LaPala

Damn cool looking lures Vy. Those photo finish done on foil?

Damn cool looking lures Vy. Those photo finish done on foil?

Try getting some veneer sheets cut to the gill/lip shape u want and glue them on the bait, u can add more layers to built up the bulk if u want to. Veneers are thin enough to conform to the small curve u have on ur bait. This method does render the detailing a bit 2 dimensional. Personally I like carving the details out as like ur idea it gives a more 3D look to the detail, but this is a workable alternative - a bit of cheating if ur're a purist

Here is another alternate material: http://www.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123012131

Here's a pic of a Skeeter's lure from a proud owner. Wish i have all the other versions as well (hint hint LOL ) click on image for the larger version (Note: the scratches on lips and body are entirely my doing :oops: , nothing to do with the maker.) U'll have to get him to tell u what it is but I assure u it's GOOOOOD :!: :!: :-D Oh and I'd like to add, making a good custom lure design is not just about copying a shape/profile & stuff, it's what's inside that counts, from weighting to the custom lip itself, everything is designed to function as a whole. Cobbling a look alike out is not custom lure making. Skeeter sure is the custom lure master here!!!!

I'm a bit whack today so I'll reserve my comments on details & other stuff for another day. Here's food for tought on a lure that would throw straight: Think of a dart -- weight is forward, and there are tail fins to help it track true. Check out a well made competition dart & hold it in ur hand, feel the balance that is in the dart for u to throw it accurately. This also points to why a lot of lures these days are made with a shifting weight inside to slide to the tail for casting. Have fun thinkering. PS: this is my take on making a custom lure instead of buying off the shelf -- because we want an extra edge over production lures; one that is tuned, designed and have that something extra that gives us extra confidence in taking one extra fish compared to production lures. Or we want to incorperate an "improvent" over what we can buy. So however slight the advantage when u custom a lure, GO FOR IT!!!

The only odd size treble I'm aware of is from Gamakatsu: http://www.gamakatsu.com/new_products/new_roundbend.htm I don't know any online source for it, perhaps sombody else does, or maybe ur local tackle shop can order them for ya. Goodluck.

Wasn't able to find/notice this anywhere on the site, have u put it up for sale yet Red or I need to contact ya direct. Thanks.

I did post something about taking pics but was too late to find it for ya yesterday since I don't really remember where and when either LOL. Found it today: http://www.tackleunderground.com/board/viewtopic.php?t=5393 And ya go by what dvowell says, he's the pro If it's not 100 jig photos to do, I'd be happy to "clean" them up for ya with PhotoShop, just make sure u take sharp photos LOL, I can't do miracles If u don't mind the higher learning curve, GIMP (open source free program) is the program to use compared to Paint from MS. http://www.gimp.org/

Let's get this rating thing striaght from my point of view... It is NOT ranking It is NOT saying who is good It is about setting up a mininal standards. Just like cars for example. It has to pass certain safty test, road worthiness etc. Ford makes good cars, but some models are crap. The same goes for tackles & lures. One model from a reputable maker/manufactures maybe excellent, others might be bad. So the point is, the rating system is about setting up certain standards and guidelines to make sure the ones that passed the test is "road-worthy". It's NOT about who is who in tackle making. Being guilty of ruffling a few feathers... Anyone who's concerned about being labeled a certain level is just wallowing in thier own ego. I'm not concern about ranking, it's the quality in a lure that counts. As this applies to the lures not the person. I can make some good lures, but the process to get there will tbe the failures, the prototypes.... Mininmal standards seal of approval is to prevent these "failures" or a hastily clobbered-up copy of some lures from reaching the market prematurely. Ideally, the testing process for Seal of Approval will be a blind test, with the testers having no prior knowledge of the maker. Results will be solely based on the merits of the product. PS: All systems are subceptible to abuse. There's FDA but still there are law suits on drugs having "undisclosed" effects. The world is not perfect. I have digressed: Look at this Mission statement from Custom Rod Builders Guild: "Our Mission: To uphold the Guild's standards of craftsmanship and aid in the promotion of professional rod building while expanding the art and science of fishing rod building through education." All the ingredients for AITC is there: They say uphold standards, so a set of standards must be in place b4 it can be upheld The other part is about sharing of knowledge, promoting the craft. This is what the Association is about or aspire to be, not a bigboys club as some perceive it to be. If u're afraid that it could just be a bigboys club, why not join in the formation of it & let ur voice be heard to prevent that from happening Addendem: I'm voicing my opinions because I really believe if done right, AITC can be a good thing to benefit us all. As a Hobbiest, I make my lures mostly for personal use & the satisfaction derived from it. So I hope it's not read as a glory trip or satisfying my ego. I sincerely hope the formation of AICT can benefit us all in all levels. SO lets leave personal issues aside & get on with it. Voice ur opinions, like Mallard did --- what he espects from the Alliance. Speak about ur concerns, all this will lead the formation towards the right path.

I was suppose to PM this to KcDano but tought I might as well post it here since it's been reflected that there's short of feedback on this thing so maybe this could generate some more ideas. Nathan, I hope I'm not being an A$$ here, if u feel this doesn't belong here then jusst delete it & forwrd it to KcDano. Okay, here's what I meant by weeding out. But seem we don't have much feedback then there's not much weeding but maybe say organising A mission statement should specifically address at least these 3 points: Purpose of the organisation Buisness of the organisation (or how we are going to address the purpose of it's existance, what we should do) The values, principle and/or beliefs of the organisation Okay so here's my reorganising of what u send me (those in blue Is what I added) Pupose: [list:23106f1ee2] Establishing an alliance of independent craftsmen, expand public awareness [*]Our Duty(buisness): Acting as good stewards of the craft and alliance to be the worlds leading resource for high quality handmade lures and articles of tackle. preservation, cultivation and sharing(added)of knowledge and skill Promote awareness of the Independat Tackle Craftsman Advocate originallity and Abhorrs wanton copying of members designs for personal gain without prior consent [*]Our Principle: produce ORIGINAL lures and articles of tackle unsurpassed in quality.[/list:u:23106f1ee2] Base on above, a longer Mission Statemnt: AITC's mission is to unite independent tackle craftmans and create public awareness of the independant tacklemaking craft. Thru the Alliance, we shall built up and share the resources/knowlegde base in tackle making and in due process we will uphold the originality and quality of member independant tackle products. A short one: United, we share the craft & uphold the quality & integrity of Independant Tackle Craftsman. NOTE: By talking of ensuring quality & uphold integrity & originality it implies a ranking/grading system will have to be implemented to act as a base of determining minimum standards. This will have to be worked out later. My view is that if the Alliance do not have a set of minimum standards for member products (the one for sale, ones u make for ur self then it's just u being the final jugde ) then we do NOT have a criteria to judge quality & the Alliance would be deem to have failed in achieving it's goal of quality assurance. Mission statements can be change with the approval of the board and members consent when times situation changes & the alliance has to change to reflect that. My 2 cents (oh and no spell check LOL)

Thank You Guys. I thoroughly enjoyed every minute I've spent with U guys in TU. And not forgetting: Happy B'day to BladesandBaits his B'day is today 2nd Sept We are actually born on the same year Which makes him my little brother in lure making by 2 days (considering the time diff) :grin: Happy birthday Young one PS: A few minutes of silent to the victims of Katrina while we celebrate surviving another year.

Here's some more Lure's Revealed Pages: Rapalas: http://thebassman.tripod.com/Rap-Info-22.html http://thebassman.tripod.com/Rap-Info-13.html And and Italian site (again Rapalas plus some others): http://xoomer.virgilio.it/cjbur/a_xray.htm

1.WLCA World Lure Crafters Assoc. with a twist??? WLTCA: World Lure & Tackle Crafters Assoc???

I agree both can be done togather. I was thinking if we already have a mission statement then a name that closely match that can be coined.

The LC jointed are actually just multistrand SS wires embeded into either ABS (Sasara)or a plastic body (live-pointer). Not discouraging U but if ur're just starting out with lure making I'd advice U to stick to one piece or jointed lures first b4 venturing into this form. There are a lot of minor details, assembly, balance and durability issues that have to be designed and incoperated into building a lure like this from wood. I've made a wood prototype before, click link for pic and a link to video of it in action: http://www.pbase.com/sebarau/jointed_lure but believe me it's very meddley & cumbersome to produce. I have posted it as well about how it was done in TU if u've search for jointed lure or something along that line, u should've found it: http://www.tackleunderground.com/board/viewtopic.php?t=4063

Take care basskat. If duty calls for U to be a hero make sure u make it back to receive a medal.

At this moment I can see the discussion going off in too many tangents. IMHO, we need to get things organised & seperate into different logistic segments to be tackled one by one. 1st order of things should be the mission statement and consensus of what is the purpose of the Association. From this then we can find a suitable name for it and then develop the necessary rules & regulations, code of ethics, standards/ratings/ranking etc. Here's what I feel the Association's mission should be: Promote Custom Baits [list:15913bb918] Introduce/promote to the public custom lures to have it reach a wider audience [*]Promote the development of hobby and buisness of cutom baits the Association should not be restricted to one front or the other and cater to both sides of the custome lure scene, both hobby & those doing buisness of it[*]Provide a central committee to work towards a standard and code of ethics for custome lure makers for those doing it as a buisness or going to -- this will be the hairy part to be resolve as to be how we setup properly the standards & codes without being partial. A standards should suffice without going into ranking every maker. Perhaps a better way to rank would be to have competitions for diff catagories and the winners will be allowed to use the Associations badge of excellence. Another way to go for the standards is to have members send in their baits (voluntary) for evaluation by the Association's standards committee [blind testing conducted so the testing committee do not know who the maker is to gurantee impartial evaluation within a set specification], evaluated bait will be given an Association Seal of Quality Approval if they meet the minimum standards. [*] Provide a supply purchasing network members will benefit from bulk discounts the association can make on behalf of members (hey, I want something back from paying my membership dues ) a centralize resiporatary of suppliers who either support/sponsor the Association or can advertise within the Association (thus generating some funds for Association running) It would be nice if the Association can have worldwide reach as some materials are available in better price/quality in diff parts of the world. The Association can consolidate this. [*] Assist members & conduct research into custom lure making techniques and materials and publish the results to members.[/list:o:15913bb918]After we get this mission part sorted out & reach a consensus, we move on to the next part... voting for a name & then set up a preliminary site for the Association where the nitty gritty part of drawing/discuss up the rules & regulations, code of ethics & standards... etc Structure the Association, I'd suggest filing as a non-profit organization Start membership drive and setup the fist committee My 2 cents. PS: Just for fun, a simple list of Code of Ethics: Thou should make the best lure as ur ability permits & maintain a consistant standard Thou shall not lie(over-rate) ur lure making experience Thou should Not make claims that undermine other members If a bait is based on another lure or an improved version of an existing one, I will not make claims to it as an original When it is not detrimental to a "trade secret", I will assist all members to the best of my abilities bla... bla...

Just got back from a couple of days of holiday on the beach with my kids, I'm really whacked for now. Will reply ur PM when I recover The lips are Makrolon (another brand name for polycarbonate ), I use 2.4mm thickness.

I've read thru this thread a few more times and I can see some issues are "clouded". Here's the fact I gathered so far: the Association is completely seperate from TU. Red is gratious enough to offer bandwidth & space for ideas & issues to be discussed & worked out in TU. PERIOD Regarding those new in TU and has concerns the Association ratings & stuff would dilute TU's effectiveness of its community of like minded to share info is unfounded. Perhaps why there are questions left unanswered or being redirected to older post is too obvious to be seen. The TUSearch function!!! There's just a limit an older member would have the time/inclination to type out a detail answer which the answer already exist in the forum. TU to date has been around for a while and the wealth of info accumilated is simply immense. When I joined it took me a month just to browse thru the info that's here (maybe it'd take longer now ) Take the time to search & U'll find ur answers most time. Perhaps one day someone would find the time to create a FAQ list from the old post (Sry I digressed for so long :oops: ) Regarding this Association thing, I'm all for it. I belong to several Associations, one of it is NAUI, the Scuba stuff. The benifits of having an Association is immense. Besides setting minimal standards and quality assurance; the Association can be a collective voice to champion for benefits of it's members. YES, I agree there will be ppl who do not agree to an Associations rule & regulation but it is to be expected of any standards body. If everyone can agree to one rule then we won't have wars and political parties don't have a place to exist . So go for it Nathan, it'll be an uphill task to get the ball rolling but someone has to give it a shove first. Let me know if any assistant I can provide.

Welcome aboard mate. (hope it's legal to use this word now since I'm not familiar with U yet :grin: ). Ya show us some of ur work, be interesting as I notice lures from downunder do have some whacky design that I like very much.

Georgio, Wow sure is a huge collection of fishing patents in your site, I believe that's just the tip of the iceberg. Here's a list of stuff I'd like to see on the site: First... A FAQ Section, covering stuff like: [list:d42a2bd49a] 5% change in design can be patented? Myth or Fact Can patented stuff be copied/made for own use? (what cotton says) What can be patented? ... etc (Q&A covering the confusion over patent) Then more specifically for budding "inventors" who think that their ideas have a shot... [*]How to protect ur idea before it's patented [*]The International validity of patents [*]Patent DIY forms/formats, notes on how to record ur idea/invention [*]How to do a patent search [*]How to apply for a patent [*]Options other than patent application for protection [/list:o:d42a2bd49a] I might list more but these I feel are questions that I've notice is frequently asked. My 2 cents is to start the site off with info for the complete novice. Questions and things that would have to be done correctly before an attorney (professional help) is needed. At the stage when professional help is acquired, they probably won't be referring to your site

I might be jumping into this SP stuff but I couldn't afford to get all there dyes for SP from the states so I'd like to find substitutes here. Can someone tell me what type or dye/color exactly is used for SP (not the brands or shop that carries it)??? One thing I know for sure is the colors shouldn't be waterbase

Welcome aboard. Your Lure Patent site is surely very informative. Thanks for sharing it, I've bookmarked it Will take some time to pour thru it to find questions unanswered. Meanwhile continue with your good job, with patents many surely would be like me --> "Don't even know where to start asking questions" :oops:

Finlander: U completely lost me there : : perhaps a drawing can help. Got a blocked mind I think :oops: lure has a semi tight action, hunting 6" to 1'. Lips are Lexan heat bend with SMD Rework Station (just another heat gun in disguise)