BassNator 1

Hey Dtrs5kprs, Im a little confused by your post on the Bomber and Pointer. Are you applying your personal painting to the Bomber 14A's which look like the Pointers? ( im guessing thats what youre saying... JUST not sure!) I have just purchased a Pointer AND a couple of Long A's for my cold water fishing up here in Pa. I did my first tourney this past weekend with water temps maxing out at 47 degrees. The SLOW jerkbait bite was on, unfortunately I tied for last place with 50 other boats that got skunked! The jerkbait bite was not on for me and I threw both the Long A, and the Pointer to no avail. I might have to give the 15A a try though... are they close in comparison to the Pointer. Cause I do like the Pointers... they have some very realistic looking lures, but I have heard from tackle shops they are very pricey and I havent heard a lot of guys catching fish on the local scene. Some pros swear by them. For me... $15.99 is very pricey and you can bet Im not gonna throw that lure in a spot that could cause me to lose it! So that does automatically hinder me! Thanks for the feedback. Cody

Nice baits Joe! I love the paint on them and of course the Daiichi Red Hooks! I would think that they would get a little deeper though! But if you got the action and they run.... you got it down! I had the opportunity to give my new ones a go last weekend. I was pleasantly surprised to find out that they actually suspend! I was very impressed with that one. In the warmer water for sure they are gonna be slow sinkers, BUT Oh well, when you FIRST start out.. you never know what you got until you give it a whirl in the lake. Cody

Dave, I love the paint jobs. Whats the secret on the flash? I really dig it! Care to Share?? Cody

If you are making a popper.... and with only 2 colors to choose.... I would start off with EITHER a white or black. My reasoning is this. If you fish top waters, a fish is only seeing one way... UP! So a Black lure, or a White lure is the way to go to start off with. IMHO, any painting on top of a topwater is going to attract one thing... A FISHERMAN! A fish cant see on top of a top water lure. Most topwater fishermen prefer dark-colored baits early and late in the day when visibility is poor, and light-colored baits during bright periods. But I must add however, that a surface lure?s action and noise are far more important in triggering strikes than its color. In early morning and late night I have had the most success with a Jet Black Jitterbug! And its just that... Jet Black! But... its gurgling action is what bass hone in on and destroy! Cody

Hey Terry, I feel your pain!! I posted on that same thing about 2 months ago!! I feel like that kid on the movie The Christmas Story. I might have to give up lure making.... Every one is telling me Im gonna Shoot my OUT! Cody

SpoRoller, I too made a drying wheel with the wooden dowels and alligator clips, and yes you are right, they do not have a good grip for the lures. I moved up to the Exacto Knife Handles. They work great... but NOW.... It makes it tuff to dry on my drying wheel. SO... what I did is I went to the local Home Depot and in the tool corral they have these small yellow holding clamps. The item # is 035794626228. If I can recall they are like .49 cents apiece. Two of them will hold the knife handle onto the drying wheels wooden dowell perfectly. I USE 3 for security purposes! Check it out. Cody

Createx offers a Clear Coat in a Matte and Glossy finish. I would not reccommend this as a final coating for your lures and continue with the final coat as Devcon but they do offer it. I use a clear coat on my lures that has some glitter mixed in with it and it works very well. Its not Createx brand though and I just paint it on... Its a Clear Glittler Paint, but it acts as the same thing as mentioned above. Cody

Sorry Allstate, I was confused from the last post you had. I am a child from the peace love and Jimmy Hendrix 60's era! Too much "good times" running through my veins! lol! I thought you were talking of THINNING your paint and mixing it in the cup. Sorry, but yes I do run cleaners through my cup and shoot them but you must make sure all the solvent is out of the gun before adding paint or you will get inconsistent results. I flush the gun in some water after solvents and after paints. I keep flushing it with warm water till I get a free flow with no color! Be careful of running solvents through cause that is spraying fine particles of chemical mist into the air... that you will breathe. But heck, I have breathed in so much second hand cigarette and Reefer smoke from my past .... whats a little solvent! They might cancel each other out... Cody

You can do that, BUT and I say But, I would reccommend against it. Unless you can mix it up well in the. In the cup you must really mix it well for the consistency of the paint to work well. Some paint can get under the flow and not get mixed OR some of the thinner can get under there and not get mixed. The problem I have had is that I didnt do a good job mixing because of this and I was shooting thin, from too much thinner, thick - not enough.. to just right. Consistency was a problem for me doing that. Now I just use a small cup to mix in; like the souffle cups. Its like a dollar for like 500 of them or so. Thats a lot of mixing cups and its disposable if need be. But that is my reccommendation! Save yourself some headaches and frustration! Because I have had them doing that!Cody

Hey Jeb, Glad to hear you took the airbrush plunge! I agree with Ken, water is ok and the LEAST expensive. If you plan on using Createx, for the most part the colors are good right out of the bottle, BUT and I say but, Some colors have given me problems. Red, Black and White usually seem to need to be thinned... I think they have more pigment in them. : I dunno on that though. Also it depends on how long this paint has sat on the shelves. I have seen a few colors on craft store shelves look as if they have been there for 5 years! I just air brushed some lures with craft paint that I bought at Wal-Mart for like .44 cents a bottle! I got some real intense colors and I didnt have to mix a lot of paint to get the colors I needed. The colors were right out of the bottle. I got an awesome Firetiger design.. again right out of the bottle! The only problem is that this paint is real thick, I mean super thick! I bought an extender which it basicly says on the bottle is a paint thinner. It has no smell... so I'll bet its nothing more than water! LOL I thinned out my black which was my last color to shoot, and it actually came out good at first, then it had a real weak splatter that was controlled, and I actually liked the effect it gave the lure. It was a very happy mistake! I know I didnt thin it enough or consistently, but Im still learning how to thin out the paint! Cody

IMHO, If I were in the Lure Making business I would NOT use any of those for features on one of my "CUSTOM" Made Baits. To me, any manufacturer can produce any of those qualities (or as I call it... GIMMICKS) mentioned if not all of them! To me, a "CUSTOM" made lure is just that! "CUSTOM" Its a one of a kind. Its made just for me! Custom to me ALSO means that Its Handcrafted, and quality checked AND it should be made to my specifications. If I want an exclusive paint job on a lure, that to me thats also custom. If I want a 15 foot deep diver thats a flat sided bait.... in a Firetiger design or a Shad imitation that also suspends and if I want it to be 3 1/4 inches long, I expect a custom lure maker to be able to build me one! I want to know that Im getting a One Of a Kind lure, that Quality Craftsmanship went into it and I have a builder who stands behind their product. Also a product that when I get it and open the package... it knocks me off my socks. After all "Thats why I would pay the bigger bucks for a custom made lure!" All those other features you mentioned to me are just "GIMMICKS" I dont think QUALITY LURE MAKERS need gimmicks. I have checked out a few of the webpages on those who offer input to the readers here. We have some GOOD Qualified Lure Designers who practice an AWESOME CRAFT! And have some products that KNOCK my Sox off! Man If I were a fish.... I would eat them. So get off the Gimmicks and go with the quality and handcrafted and inspected and one of a kind! THATS WHAT CUSTOM MEANS BABY!! Cody

Ok Joe, It sounds then that you got it down and its doing what you want it too then. Good Job! All Im aware of is that the Angle of the Lip Gives it its Running Depth as well as where the line tie is and the line you use. A squared off lip will give that same lure a tight wiggle, a rounder lip will make it wobble. The same holds true for a lip more perpendicular, it wont go as deep, a round lip more wobble, a squared lip tighter wiggle. The size and shape of the bill as well as the shape of the lure creates the action. I am using a squared off lip design on my D-Bait imitations and it has a tight wiggle. Rounder lips will give it a wider wobble as you described. So if you need a tight wiggle instead of a wide wobble, sub in a squared off lip. I got a real good idea on lips and what it does to the same bait one time in the pool. I was able to have a few different lips cut out from a small square to a large coffin. A former post had a PDF file that when printed was a PERFECT design to trace onto the Lexan. It worked perfect! The lips were a NICE TIGHT fit into the lure so I could run them without glueing or it fouling up. I learnt a GOOD LESSON doing this and how the lips affect the action! I thought that the lip actually creates the depth! NO NO NO! All my lures ran the same depth... Just about. They had a different action to them, from a side to side wobble to a rolly poly kind of thing. I reccommend to ANYONE... take your designs to an INGROUND POOL.... ( A CEMENT POND for the Jed Clampett fans ) and see what they do! If you havent done this already! Cody

Hey Joe, Im wondering if you can post a pic of the baits you ran. My concern however is in the depth the lure ran you stated in your post. My D-Baits got down in the OVER 5 foot range deep (more like 5 1/2 feet deep) and ran with a nice tight wiggle. Granted the inside temp of the pool was 80 degrees... I think that would cause it to be more buoyant. But at 5 feet, my baits were digging into the bottom of the pool. I think that that is the right depth these lures should be running.. someone correct me on this if Im wrong. I also tested the lures on a 10 pound test. A higher test line would also keep it from getting down as well. I also used Poplar for the wood, with a little more weight on the inside. But... it sounds as if you got it pretty consistent and if its working and you like the depth.... Youve got a winner! The lip design and the shape of the lip is what will give the lure its action. Adjusting your lip designs will give it different action. A rounded lip gives it a wider wobble a squared lip gives it a tighter wiggle. My line tie is NOT on the lip itself but it is screwed into the lure above the lip. That also can affect the running depth. Cody

Coley.. Thats an awesome Idea!! I would have never thought of that. Thats good to store in my hardrive of useful ideas! Cody

I really like the Baby Bass! Very nice! Cody

Skeeter, thats a gorgeos bait! Cody

I was asking a question in the last post about anybody using a quick release system for the air brush. Is any one using anything like this? Pros? Cons? Brands or setups? Any info on that would be appreciated. I was also wondering what the consensus was for shooting paints. Im only doing a few lures for myself but cleanup would be so much easier I believe with a quick relese mechanism. Let me know if any of you are using a similar system. Thanks Cody

I currently use a couple of Badger 150's. I have had mine for over 10 years now and No problems. I originally bought my setup for about $79.00 to $89.00 about 10 years ago. AND it looks as if its almost the same things enclosed as the Paashe boxed unit for $59.00. The only difference is that there are more items in the Paashe unit than what I got. I had to purchase a Fine Head and Needle for my Badgers. Paashe includes theirs in the set. I am now in the need of a new Fine needle and a new head setup. The costs on that replacement alone is going to be HALF the price of a new Paashe. I noticed the $59.00 for the Paashe setup on Bear Air. I might sell off my Badgers and go with the Paashe. As mentioned above... YOU cant beat that price! My question to the guys out there though is I am in need of a quick release system for my guns. What is everyone using on that. Heres what happens for me. I work out of my basement and no sink or running water is there. So I have to disconnect my gun to run it upstairs to clean the gun out. While Im doing that of course the compressor is on and running all the while blowing fast air out the hose. So Im after your thoughts on an inexpensive quick release system for my guns. And How many are using a manifold system? Any info would be appreciated, I do believe that the Badger 150 and Paashe are comparable and do the same thing, but it looks as if soon Im gonna go with the Paashe VL! I have gotten 10 good years out my Badgers, and other than replacing needles and heads, they have been great! For all the money Ive made airbrushing, I have paid my guns over and over! BUT that $59.00 is very enticing for a new Paache setup. Cody

Oh by the way Joe, your bait as Skeeter said.... is by far "Overworked ". and will be more than sturdy enough. I have epoxyd in my screw eyes into Balsa and granted I have yet to catch a fish on one of my lures..... I believe it will be fine for Bassin! I really like the idea of the dowell. Sounds very sturdy to me, and takes the lure making to one more level above the call of duty! Trust me.... I will keep you posted in the Spring when the fish are biting as the strength of epoxy into balsa!! Cody

Hey Skeeter, Im gonna tell you something that happened to me with a slight cracking of my clear coat. I tested about 2 dozen baits to see how they worked in a swimming pool. They did not have a complete finish on them and the bill on a few were replaced with other bills to visualize the difference of how they swam in the water. I made my cuts for the bill REAL tight! So that they stayed inside the lure while I tested them. I also tested other lip designs from a coffin style to a square style to a large rounded one. The lures that werent completley finished with the epoxy, water seemed to "PROBABLY" seep inside and cause my 1 coat of epoxy to split. Im guessing the water swelled the wood a little?? The other baits with the finished epoxy, nothing happened on. My probable guesss was that water seeped into the lure from where ever the lure wasnt sealed. I can only probably guess on this,,, it sounds possible, but also give it something to think about in testing of your lures and finishes... and what can happen! Cody

Heres how I did mine.. a little different than Lincoya suggested. I carved my lure out first.. the Dee bait imitation (AGAIN!) sanded it and cut it and also drilled the holes for the screw eyes. Copied the photo off the net and saved it to MS Paint. I then resized the picture in MS Paint to fit my lure I already created. Just a different approach to it thats all. As far as getting the paints to match..... thats the hard part, other than the split rings. The only thing to that is mixing the colors properly. I guess my Fine Arts degree has paid off! I had 2 years of Color Study, and 3 years of Painting! Its the tuff part, and it does take time. There is no pointers, I can give on it. Just try to figure out what colors make up the color your trying to create. Find the base color, and mix the hues then the remaining colors. Be careful it could only take one drop of color to make a difference! I also used the very inexpensive Wal-Mart paint for like .44 cents a bottle! I found the base color of the top and bottom. On one I had to add some white, then a small tint of yellow. The other color went a little different, it went blackih brown. TRY NOT TO USE BLACK IN A HURRY! I used a red, then a darker brown. Then a small half drop of black. Im inclosing a link for a book to give you a good idea. This might be the cook book information you could use to mix your colors to use for a later time. Im not suggesting you buy this book, but use the principals here to be able to go back and mix your colors faster. http://www.ronisumer.com/colorconductor.htm Heres another "Basic Mixing" for you to look at. http://home.att.net/~RTRUSCIO/ARTPAINT.htm Hope that helps. Cody

Here is my shot at the Photo Lure of a Dee Bait Imitation of a Rock Bass. I got the color matching down pretty good and applied a clear coat of Glitter Paint. It actually swam pretty good at the test pool! Tell me what you think! Cody

I agree VERY NICE! I also made a Photo Finish lure and it came out ok. I'll post it later tonite or by tommorrow. The Computer is a little sick right now. (darn Viruses!) I also will do things a little different next time. The biggest issue is getting the HARD paper to wrap around the lure better. BUT it did come out rather nicely! Devcon AND Sandpaper out the wrinkles! I also am one who likes to add a little sparkle to the lures with a clear coat of Glitter. Even a coating over the photo adds a nice little sparkle to it. The only other issue is mixing of the paints to match the top or bottom. But Im getting the hang of it! Anyway good job on your lure, Im REALLY liking the photo finish! Just finding a tuff time looking for a good Shad or Minnow Picture to use. Cody

Hey Dave, that sounds like a great idea. The only thing I see as far as a cook book goes... it will all depend on the type of paints you use. I would love to get a consistent paint brand going. I just started buying some paints from Wal Mart. Why? It was .44 a bottle! So it should be worth at least a try! But again, Im sold on price... but also something good! Keep me posted. Cody

Yes I agree, Glad you got the pics to work! AWESOME! I love the Gold! Now... how did you do it? Cody