scoop10

I have. It is hard to apply. Best thing to do is put your sheet down flat, put the adhesive on the bait, wait until it is tacky (no longer wet) and drop it on there. You are still likely to get some wrinkle effect though.

you can find copper wire at AC Moore or Michael's in the jewelry-making section.

I'm making some, but just for my own personal use right now. The only reason I'm doing that is because they all jumped off the shelves at one place that carried them in my town after that guy's classic finish. I suspect the hubbub will wear down eventually. These are effective lures, but the prices being paid for something that is not very hard to construct are astounding. I can make one of these baits in 10 percent of the time that I spend making a wooden crankbait. Heck, if I had a press to stamp out the foil I could make a bait in 5 minutes. The only reason that I came over here from the hard bait forum was to see if there was any talk about the Chatterbait. It is living up to its name. It is creating a chatter.

I've had similar experiences to Ranger Zs regarding a trap. A buddy and I actually used to nick 'em up when we took them out of the pack and then beat em on the water a lot during the first few casts to knock some of the paint off of them. I think we all know that some colors work better than others under certain light and water conditions, and custom painters are certainly taking advantage of the prevalent view that fish become conditioned over time to baits and colors. I also agree with whoever made the statement about size. It's something that a lot of people don't pay enough attention to, and the lure manufacturers are definitely set on producing lures in a few standard sizes. My fishing partner and I took a decent check in series championship last fall fishing lures so small that they'd blow your mind, catching 3lb. bass on them when they wouldn't touch anything else. I've seen 10 lb bass caught on 18" worms as thick as your thumb. Bottom-line: It's all important. As for Blades' quiz, if the water was reasonably clear in those lakes, I'd guess that blue-back bait. That craw color is nice, but to be honest and no offense intended, I'd be surprised if it outfished the factory color by such a wide margin. And if it did, I would also be suspicious that there was something in the action of the bait. That blue-back bait, though, is sweet and has some substantial differences from similar factory colors. Of course, I could be completely off base and it's the chartruse bait.

was this a lure that you had made? was it a factory bait you had repainted? Also, what about his?

IMO: they are easier to make. but they can also be more effective, especially in many shallow water situations.

I often work outside in an unheated workshop/storage shed too. The stuff definitely does better at above 65 degrees. The only advice that I can give that Skeeter didn't is, Work fast and do one lure at a time. I do sometimes put one drop of denatured alcohol in it. It may help a little. I still consider Devon a pain in the butt and will always be looking for an alternative. I think many of the people here feel the same way. Just haven't found anything that works better for people making small numbers of baits with limited budgets and no environmental permits.

really like that color pattern on the one with the green back, orange belly. nice job.

what's the proper thickness here?

I thought they had the G-10 as well. BTW, what kind of problems did you find with the G7?

I kinda thought you might like that shape, Blackjack. I had been making mainly round baits, but a buddy of mine waxed me on a Lohr's Little Cassie a couple of weeks ago, so I decided I'd give something like it a try. I didn't have any of these kind of baits myself, but looked at pics of three different kinds on the Internet when designing it. No doubt, it probably came out closer to your Lil' Runt than the lil' Cassie or the other bait I was looking at.

not sure what happened to that photo. Anyway, it has pearl sides, medium blue back with a little orange on the throat. Nothing like Blackjack's colors, but the fish seem to like it. I'd sure recommend bass fishermen pick up a few from him. I suspect this bait is just as tremendous in late Oct., Nov. as it is in the early spring.

I've found a new affinity for these kind of plugs myself. Finished this one Saturday. Took it for a test ride Sunday, in 48-degree water. Caught two fish, both of them on this plug. Never got a sniff on anything else, and I normally catch quite a few on trap type baits this time of year.

mcmaster-carr.com has any size you want. If you haven't done so, you might want to cut some of the thinner stuff first and see how you like it. First time I ever bought some, the flex in the larger sheet kind of scared me. But once you cut it, obvously there is a lot less flex in a smaller piece of material. I like the thinner Lexan. IMO, it is far superior to thicker, molded factory lips, creating different diving and reflex properties. No accident that the Rapala DTs are the thinnest molded lips I can ever recall seeing on a factory bait.

may not be on the website, but in the Jann's '06 catalogue, it is item 341-123-010, on page 20 = 5" deep diver, 5/8 oz. Looks just like a DD22. Couldn't tell you whether it is or just a close knockoff. They run 5 for $5.65.

nice bait. is that wood that is weighted? savacs, being here in the States, and having a hard time thinking about cms, I believe the baits I was referring to may be a little bigger. Probably 4 1/2 inches long and 3 inches in height at the largest point. I've actually wondered how a Speed Shad-type bait, if you are familiar with that, would do with no lip and a line tie on the top. I'll probably try something along these lines, made of cedar, weighted to sink slow. Also, for bass, I suspect any of these types of baits will work better without rattles in the fall -- which also explains my interest in doing something along these lines.

savacs, this probably isn't exactly what you are talking about, but Cordell made a big 1oz. rattling spot and Jerry Lohr makes something similar. Both of these are slightly wider than the big 1 oz Rattle Trap and bigger Lucky Crafts. Of course, all of these baits sink. I've had similar ideas about baits without a uniform width. Fun stuff to play around with.

Jann's Netcraft has a plastic body that is either close to or is a Norman DD22. Lurehardware.com has round wood bodies that are close to Poes and flats that are close to Tennessee Tuffies.

I've been using eastern cedar, along with basswood, and got no complaints. With its density and weight, it will throw a mile. But as noted, it is a highly toxic wood and you should wear a mask with a filter system when working with it.

see http://www.lurehardware.com/Lure_Hardware/Lure_Bodies.html probably #2 round is what you want. They are wood, not plastic.

Ok, woodbie, since we've got this going, what is the "new lustre 55?" I've also heard about a product called Por-15 being used by some, which is also applied by dipping and must be refrigerated.

"There are inherent problems though with colors running if the lure is dipped without flashing over the paint." what do you mean by "flashing?" also, would this present more problems with acrylics?

Jann's are about the closest to that lip that I know of. I don't much care for the line ties in those lips, but there is a size that is close. Finding quality molded lips with isn't easy.

The Internet is a beautiful thing. A fish tale, complete with pics, from halfway around the world. Congrats. So, did you weigh it? Looks like around 6 lbs (2 1/2-3 kilos?) to me. My dad lives in Thailand. Guess if I ever get there, I should bring a rod or two.

sorry I wasn't clearer - I meant what was the trick on the boat repair, not the lure repair.