Tips for making your own weedless fishing jigs.

Y-GUARDS
Plastic Y-Guards are easy to use inserts in weedless jig making. They are made in different sizes. It is important that the Y-Guard size designated for each model is used. The simplest way to use a Do-it Mold designed for Y-Guards is to simply cast the Y-Guard into the jig head along with the hook. The molten lead will melt the plastic only slightly before it hardens in the cavity. Always place the base of the Y-Guard as far into the cavity as possible without interfering with the hook. This will insure that the Y-Guard will be securely locked in place. Some models are furnished with special insert pins (base hole pins) for those who prefer to epoxy the Y-Guard into the head after the lure has been completed. To mold the base hole, the pins must be positioned in the mold and cast in the lure in place of the Y-Guard. The reusable base hole pins are then removed carefully with pliers. Caution: Use pliers to remove the pin, do not use fingers! The point of the hook will be much too close to the pin and injury could result.

Y-Guards can be epoxied into the hole left by the pin. Some prefer to do this after the lure is completely finished. Molds designed for the YG-1 Y-Guard share a 1/8" base diameter with the FG-30 type sizes of fiberguard insert. FG-30 Fiberguards can be molded or epoxied in place of YG-1 type Y-Guards. The fiberguards should be trimmed with sharp scissors to the length desired.

FIBERGUARDS
Fiberguards are nylon strands fused together at one end for ease of use. They should be trimmed to length after the lure is completed. Fiberguards are made in several base and strand diameters to affect the stiffness of the weedguard. Each mold specifies the type of weedguard that is required.

Three base diameters of fiberguard units are commonly available, the FG-30, the FG-40, and the FG-9 style. The FG-30 type fiberguard unit is the most popular fiberguard style because it is available in a variety of stiffness and it shares the same 1/8" base diameter as the YG-1 Y-Guard. The heavy duty unit is the FG-40 fiberguard. It is composed of the maximum fiber strands and is 5/32" in diameter at the base. The FG-40 is fairly stiff weedguard and is usually best on the largest lures or in the heaviest cover. The FG-9 fiberguard is a light duty 1/16" diameter weedguard best suited for small crappie jigs. None of the base diameter styles of fiberguard, (FG-9, FG-30, FG-40) are interchangeable with another, so make sure that you use the one your mold designates.

FG-30 and FG-40 size fiberguards can be installed in two ways; cast in or glued in. FG-9 Fiberguards can only be cast in place. The cast in method is the simplest. Just insert the fiberguard in the mold after the hook. Make sure that the fiberguard is in the cavity as far as possible, touching the shank of the hook where possible. When molten lead contacts the plastic, it will melt it only slightly and fuse it firmly in place.

The glue in process requires a hole to be formed in the lure during the molding process with a special base hole pin. Several reusable steel pins are furnished with the fiberguard molds using FG-30 or FG-40 sizes, and additional base hole pins can be purchased separately. The pin is simply substituted for the fiberguard during the casting process. When the lure is cool, the pin is removed leaving a base hole for glue in installation.

Caution: Use pliers to remove the pins, do not use your fingers! The point of the hook will be much too close and an injury could result. The fiberguard can be epoxied into the hole as soon as the lead cools, however, some prefer to postpone this step until after the rest of the lure is completed.

Important: One more step before the lure is finished. Fiberguards are furnished extra long so they can be trimmed to the desired length. A sharp scissors will work fine for this task.