# My GOTCHA



## screamendrag (Nov 21, 2005)

Well it seems the gotcha is one of the more easily looseable lures, because of the species targeted with them. So I figured I could make one pretty easy. Had some walnut on hand and some led. I made a mold for the jigs head with two different bits, one the diam. of the head, and one the diam. of the neck that fits into the plug body. The body is a small lathed piece of walnut, with some groves and then it was bored out to fit the head, and to accomidate the tail hook.



























Sorry for the pics theyre from a cell phone. In the last pic you can see the jig head i poured, and the body i lathed. I think it came out pretty good. Gotta refine some stuff. In all makeing the molds and lathing it took me about a half hour.....i think i will make a batch of them if i have some time tomorrow or whenever after i test this bad boy :fishing: 

-Jeff


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## Sea2aeS (Jan 7, 2005)

thats pretty sweet man


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## al bundy (Aug 11, 2006)

*very nice*

very nice !!!
and one helloff a good idea!!!
keep up the good work.


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## johnp (Mar 5, 2004)

great job jeff

what material did you use for the mold itself and is it reusable or is it a one off?


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## booboo (Jan 2, 2007)

Are you running a piece of leader through the body to attach to the hooks?


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## screamendrag (Nov 21, 2005)

I figured out its easier to just use wood as a mold, instead of a reusable piece for this application. I just used two different bore sized to make the molds for the head. Take a thick piece of wood and basically just drill as many as u need, then just cut the lead out. For the body, its wired just like a gotcha, which is quite simple The loop on top goes down through the body, securing the jig head to the body, then the first hook is threaded through. Then it goes back through the body, loops around the back hook, and is simple push back into the tail hole. 

The wire is spring wire, u can find it at walmart, back in the girly section with the fabrics 

I figure these will pay for themselves 100fold in the long run....i hate to think the amount of money i have spent on these in the past 


-Jeff


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## rhorm (Mar 25, 2005)

Nice job!! How do you think the wood will hold up against the toothy critters compared to metal?


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## screamendrag (Nov 21, 2005)

well the wood doesnt handle it too well without some epoxy on it to coat it. Though it is really cool to look at the battle scars after you fish.....gives it character I really gotta go buy some acrylic to turn or just some stiff plastic tubing....cant seem to find it anywhere. Im also gunna make a really long gotcha and maybe for fun a huge one The guys at the tire shop today looked at me funny when i took all their tire weights to make gotchas 

Heres a pic of what ive done so far....








Some jig heads and another with a body:fishing: 

-Jeff


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## smitty919 (Feb 16, 2007)

dont see why that wont work great:fishing: 

looks just like the real deal


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## BLUESMAN (Nov 4, 2003)

*Surgical tubing*

In Jersey many of the tackle shops sell colored surgical tubing to dress diamonds jigs and fabricate "tube lures" for umbrella rigs. I wonder how that would work with your jig head?


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## Cutbait Bob (Mar 24, 2004)

They look awesome, SCREAM... The lead head looks great. I guy I used to work with made jerk jiggers - he would pay money for a gold ball point pen. He used ball point pen bodies(unscrewed - they're almost perfect) for the "body"... and he used to say that the gold ones were HOT.


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## dha123 (Feb 13, 2005)

i think a lead head and a bic pen will work just cut the ben tube according to size well this might work for atleast the small ones


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## OBX_Nomad (Mar 8, 2005)

I know it's winter and everybody needs a hobby, but this seems like a whole lot of work for a lure you can buy for $2.79


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## screamendrag (Nov 21, 2005)

Nomad- if you read the post youd see i said it only took about a half hour to make the molds and turn the bodies and wire them.....so if i was to a batch of say 10 it would take me either the same amount of time or shorter because the molds are already set up......you also obviously dont fish gotcha's very often either...on a day of good mack fishing if you loose 2 ur lucky Whatever i think its worth it...plus its something to dowhen im not fishing:fishing: 

The tubing would be perfect, but its always curved, i dunno i would have to try it out to see if the action would be right. 

The pen idea is what i think will work....i origionally thought the bic pen, but the gold ones will work great too....:fishing:


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## NTKG (Aug 16, 2003)

the question is if the action will be right. there are alot of gotcha knockoffs on the market from all sorts of different manufactures, and the thing that keeps sea striker products on the end of the pier is that their action. gotchas are definately not the most complex lure in teh world but sea striker has definately dones something right with theirs...

if it swims great... you got yourself a an awesome jig man


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## OBX_Nomad (Mar 8, 2005)

screamendrag said:


> Nomad- you also obviously dont fish gotcha's very often either...on a day of good mack fishing if you loose 2 ur lucky Whatever i think its worth it...plus its something to dowhen im not fishing.


Actually I'm retired, live in Kill Devil Hills and work at the Nags Head Fishing Pier, so I'd be willing to bet that I probably caught more blues and spanish just last year than you have in your entire career. There were days where I literally caught hundreds and could have decked more had I wanted to. I use 10 lb. Sufix and 20 lb. Yo Zuri leader and can't recall a day where I lost two Gotchas. Maybe you should take the money you spend making Gotcha plugs and invest in a reel with a better drag system. 

In fact, I bet by the time you by material for the mold, get the lead, buy hooks, wire, spray-paint, etc. you're losing money. Plus, as someone stated, you'll never match the action. Lots of knock-offs have tried and failed.

But hey, have at it and have a blast. Me, I'm going fishing.


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## fingersandclaws (Oct 17, 2005)

I think the whole point of the post was to show us guys how to make one IF we wanted to. I think they look real good, and I think most of us realize your not trying to compete with the real Gotcha Manufacturing company, but rather as you stated earlier, killing time in the off season. Keep it up, I for one appreciate your post.


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## OBX_Nomad (Mar 8, 2005)

Just so you know there's no ill will intended screamendrag, stop by the pier and I'll give you a few Gotcha plugs at my cost. ;-)


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## screamendrag (Nov 21, 2005)

No big nomad, i didnt mean to come off like a di*k....just got alittle offensive..

Yea i see ur point that they are cheap, but like i said before im just doin it to kill some time, and the satisfaction you get from catching a fish on a lure you made on a pole you made is like no other.....what pier you work at? Ill give you a hollar if im ever near by:fishing: 

-Jeff


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## rhorm (Mar 25, 2005)

screamendrag, I think you did a nice job and as NTKG mentioned if the action is good then you got ur self a nice lure. Not to mention you made it and that I can imagine would be a great feeling to catch some fish on a lure that you made. I personally have lost many different lures to the toothy critters myself and I don't see what drag has to do with it. You need fast retrieve more than anything cause others will attack it the longer its in the water. Just my experience though. I usually try and change my leader regularly but, sometime that doesn't help. Gotchas are pricey compared to makin your own. Takes time to go to the store. Takes time to make money to buy em. You chose to spend your time makin your own and still savin money. Nothing wrong with making ur own during downtime. Would love some of those heads for my straw rigs. Good luck with em and tight lines!


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## OBX_Nomad (Mar 8, 2005)

rhorm,

If a person wants to build their own lures that's fine with me. Plus they get the thrill of possibly catching fish on their own creations. 

However, your statement that you can build your own Gotcha plugs cheaper than you can buy them is BS. You stated that it takes time and money to go buy the plugs. Well it takes time and money to buy the materials to build your own plugs as well. What, do you think the fish-fairy delivers that stuff right to your door? Plus you can get an assortment of Gotchas in every color and size you desire generally in one stop. The spray paint alone to come up with a good assortment of colors for your homemade plugs would be cost prohibitive. Plus you still need hooks, wire, lead, molds, wood, brushes to paint the eyes, tools to carve the bodies, etc. Think about it, if it was so cheap to build your own everybody would be doing it. 

That being said, if a person wants the enjoyment of creating their own gear that's great, but no way in he!! is it cheaper. 

Screamendrag, I work at, and fish, the Nags Head Pier. We open in April and generally close Thanksgiving weekend. I'm there almost every day and looking forward to seeing you this upcoming season. Just ask for Bob. I apologize for the direction this thread has turned. That wasn't my intention. Good luck with your Gotchas.


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## screamendrag (Nov 21, 2005)

Cool nomad ill have to take a trip there this summer:fishing: 


Nomad makes a good point that the materials and such are just as costly as if you were to go buy a real gotcha. Though in my case, i already have everything i need to make them. I got into making striper lures awhile ago and use basically the same materials..

lead-free from tire shops
wood-use scraps from striper lures
paint-have a full paint selection in my basement 
wire-89cents for a pack of spring wire from the wallmart

if someone else were to make them i could see the cost wouldnt be worth it....unless they were gunna make like 100...i dunno to each his own:fishing: 

-Jeff


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## marstang50 (May 3, 2005)

I think its pretty cool. Always fun to build things.


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