LaPala

Hey guys, reading these pieces of info sure confuses me. Can we clarify something here - Which is the correct Devcon to use? From Devcon's website they have: Type: Color / FixtureTime / Strength 5 MINUTE EPOXY: Light Amber / 10 ~ 15 / 1400 10 MINUTE EPOXY: Clear / 20 / 2400 2-TON CLEAR EPOXY: Clear / 30 ~ 35 / 2250 CLEAR COAT EPOXY: Crystal Clear / 2 1⁄2 hours / 2750 (To add to my confusion, the one I've been using is called: 2-TON CRYSTAL CLEAR EPOXY: Clear / 30 / 2500 (which is not on the list in Devcon's website ) Anyway over here I have only 2 choices anyway; the 5 minute or the 30 minute stuff. There is a code that says S-35 on the packaging though, can someone clarify if this is the one?

MIND! I am DELIGHTED! Thanks man, I'll print it out & see how it looks.

Thanks for the input Terrydabassman. Nice to meet you too. Well now U have another contact over here . I'll give it a try... means a lot of editing though ; getting all the see thru parts white. Mmmm... maybe if I convert the pic to greyscale & paint in the background in translucent colors...

Thanks Chip! Sure opens up the horizon for a newbie like me. Here's to looking at a guru at work.

Wow, and I thought Zebra Mussels were the no.1 enemy. Looks like it's war agaist the snakeheads. I wonder when they'll commission some laser guided heat sensing crank-bait with AI species recognition. Anyone wants to take up the challenge? Sure to make mega-bucks. Bowfin sure is a fierce looking fish. From the way you describe the strike, it's almost like the giant snakehead over here. If you're using braids, you can feel it's teeth grating against your crankbait (give you goose-bump like finger-nail scratching black-board) and wham! you've hook on to a locomotor. I had a 8kg speciment tow me and my canoe for 10 minutes before I can gain an inch of line. Lucky these don't survive the winter there, else the would call in the Marines.

Googled bowfish... something new for me . You're right, I check out info on Northern snakeheads and it's natural range is in China and can be found in latitudes further north than Maryland. Which would mean Maryland could be warm even in winter for these Northern snakehads (Channa Argus). Looks like you guys are stuck with it. What's the general feeling about these fish over there? We love them here. Snakehead fishing is almost like bass in US - almost all of us fish it and it's almost everywhere as well.

Got my decal film today, couldn't resist the beautiful water decal lures you guys make. Now... Problem... I was trying to get real fish photos that I took printed on decal films and stick the decal to foil - trying to get the scales to shine (reflective). But the image actually obscures the foil underneath. I've tried adjusting the opacity of the image in Photoshop but the printing doesn't really let the chrome foil shine thru, if I get it to shine thru the image is too light. (Been doing it on foils only not on foiled lure yet) How do you print (ink-jet) a real-image of a fish on water-slide decal so that the foil/paint job under the printed decal can still be seen thru it? Any trick to it? Thanks

Spo, Maryland is quite far up north & you have cool winter? Tought the cool would make those snakehead unable to last thru winter; guess they are different from the ones we have in Malayisa. From what I know about snakeheads, they care for their youngs and built nest, should be easy to get them during spawning times. Just cast frogs, soft-plastic, weddless spoons, spinner-baits into the ball of fries and the mama & papa get pretty p@$$ and will strike anything. After papa & mama is gone the fries are basically helpless & become food for other fishes. You can do your part in culling them . They're pretty good fighters too and play dirty - will head for the nearest snag pronto.

Guys, I'm thinking of going cheap . Seen some itsy bitsy magnets from China sold as clasps for bead necklesses. I can maybe fit 3 in-line to a hook (gotta make sure the polarity is right though). I'll go get some & try it out on my "pirated" SFR, these magnets are so small I don't think the extra weight will make a diff in a SFR (could just make it rise slower). I'll let you guys know once I've tried it out.

TM: Oh I meant "swinging" - a treble that is free-moving (within the confines of it's attachment point); compared to one which is temperarily held in-place by a magnet to the crankbait's body (thus immobile until a fish strikes it - at least theoratically for now ). I was thinking: 1. treble "free-moving" - normal attachment method 2. treble "magneted" to lure body. 1 & 2 would have different centre of gravity - all other variable assumed to be the same. So case 1: a. Lure stationnary, treble hanging down - lowered centre of gravity because of weigth of treble is lower. b. Lure while being retrived, treble will swing backward and move side to side too - maybe help in creating lure action by varying centre of gravity? And for case 2: treble is "magneted" to body of lure so centre of gravity is more or less "fixed" - will this make the lure action more "dampened"/less effective? :oops: I sure talk a lot to make a simple point. :oops:

TM: Thanks for suggestion. or maybe straightening & shorten the bottom hook like the attached (concept) pic might make it act like a weed/snag-bouncing guard? Or even use those jewelery magnets as little weights at the bottom to hold the hooks to the body. Anyone tried it b4? Will it work? How much does a dangling/swing hook below a crankbait affect its action?

SpoRoller: I thought there was an alert put out on the invading snakeheads in US & it is to be eradicated in 2002 (http://biology.usgs.gov/invasive/CaseFiles/SnakeheadFish.htm). They're taking a foothold there? FYI the snakeheads over here are a different species from the Maryland alert but if Channa Micropeltes (Giant snakehead) were to be there, even muskies & pikes will have to give way

That's cool Shawn, TM. I'll look around and see if I can find a supplier in my part of the world. I notice from the link to plastidip there's a spray-can type, perhaps I can print the fins out in tranperancies, spray coat it, then cut/drill slots to insert the fins. TM: I'll try jointed after I've got the 1 piece to work. Thanks guys. PS: Was just reading the product FAQ and it seem this stuff dries to a satin finish... would this be clear enough for printing to show thru? BTW The brochure recommends 3-4 spay coats; maybe more if I want a little more bulk to the fins.

TM Customs: I googled plasticoat, the one I found was: http://www.lamination.com.au/services.htm. Can you tell me more? Or the one that you're using? Seem to be products for laminating & some available in the auto-paint stuff as well.

Hi guy, I was so inspired by all the fantastic lures you guys produce and I just have to try out some ideas and make a lure as realistic as possible. I was thinking about what u guys did with decal paper and printed real image. I've always wanted fins on my lures and I can't cast soft-plastic plus it's not durable enough for me. :idea: Now if I print my fins on tranparencies (the plastics sheets used on over-head projectors) glue it on the crankbait then coat it with Devcon or E-tex; you guy think it'll outlast soft plastic? Or are there any other hard coats I can try? And what do you think of the lure design below? It's suppose to be 8cm X 1.9cm (without tail fin), 1cm on the fattest part. I'd like to make 2 versions, 1) 5-6 ft swimming depth; 2) 10ft swimming depth. Any advice on where to put the line ties; lip shape & placement? Hope to get it to swim like a Rapala Shadrap type tight action. Getting it snag proof would be a bonus . Thanks guys.

TM Customs: Oops, just noticed the description for Arowana went MIA. The usual catch (the green variety) averages 3ft at 5-6kg, biggest I've seen was close to 5ft at 25kg (dead in a gill net though ). Tough guy to hook on a crankbait though - their whole jaw structure is so boney, there's not much place for the hook to hold, best hook-up point is actually their tounge. So usually I down-size my cranks so they can take it whole in their mouth . They are one of the toughest fighting fish I've encountered, powerful runs, acrobatic and doesn't give-up till they're totally exhausted. And yes snakeheads take spinnerbaits, in-line, buzz-bait and soft-plastic stuff too - spinnerbaits seem to be the most effective. I myself prefer to use crankbaits whenever I can; only when where they are is so full of snags I can't pull a crankbait through do I use spinnerbaits. But their favourate is real frogs though. You're under-estimating the snakeheads though, the 2kg and above speciment will whack a 2oz spinnerbait without hesitation. Yes, we do eat them and it's considered a delicacy with medicinal properties as well (aids wound healing). Richoc/Guys: Thanks for checking out the E-tex, the shipping cost might just make it not economical for me to use it . I've checked out their web-site & they don't have any representative in this part of the world - closest is Australia. I have some friends there and in US; so the next time they fly to Malaysia, maybe I can get them to be my free courier . Just wanna try it out. Don't think anything can handle a Giant snakehead's teeth though - 4 thick coats of Devcon just barely hold against a 8kg ~3ft monster; that also is a crank made with Cengal wood (damn hard wood which almost doesn't float).

Here are some of the toothy fishes we catch here. TM: Thanks for offer to get Enviro-tex; any picture of the stuff? I can get Devcon S-35 1/2oz tube for RM6.50 (US1.71) over here; what's the price for Enviro-tex? ArtBrush: I've just got my digital camera end of last year so I don't have much to post . But regarding snakeheads, the common type seem to prefer the color pattern that I posted earlier (the "pirate-copy Rapalas"), others include Firetiger, Crawdad & GFR. Even perch, blue chrome... but basically they'll hit anything that moves - top water, shallow, deep. Please show you snakehead pattern lures. I'll be glad to take some more pic of snakeheads when I catch them & send them your way - maybe you can make a real-image lure then.

Thanks for the encouragement guys/(gals?). I'm happy I've found you. Tm Customes: The fishes I go for are snakeheads, kelisa (arowana) , sebarau, bulan (Pacific tarpon) mainly. I'll compile a pic & post it later. These are the main fishes that go for crankbait anyway. Art Brush (Shawn): And yes, the snakehead has vicious teeth, I use Devcon (S-35) & it's held up (with scratches) so far. The bigger species - giant snakehead (Channa micropeltes) can puncture it though ; but I think the only thing that can stop it is a clear kevlar top coat . Only heard of Enviro-tex here never seen the product in Malaysia b4; I'll keep an eye out for it. All the cranks are hand carved from Jelutung (Dyera costulata) - classified as light hardwood but almost as easy to work with as balsa, (air dry density ~464kf/m3); can be sand smooth as glass

Hello Everyone, Thought I'd introduce myself after lurking here for a week & now finally registered I am from Malaysia & started fumbling my way in making crankbaits a couple of years ago when I couldn't get any Rapala FatRap Shallow Runners #5. So I'll call myself LaPala in "honour" of my "pirate-copy" beginings in crankbait making. How I wish I discovered this site earlier. From the post here I notice all of you are very friendly & helpful, plus the wealth of information available - this should be the No.1 site on lure making. Should rank first when I Google "Lure making, homemade lures bla.. bla.."; wonder why Google sent me on a wild goose chase b4 I stumble into this site. Here's some of my Ugly ducklins (Hope one day I'll be making the swans that you guy produce). Cheers Regards LaPala