champlainbaits
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Posts posted by champlainbaits
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Hey Folks,
I wrote a blog entry about using an old crankbait to make that leech pattern I talked about in this thread. If anyone is interested in making a great pattern in just a 20 mins or so...give it a look and by all means please share your thoughts.
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I've been in love with DN since I first tried it. I dip mine and nothing really compares if you ask me.
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By "new patterns" do you mean lure shape or color? I'm always trying new lure shapes, whether that means a completely new lure body shape or merely moving the line tie up or down on the lure body. I don't often paint the same color pattern more than once; I like trying new patterns too much!
One color variation I've been trying lately is to take a color and flip it so the dark side is on the bottom. This would create more contrast and so the bait would be more visible to the fish. I would be interested in seeing this color. . .
I caught a big leach when swimming with my son. It was dark black with a bright rusty orange belly. A little black and orange nail polish and 10 mins and it was done.
I caught this bass on the first cast with it
Then went on to catch to more on the next 2 casts. For a couple mins there I was dreaming of winning the classic on it Then reality set in and since then it still does better than most but not well enough to win the classic with my lack of talent.
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Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this.
I was mostly referring to the color "patterns" on the baits but I am also interested in new shapes. I am working on a couple at the moment but for this topic I am mostly curious about colors etc.
Another example of this would be looking at mother natures work to see how she does it. Most people think of this as camouflage but for animals that WANT to be seen looking at their patterns can really help inspire patterns no one has ever seen before. I created a "parrot" pattern that way that works very well on pike here. It looks like nothing that swims and has purples pinks and bright greens/blues....The idea being that if a parrot can be seen at a distance against the green forest backdrop maybe a parrot colored lure could be seen at a distance against a green weed backdrop.
This may not be the best way to approach it but I'm trying to get folks talking about this because I think we can all learn from each other. I doubt any of us would come up with the same designs so I'm thinking we have a great opportunity to create something original that works better than anything you can buy.
Poisonous animals (snakes frogs etc) really try to stand out. I think they would be another great resource.
Anyone else have thoughts for different approaches to this?
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Folks out there spend a lot of time thinking about design theory when it comes to their lures or are most trying to either copy a commercial pattern or make a bait that is photo-real?
I'm asking because I think there is a lot of room for new patterns but don't really see too many I think of as "new".
Here's a quick run down of some of my thoughts (you can tell me later if you care at all
I created my kivveylicious and perchinator patterns for a specific purpose. To catch big largemouth, smallmouth and pike out of the clear water areas of lake Champlain. Because I was focusing on clear water areas I started by designing patterns that are on the photo-real side because the fish can see a long way in malletts bay. I didn't just create baits that look like a sunfish or a perch though I spent a lot of time working out what I consider to be THE key when it comes to lure design. CONTRAST. Sunfish and perch were designed by higher powers to blend into their environment. I don't want my lure hiding from the fish so once I had a nice pattern that looked like the fish I saturated the colors and gave the edges harder lines to create contrast where there is none in the real fish. I use a very thick (by traditional standards) black line for the back because I believe that preditor fish use the mirror of the water surface to target prey. Black stands out very well against that surface so I really make that prominent. The sides are meant to look like prey as much as possible while also standing out. I use a combination of photo real textures and stark graphical shapes (eyes, gills and black tail) to create a bait fish imitator that stands out against the weed lines I troll them by, the surface I twitch them on and the bottoms I bounce the off.
This is just one example of what I'm talking about. I also created a super simple pattern last year that was just 2 colors. I made the prototype with nail polish in about 10 mins. I had and idea...based on something I noticed on the water...later that night made the prototype and the next day was hammering fish on it. It's not an exaggeration to say that I caught three bass on the first 3 casts with that pattern. I've never seen anything like it in stores (or anywhere else) I don't think I could convince any but the most experienced anglers to buy it...but it's catching fish better than any crankbait I've used.
So that said...I'm really curious if anyone out there has a process for coming up with a new pattern and is willing to discuss. I think there is a lot of opportunity for expansion...and I think that's where we all are most valuable to the fishing community.
Anyone else have thoughts on this?
Best of luck,
Kevin Braun
Champlain Bait Co.
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A loooooong time ago I used info. I got from this site to build my first drying wheel/rack. I still use it today...infact I just used it tonight
I thought I would mention that it's a card board box that supports a rotisserie that I bought at k-mart. I think the entire thing cost $18.00. If anyone wants more detail let me know. But I'm also curious what other folks are using?Oh, and I changed my business name to Champlain Bait Co. We moved our shop to Burlington VT. This past summer.
Thanks everyone for all the awesome info.
Oh one more thing...Dicknite every getting his clear coat back? I really miss it.
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I had exactly the same problem and wouldn't sell my baits because of it. Now I use DN and never have any problems. I let mine cure for a couple days before final assembly and shipping and have not had any complaints yet. I also fish my lures all the time and so far DN holds up to hook rash, fish, docks and bridges
as well or better than any commercial bait I have. That's something to consider...if you look at the baits you buy you'll be surprised at how fast they chip, peel, lose eyes etc. Anyway that was my long way of saying I think DN will be the end of your search for a clear coat. It was for me.
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Yeah I had one that I posted this morning deleted too? Was just trying to show off the final version of my baits
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Thanks for the feedback. They are photo baits with a twist. I use photoshop to design the patterns (I have a perch one I'll be posting soon also) and then use process I developed to get those designs onto the lures. In the end they are a combination of paint, ink, and printed design. Then I add a sparkle layer and then clear coat 2 times with Dick Nite's stuff. The "twist" I mentioned before is that they as part of the process I give them much more contrast and change some of the colors to make them more visible than a real fish.
At this time I only make the standard 3" version. I have others in the works.
I also have some original patterns that are high visibility patters. This sunfish, and the perch pattern work VERY well in the clear water sections of Lake Champlain. The High vis ones I made for less ideal visual situations and for when the fish are super active.
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Hey Folks,
I've been a member for a couple years...based on a recommendation I got from one of my first customers. Back then I was using nail polish as my clearcoat
I moved on to epoxy and also about million other materials along the way. Last time I posted a pix (or sold a bait) was about 2 years ago when I gave up for a while because although they were catching fish (and fishermen) they were far to fragile to market. Now I'm using better materials, processes and a 2 step clear coat of Dick Nite's stuff (LOVE IT LOVE IT LOVE IT) and I'm starting to think they might be ready to sell. We'll see. I began testing again today and smashed it into the concrete bridge I was fishing near and it held up better than any commercial bait I've fished. As long as it doesn't peal, blister, delaminate, or fog during the next couple weeks I'll be thrilled.
Ok, so here it is again after 2 more years of on and off R+D.
Lady Luck Bait Co. Crankbait in "Kivveylicious"
P.S. If you look at my site just know it's not ready either...let me know what you think about the article on the home page though.
Feedback very welcome.
Kevin
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Ok, here's another one...what is patent-able? Can you patent a shape of a lure? A concept for a lure? An action?
Just curious...oh and what about provisional patents? Is that worth doing?
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Hey Skeeter...I just bought some of the dick night clear coat to try...I really appreciate the info.
Also, I'll see if I can get a picture of the baits cracked...I don't leave them that way long but next one i'll shoot a pict of.
They are plastic...but I may be moving to foam soon to work with my own body design.
Any thoughts on that also greatly appreciated.
Kevin
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Hey Guys,
Thanks for the feedback.
Here's how I handle things now...my hook hangers are in the bait and the finish is complete. Then I apply the dev-2 ton and hand rotate it until any inperfections are gone, then I put it on my drying wheel. When it's done I use the point of a razor knife to "drill" out the hook eyelets that got covered in the process (I use a pretty thick layer of dev-2 ton).
When it'a all done the bait is still completely encased in dev-2 ton and looking REALLY good. So they are water tight at that point. Then I take them out...and I fish near bridges (concrete) and rock walls a lot. What I find is that If you cast it up and hit a bridge etc...the butt end will crack. The sides seem pretty tough but that butt end is the weak point.
As long as I don't hit rock or concrete etc. they hold up pretty well.
Then I go to champlain and the pike LOVE them. Big pike really put a hurt on the clear coat also, but I guess that's just the case with any coat.
I'm just looking for the strongest I can get and also have a process that I can live with. Dev-2 ton is just too much effort if I'm going to make 1000's of these things.
Thanks again for your time.
Kevin
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Hey Folks, I have been following the clear coat issue here for a while now and it always seems to come back to 2 options 1) devcon 2 ton and 2) etex. I think I have those right.
I make crankbaits that sell well, but I pulled them off the market because I find devcon to be problematic. It's a pain to apply, it cracks, chips, etc and in the end I don't think it's worthy of a mass produced bait.
I have limited experience with etex (sp?) and maybe I just need to give that another try but what I'm really looking for is something I can dip or spray so I can include this step in an assembly line. As of now I have a pretty smooth process that comes to a grinding halt at the last step where I need to coat, spin, dry, then drill out the hook holes that got covered in the process.
Sorry to beat this dead horse...but I keep thinking there has to be an easier and better way.
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If you use wood (stirrer or toothpick) to mix epoxy I have heard that it will leak (oils?) into the epoxy and that will cause yellowing.
Not sure if it's true since I use plastic all the time.
Best of luck.
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I use them in black and bleeding bait in all my baits. Very Sharp! and with a cranker I like the sharpest hook I can find without worrying much about cost.
I have been using them for about a year and couldn't possibly give them higher praise.
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I use glitter in the 2nd coat on the belly and top of a lot of patterns that I make. I think glitter on hard baits gives a "scaly" look to the lure that is hard to match.
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I read somewhere that preditor fish use the surface reflection of fleeing(sp?) baitfish to target and attack them.
The article I ready spoke of this in reference to the black stripe that most lure makers paint down the back of their lures and why it's used.
They were saying that although the black stripe protects the bait fish from attack from above, when it's viewed in the reflection it contrasts sharply with the sky above.
In that context, some bright, high contrast eyes on top might help the preditor even more than the back stripe alone.
Who knows though, the idea that they are easier to manufacture that way...is also a pretty strong argument
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Just my 2 cents here but I always believed that the dot exists on real fish (shad, bluegill, etc.) to confuse preditors.
As someone in another post mentioned, preditors usually like to eat prey head first so that all the defensive stuff (fin spikes) fold down nicely and doesn't have an opportunity to hurt the preditor.
Because of this I think the kill spot is meant (on prey fish) to confuse the preditor as to what end is what....and even make the preditor lose track of a fish in a school.
And someone else mentioned the idea that prey fish are cammo and that you don't want to match it exactly. I couldn't agree more. In my patterns I try to make the bait look as real as possible first...then use color and shape contrast to make certain aspects (often the eye) stand out from the rest of the pattern.
Anyway, just my thoughts. Best of luck
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Thanks for all the kind words.
I came up with this process as a way of making original custom lures but without having to spend all the time painting every detail by hand.
It's kind of a mix between hand painted and photo finish.
I use clear nail polish now to protect it but am trying out the epoxy approuch base on jigflippers recommedation. I'm worried that it'll be too heavy but I'm still trying to work it out.
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Hey Folks,
Here are a couple of my patterns. Jigflipper sent me this way after he came across one of my lures on another site.
There truely is some amazing stuff on this site. I'm going to spend a lot of time diggin' and learning.
My Lures Are Going To Be Fished In The Classic :)
in The Docks
Posted
Pretty psyched to say that Sean Alvarez will be using lures that I made for him when he competes in the Bassmaster Classic.
http://www.mychamplain.net/forum/first-vermonter-headed-bassmaster-classic
Now my fingers are crossed that they help him do well,
Kevin
Champlain Bait Co.
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