James RickardMusings on skirt trimming
August 17th 2008 05:56
I've heard it said that to get the most from a lure, you have to doctor and tweak it until it's a custom design for the waters you're fishing.
I guess that's all well and good if you're a touring pro but, for most of us average guys, we can't afford to go messing around with a 5 or 10 dollar lure until it's only usable at one particular fishing hole! (See? Just when you thought I was getting full of myself, I admit to be an average guy!)
Trimming skirts on jigs or spinnerbaits has become something everyone talks and writes about so, it's hard to escape the subject and many anglers feel it's a practice they have to master!
I figure that lure companies spend a LOT of money on R & D so, skirt trimming is something I do sparingly and only to make the skirt have a smoother profile in the water. If you must trim a skirt, I think just under the bend of the hook is a great place. This usually makes the skirt flow with a fuller profile without destroying the look the designer had in mind. Some guys will argue that you should trim the skirt on an angle with the bottom being shorter than the top. To me, that seems like a lot of hassle and gets away from the designer's intentions.
Some of your cheaper lures need a little work to reach their optimum potential. On these, I will definitely trim the skirt or do anything else to make it more lethal.
Trimming a skirt is fairly easy. All you do is clamp the straying ends between your fingers and trim them with a pair of scissors. If you desire to work on the nylon weed guard, you may need scissors that are a bit sharper.
All things being equal, I only trim skirts when the profile looks funky with the strands clumping together on the ends or stringing out rather than having a full profile.
The pictures with this post are a good example.
I guess that's all well and good if you're a touring pro but, for most of us average guys, we can't afford to go messing around with a 5 or 10 dollar lure until it's only usable at one particular fishing hole! (See? Just when you thought I was getting full of myself, I admit to be an average guy!)
Trimming skirts on jigs or spinnerbaits has become something everyone talks and writes about so, it's hard to escape the subject and many anglers feel it's a practice they have to master!
These two lures are more or less alike and let me show you how I tweak a lure. I trimmed the weed guard a little bit and trimmed the skirt. You can see that the upper jig has a skirt that is a little bit more unkempt so I trimmed the lower skirt to give it a better profile and added some glow-in-the-dark eyes.
I figure that lure companies spend a LOT of money on R & D so, skirt trimming is something I do sparingly and only to make the skirt have a smoother profile in the water. If you must trim a skirt, I think just under the bend of the hook is a great place. This usually makes the skirt flow with a fuller profile without destroying the look the designer had in mind. Some guys will argue that you should trim the skirt on an angle with the bottom being shorter than the top. To me, that seems like a lot of hassle and gets away from the designer's intentions.
Some of your cheaper lures need a little work to reach their optimum potential. On these, I will definitely trim the skirt or do anything else to make it more lethal.
Trimming a skirt is fairly easy. All you do is clamp the straying ends between your fingers and trim them with a pair of scissors. If you desire to work on the nylon weed guard, you may need scissors that are a bit sharper.
All things being equal, I only trim skirts when the profile looks funky with the strands clumping together on the ends or stringing out rather than having a full profile.
The pictures with this post are a good example.
Until next time--watch yourself and watch your line!
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