Skeeter

There is NO hiding!!!! Skeeter

What is the model of Diawa rods that Takahiro was using in the classic? Are they very light? How much were they when they were new? I don't believe that they are still made are they? What would be a good price for a used one? Thanks, Skeeter

OK, here is what you do. Get your netting and get one of those rings that women use to hold needle point when they do it. Put your netting in the ring and tighten it down. Cut off the excess around the edges. Now just lay the lure up against the netting and spray. Works great.... especially on flat baits. Skeeter

This site is the best online school for bait making that there is. There's a TON of tallent here. Skeeter

If you use balsa then you can do a clearcoat of epoxy and just scuff it a little before you paint it. After painting clearcoat again. The reason this won't work with hardwoods is because the epoxy will add too much weight to the bait and makes it hard to weight properly. Basswood might take the epoxy. I would try it if you are that concerned about it. With balsa it will also add stregnth to the wood. Other than that Riverman is right. If your clearcoat is not put on properly or is some wimpy stuff like Envirotex, then you could have a problem and there is really nothing that you can do. Use the Devcon and make sure that your bait is completely coated and you will be just fine. Skeeter

My wife yelled at me today because I already packed the truck and hooked up the boat. They just don't understand getting ready a little bit early. I will not be fashionably late for this event. Skeeter

Oh, Believe Me....... This guy is sick, sick, sick!!!!!!!!!!! Just like the rest of us. Skeeter

Lee Sission uses it to make his lures. If it is good enough for him, then it is good enough for all of us. Lee has forgotton more than all of us put together know when it comes to crankbaits. Skeeter

Just use a white base coat of the same paint. You don't need to seal the wood. If you use a high quality clearcoat that is tough and you apply it right then you will be just fine. No water will get to the paint or the wood. Skeeter

Son, you're just plain ate up like the rest of us. Great idea. I love the eye lashes on the lure. Skeeter

out2llunge, You are correct, in my opinion you really don't need to seal the wood. I apply a light coat of poly wiped on with a rag for the two simple reasons: 1. It does give the balsa some stiffness so that you can work with the darn thing without denting it. 2. For hardwood and balsa it just seals up the pore alittle so that when you apply paint it does not soak down into the wood later. Have you ever shot a coat of paint over wood and it looks covered.... You go back later and you can see the wood through the paint again? The poly helps to keep this from happening. Once you put your clearcoat on the bait (DEVCON!!!!!) then the bait will be sealed from water if you do it correctly. I don't want anything to seep way down into the wood. It closes off everything. I promise you that it will effect the bouyancy. Especially hardwoods. Skeeter

You don't want your sealer to soak deep into the wood. It seals the pores and takes away the woods' bouyancy. Skeeter

Both translucents and candies are see thru. Actually candy is a translucent. Skeeter

I would try a long shank forstner bit. These bits drill perfectly round holes. I probably spelled it wrong, but if you go to a Good hardware shop they will know what you are asking for. The head on these baits look like a wheel with blades on them. It does not look like a standard bit. Go to www.harborfreight.com and do a search for it. It will bring up a picture of them. Skeeter

Most of us cut our own. You can buy lips from Janns. There were some other posts lately that gave some other sources. I use Devcon epoxy to attach my lips. Skeeter

You're right Jed.... It is beautiful. Excellent work Shawn. Skeeter

I feel that there are certain types or designs of baits that work best made out of a certain types of material. I know this sounds stupid, but what I mean is that a design like the rattle trap may have the best action made out of plastic rather than wood. It is up to the bait maker to find the best material for his bait. Personally I don't think that my flat baits would perform as well made out of plastic or some other type of wood. I have made that bait out of many types of wood and have only settled on two types of wood that the particular design works well with. Skeeter

Excellent, I wish you allot of success with your new business ventures. Tallented bait makers like yourself and wonderfull sites such as TU are long overdue for some real recognition. Skeeter

I assume that you mean that the epoxy is sagging on the sides or ends. Is it below 65 degrees where you are applying the epoxy or where your wheel is located as it is drying the lures? What is the speed of your drying wheel? Skeeter

The nice thing about Hendersonville and Galatin is that they are small towns. You won't have to worry about getting lost getting to them or once you are in them. I know that I really hate going through big cities. There are definitely other places within the state. But this is what I am familiar with. Maybe Coley or Charlie have some better suggestions. What time of year would be good for most? Skeeter

I thought I had patience. But your work shows more attention to detail and more thought to how to make the bait than anything I have ever seen before. Excellent work. Skeeter

The original G finish was a decal over the pearl. It never lasted and fell apart. It looked pretty but it was nothing but garbage. Skeeter

I really don't know how to handle getting a rally for the western guys. I am not familiar with anything outside of the Mason Dixon line. But I do think that we could get a pretty good get together by using a state such as Tennessee as a starting point. Most of the southern states share a border with this state. It appears to me as a good central point. We could do it on a weekend and spend a day somewhere sharing our baits and how we do them. The next day we could have a cookout and go fishing or just spend the time shooting the bull at one of the lakes. Old Hickory has some nice park areas around the lake. They are real close to some really nice towns like Nashville, Hendersonville, and Gallatin. Hendersonville and Gallatin are about 25 miles from Nashville and about 5 miles from the lake. There are allot of nice hotels in these towns and usually have vacancies without problems. I suggested the magazine folks because it would be a way to get TU and our craft showcased. I think that allot of the people that get on the site as just guests would be curious to see who we are and participate also. To me it would be nice to have a good time and promote the site. Spring would be good because the fishing is good and the weather would be better for those who travel. Or heck, summer or early fall would work too. I would definitely make the trip. How bout it???? Skeeter

Lacquers can still be found. Check the auto paint stores and you can still find some from the old stock. Mostly Urathanes are used now. Dick Nite does have some nice paints. I have used them before and they spray better than most of the other paints that I have used. He will also tell you how to thin it and clean up. I use the Pactra paints that are used for RC Cars. There is not allot of color options but there are enough. Get a respirator. You will use 4 times more thinner than you will paint. But it dries very quickly and you can control it much better. Skeeter

More than likely the problem is that you are not using enough weight in the lure. It is also important that the lip is square and the body is straight. Do any of these problems fit? Skeeter