Homemade Kastmaster

[oc1]

Continuing in the vein of catching non-target species with a homemade spoon and weekly specials......

I was wading and casting at what I thought was some papio working baitfish along the edge of muddy water.  Instead, it was this guy:



In defense of the fish, it should be stressed that the spoon was tipped with a two-inch Berkley Gulp sandworm (those squishy flavored things)
and the fish probably couldn't even see the spoon in the muddy water.

The hook is barbless and the fish released unharmed.

The rod is an eight-foot something late 1950's St. Croix fly rod, extended to nine-foot something with a bamboo handle.  In an attempt to up my game, ink was dripped on the bamboo handle and then coated with spar varnish.





The reel is a Langley Lurecast model 330.  The Lurecast was in a group of similar Langley reels from the late 1950's.  The size, frame, spool, bushings and journals are identical to the Langley Target.  See:
https://alantani.com/index.php?topic=26433.0
The Target had a freespool clutch, but the Lurecast did not.  The Lurecast had a levelwind, but the Target did not.  

I have noticed that the Target can cast about the same distance whether the clutch is disengaed or not, as long as the gears are kept coated in a very light oil.  The thinking was that the Lurecast would be a pretty good casting reel too; and it is once the levelwind is removed.



It's liberating to do without some of the frills like anti-reverse, drag and clutch.

-steve

[Alto Mare]

Very nice Steve, I wouldn't have believed it if you didn't show a pic.
Amazing what that little knuckle buster reel can do.

St Croix are nice rods, I have a couple.

Sal

[Rivverrat]

St. Croix does have some nice rods. I'm really liking this one of Steve's. It's sad that St. Croix no longer provides blanks for rod builders. Steve I'm really liking the idea of this knuckle buster. I've been meaning for some time to get another knuckle buster to fish on the river.

[steelfish]

Steve's adventures deserve to have his own TV channel or a least a youtube channel.

[oc1]

It's sad that St. Croix no longer provides blanks for rod builders.

Yeah.  We should get Alex to go on a recognizance mission and see if they can be had directly from the new factory.  There's still some blanks around.  If I were younger I'd try to buy up a few while it's still possible.

St. Croix made a good tobacco/trevano blank back in the day.  On par with the best except, perhaps, the pre-Browning Silaflex.

-steve

[oc1]

Steve's adventures deserve to have his own TV channel or a least a youtube channel.

I was hesitant to show that picture Alex.  I'm the guy who is always harping about avoiding the baby hammers in their nursery.  They are so ignorant and vulnerable at this age.  Give them a few more months and they will have it sorted out and disperse.
-steve

[xjchad]

Awesome catch Steve!
I bet the knuckle buster lived up to it's name in that fight!

[oc1]

There wasn't any fight Chad.  It ran laterally about twenty feet, I turned it's head and it just swam in as I cranked.  It didn't even struggle until I pulled the head out of the water for a picture.  It might have kicked once more when I picked it up by the nape of the neck and removed the hook.  Back in the water it took off like a rocket.

I don't know.  Maybe the flight instinct develops later.  When it leaves here it will start hanging out around patch reefs farther out in the bay.  There are a few blacktips patrolling out there so it better learn quick.

The hammers come into our neighborhood to gorge on schools of finger-size kanda mullet up in the shallows.  They chase them day and night.  There will be noticeably fewer mullet when the hammers move to deeper water.

Kanda mullet were introduced here in the 1950's.  What were they thinking?  The smaller Kanda mullet displace larger striped mullet and are considered an invasive species.  The Kanda spawn several times per year, are very prolific and there are always lots of them.  I wonder what the hammers ate before the Kanda were introduced?

-steve

[xjchad]

Great info, thanks Steve. You've a wealth of knowledge!

I have a couple small knuckle buster's that I found for almost free. Wasn't sure what to do with them, but now you've inspired me to try putting together something similar. If you don't mind, I might be sending you some questions soon.

[Gfish]

Yeah, good knowledge "Professor". Bout 6 miles west of me is a big hammerhead nursery ; Port Allen. Basically a big marina/dock area on a large crescent type bay with a big river commin in. Locals like baby hammerhead chopped up for bait, usin it for catchin opilu, akule and small jack species off the dock at night. So that's it, they're eaten the kanda mullet. They are quite numerous at times. I've yet to see a hammerhead < 2ft., here, though.

Edit: oops, I mean bigger than 2 feet.

[oc1]

I've never measured one exactly, but with the tail they're about two foot when they're born Greg.

DLNR should allow the mainland-style cast nets with small mesh and draw strings for catching Kanda mullet.  It will slaughter them.  Less of the invasive species and plenty bait for everyone.

-steve

[RamseyReelRepair]

Nice work "Professor"!! Way to improvise!!

West

[happyhooker]

Nice post.  The Kastmaster design is a classic.  I've heard of the Hopkins used a lot as a jigging spoon.

Frank

[oc1]

cut and pasted from the web.....

HOPKINS LURE STILL WORKS AFTER 42 YEARS
SKIP MILLER Staff WriterDaily Press

The man was new to saltwater surfcasting, so he was forgiven his trespass of not knowing one of the most famous of lures.
He looked at the slab of metal dangling from the snap swivel and said, "Do fish bite on that or do you try to hit them in the head with it?"
The Hopkins Lure, manufactured in Norfolk, draws that kind of reaction when seen for the first time. It's little more than a hammered slab of stainless steel, more oblong than spoon-shaped. Although it comes in all sizes, the 4-incher with a single, bucktail-dressed hook is a surfcasting favorite.
A Hopkins Lure is standard inventory for a surfcaster. It's heavy enough for the long casts surf fishing requires and it has an excellent track record.
Its design hasn't changed much in 42 years. Nor has its success. In 1971, Rita Mizelle caught a world-record 24 1/2-pound bluefish while surfcasting a Hopkins at Kitty Hawk, N.C. More recently, the New Jersey-record speckled trout (11-2) was caught while surfcasting a Hopkins.
In all, the lure has figured into the catch of dozens of world and state record fish, especially freshwater catches.
"It started as a saltwater jigging and casting lure," company vice president Robbie Roberts explained. "Its first freshwater use was on the Santee-Cooper in South Carolina. People used it to jig for striped bass.
"Now, freshwater use is our biggest market. I guess that stands to reason: There are four times as many freshwater fishermen."
The original lure was a hobby invention of Les Hopkins.
He owned a Norfolk seafood business and divided his leisure time between tinkering in his workshop and fishing. In the mid-40's, he started experimenting with a jigging spoon for gray trout fishing.
He cut the spoons from stainless steel knife handles, then pounded them into shape with a ball peen hammer.
The lure, indeed, caught gray trout. Hopkins made lures for his friends. Eventually, he patented his lure and made plans to market it.
"That was sometime around 1948," Roberts, Hopkins' son-in-law, said. "About the time the lure got marketed, the trout disappeared.
"It took a couple more years but it finally caught on as a casting lure for bluefish. Surfcasters in North Carolina and in the New Jersey-New York area were the first to use it. Then it became popular in central California for stripers.
"It just kind of grew from there."
Hopkins did not live to see his invention's success. He died shortly after including marketing the lure as part of his seafood business. His widow, Tirzah, took over and eventually formed Hopkins Lures as an independent operation. The operation is headquartered on Boissevain Ave. in Norfolk.
The original lure was produced in three sizes. That has since been expanded to dozens - everything from the original hammered finish to a smooth finish to a new line that is adorned with prismatic tape.
"Oh, I don't know that anybody can predict a success," Roberts said. "Certainly nobody could have predicted the success of the Hopkins Lure.
"But nobody can knock what's happened, either. All kinds of fish have been caught with the things. We've had everything from state record catfish (48-pounder caught in South Carolina) to five straight wins on a pro bass tournament's western circuit.


also this.....

For over 60 years Hopkins has thrived on a single objective – to make the best lure on the market. Time and time again experts agree that we are meeting and exceeding that goal.
Our story began in 1949 when R.L. Hopkins, an avid salt water fisherman and experimenter, decided that a better lure was needed. His initial objectives were to develop a lure that could be cast for distance, that had good fish attracting action, and that could withstand the rigors of salt water fishing; a lure that would resist corrosion and be tough enough to handle those trophy-sized fish.
He built, tested and rejected many lures for one fault or another until the No=EQL® evolved. It satisfied the requirements of castability and aggressive fish reaction and is equally deadly for jigging and fine for trolling.
Hopkins® Lures are forged from solid stainless steel stock.

[oc1]

I try to use rod and reel combinations that are from roughly the same era and are plausible marriages.  But, this is a juxtaposition of sorts.  A 1950's Langley Target with user modifications on a brand new modern Chinese-made Batson-like rod.  A 10' 4-6 wt flyrod blank with a quick and dirty jetty wrap.



The results were both predictable and unexpected at the same time.  

I had been using this reel on a nice tobacco/trevano Phillipson blank also from the 1950's.  Phillipson made some terrific rods in his day; some of the best.  I would say that the Phillipson is probably the best casting tobacco rod I have.  But, the graphite squeezed out some extra yardage.  

The overall weight is noticeably less too; even with the lead counter-weight in the butt to bring the balance point under my hand.  The old Langley Target with mostly aluminum construction, drilled InfiniSpool, no drag and shaved tail plate is lighter than modern reels of roughly the same capacity.  Of course, graphite is much lighter than fiberglass.

The little white papio inhaled the homemade kastmaster.  I usually release everything but killed this one trying to get the hook out and had to have fish tacos for dinner last night.
-steve