Skeeter

Rookie.... here is the deal on the brass wire. When Rick won the tournament with the hunting bait, he originally said that it was an old BIII that he had gotten from Van Dam. When asked about the bait, Clunn said that the bait had a rare characteristic..... it hunted. This started the hunting craze that is still going on years after the tournament. That is all that I truely know. As I saw pictures of the lure I started to believe that the bait was actually made by Jeff Thompson of Ky. Jeff is the baitmaker for Tim Hughes that make up H&T baits. The bait would have been made and painted by Jeff because he had not yet teamed up with Tim. But I cannot be sure if the lure is Jeff's or not. There are some other things about the lure that Rick used to win that tournament, but I won't share that information. So because of Rick saying that it was an old Bagley BIII everyone wanted one. At first on Ebay the BIII's were selling like mad. Then, the now popular BII started selling like mad. The rumour was that it was the old Brass Thru Wire construction that caused the bait to hunt. I saw 2 very old and chipped up BIII's go for over $125 on Ebay. I thought it might be the wire also. That was the buzz. But I have never seen a BIII or BII old or new with thru wire construction. I have been told by MANY old Bagley fishermen that Bagley never did make a true thru wire harness for those two baits. So I spent months learning about the old Bagleys. I have bought 4 Bagley square bills that were made in the very early 80"s. I couldn't stand it so I cut two of them in half. One of them being the oldest of the 4. Guess what.... no thru wire. The other one wasn't either. How do I know the baits were that old... easy... I sent them to Bagley and they dated them. I also have some of these baits where the lips were punched out of lexan stock. The lips are not injected. Now that is old son. I had them x-rayed. No thru wire. So all of you guys that killed your bank account on a thru wire BII or BIII.... I am sorry. I have bought many so called handmade and custom thru wire harness baits. I have yet to see one with a harness in it. NONE of them have been true thru wire. I cut them all in half to learn. I learned alot. I do make a true thru wire. But it takes alot of time and patience to make right. Some have tried to drill from nose to tail all of the way thru the bait and insert a straight wire thru the hole to make the bait a thru wire. But believe me, it is not the way to go. There is alot of flaws that can become of this. Seems I have a little Blackjack in me . Trust me... it is not the wire harness made of brass or anything else that causes a bait to hunt. I promise that you can mark that myth off of your list. Skeeter

Sorry Vodkaman.... I was not the one to mention the offset eye. I cannot consistanly make a shallow running crankbait that hunts. But I know what needs to take place. I probably have a 40% success rate at producing a hunting crankbait. There is only one way for a crankbait to hunt. It is the way that I explained earlier. Skeeter

All of your points are well taken. Thanks to all. But I have decided to buy my flipping stick from Blades!! Seriously, I am looking for light. I broke my wrist years ago and still get alot of pain using heavy rods. I am currently using a Lews 54 mod. stick. Strong! but heavy. I am looking at the TD Light and Tough silver blank or the Kistler 7'6 extra heavy. I like the Kistler. It really feels nice. But is is a matte finish blank. The Diawa is coated. But it is still very light. I wonder how Diawa does it. But that rod is OLD! It is IM6. But sometimes folks just get something right. Can a custom rod builder get that light? Skeeter

Ok guys, I am getting ready to by a flipping stick. I have it narrowed down to just a few. One of them does not have the usual Flexcoat type coating on it. You know, the ones that look like they have a matte finish. My question is..... How do these blanks hold up? Will they scratch and knick..... or will they resist scratches. I really use my equipment. But I baby the stuff off of the water. I just really enjoy keeping my equipment in excellent shape. I am looking at one of these rods but I am afraid that the blank will scratch to pieces. Who can help me on this decission? Skeeter

JT, Quit putting your bait pictures here on the site. It only reminds me of just how much of an amatuer I am. I have to visit my shrink every time that you post, because I become so depressed. ( I am forwarding my shrink bills to your home). In the meantime, I just want to tell you that no one has anything on you. You are the best that I have known. So do me a favor and screw up a paint job. My mental well being is in your hands. BUT.... beware, I am out practicing in my leaky garage. Yes sir.... practicing. Skeeter

I agree with BobP. Skeeter

That's kinda like saying there's no slices in golf. Casting and crankbaiting is a skill that is learned and practiced. The practice of putting a well made lure where you want it and getting maximum performance out of your equipment is what any serious fisherman should strive for. Skeeter

It is said that in the early spring that fish prefer a tight wiggle in crankbaits. Personally I have not found that to be true. But Fritts won the 1993 Classic using a Mellow Yellow Tapp and Jeff Coble won the first BFL All American using one also. They are good baits if the lips are installed straight and stay in the bait. Skeeter

Happy Birthday Dean !! Skeeter

The closer the line tie is to the nose of the lure, the more wobble it will have. And as SS said, the steeper the angle of the lip the more wobble it will have. Skeeter

It was wild when I saw this post. It has been awhile. I am still throwing the same reels. I have 3 Scorpions and the same EON. I gave all of my Lews, Diawas and Quantums to my sons. I couldn't be happier with the Scorpions. They are still working perfectly. Rookie... cane poles break too. Skeeter

I was watching Miami Ink the other week and the girl that does the portrait tatoos made a statement that really hit me. She was talking about getting better at her work. She said "Getting better is hard." No matter what level you reach, you should always strive to be better. But enjoy it as you work at it. That is the most important thing. Skeeter

Yes Jason, I am. I have spent the last 7 yrs. learning how to do this. There has been a ton of hard work and research that has gone into it. The site is here to help people through a problem. And I have done my share. But there are too many others that just want all of the information handed to them without the work. My clients are paying for something that is above the rest, and I bust my chops to give it to them. There is alot more that goes into my crankbaits than just wood and paint. Skeeter

Ethically I feel it is wrong to copy another persons bait for personal gain. Legally, what is anyone really gonna do about it? You really can't prove it is your personal idea. (Even though it may be). I hear folks talk about getting patents, copyrights, etc. but not many are really gonna put up the money or the time that it takes to really go after someone. If you want to protect your stuff, don't put it on the internet of all places. I haven't posted any pics of my baits since the site first opened. There is a reason for that. Skeeter

All clearcoats will crack, period. I have used Devcon for 7 yrs. and have no complaints. Cold makes anything more brittle. But Devcon takes the cold just fine. Skeeter

There is no need to sand between coats. Just paint the bait. Clearcoating the lure will make the colors shine and stand out. Skeeter

If LP decides to do something..... you can be sure that he will do it right. I have known LP for a long time, and he never shortcuts anything. Kick butt LP. Skeeter

Do yourself a big favor and just use a different type of wood. Skeeter

If the bait is a wooden bait then Nathan is telling you right. What kind of bait is it? Skeeter