Tom S

How long does it take to upload pictures in the photo forum ? I uploaded 2 pictures yesterday and they are not up yet. Also I tried posting a picture in the hard baits forum and it showed the picture in only one color. Look at my post" crankbait weighting problem". Can anyone tell me what is wrong or what I did wrong. Thanks in advance. Tom

Thanks Bob, that sounds like a good way to go. Tom

I am getting ready to start making a couple of big balsa muskie trolling baits and need some advice.Is it better to cut a slot in the belly and epoxy the wire in place or build the bait in halves and place the wire in between? If I do make the bait in halves do I need to cut a channel for the wire or can I just place wire in between halves and squeeze it in a vise while gluing halves together? It seems soft enough that the wire will just dent into the balsa.Also what is the best glue to use for balsa. Tom

Thanks guys! LaPala thank you for taking the time to do that! I have one question. What purpose does the shape of that front weight serve? I have not seen weight shaped like that before. Ok 2 questions, and how do I go about making that? Tom

Hmmm, I did something wrong on posting that picture.If you go to the photo forum and search " Walter" it will pull up abetter picture. Sorry, my computer skills suck. Tom

Here is a picture of a Walter, If I did it right.The bait in question is the larger 2 at the top. Tom

Is it best to keep the weight on flat sided crankbaits as low as possible?On my flat sided cranks I was using a lot of lead to get them to sit right in the water and to keep the belly down at high speeds. I wanted to use as little lead as possible thinking it was robbing action by adding too much weight, so instead of drilling 2 big holes in from the bottom and filling with lead, I thought I would mill a slot in the belly and lay mojo sinkers in the slot and epoxy over. That keeps the lead at the very bottom of the belly and uses less lead to balance. Am I thinking right?? I did try this and I was not happy with the action, but I changed other things on this bait as well so I dont know what is causing the problem. I used white cedar instead polyboard and its thru wire instead of screw eyes. Tom

John, I have seen that before. My guess is that etex adds more volume than weight. I think it may depend on how well you "de-gass" the e-tex while it is curing also.Now that I use a butane torch to de- gass it gets a lot more air bubbles out before curing. Those tiny bubbles can make a difference in buoyancy. It seems that the longer you wait to brush on the e-tex the harder it is to get the air bubbles out,and it looks a little cloudy.Just my observations. Tom

B.C., I use white pine for my muskie glide baits,and I use devcon 2 ton to seal them. In my oppinion white pine is too soft to stand alone, that is why I use the devcon. It hardens it and makes it much tougher. E-tex works too as a second choice. Tom

Seems that many guys use very fine sand paper on top coats before applying a second coat or refinishing. I have used very rough paper before like 100 or 80 grit and it turned out fine. The new coat of top coat re "wets" the surface and hides all scratches anyways.I hit with scotch brite after the 100 grit to remove any "fuzzys" then brush on top coat. I am using e-tex and sometimes devcon,so maybe thats the difference? Tom

Thanks for the help guys! Tom

Count, Have you had problems with Gorilla glue? That is what I have, but if it does not work well I wont use it. I hate having to go buy something every time I try something new, I guess I'm cheap.Thanks for the help. Tom

I am making some 2 halved through wire baits. I am cutting a wire channel on the inside of the halves and laying a pre formed wire in the channel then glueing the halves together. I am using white cedar. What would be the best glue to join the halves together : devcon 2 ton or gorilla wood glue ? Thanks! Tom

Just curious as to why so many guys use cedar for lures. What characteristics of cedar make it good for lures? And how much difference between western red cedar and white cedar? It must work well for lures because so many guys use it, I just want to know why is it good . I am thinking of trying it on larger crankbaits for muskies because what I am using now is too heavy. Tom

I have never been too concerned about air bubbles while mixing. I have been using a small butane torch and quickly "fanning" over the bait after brushing on the epoxy.The Co2 is what gets most of the air bubbles out especially with etex and to a lesser degree devcon. I think the slight heating is what gets most air bubbles out of devcon. It thins the mix allowing air bubbles to escape the surface better. I think you get a better finish also, the thinning by adding heat allows it to level out better and will look smoother. Be sure to not overheat, it will cause running issues! Just quickly fan over with the torch, keeping an inch or two away from bait. I could be full of crap, but I dont have problems with bubbles. Tom

I use the acid brushes also, but one thing I found to help spread Devcon or etex especially when it starts to get thicker is to cut about 14" off the bristles with a pair of scissors. This makes the brush a little stiffer and spreads the epoxy out better. Tom

Thanks guys! Tom

Hey guys, I am trying to repaint some Super shad raps,and having a hard time finding a primer to stick to the original clear coat. I scuffed it up but dont really want to sand it all down(too much work). I have all ready tried one primer and failed, so I want to ask this before trying it with another.Thanks. Tom

Do you want pictures with or without the blue tape on ? LOL! No I dont have any pictures, I'm one of the guys still living in the dark ages of film cameras. I ussually wait until I fish with my brother then take 50 digital pictures with his camera and make him email them back to me. LOL! Tom

I figured out what was causing the hooks to come up and scratch the sides of the baits(and wearing down to the wood). I had the hooks T'eed to begin with , but what was happening was the hooks were too close to the body and as it wiggled it was knocking the hooks around and swinging up and hitting the sides. I backed the screw eyes out about 18" and it works fine now. Now this has a funny ending too. I spent a lot of time on this particular paint job, and did not want to damage it anymore testing to see if the hooks were going to scratch through it again. So I wrapped the body up in blue masking tape so to see if there was any hook wear without going through the clear coat.Well after 15 minutes of trolling it a muskie eats it! So much for my fancy paint job! Lol! So I spent the rest of the day trolling it with the blue tape on.LOL! Tom

Any of you muskie guys out there know what Suick uses to seal the pine on the muskie thriller? I stripped one down to the bare wood today and was really impressed with the sealer they use.It makes pine very hard and tough! Plus I have never heard of Suicks getting water logged,and I have seen some beat up Suicks that keep on fishin'! My buddy has one thats caught of over 60 muskies on it. I would like to try this stuff on my baits if anyone knows what they use. Tom

Jim, I have thinking about eliminating the rings,or trying triple rings to limit the swing of the hook.I was also looking at the double hooks used on Lokes with no split rings.Those baits seem to hold up well,and I have not heard anyone complaining about missing fish on Lokes either.Thanks for the advice. Tom

If you can up the quantity, you can buy them direct from the manufacturer,way cheaper than anywhere.Heb Mfg, 800-639-4187. or send them an email for a quote mail@hebmfg.com Tom ps if you do that many, you better get a screw eye driver tool.LOL!Sorry for the shameless self promotion.

It went through the top coat down to the wood in short time. Tom

Skeeter, I did not see the hook guards,only hook bonnets.Are they like weed guards?I have seen on some muskie baits,guys putting little rubber rings around the shank of the hook to keep it from rubbing on the belly,but thats not the problem I am having.My problem is somehow the hook is getting twisted around while running and scratching up on the sides. Tom