Dominator Shad.png
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Here's a small resin twitch/glide bait that I made to target fish that are locked onto schools of threadfin shad and won't bite anything else. I opted to airbrush this blank in a "sexy shad" color to make it stand out from the crowd. A silver base coat and scaling on the back add flash while the bright yellows and blues (slightly overpowered by the silver in these photos) add vivid color. Pink highlights under the chin and at the bases of the fins add a nice natural look to the darker brown head.
When fully assembled, the bait is a little over 4.25" long and weighs about 3/4oz which allows me to throw it on a conventional crankbait rod. Carving all the scales, fins, gill plates, and other 3D features into my wooden master was a very difficult but fun challenge. The tail is poured from a semi-transparent, flexible urethane to prevent breakage and allow for a better swimming action. I made two-part silicone molds of both my bait and tail masters to open up more opportunities to experiment with bait styles and actions. All the internal hardware is stainless steel, and the bait is equipped with Owner ST-41 trebles and Hyper Wire split rings.
The bait performed pretty well during initial testing. It is very reactive and responds well to rod twitches or reel bumps. Within the first few minutes of testing on the water I had a healthy 1.85lb bass smash my prototype head first. It felt great to catch a fish during my first time out with it! The one thing the prototype did not do very well was swim on a slow retrieve due to a pretty tight joint. I'll have to see what I can do with the next pour to try and increase the action in that area.
Happy building and thanks for looking! 
Dan
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