# Spider weights



## egonza013 (Apr 21, 2013)

I've been lookin online as well as here about making your own spiders for fishing the surf. It seems it requires a lot of things I don't have (torch for melting, saw for making mold, etc.) Is there any way of making these with more of household items? 

I have roughly a 10 ft roll of chain link fence that I think could serve as good legs for the spider & possibly to melt down & use as the material.

After doing research, it seems the GAUGE of the wire opposed to the WEIGHT helps anchor your bait in the surf. Spiders I buy from Academy or local baitshops seem to have very thin gauge wire & don't allow me to put enough tension on my line to keep it super tight. When I retrieve them the legs are completely bent backwards, especially in rough/weedy surf.


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## HuntinforTail (Mar 29, 2011)

I remember seeing a post where someone used cement in PVC caps with wire legs so they could avoid melting lead. If you want to use lead you are going to have to get some kind of burner or torch.


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## ronnie collins (May 21, 2004)

stick with copper or stainless for wieghts or you will be making them all the time. just remember that you have to pull that wieght loose sooner or later. my line size is 20 to 80# so wieght size and sticking power changes so i can get my leader back.


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## justinn (Apr 8, 2011)

?Keep in mind you want those legs to bend when the shark hits or when you have to reel it in. If the gauge is to tough, your fights with the weights will be more effort than a shark. Also if a shark does pick it up you may get a fight for a bit, but if he swims low and that weight digs again you may just fight the weight again the whole way while you drag the shark. At that point you've taken the fun out of it and you will also lose sharks that route as well.


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## egonza013 (Apr 21, 2013)

Do y'all purchase or make your own? If you purchase, where from? 

I understand that I don't want them to stay in the water & will eventully need to retrieve, but if i cant get them to stay then it defeats the purpose of it. Maybe I'm doing something wrong.


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## troutless (Feb 17, 2006)

Does anyone on the board that makes and sells them? My fishing partner made ours and he passed away last year, so I'm looking.


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## Elturbobug (Sep 9, 2012)

There is a guy on EBAY that sells a range of spider weights with stainless legs.
I started using these when BeakAway quite making there old style surf weights and went to the plastic cap style.
The problem with the stainless legs is as described above....they are so stiff that you fight it and the fish back in. I normally through a 2oz version so the fight is minimal. The 5oz and up can be a problem with the 20lb test mono that I personally use.

Rob


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## PBD539 (May 4, 2010)

3/32 tig wire or the copper wire from Romex cable (house wiring) works well.


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## Mustad7731 (May 23, 2004)

*Beginner Spider Wt Mold*

I have not done this, but there are some people that have used Bank Sinker molds...
I think they are using molds that allow you to pour the lead into the eye end; and 
they drill a hole big enough for the 4 wires to protrude from the bottom end of the
mold...
I have a mold "C.PALMER" made in WEST NEWTON PA.-- "SINKER MOLD 105" That 
would allow you to drill a hole (about 3/16") in the bottom of the 2 & 4 oz sizes.
cut some 6" pieces of single strand copper wire 12 or 14 ga for the 4 oz and 
16 or 18 ga for the 2 oz or equiviant stainless steel. Bend them in half-put an inch
of the bent pieces in the mold and pour your sinker...You may want to make some
kind of kink or something in the bent part of the wire to make it hold inside of the
lead better...
I know that this involves some tools, but you need to get yourself some tools, so
you can make other things that will help you in fishing and in life...
Good Luck,
Mustad7731
Jack


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## waltmeda (Jul 9, 2013)

From past experience I highly recommend that you don't use something too strong for the legs. For awhile I used the light gauge metal, coated, coat hangers. Just trying to get those in after you cast them out is a chore. The legs dig into the sand and stay there. When there is no give on the legs it will feel like you are reeling in a monster ray. It is a huge pain. After I made about 20 of those weights, I had to melt them down and remake them with #10 wire.


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## sharkchum (Feb 10, 2012)

These are the one's I make. They hold great,cast great, and they don't break. It expensive to get started, but it pays for it's self the first year. The Lee production pot was around $130.00 and the Do-it molds are between $30.00 and $60.00 each. I have spider weight molds for 2oz, 3oz, 4oz, 5 1/2oz, 8oz, 9oz, and 10oz. I use 1/16" 316 series stainlees heli arch wire for the legs.


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## spicyitalian (Jan 18, 2012)

I use copper wire. I've tried both 14 and 12 gauge, the 12 is too stiff for my rigs with about 4 oz lead. 14 works great and lasts white a while. If you are going 6-8 oz weights, 12 gauge might work better.

Also FWIW, I normally use a small cast iron skillet on the side burner of my grill. If it's not too windy, that will be enough heat to get things melted.


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## V-Bottom (Jun 16, 2007)

cut half inch aluminum conduit into certain lengths to make various amts of weight. Insert your wire to size and shape....place in sand and fill with lead...affective...


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## ronnie collins (May 21, 2004)

melt your lead outside in well ventilated area. also where you fish will dictate how strong of leg too use. east to west means, mud to sand. smaller wire works best in the mud say at McFaddin-High Island, where stronger wire works around say PINS.


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## I Fall In (Sep 18, 2011)

V-Bottom said:


> cut half inch aluminum conduit into certain lengths to make various amts of weight. Insert your wire to size and shape....place in sand and fill with lead...affective...


This.
You can melt lead in a pot on a coleman stove.
I drill 4 holes in the pipe and run the wire through from one side to the other. Bend the wire inside the pipe to prevent it from spinning.


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## waltmeda (Jul 9, 2013)

These are the ones I make. They are not perfect but they work really well.


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## SaltwaterTom (Jun 23, 2013)

You don't need to invest big money in a melter and molds. Use 1 inch PVC pipe for heavy (6-16 ounce) weights, and 1 inch PVC end caps for smaller weights. The lead makes the PVC soft but does not melt through it, and once cooled it works great. Burr out 1 inch holes in a 2X4 to seat the PVC in. Melt lead in an old small cast iron skillet on a Coleman stove, the skillets usually have a lip on one side to facilitate pouring.


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## egonza013 (Apr 21, 2013)

good info! thanks for everyones feedback, when i get around to making some ill post the results


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