Skeeter

Don't worry Ken. You will get a rise out of those two. They just haven't found the post yet. As for me...... I spent the entire day interviewing for a job. I need to mess with those folks tommorrow too. But Wednesday I am fishing come $^%$ or high water. Take care my friend. Skeeter

You can usually pick up an airbrush in a kit with everything that you need for around $50 - $60 bucks. Believe me, it will take alittle time to learn to shoot. But it is definitely easier than a can. I would imagine that the guy at wal mart has been doing it awhile. And don't forget the the piece that you are shooting is much smaller. I assume that the lip problem you are talking about is in getting the wire through the lip. Search the web for micro drill bits and get one the diameter of the wire that you are using. Skeeter

I don't seal my hardwood. Everyone is hung up on this sealing thing. Why????? With balsa I wipe on a coat of polyurethane, clearcoat the bare wood, and then paint over the clearcoat and then I clearcoat it again after painting. For hardwood I wipe on a coat of polyurethane, let it dry, sand, and then paint. If you clearcoat your lure then your lure is sealed. None of these products get into the lip slot. I use the polyurethane to close up some of the pores of the wood. It helps to keep air bubbles down. That is the only reason that I use it. Now someone that goes after Pike and other toothy critters may need to seal their wood. But I make crankbaits for bass, and bass don't crush lures. Skeeter

I cut the slot for the lip before I shape the bait. That way the slot is square to the bait. Then I shape the bait and drill the holes for everything else. I paint the bait completely and then install the lip. After that I clearcoat the lure. How is the clearcoat getting in the lip slot on your bait? I do know some bait makers that do the lip slot after the bait is completely made. They have a mold that they put the bait into after it is completed and then run the bait through a table saw nose down to cut the slot. Then they glue in the lip. Skeeter

I would have to agree. I think that certain lures have that special characteristic or action that is just on the money. I don't think that most of these fish see details on the baits. I do think that certain colors work better at certain times of the year or can maybe be seen better in different types of water. I don't think that these fish are just seeing blurs of color though. I think they get a pretty good look at a bait when they decide to go after it. I don't think that you could move a bait too fast for a fish. If they want it, they will chase it down and eat it. Skeeter

You are not the Lone Ranger with this problem. The bubbles are caused from air that is trapped in the pores of the wood when you dip it. You can put a coating of polyurathane on the bait, let it dry, and then lightly sand the bait smoothe. This will seal up alot of the pores and really cut down on the amount of the bubbles. That is the best advice that I have to give. Skeeter

I had an old poes crankbait that I bought in a store once off of a clearance table. The entire baits was Chartruese with pink (yes pink) dots painted on it. It was an original production color. It was just plain ugly. I never caught a fish on it. But I did not fish it much either. I do think that color does matter at times. And there are standard colors that will always work. That is why they are still around. But folks sometimes like something different. It breaks the boredom. But when the money is on the line..... it is back to the old standards. Yes, baits that are hand made have differences in them. No matter how you try..... it is still made by hand. But that is the allure of these baits. Some of them just have something special about them. It is part of the fun to fish these lures and find that special crank that you can always count on. I got rid of the double post for you. Skeeter

Your are right Michael. And I will have to agree with Tenacfan. But I think that we all admire and enjoy things that are beautifully made. Plus we are constantly having the idea of "throwing something different" jammed down our throats. It is all just part of the fun that we have as fishermen. I go through my box and take out the stuff that I just did not use. The first time that I did it I must have lightened the load by 10 lbs. Skeeter

Usually this problem happens when you put a bait away either damp or wet. If that is not the case then go to wal mart, get some eagle claws, and forget about it. Skeeter

Lips are generally made by an injection mold process. The mold is placed in an aluminum block with bands on it so that it does not blow apart during the injection. The stronger the block.... the more expensive it is. They are rated by 1000lbs. per square inch. So you might purchase a 15,000 psi block. Then pay to have the mold made that fits inside of it. Then the lip mold is placed in the block and set into the injection machine. Polycarbonate pellets are placed into the machine and melted. Then it is shot into the mold under very high pressure. To give you an idea... it would cost around $5800.00 to have a block and mold made for a 2 cavity mold. You could make two different size lips in that mold and kill 2 birds with one stone. Oh yea, don't forget that you have to pay the guy that has the injection machine and pay for the pellets also. Normally, that part is not too bad. Skeeter

Acrylic will crack in cold water. What you could do is dissolve lexan in acetone and then pour it into a plaster mold. I don't know how silicone would take to acetone. Skeeter

Get the moisture out or you will have problems. I would go ahead and cut out the body or bodies and then either slow dry them in the oven or just let them sit out untill they are dry. Skeeter

The 2X4 was probably pine and that is fine. You did a good job at shaping the bait. The one thing that you need to do is cut the slot for the lip before you shape the bait. Cutting the slot after shaping it round is tough. By cutting the lip slot before, the slot will be square. Then when you shape the bait you can use the slot as a guide line to make sure that everything is straight. Like the other said, light coats and allowing them to dry between coats will stop the paint from running. The little bit of splatter at the bottom of the tail is probably from either not having your paint thinned enough or from too little pressure. What type of paint are you using? Skeeter

From what I have seen..... it is. Skeeter

Sure, heat it, bend it, and let it cool on its own. It is still plenty tough. Skeeter

I have seen these lips that bconite is doing. They look really nice. They turn out symetrically perfect. It is a point about the cold water, But I couldn't bend one. The stuff is really tough. It is something that definitely should be considered. Skeeter

What is the bait made of? You need to do more prep work on the body untill it is baby butt smooth all of the way around. Are you using an airbrush? Skeeter

I took care of that crap. POOF!! I have experimented with both types of body styles. Personally I prefer the flat style of bait. You can get any action that you want with a flat bait. I have fished them for 5 yrs. and have had great results. Now if only we could convince the public. For some reason they treat flat baits like they have the plague. But I intend on changing that. Too many folks got use to the Bagley and Poes style of plugs. You would just be amazed at the action that you can get out of a flat bait. Skeeter

Tbait, No, they are not a secret. But the two pictures that are on pg. 58 in the photos is all that I have posted. Those baits were made 3 years ago. I still make them. The one on the bottom is a bait that will run 6 ft. The other coffin lips will run 10 ft. all on 12lb. line. Are you wanting to make a flat or round bait? If you give me a more precise depth that you are trying to hit I would be to help you out in any way that I can. Let me know. I can mail you some pictures of some of the baits that I have made. They are not very good pictures, but you can get an idea. PM me your email address and I will send them to you. Skeeter

What would you like to talk about Lurehead? Skeeter

You guys have to remember, it was a pair of Poes 400s that started this conversation, not shallow running crankbaits or suspending crankbaits. I started my part with the following.......... This is what my part of the discussion was about. But if anyone wants to start on shallow or weighted cranks then I am ready. Skeeter

Easy kids...... remember that I stated that I was going to say what characteristics I thought a good crankbait should have. I stand by my statements. I make 4 baits that will cover the water column from 3 to 20+ ft. They all float, throw straight into the wind, and they all run straight. If a bait regardless of the size does not meet these characteristics then I will not thow it. I have done my damage on the fish populations in a few places myself, inclulding Ky. Lake. So if you fellas are happy with what you are throwing.... then I am glad for you. I think that I will stick to my baits. I am pretty happy with them. Skeeter

And that is all that it is. Just my opinion. Skeeter

As far as attitude goes, the tip of the lip has to be under the water as it sits so that the lip starts to dig as soon as the handle on the reel is turned. This is the only prerequisite for attitude. It is not a result of bill angle. Regardless of the angle of the lip, the tip of the lip must be underwater as the bait rests. So what? You cannot deny the effectiveness that crankbaits have had running nose down and digging. Take that "almost suspending" bait out when the water hits around 50 to 55 degrees and watch that same bait slowly sink. Sorry, I do not agree that a sinking bait has its place. It is not efficient. A tumbling bait hinders the baits ability for a long straight cast. My baits don?t ?blow out? period. I have done very well on both Ky. and Barkley lakes also. I lived in Hopkinsville for 6 yrs. I understand your thinking of a ?natural look on retrieve? theory. The design of the bait that you have is just not made for long casting or deep cranking. However, I am not saying that it is a bad bait by any means. With the lip that you have on that bait it is not a shallow bait either. The design is similar to a Bagley DKBII . (One of the older ones with the lead in the lip.) The DKBII never threw without cart wheeling. However, the bait can be modified so that it will be more efficient, but the bait will never meet my personal standards. A DKBII is an inefficient bait. Maddox Bay, Take some of your stock store bought baits to a clear pond or better yet a pool and do some studying. Some of your thoughts are in the right direction. But......... which thoughts : LP, Shifting weighted baits are just a bad attempt to get a poorly designed bait to throw straight. It is not the answer. Skeeter

Yeah baby...... people are starting to think!! :idea: This is my kind of post. I have to get up in 6 hrs and drive out of town to work. I need to get to bed. But I am going to have an answer to all of this. Need to think! : Geez, I can't believe that folks are throwing posts at me that I did over two years ago. Hang tight fellas. My reply is comming. Skeeter