RiverMan

Had to share with you guys an email I just recieved from a Guide and Tournament Fisherman that purchased one of my baits. Here is his email, and here is the pic. Oh by the way, Russ is 6'3 and 265. By the way Chip, this lure was coated with Devcon, lol. Jed Good Morning Jed, I was pre fishing today for the tournament this coming weekend and stuck a big fish using your bait, She just absolutely made a meal of it, About 10 feet from the boat I saw her following hot on the bait, as the bait reached the boat I changed the bait direction and did a 90 deg sweep with the bait twitching it down the side of the boat at which point she just smoked it with 2 feet of line out. I have to give my Partner Tim for an excellent net job otherwise I probably would not have boated her. This is my biggest fish this year and she is a real slob, 45 inches with an estimated weight of 25+ pounds !!! I had My digital camera with so we snapped a picture, I have enclosed it for you to use however you want. Just so you know your bait held up extremely well, It does have a few scars and nicks and actually has a tooth stuck in it but what can you expect when a fresh water shark makes a meal of it !!! The picture is in JPEG format. Russ

Chip, What on earth convinced you to get a Masters no less in Chemical Hygiene? Anyway, is this type of mask also helpful when melting lead and spraying paint? What is the approximate cost of the beast? Jed

You don't have to quit lunge, go to molds and featherlite, no wood whatsoever and you could use pre-made weights for balast so no lead. Then you could use a photo-finish process as I do and rarely have to use the paint. The only thing left is the epoxy, so far haven't heard this stuff is gonna kill us, lol. Jed

Geez, now you guys have me worried! I have been wearing one of those cheap white masks that just slip on real quick. I don't find any signs of problems with the dust tho, no sneezing, coughing, etc., well except for the occassional chunk of lung material. Are you guys wearing those monstrous space-travel-like looking masks? I also melt the lead while out in the "garage", paint, oh yea, spray that in there too, lol. I find I am much happier after painting, odd huh. Probably should mention my asbestos chair too, lol. JC, I just did a search on plastic lumber and found that the specific gravity of this material is about .84, cedar is .34. I'm wondering if you have found the material to be a bit on the "heavy side", similar to say maple, mahogany, or oak? Cool web site by the way but I couldn't get the baits to pop up. Jed--hack, wheez.

JC, I would agree that many things can be harmful but if you do a search on wood dust you will find a plethora of articles and agencies warning about health risks associated with wood dust. When something says "cancer causing" I get nervous, lol. Not familiar with the recycled "post" plastic you are referring to...can you tell me more? Sounds interesting. Thanks! Jed

I once saw online where a guy built a pattern for each piece he turned from a piece of plexiglass. Once he had his prototype, he cut one edge of a piece of plexi to fit perfectly along the edge of the piece. Then, as you lathe another, you simply lay the pattern against the edge to see if it fits correctly. This combined with the calipers to check diameter would make things very accurate. Hehehehehehe. Jed

The top lures look like Grandmas to me, great job! I have made plans to put something similar together myself but hate dealing with those damn bills! Have you run them yet...how do they do? Jed

Thought you guys might like to see some info on wood dust and our health...see the link below! Figures that the wood I most like to use, cedar, is also one of the more toxic. Bottom line tho is that most all wood dust has been shown to cause cancer in some people. Australia apparently considers all wood dust to be carcinogenic. Isn't that special? Jed http://www3.gov.ab.ca/hre/whs/publications/pdf/ch045.pdf

What a great idea, very ingenious! Jed

Nope, haven't heard of it Nathan. I would suggest writing him and asking for a "common" or "scientific" name. Probably a type of shiner or sucker if he's calling it a "baitfish". I would be interested in hearing what you find out. Jed

Very, very, nice! Jed

First, get yourself a can of Bullseye Shellac, Home Depot. Spray on a coat and it will seal the bait and takes only 10 minutes to dry! I have read here that someone had problems using it but I have had no problems whatsoever and a can will cover a ton of baits. Be careful mixing the Devcon on a flat surface as it is nearly impossible to make sure you include the "entire mix" while doing so. What happens is some of the Part A or Part B will get off to one side and despite your greatest efforts to include all of the glue while mixing you still end up having some that's left out. Then...when you put it on the bait and spin it dry, you will find a tiny spot on the bait that isn't cured for some reason......."what in the....."....not a nice thing. I always mix the Devcon in Dixie Cups that I cut the tops off of leaving them about an inch deep. The cups cost me a penny each and they insure that I mix all of the Devcon together eliminating this problem. Mix slowly getting to all portions of the container watching the glue as you go, it will start clear, then go milky, then back to clear, then finally become very watery, its now ready. Jed

I like the name for pike...lydeka, great sound to it! Jed

I had a very reputable lure company owner tell me today that he doesn't use screw eyes as the type of wood he's using (basswood) allows the screw eyes to pull out after several years.....yikes! I'm curious, has anyone experienced this with their lures? Jed

Congratulations on your new shop Vytautus! I think Shawn has provided some great advice. I would also mention to you that there is a strong following for wood baits so don't overlook these as part of your business plan. You make some beautiful stuff and even if the wooden baits prove to be more problematic there are a ton of guys out there willing to pay the additional production cost anyway. I have made many lures from molds and featherlite and have found this method of production to be accurate and consistent yes, but it too has its tribulations. Molds are expensive and sometimes become damage/destroyed. Production time is not as fast as you might expect after building the wire form, determining proper weighting, measuring the foam, mixing the foam, providing a release agent, etc. When featherlite has cured, you still have the pouring sprue to deal with and some cleaning and sanding to do before the bait is ready to go to the next stage. Also with featherlite you are working with one density and one buoyancy..with wood your options are huge, more dense wood for sinking and gliding lures, lighter wood for jerkbaits and topwater. Have you looked at cost per bait with the foam? For smaller baits it may be ok, large bodies may be expensive when compared to wood. If you are going to try the photo-finish process, be aware that some glues will chemically react with the foam, another hassle. Virtually any glue will work on wood. And finally, I find dealing with the chemicals the least desirable part of working with the foam, while wood-working is great fun! Anyway, just some things to think about! Jed

I'm glad you guys like the finish, I do too. You know I use my wife as a sounding board so to speak for all of the finishes and she said "I don't like it". But....after putting on the first coat of Devcon the colors really came alive and I was glad I went forward with it. This is a photo-finish lure...the wild color part anyway. The back, head, and belly I painted with a rattle can, 99 cents each at Walmart, lol. I actually found this stream of colors in a magazine I was looking through so scanned it and then did some manipulation in Adobe to brighten it. Shhhhh, don't tell anyone. Jed

This body design has a definite flutter from side to side showing its body. I have found a very natural bait-fish shape to do this also. If you build a sucker or shiner for example and leave the shape exactly as you would expect the fish to be, long, narrow, semi-pointed nose, you will find the flutter to be excellent, walk is good, but the glide to be nearly non-existent. I expect the bass will absolutely "glop" onto this type of bait...will let you know after this wknd! Son!! Jed

Hmmmm, good point Skeeter. Too bad they can't mix the lazer with rotation, seems this would get the roundness we are looking for. I would very much like to find someone to make several hundred wood bodies for me. Jed

Hey thanks guys. I tested two new versions tonight and am very happy with the action on both of them, one glides very well, the other wobbles and walks. When pulled through the water both look very much like an injured fish. I am confident that either will work on musky, pike, or bass. I will say that like any lure the amount of weight and placement is critical, wood type varies the glide and action too. I have also found on one particular model that a semi nose up posture makes for the best action. Since you asked Pike, here is a pic of the last glider I made. Thanks again! Jed

Hey count me in on the bus and brownie idea so long as we spend every afternoon on the water...oh and we get to have a few beers too. Hey Skeeter, anyone you could direct me to for having bodies lazered.....not my body, well you know? Jed

Doctor Dean, Ok, so I have been making some glide baits and having a great time doing so. What I don't know, is how the things are supposed to act once they hit the water...this is not a good thing. What I would like is for someone to tell me what the baits should be doing. I could of course buy several gliders but it is much more fun and financially frugal to determine the lure action from those who have experienced it. That being said, can you tell me this: 1. Do gliders generally "walk" and "glide" in a wide path? I asked this because my Divani baits run in about a 20 inch wide path, my slammer style body runs much narrower, maybe only a foot each way. 2. Do most of the gliders sink while maintaining a horizontal posture? 3. What do gliders generally do if you simply cast and retreive them? 4. Finally, how are gliders generally fished? Are they fished like a spook with gentle taps of the rod tip while maintaining a tight line? So many questions, so little time. Thank you!! jed

Does anyone here know what makes a gliding bait glide? I have made gliders in the traditional round nose style and others with a more natural semi-pointed nose. The rounded nosed baits seem to glide better altho both designs will "walk" back. Also, how much does wood thickness affect how the bait glides?

I like that idea, of course that may lead to sales for which I am not prepared for, lol. Maybe I better figure out a way to make a bait faster than three hours, ya think? Jed

Hey there's a business name for you Cody. Bombshell Bait Company Pretty cool eh?

Yep, a thousand will kill ya. Anyone know of a company that will cut baits out for a guy? jed