fatfingers

Wow, that is some tight work. Very nice. Try a number 5 lip from Rollie and Helen's Musky shop. That thing will do just what you want it to do. The #5 lip will be about as long but its a bit wider and will wrap around the bait. The #5 lip is very forgiving as far a lip angle. You may have to make a template of it and resize it to fit that bait, but it you can do that kind of work, resizing a lip will be a breeze. From what I can see, you may not be getting the wobble you want because the bait is a bit too wide for the bait.

Don't fish with it. It will be worth a lot of money one day, like the tramp art form the 1920's. It has a look like some of the vintage baits too.

Thanks, again. I'll take your advice. I'm only trying to regulate the fan, not the lights, but I appreciate the tip.

Thanks, Muskiefool. I am using a dimmer now. What kind of problems would I encounter? Also, when you say "switch" what type of switch do you mean? Is it one that would allow say only three speeds? I am surely no expert on matters electrical and I'm very open to any suggestions about improving this thing in any way.

Not sure, rj. Tigger gave me the blower assembly. Its a Dayton, but it doesn't list the CFM on the identification plate. Tigger explained that you added a dimmer switch to the power cord and you can turn the fan up or down as needed. I fired it up last night and it draws very nicely. I tested it with smoke from a smoldering piece of paper, which I torched and the extinguished. From what I've experienced with this project, you could get a smaller blower from an old furnace and with the dimmer switch you're able to adjust the exhaust suction up or downward with a lot of latitude at least for a booth about the size of the one I built. Thanks again,Tigger, for the help with the exhaust fan and all the other stuff we worked on the other day.

Top view: Front view: Backside: I'll be adding a chunk of furnace filter over the interior exhaust fan hole, adding a third light to the top, wiring everything real tight, adding shelves to the sides, etc, etc.

I paint the bait with a piece of junk polycarbonate in the lip slot. When the painting is done, the lip is installed with Devcon2 and the bait is immediately clearcoated. No masking required.

Hold on, hold on! Is this what its come to? Are we going to allow guys to take live fish and put hook hangers in the bellies and tails and call them lures? Incredible work. They look like he could lower them into the water and they'd swim away.

Woodie, if a chicken has lips can it play the oboe?

I use rubber cement to place the lip templates on the Lexan. It holds up well, peels off easily, and you can remove any excess without solvents by just rubbing it lightly with your thumb or fingers.

Beautiful bait, Mangeboy, and that is one fat pike!

Thanks for the template, Husky. I'll give it a try. Woodie, I've not given the thought of cherry splitting much thought. I've used oak and poplar so far on a lot of stuff so I figured I'd give cherry a shot. It does shape and carve well.

That's a great idea, Skeeter. If you clear the stuff first, you could wipe it off when you're done and you're ready for the next time.

Thanks, Skeeter. I bent that one by holding the Lexan in boiling water held by a jig I cut. The jig was designed so that when I bent the Lexan it could only be bent at the exact angle I wanted. Husky, I've already made a few lips out of .22 gauge stainless, but I've got to get a blade for my bandsaw. So far I've been cutting the stainless with a jigsaw, which vibrates so much I get nosebleeds, or with the Dremel, which makes so much noise it kills all the wildlife within a 6 mile radius. The stainless is nice when you get one done. I'm looking forward to June for those too.

Trying out a new lip shape: I know its not an innovation, but I'm hoping it works, because from my experience, this lip pattern has some advantages because it can keep fat baits from rolling over and it allows the lure to run a bit shallower while at the same time keeping farther behind the boat while trolling. If it works, I'll be able to build baits that stay in the 4 to 8 foot zone without being right so close to the boat while musky fishing. This was my first attempt. I'm hoping to try it in larger and smaller sizes to see what effect it has on this and other body configurations. The baits shown is about 6 inches long made from 1/2 inch cherry. Now I got to wait for the local river to thaw.

Jed, you've been one my heroes since I started this lunacy. I lub you man and I lub yer baits, but not in a gay way.

One thing to remember when laying the netting over the bait and then securing it with clamps, clothespins, etc...When you ready to remove the clips or clothespins, make sure you do so carefully because if they snag the netting as you're pulling them off the netting, it can pull on the netting and smear the scales you've just painted. It's not a big problem but I've made that mistake a few times...but then again, I'm not called fatfingers for nuthin'.

Wallymart sells a small pair of vice grips for $1.99. They measure about 5 inches long. They'll hold a smaller bait securely and they provide a nice handle for your hand as you paint, apply epoxy, etc. Nice tool to have on your bench for a variety of tasks. I have three.

I used to be a marathon runner. One thing I learned was that no matter how good you get, no matter how strong and fast you get, there will always be someone who comes along and humbles you. In a way that is hard to explain, that is a good thing. I see baits on this board that are not particularly innovative or remarkable, but still stylish and beautiful and you can "see" the person who made them. Nevermind that you left yourself off that list, Husky!...who contributes more than you in the way of innovation and using materials in ways that no one has ever thought of? Which tree in the forest is the tallest, the strongest, the best? At the end of the day, lure-building is a window into the heart of the person working with a chunk of wood and some paint.But no matter who you are or what you do, someone will eventually come along and take it all up a notch or two (and make your jaw drop in amazement) and for me at least, that's half the fun. The other half is sharing the fun and methods with others.

Yea, but nobody seems to want to copy it and the fish wouldn't even look at it. Go figure.

I've got 32 baits ready for paint. Tigger's going to hook me up with a fan for the paint booth I built and I'm going to have a ball! I've been throwing sawdust in the basement, sanding, sealing, carving, putting in a few screw eyes, cutting lips, slingin' foil, and otherwise getting ready for the coming musky season. I love this country.

If this doesn't make you feel better nothing will:

Getting one to run 4 to 6 feet should be very do-able using the method you'd like to try. Keep the lip about 1/2 or 2/3 as long as the lip you'd choose for a deep diver. When you attach the line tie to the bait you generally have to shorten the lip a bit. I tried what you described on some of my baits last year and they ran great.