got new rubbers for old skirts--included tool from Tackle Warehouse--got to be a better way

There is not, unless you go with the commercial expensive systems. I enjoy building skirts for customers in living rubber and you cannot make a dime on them. It takes about 15 min. just to produce one skirt; but they are the best there is for a spinner bait or jig. They have better action and will hold the Pure Extracts I use. Minnow scent for spinner skirts and Crayfish for jig skirts. After you get the skirt in place then hand tie it with copper wire you want be sorry. Remove the rubber band and reuse it again to build another skirt.

If you pull the skirt very, very tight and slowly cut with scissors it will help separate it, but you will still have to separate it the rest of the way by hand. If you don't like messing with living rubber, just use silicone.

where do you get copper wire? size?? handicraft?? sure makes sense--THANKS

ACE Hardware has the best and the .022 diam.. Just two wraps as tight as you can pull it with one end. Bring up the other end that you will be holding with your thumb tight against the head, cross it over the wrapper wire and start twisting the bait. Cut it off leaving 1/16 inch tag, fold it down then squeeze it tight with needle nose. Then slip the rubber band off and back over the hook. I use the sharpe point of my split ring pliers to do the removal. Good to go.

Ace Hardware had the wire----Of course you know I wouldn't read your comments until after doing 20 spinnerbaits BUT did just like you and it worked-----biggest headache is gathering up skirt strands -----but salvaged a wad of Elroy's spinnerbaits
THANKS

I cut a little piece of tag board about 2 inches long and 3/4 inch wide.
- Fold that little piece in half to slip over the end of the skirt tabs you have laid out.
- I use 3 pieces for color combinations on each skirt.
- Each tab needs to be 3/4 inch wide, just right to hold the end together on half of a full tab cut 5.5 inches long.
- I use the pliers type spreader for the rubber band.
- Spread the rubber, push the card board holder through as it is holding the end of the 3 tabs.
- On 3/4 oz. spinner bait I use 4 pieces of tabs 1/2 inch wide.
- Once it is through pull the tabs to the center of the band and release.
- Separate strands with a sharp pointed device like one of the battery tester pins.
- Use a quick stripping motion from the band to the end of the skirt over and over again.
- Lay a plastic sheet of cutting board material under it to keep from scaring the table or what ever your work area top may be.
- Then gather up all those strands that are separated and begin checking for the ones that were missed. I separate those with my thrum nail as I check through them.
- Move your band down the skirt past the center point toward the ends you have just done. This will allow your to easily separate the other end of the skirt using the same method with you sharp object.

Can I see those spinner baits. I have made baits at tournaments for him a couple of times. I would like to continue to make his designs as I have not seen any except the ones he called the Golden Boys. I did 2 for him on Amistad as he came to my motel knowing I always took my building kit with me to tournaments. He had lost his only Golden Boy he brought to a big Bass in practice. We build 4.

Elroy took Big Bass the next day on it. I don't know if it was the Willow bladed bait or the Indiana Blade bait that got the job done. I took 6 place over all using the Indiana blade bait. He did not place; but had the big fish in the tourn..

Here are the Golden Boys:

got a bunch of colorado blades----back in the day they were neon gold--ready to use on Falcon THANKS