Joe

Hey Ricky, Here I am. We're doing fine. There doesn't seem to be enough time in the day to get everything done. Like Fred said, I bought a house in Denham Springs, just east of Baton Rouge. We have been going back to Meraux every weekend to salvage what we can. Other than a few odds and ends, there is not much worth saving. Our insurance will cover most everything we lost, but it will take time to start over again. I hope to have C J Bass back up and running after the first of the year. My fishing partner and I have a Regional Tournament next week at the Red River, but I'm not sure yet if I will make it. My cell # is 504 329 8626. Thanks, Joe

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Hey Guys, I just got my computer up and running again. Here are some before and after pics. It's hard to believe what 9' of water will do. Hey Chris, check out your logo. It's still there, that's got to count for something.

Hey Guy's, Thanks for the support. We are OK and staying with our son in Baton Rouge. Local officials tell us it may be at least two weeks before we can go back to survey damage and recover what may be left. It's hard seeing everything you worked for all your life go down the tubes in a mater of hours. The good thing is we are all together and safe and have a place to stay. All the rest is not really that important. well, got to go ,, Thanks, Joe

Hey Guys, What you see on TV is not even close to what the New orleans area looks like. Try to imagine an area 60 miles long by 15 miles wide covered with 5ft - 15 ft.of water. My house in Meraux escaped damage from the storm itself, only to have 10 feet of water over it when one of the levee's in Si Bernard broke on Tuesday morning. Needless to say, I may not be making lures for a while. . Joe

Hey Guys, I guess it's my turn. I've been sitting back trying to make sense of all this. The main problem, as I see it , is everyone has their own opinion of what an association is or should be. I see an association as a tool for a group with a common goal to get recognition for their ideas and efforts. I don't mean recognition for the individuals, but for the art of lure making as a whole. Buying power. If the association has 50 or 100 members and the association were to contact supply houses for discounts, I don't see how we could be ignored. Numbers mean good prices. It was said their are a lot of lure makers who don't know about this site. True, but how many fisherman are out their who don't know about this site and the craftsmen here who are producing some of the best lures around. Lets face it, there are fishermen buying from Wal Mart because they don't know something better is out there. The association will will change that by letting all fishermen know we exist.Ratings, Here is a problem. Human nature, being what it is, is a factor here. Everyone has an ego and it will always affect all of us to some degree at sometime or another,whether we want to admit it or not. As I see it an association can do nothing but help us grow. As it stands now, I think the best ratings for our work could and should come from the people who give us their money for the work we do. An in association rating system could come in the future. Just my thoughts. Joe

For a deep cup on a topwater, I use two tools to do the job. Take a countersink and put the point in the center of the lures face. Drill as far as the stop allows. Then take a half round router bit the dia. needed for your bait and use it to open up the pilot hole created with the countersink. Works every time. You can put the bait in a vise and use a drill on slow speed. I have a small motor, to which I attached a drill chuck. The motor is mounted to a table and the speed is controlled by an old sewing machine foot pedal. Good Luck, Joe

Cranker, This is a bait carved from Spanish Cedar. I'm not sure how the weight will compare with Red Cedar, but I would think it's close. This bait is also 3" long and 3/8" wide. It is weighted with a 1/8 oz. egg shaped weight above the front hook. I drill the hole and epoxy the weight in place and screw the screw eye through the hole in the weight to secure it in place. Hope this helps. Joe

Hey Ricky, Are you using an inline blade or an off set blade? Usually the inline blade will track straight. The off set tends to drift with the rotation of the blade. Sometimes the type of skirt you use will also affect the track of the bait. Joe

Pop, I use a Paache VL aur brush. I use the Createx paint straight from the plastic bottle. No mixing, just buy a few extra siphon tubes and your all set. I topcoat with devcon II and for spinnerbaits and buzzbaits, it holds up well. As far as air pressure goes, a lot of guys recommend anywhere from 18# to 35#. I have found different colors work better with different pressures. Joe

Go to www.dixieart.com They have a full line of Createx Paints in the regular line as well as Auto Air. Wal Mart is the best bet for the Devcon II. About $2.00 per tube. I do about 70 baits per tube. Joe

Hey Jim, I don't know about jig heads, but I use Createx paint on my spinnerbaits and buzzbaits and topcoat with Devcon II. Joe

Call Bubba at Rat Trap. 863 963 2148. Good Luck, Joe

Hi Guys, Time is flying by and in about two months it will be time to come up with next years insurance payment. Has anyone found a company that works well with smaller companies like ours? The big companies that handle Life, Home and auto all act like they are doing you a favor by insuring a home based business. Just wondering if there is something better out there. Thanks, Joe

I have seen where some of you mentioned your hand carved baits took on water and were ruined by swelling and top coat cracking. I have not had a problem with that happening to my baits, but I was very close. I coat all my baits with Devcon and my balsa baits all have two coats of devcon, one as a sealer and one as a top coat. The reason I mention this is a few nights ago, I was showing some baits to a friend. I keep my baits in a regular Plano clear plastic box with adjustable compartments. Two or three baits fit in each compartment. What I found, was the hook from one bait penetrated the topcoat of another bait and was about 1/8 in. into the bait. I guess this happened from bouncing around in my boat. If I had not noticed this, the hook could just as easily come out leaving a small hole in the bait for water to enter and ruin the lure. I'm just wondering if some of you may have had the same thing happen and not realize it and that, not the type of top coat or the application of the top coat was the reason for damaged lures. I now put only one bait per section in the boxes. Joe

The craft dept. at Wal Mart has the 4" x 6" plastic bags with the zipper closure for $1.99 per 100 bags. Joe

Hi Chris, Most of the shops that carry my baits are working on a 36% mark up. I have one that is close to 50%. I can tell you that the stores with the lower mark up are making more money, because they have more sales and are making their money on volume. The store with the 50% mark up does not sell near as many baits as he could if he were to lower his prices just a bit. Good luck, Joe

If you look around at flea markets, you can find footpedals used on sewing machines. They work fine on small motors. Joe

What are the steps to be taken to begin a patent search? Is there one web site better than another? I have been looking for over a year to see if a certain lure has a patent with no luck. I'm not sure if there is no patent or maybe I'm not looking in the right place. Thanks, Joe

Tupelo is an excellent wood for baits. It has been used forever as one of the top choices for carving duck decoys and other carvings. It has very little, if any grain, if it came from the butt of the tree. Tupelo holds detail very good and is very easy to work with. After carving your lures, seal and paint as with balsa. Good luck, Joe

I had sent an e mail to Tom Over a week ago. I just received a reply yesterday. He said the web site is down for a time while he reworks it. The store is closed and he said he has moved. He did not go into detail, but asked what skirts I needed and he would see what he could do. I'll keep you posted when I hear from him. Joe

I Heard that Don Butler had passed away several months ago, but I was told the business was being run by Tom Butler. I tried e mails to Tom at Okiebug with no reply and called information for phpne numbers for Okiebug as well as Butler Enterprises, again with no luck. They were the source for my wrapped silicone skirts and I have not been able to locate anyone else who carries them. If I hear anything, I'll pass it on. Joe

Check Jann's Netcraft. for the 3 1/2" and Ol Ben's Rubber Skirts 318 686 6314 . They have a large assortment of rubber skirts. While on the subject of skirts, has anyone heard anything about Okie Bug closing it's doors? Joe

Check Jann's Netcraft. for the 3 1/2" and Ol Ben's Rubber Skirts 318 686 6314 . While on the subject of skirts, has anyone heard anything about Okie Bug closing it's doors? Joe

Any company, large or small, that manufactures lures must pay a 10 % excise tax on lures sold. The Form 637 allows companies to avoid paying excise tax on materials and components used in making lures, but the tax must be collected at the time of the sale and turned in quarterly to the IRS( just sent me fourth quarter to them a few weeks ago) The IRS form 720 is the one used when sending in your tax payment. If you sell a lure for $3.50 divide that amount by1.1 This is the base amount of the lure sold. Then multiply that amount by .1 and that gives you the amount of tax due on that sale. $3.50 divided by 1.1 equals 3.18 multiplied by .1 and the tax due is 32 cents.. If you pay excise tax on the components used in making your lures, you can deduct that amount from the amount owed after the sale of the lure. Some components are exempt from excise tax, such as feathers and beads. Joe