fivebigfish

I am going to offer my personal preferences. However, understand that you could ask 10 different fishermen and get 10 different answers. For the sake of simplicity I will break this down into 2 categories. For shallow cranking(when you are trying to hit structure or cover in 8 feet or less) I like mono. Mono has floating characteristics that help a bait to float up, or back up when you make conact with cover. Mono obviously has a certain degree of stretch which I find to be desirable in this application, especially in very shallow scenarios(3 feet or less). Due to this stretch factor, mono will also give the bait a livelier action when it deflects from cover or when you snap, or jerk the rod. I have been using Suffix Siege and Elite. They are fairly new lines that seem to have exceptional abrasion resistance(which is crucial when cranking shallow), incredible handling characteristics(which is due to their precision winding process) and great knot strength. For deep cranking(10 feet and deeper) I mix it up between mon and flourocarbon. For depths where the structure or cover is around 10 feet, I will use tha aforementioned Suffix mono. I will generally use 10 LB. test but will sometimes use 8 depending on the style and size of plug that I am cranking with. For cranking deeper than 10 feet I alomst always use Seaguar Flourocarbon in 8 & 10 Lb. test. The flourocarbon line sinks and I feel that it will give you that little bit more when hitting a certain depth is key. It has little to no stretch and I feel that gives me an edge to feel and get the hooks in fish that are deeper of farther out(due to the long casts that are required when getting a lure down deep). Flourocarbon does however afford the lure the "bounce" provided by the stretch in mono. Some might argue that this hurts the action of the plug but I personally have seen no effects of this. As far as rods(Graphite, Glass, etc.), I only use a Castaway Launcher(7'6" fast tip) for deep cranking and a Castaway Mini-Launcher(6'6" moderate tip) for shallow cranking. These 2 particular rods encompass are as reminiscent of glass as you can get in a graphite rod. For the record, I am not sponsored by Suffix or Seaguar. I truly believe that they are superior line choices that are well sutied for the cranking technique. I am sponsored by Castaway simply because I firmly believe they they have the industry standard for crankbait rods. Sorry about the length, I get a little wordy talking about something that I truly enjoy.

I am going to offer my personal preferences. However, understand that you could ask 10 different fishermen and get 10 different answers. For the sake of simplicity I will break this down into 2 categories. For shallow cranking(when you are trying to hit structure or cover in 8 feet or less) I like mono. Mono has floating characteristics that help a bait to float up, or back up when you make conact with cover. Mono obviously has a certain degree of stretch which I find to be desirable in this application, especially in very shallow scenarios(3 feet or less). Due to this stretch factor, mono will also give the bait a livelier action when it deflects from cover or when you snap, or jerk the rod. I have been using Suffix Siege and Elite. They are fairly new lines that seem to have exceptional abrasion resistance(which is crucial when cranking shallow), incredible handling characteristics(which is due to their precision winding process) and great knot strength. For deep cranking(10 feet and deeper) I mix it up between mon and flourocarbon. For depths where the structure or cover is around 10 feet, I will use tha aforementioned Suffix mono. I will generally use 10 LB. test but will sometimes use 8 depending on the style and size of plug that I am cranking with. For cranking deeper than 10 feet I alomst always use Seaguar Flourocarbon in 8 & 10 Lb. test. The flourocarbon line sinks and I feel that it will give you that little bit more when hitting a certain depth is key. It has little to no stretch and I feel that gives me an edge to feel and get the hooks in fish that are deeper of farther out(due to the long casts that are required when getting a lure down deep). Flourocarbon does however afford the lure the "bounce" provided by the stretch in mono. Some might argue that this hurts the action of the plug but I personally have seen no effects of this. As far as rods(Graphite, Glass, etc.), I only use a Castaway Launcher(7'6" fast tip) for deep cranking and a Castaway Mini-Launcher(6'6" moderate tip) for shallow cranking. These 2 particular rods encompass are as reminiscent of glass as you can get in a graphite rod. For the record, I am not sponsored by Suffix or Seaguar. I truly believe that they are superior line choices that are well sutied for the cranking technique. I am sponsored by Castaway simply because I firmly believe they they have the industry standard for crankbait rods. Sorry about the length, I get a little wordy talking about something that I truly enjoy.

All right. I go home every night go out in the garage and airbrush crankbaits. I am not satisfied with my ability but I am pleased with the improvements that I have made since I began this a couple of months ago. I am happy with my ability to paint a bait, but the eyes are killing me. I am using a stencil for the gills and kill dot. But the eyes, AAAGGGHHH!!! I have used Q tips, Nails, small dowels, the ends on paint brushes and nothing seems to look as good as I want it to. I am spraying Createx and then using acrylic (Testors brand) paint to dot on the eyes. Have any of you ever used stencils for your eyes? Any help would be greatly appreciated. I probably have 25 baits painted and ready to clear coat, I just haven't put the eyes on them. Every time I feel like I've created my personal best, I put the eyes on and I'm not happy with it. Thanks fellas.

Hey Guys. Its been awhile since I've posted but I've been checking in daily and getting the low down on what everyone's doing. I have a question and I figured that once again someone here has been down this road and can tell me if its the way to go, or not. I have been progressing quite nicely on my painting. I have been using Createx paint and Devcon epoxy. I recently showed some of my work to a very accomplished pro bass angler friend of mine and he started telling me that he used to paint his own plugs and what he liked to use and what he didn't like to use. He told me that he had very good luck using some sort of flex coat product (similar or the same as what rod builders use) for his clear coat. He claimed that the two part epoxy would yellow and the flex coat would not. He claimed that the epoxy cracked easier than the flex coat when a bait hit a rock, or dock, or in my case a tree or bridge pillar. Is there any truth to this? The more I think about it, the more sense it makes. Fishing rods are designed to bend and flex and be used in the sunlight. If the flex coating can withstand the bending and flexing and the UV exposure that rods are subjected to, then it should work on a bait. Any thoughts or suggestions? Thanks.

I have used Pro-Tec brand powder paint and had pretty good results. I like to clearcoat them after painting, and maybe mix in some glitter. Other kinds of paint may work as well or better, but thats what I have experience with. Good Luck.

Thanks alot to all of you that have contributed to this post. I managed to repair the lures. They aren't absolutely perfect, but I can live with them. I really don't think the fish will notice. Thanks again for all the help.

Hey guys. I clear coated some baits last night(using devcon 2 ton epoxy) before I went to bed and left them turning all night. I left a set of halogen work lamps(puts off quite a bit of heat) and a heater turned on in my unheated garage were I had them. The temp in there when I went in was around 80). Before I left for work this morning I went in the garage to check on them and most if not all of them had some bad looking spots on the clear coat. The spots looked like runs and humps. I have done about a dozen baits now and this is the first batch that has messed up. The only thing that I can think of is that the temperature changed overnight(although I can't imagine it changing enough to cause this), or I maybe let the epoxy get too stiff by the time that I got the baits completely covered. My questions are: #1- what do you guys think may have caused this? and, #2- How is the best way to fix these baits? Can I wet sand the existing clear coat and then apply another thin layer? Do I have to sand it all off and start over and in doing so destroy the paint job? Thanks guys.

Can you guys elaborate a little on how you are building this extra "tank" and also the deal where you can hook up four airbrushes? I am still getting my shop set up the way I want it and by the way this sounds, this method could help me alot if I build it this way in the beginning. Thanks again.

Where can I find a stencil burner? I've never heard of them. What does it look like? Thanks.

From what I understand, alot of people use a stencil for their patterns(example= firetiger, craw, coachdog, etc.). I need some advice on what some of you guys are using to make your stencil and maybe some helpful info. related to using them. As always thanks for your help.

I am starting out with Testors acrylic paints. It is just the easiest stuff to find. I plan on experimenting with different paints, this is just what I found first. I have got the Devcon 2 ton epoxy so I think I'm in good shape there. I have been reading up on the intricacies of using it. I have purchased a rotisserie motor and am in the process of constructing a drying wheel. I just need to run some paint thru the gun and get some experience. Thanks again for the great advice. I appreciate it.

Thanks alot fellas. This info should greatly increase my learning curve and cut out some costly(both time and money) trial and error. This website is an invaluable resource to beginners thanks to people like yourselves. Thanks again.

Thanks cullin8s. This may be a dumb question as well, but bear in mind that I have yet to paint anything with my compressor and gun. Is there a certain range of air pressure that is a good starting point? I'm sure that once I become familiar with different paints and the niche's of my equipment I will figure this out, I just need a good starting point. Thanks again.

I am extremely new to painting. I am wanting to start by repainting some of my store bought cranks. What I need to know is the correct process for doing this. Do I have to sand or remove the existing paint? Do I then have to prime the bait? If so, with what? Is Kilz in the aerosol can OK? Can I then Paint them with acrylic paint? Is Devcon 2-ton epoxy OK to clear coat with? What is the average drying time for this paint? Any help would be great. Thanks alot guys.

Hey fellas. I just found this site about 2 days ago and have been lurking around soaking up all the good info. It appears that there are some very talented people here. I am just getting into custom baits. For the time being, all that I am interested in is custom painting hard baits. I need some advice from some veterans on what type of paint to use(and any other advice would be greatly appreciated). I have already obtained a compressor and was told by a good friend who is a FLW pro and has made his living throwing custom plugs to get a Paasche airbrush. I was also told by others that they prefer laquer paint due to the quick drying characteristics. I was also told to use Devcon slow-drying two part epoxy for the clear coat. I have yet to paint the first bait. I am trying to compile the CORRECT tools and materials rather than purchasing a bunch of junk and then turning around and buying good stuff. I would greatly appreciate any helpful tips, comments and/or suggestions. Thanks alot.