While I haven't tried it yet, I suspect E-Z Shape
Sparkle Body might work in place of the epoxy. Softex body-builder also
works, but because Softex cures to a rubbery, flexible consistency, it's
best to make the Body Frame out of a length of hard mono instead of wire.
Step 8: Use a small applicator
(flathead toothpick, paper clip, etc.) and work the epoxy from the eye
to the bend, filling in the wire body frame. Scrape away any excess epoxy
from the sides of the body frame and from the top and bottom of the hook
shank. This will keep the keel effect and the lateral line.
Step 9: Rotate the pattern
on a drying wheel until the epoxy sets, and allow it to sit for about
an hour before handling.
Note: Wintertime temperatures and drafts can effect epoxies, even in a
well-heated house. If the cured epoxy is solid, but still tacky, give
the body a light coat of Gloss Coat, clear vinyl, or similar clear finish.
