out2llunge

Jed, On some of your bigger muskie baits you might want to try athletic bags (the bags that hold like 20 footballs for gym class), pinnies (the new alternative to shirts and skins), laundry bags (for the ladies delicates). Each of those items works well and usually be used tons before needing replacement.

I wouldn't go anything smaller than a 3/0 and wouldn't be afraid to go up to a 5/0. Sometimes the hooks on factory baits are just way too small.

Light cuts, many passes and beware of the end grain. The router works for me, but like Jed, I'm hyper-aware every time I use the router.

Hi Scott, Your choice of hook hangers (either wire or screw eyes) really depends on the type of bait/wood/intended target species and so on. Bottom line - you want balsa baits... IF you're after pike...you'll be creating "through wire" construction. I wouldn't trust screw eyes in balsa for pike. You don't need to make the lure in two halves, but you will need to cut a slot down the centre to insert the wire and any ballast. You can then fill the slot with epoxy (adralite?) and sand smooth. The difficulty in making the bait in two halves is in keeping it symmetrical. You could make it in one piece, cut in half, add wire and ballast and then reassemble, but why? Good luck, J.P.

That's awesome Marc! Nice looking bait and fish. Has that bait got a pretty big wobble to it? I've been using aluminum for lips in some new models that I'm making. It certainly adds a lot of flash.

I also use athletic jerseys, sports bags and onion bags to make scales.

I use a router table all the time to do my baits (certain styles anyway). Jed's right caution is the order of the day. You can also outfit dremel style tools with router bits too. I picked up a small set of router bits for my dremel for $15 at Sears.

If these http://www.muskyshop.com/modules/cart/products.php/nav_id/5/page/2/id/1123/name/StainlessSteelScrewEyes78114 are the ones you are talking about. I don't see any info about diameter. Like I said before, usually they're .092", but these ones might be smaller.

Mags, I'll let the boys who deal with smaller baits answer the where to buy certain woods questions, but in general your wood stock should be slightly oversized from the finished bait dimensions. A bandsaw is a great tool and so is a belt/disc sander. I have those plus a router, table saw, lathe and so on. Here's some links to some free documents that you should print/download... 1. General lure making book about 70 pages long http://www.luremaking.com/catalogue/download_guide.htm 2. Variety of subject specific (including crankbaits) downloads http://www.luremaking.com/catalogue/download_tips.htm Read those two documents and you'll find lots of ways to make crankbaits. You can use carving knives, a sander (by hand or electric), routers and many other tools to shape your baits - your imagination is your only limit. A word of caution though - read and follow the manufacturers instructions for using power tools - some can be very nasty and cause serious, permanent injury or worse. Come back and ask or feel free to PM me for specifics with particular machines.

Those seem like odd sizes. Most musky sized screw eyes are made from .092" stainless wire and are from 1/2 to 1 7/16" long. What was the site you visited to get those sizes? BTW, I use the .092" eyes in 95% of my baits.

Thanks Shawn, I'll try those ideas too! Hopefully not too often.

Thanks Jed! I was afraid I was going to have to do something like that.

I over epoxied a bait and now it has a small build-up on the bottom edge of the bait. It's a shad body muskie bait and is about 8" long. Near the belly on one side only is where the "extra" epoxy is. I had it on the drying wheel, monitored it for bubbles and had heat applied and a 500 W lamp shining on the baits. The other baits are fine. Here's the question, how can I remove this "extra sag" from the one side? I'd prefer not to re-coat it again. I was told to use a blow torch and heat it until it softens and runs. Has anyone tried that? I was also told to try grinding it off. I'm worried that will leave a hard to repair spot that will look even worse. I'll spare the "brand name" for now so we don't go down that road, but if it's needed I'll tell later. Thanks and cheers!

I've used PlexWeld (Methylene Chloride?) to weld plexiglass together before and it does a good job. I've never tried it on lexan though. Could you not router or dremel the edge of thicker lexan?

You've got all the right tools. You might want some smaller sized pieces too, just depends on what baits you intend on making.

FB, Let me know if you find some. Just finished prototyping a muskie sized jitterbug type bait - beautiful action just needs paint

Try lighter fluid (zippo) ...don't know if it works, but takes off other stuff with ease.

Another little trick is to slide a piece of vinyl tubing over the shank of the treble before attaching the hook to the bait. That way the tubing rubs against the bait vs. the hook shank. Doesn't eliminate, but does help to reduce hook rub.

There is another stop gap measure you can take as well. It's called "T"-ing your hooks or more appropriately "longhorning" your hooks. 1. Lay the hook flat against the belly of the bait. Let the hook decide what its natural tendency is when contacting the body. 2. You'll physically bend the two hook points that contact the belly. THe other hook point can be left for now. 3. Using two pairs of pliers physically bend the two prongs until the treble looks like a "T" At this point the hooks will no longer be sapced 120 degreees from one another. The two hooks that touched the belly will now be at 180 degrees to each other. 4. Bend the odd hook point so that it's 90 degrees to the other two. 5. Now bend the first pair, but just the tips so they face down and away from the belly (like a longhorn's) I hope that made sense. I'll try and get a pic up if you need it. I use this system on my muskie baits and really helps reduce hook rub. Some of my baits have HUGE gouges from hook rub. The bigger the treble the more damage it will cause. As a reference point, most of my hooks are 7/0's.

Hey Nathan, I've dragged a few of those up from the bottom myself. Some of them fight so hard they break your line, but I've successfully landed at least 2. Cheers

You can also push your stock backwards when dealing with edge grain. Edge grain is notorious for tearing out.

I suppose it goes a bit cloudy. Also make sure you mix for at least 3 minutes.

Part of it also has to do with the type of grain you are cutting into. Examine the wood and if you see irregular grain or a change in direction of the grain, chances are you might get some tear out.

Not sure about the white colour, but if you use a propane blow torch or a hair dryer to heat up the ET it will remove the air bubbles. Apply the heat sparingly and watch that you don't burn the finish. The heat will cause the ET to soften and become more liquid like.

No worries! And thanks again for the nice reviews. I know full well the value of good service. I bought a custom bait from somebody up here, paid for it and waited almost three months (and about 6 long distance calls) to receive it. I'll do my best to ship the same or next day whenever possible.