fatfingers

Try this: Instead of gluing the lip in prior to painting, just put in a small piece of the material you're going to use for the lip. Don't glue it in, just insert it in the slot so that when you paint you won't get paint in the slot. Then after painting and prior to sealing the lure, glue in the actual lip. No masking. Also the "plug" of Lexan that you put in the lip slot (instead of the actual lip itself) should be just about the size of the lip slot; it shouldn't stick out the front or sides of the lip slot more than an 1/4 of an inch or so...that way if you are going to use veiling material to paint the scale effect, the veiling material will lay nice and tight around the head area of the lure. I'll post a picture of what I'm talking about in a few minutes.

Silver, that pattern should work fine for largemouth. You can also experiment with shooting a faint silver base under the white pearl on the belly and sides, but go easy with the silver base because a little goes a long way under white pearl.

Silverdoctor, try white pearl on the belly and the sides with just a shot of orange under the gills. Then paint the top gold and lay fine lace over the back and shoot black over the top and just slightly down the sides. After you remove the lace, spray the back black, but just the area of the back near the head, not all the way back. I'm not sure what species you're fishing for or building lures for, but I can tell you that the above pattern most definitely works for musky. I'll try to post some pictures later. Hope that helps.

I've found that when making smaller baits, the thickness of the bill can be a factor in causing it to roll out of control.so to speak. I bought thinner Lexan for my smaller baits and have had no problem since. If you think about it, as the lip size gets thicker the forward edge of the lip has more of an effect on the bait; it is more blunt and causes a swerving effect. Naturally the effect will be more pronounced on smaller baits. Another thing that you might try to salvage the baits in question is carefully shaving one side of the bill with a rotary tool to that it has less resistance on that side. Of course that is a trial an error excercise.

Thanks for the reply, LP. I appreciate it.

Thanks, Clemmy. I've done business with those people and they are excellent. Most of my orders are Internet orders, but you can call with questions and they are very helpful. The orders are filled promptly and their selection is very good. I buy components from them as well as lures. The color charts that you've posted are pretty decent too.

Looks great, LP. I've planning to build one this spring and I'm considering placing glass on the sides so that I can place the lights outside the booth against the glass. I'm also considering placing the glass against the side in such a way that it can be removed periodically and cleaned. I'm thinking that having the lights outside the booth will be an extra measure of safety. It looks like the size you built is very versatile. Do you have any problems with the fumes escaping back into the room? I can't tell whether or not you have plastic hanging down from the clear cover that you look through as you paint.

Thanks for the offer of help, Woodie, I may shoot you an email this summer for some trip tips if things work out. Emptycooler, nice looking baits and I like your website also. Empty, do you fish Pymatuning at all? It should be relatively close to you and the south end is one of the best kept secrets for muskies right now. My partner and I had a record day there two years ago. We hooked 13 and boated seven in one day. Out of that, the biggest was my partner's 46 incher. I can promise you we would have hooked more if my partner had not lost the bait that lit the place on fire that afternoon. It was one of those days that you remember for a long, long time. I've been building baits specifically for that lake because of the usual color combination that produced that day. By the way, woodie, I saw Pete Mania's TV show about fishing the narrows of the Detroit river near St Clair and I noticed that the fish hit a variety of baits of there. Which styles of lure produces the best in general? I know thats a tough question when it comes to musky, but you know what I mean.

I agree with Blades that the question cannot be simplified to an either/or answer. In addition to size/color//action, a fourth variable is retrieve, which can be subdivided into speed and pause rate between rips, pulls, or jerks. In other words, two fisherman with the same bait can see dramatically different results depending upon retrieve methods. If you've done any ice fishing, you're probably witnessed the retrieve difference bigtime. Jigging is sort of an art form and those that get good at can catch fish when all others are scratching their heads wondering where the fish went. In fact, there are times when the retrieve can be more important than size, color, or action, to a high degree. In other words, if it rips, pops, sputters, pauses, bounces off the rocks, or otherwise makes a wrong move, it gets eaten, if the fish are in the right mood. Finally, I've seen days of smallmouth fishing where you could throw your shoe in the water, and they'd hit it. Almost nothing was off limits, they were chewing anything that moved. Like Blades says, who knows?

I know our guys are working on purging the photo section but man, I sure miss seeing all your work. Someone shoot me a PM of some of your stuff. I love looking at what everyone does and its often inspiring.

Thank you for the replies, guys. I'll try both methods. I came up with another but its too time-consuming.

The last few days, I've been trying to devise a method to make rattles for my flatshad crankbaits. I remember reading here that someone used a .22 caliber shell casing with a few bb's. I've decided to try 9mm casing because they're a bit larger, about right for the musky class baits I make, and hopefully will rattle louder when buried in the wood. I made one out of a metal container which looks something like a miniature lipstick tube complete with cap and it rattles great, but I had only one. So, I'm going to give the 9mm casings a go but I'm trying to figure out a way to seal the open end after placing the bbs inside and I'd prefer that it be a metal seal so as to give the shot something to bounce off of and something that won't create a soft spot for the bb's to get stuck to... Any ideas?

Looks great. I especially like the way the eye is highlighted in the orangish color. Finding out how it runs is half the fun. Gliders, darters, jerbaits are all important baits to have in a musky box because when they want them, they are deadly. I always enjoy the bonus of seeing the fish hit the bait whenever I can. It adds a whole new element to the catch.

Woodie, I'd love to. I'm within maybe 5 hours from there, but I don't know the area or the waters. I hear nothing but great stories about that place though and I'd love to get some info if you have any. I can also share info on our waters too if you're interested. I fish Leesville, Piedmont, and West Branch in Ohio along with Pymatuning which borders both Ohio and Pennsylvania. I understand that the trolling on St. Clair is excellent.

Muskies, 90% of the time, plus smallmouth bass, and catfish. I also fish Lake Erie and love jigging with heavier spoons for the smallmouth. Glad I live as far from that place as I do or I'd probably be divorced by now.

I think that modifications of any type are one of the most interesting aspects of both hunting and fishing. Its not hard to be impressed with the stuff that people come up with and the creative ideas that you run across. Custom lure makers are, in my opinion, a spectrum, not a distinct category. There are a lot of people that simply do not want to modify things themselves and are willing to pay others or buy the modified product. I bought lumber a few days ago...cherry, oak, and poplar scraps from a local lumber mill. The guy behind the counter asked me what I was working on and I explained that I build musky baits and very briefly explained the process. He finished the sale and then gave me his business card and asked me to call him when the baits were done because he wanted to purchase some of them for his musky fisherman friends. Another guy was waiting to make a purchase then also stepped forward and said he'd like to purchase some for gifts also. Of course, neither had seen any of my work but the intrigue of buying something that no one else could buy, something that can't be had "over the counter," was so compelling that they could not resist asking. I'm sure others have had similar experiences, but I find the fascination with baits that all fisherman seem to naturally have to be very interesting.

Even if you're not going to make baits in quantity, there are a few things that will enable to you make your baits with greater uniformity and faster than using only basic knives, files and rasps. You might consider purchasing a sanding disc that attaches to an ordinary drill. You'd be surprise how much easier it is to shape a bait after cutting out the basic frame from wood. You can buy just two or three discs of different grits and really get past the shaping part quickly.

Thanks, savacs. I'll get some of that and whack it up and see what happens. Lately, I've been checking out a lot of different woodworking websites. Man is that a humbling experience! One of the first things I saw was a falcon that a man had carved and painted. When the image first appeared on my computer, I actually thought it was a photograph of a real falcon. It made me feel puny and insecure.

Thanks for the ideas and tips. Please keep them coming. I am lucky enough to have a rotary tool and I'm still learning what it can and cannot do. I've become somewhat familiar with the engraving tool and have actually purchased a second one that is a bit smaller for roughing out finer lines. The things that you guys are sharing about the different types of wood is particularly interesting to me because although I understand the some of differences between different types of stock, the variables of buoyancy and the resulting differences in the action and depth capacity of different types of wood is something that can consume a lot of time in understanding. Lure building reminds me of some of my past hobbies, such as photography and long distance running in a way...all are very humbling when you look around and see the accomplishments of others that are on the same path. At the end of the day, you really gain a lot by sharing, giving and taking, and that is what elevates what seems so simple into a form of expression. I have a lure down in my basement that was my very first attempt. I look at and laugh because I painted it by hand with a crude brush and a sponge. It is truly a gruesome thing to behold, very bad. But it was a beginning of yet another great pastime, and another way to make friends...this time from all over the world...that is always a good thing. Anyway, I appreciate all the great feedback when I post on this board, and I hope to share what I learn along the way.

I recall reading somewhere that even monofilament fishing line absorbs water but only to a microscopic degree.

I've purchased hundreds of musky lures from a variety of manufacturers. Devcon2 will provide a finish that is as good as any, and actually better than of the more well-known lures, from what I've seen after many years of musky fishing. One particular popular manufacturer comes to mind (and shall remain unnamed) whose finish is actually rather poor. Most of us that musky fish prefer a lure that holds up well to the gnashing they undergo from the king of beasts, but we also understand that no lure, especially those made from wooden blanks will last forever.

I saw it before you posted this thread. I'm keepin' an eye on you, dude.

Well, I just bought a chunk of western red cedar and I can't wait to hack it up and see what happens. I'm going to start with crankbaits. Does this stuff require weighting to get a crankbait to run or is it similar to other woods, meaning that the lip determines depth to a large degree?

Thanks, Etch, those are all great tips. I'll hit the local lumber yard tomorrow morning. Michael, I'm not close to Caesar's but I appreciate the tips. I know what you mean about the tradeoffs between carving friendliness and density. I figured this would be the best place to get ahead of the learning curve without wasting a lot of time. Most everyone here is really great about sharing ideas and experience and that is something that's hard to beat. I'll probably try starting with some western red cedar, like etch suggested, and maybe some walnut, which I know I can get my paws on without too much trouble. I've getting into this business of carving but it slows the process quite a bit. For now since I can't paint, its a great distraction and its very satisfying for me. I've been printing the baitfish like gizzard shad, threadfin shad, and perch and using the pictures to try to emulate the actual gill configurations. I'm still learning but hey, this stuff is all so much fun, even the mistakes and the learning curve are all worthwhile. I've been using an dremel tool that is supposed to be used for writing on metal. For the life of me, I can't think of the proper term for it right now, but it does allow the removal of finer amounts of wood when you lay it against a razor cut line in the wood. I then use a stone piece which is for polishing and sharpening to smooth the wood down and feather it back a bit from the gill plate area. Then I sand it to feather it back and smooth if further down. So far that's working but I'm bending my head trying to think of how simplify and speed the process.