philB

Hi Mark I know what you mean, the UK is a luremaking barren wilderness. I have in the past got parts from Holland. They sell soft plastic and colours/glitter ect. Downside is as usual cost. I have never found a supplier in the UK. http://www.lureparts.nl/index.php?cPath=40&osCsid=5jsktklgqumvf97rmdmsqe47b0 philB

Hi I made some roach jerkbaits and photo finished them. All that was needed was the usual white paint base-coat then the image was printed with an inkjet printer onto clear decal paper which was then slid into position onto the bait, allowed to dry then epoxy coated. When the epoxy is cured I then airbrushed the back and belly before epoxy coating for a second time. They turned out great I do not know what it would be like doing a crankbait but the principle should be the same. http://www.tackleunderground.com/community/index.php?app=gallery&module=images&section=viewimage&img=2298 philB

Hi It will vary from bait to bait. I have baits which I can change the whole way they work with different retrieves. Some are almost like crankbaits with an action of their own. Retrieves vary from tiny taps of the rod tip to sweeping draws with the rod. I think the answer to the question is work it like the fish want it and experiment, it's an open book.

Hi J.D and welcome, hope your venture is successful

Nathan Congratulations all round she's a real cutie . You know you are in for a lot of joy from such a small package, I should know, I have 2 of em Phil

Bruce It is carbon dioxide that releases the air from epoxy coatings. Heat only assists in the process by lowering the viscosity of the epoxy, that is why breathing on a lure releases air bubbles. I cant understand why you should not have got a glassy finish as these finishes are attainable with etex. A good way I have found of de gassing after application is, this is not rocket science and really basic stuff, grab the bill or hook ring with some long nose pliers, carry it into the house/kitchen, light the gas ring on the cooker and hold the lure 4' above the gas ring for a couple of seconds (maybe 3 or 4) either side, the carbon dioxide produced by the flame will de_gas and the heat will let it smooth, take it back and mount in the turner. I don't know if this is a 'tip' but what I do to get a super glassy finish is wait until the cure is well advanced and the coat is really thick and very sticky, sticky enough so as if you touched a brush to the lure it will stick to it and hang there, I then flash it with a hair dryer whilst on the turner, this softens the epoxy and lets it level out for a final time and gets rid of those tiny flaws. I am not talking massive amounts of heat here only a few seconds of gentle heat to soften that etex and let it run/level. There are better brains as regards the technical physics of epoxy coatings subscribing the the TU forums and this is only what I have found from actually doing it philB

Mark I am sure I have seen postings with reference to heating wooden baits before applying epoxy coats. I do not heat baits prior to coating, I have never had to, but looking in a very logical way it would seem to follow that you would be better applying coatings to a bait that is cooling rather than heating up, its the same as contracting rather than expanding isn't it, you are unlikley to get air release from a cooling bait. philB

Bruce Good to hear things are beginning to come together. One further thing I have found to my cost in the past is the problem applying heat to a wooden bait coated with epoxy, the wood is naturally cellular and you can never get rid of the air within the wood itself. As you apply heat the air expands and exits the wood. This is the primary cause of the fish eye effect that curses epoxy coatings. Much better to just leave at room temperature and allow to cure without temperature fluctuations. It is essential to make sure the bait is at room temperature before coating otherwise when heat is applied that air WILL escape. Only apply heat very sparingly, I only use heat from a small hairdryer to lower the viscosity of the epoxy towards the end of the curing process which gives it that mega glass smooth finish and it is only applied in couple of seconds flashing so as not to heat the wood itself but only the coating. I have never had any problems with air trapped in the epoxy itself. philB

Mark Interesting comment re the Krylon clear coat, I recently experimented with 2 part car lacquer (2K clear coat) with tremendous results. The finish is so good an epoxy is hardly required however the clear coat is no where near as hard as epoxy and will only be good enough for toothless predators so for pike and musky epoxy is still required. Because the 2K cures in around 30 minutes the epoxy can be applied very soon afterward and behaves itself very well. I cannot really say as yet whether this is the way forward as I have only done a couple of 2K+epoxy combo's but it is looking promising. philB

Hi I had more than my fair share of your problems initially with my etex coatings. I now wipe down the lure prior to coating with alcohol. I make sure I wear latex gloves and grab the lure by the hook hanger rings with a pair of forceps and gently wipe the paint with cotton wool soaked in alcohol (pure). When applying the etex I also really apply pressure with the brush to ensure the paint surface is really well soaked with epoxy. This procedure cured my problems with pulling away of the coating, hope it cures yours philB P.S. sharp edges to a lure are the worst culprits for this so sanding down the sharp edge could assist. There is lots of info from previous postings on this board.

Hi Jerry I take it that a lot of the new boards features are not up and running yet, is this correct ?? The blog feature sounds good but when I looked at it I was not 'approved' to start a blog philB

Please don't apologize, it was only an observation and nothing more . We also on certain waters have restrictions re. the use of coarse fish even if dead and frozen for months and on those waters only sea deadbaits and lures may be used. philB

diemai We can livebait in the UK but only providing the fish is caught from the same water and providing the controlling angling club allows the use of live fish as bait, transporting fish from another water is banned.. philB

Hi Mmmm this sounds familiar. We have been here and wrote the book in the UK. You see the problem is that tens of thousands of voices may shout but in the big arena small voices are rarely heard. Forever here in the UK we have had small organizations heading angling, all fighting their own little corners and all being ignored . What you need to do is what we have done in the UK and bring together all those small voices into one very, very, large voice then shout loud and clear into the ear of your congress and be heard. Our organization is called the Angling Trust and is the joining together of the majority of angling organizations including sea angling bodies. A large part of the trust is 'Fish Legal' which used to be the 'ACA' (Anglers Conservation Association) a body dedicated to prosecuting polluters and any individuals or organizations that destroy or engage in activity that has a detrimental effect on angling and/or the water environment. They work closley with other bodies with environmental concerns such as the World Wildlife Fund and are very active commercially. They even have members of our parliament who are members of the trust. I have always believed that a person when native born and bred has a right to access all parts of their homeland and partake of the resources available providing due care is taken and that does not have a detrimental effect upon others or the wildlife. Good Luck and fight the good fight . As Jim says 'Anglers Unite'. Trouble is anglers tend to be somewhat apathetic and rarely follow up on their convictions and thoughts, that has to change. Angling Trust - The Angling Trust philB

Pete A very happy birthday to you . Phil

Thanks Jacob Interesting stuff re Revo's, there are as many positive reviews as there are negative reviews for these reels and it would seem that there is a chance of picking up a suspect reel, I dont really wish to chance it. I am a fan of Abu reels but following Lincoya's posting I came across the 501CX PT so I grabbed it quick .

Hi Diemai made one very significant statement which I 100% endorse, that is the way a baitcaster reel allows you additional control during the cast. I used to get the trace tangling around the bait on a regular basis when using fixed spool reels. The bait with a fixed spol reel was tumbling around in flight out of control and catching either the line or trace, this was all but eliminated when I started using baitcasters. I think it is true to say you will never get the distance with a baitcaster reel that you can attain with a fixed spool but I believe the advantages far outweigh the disadvantages. Yes indeed, control is the keyword here. philB

Hi Gene Thanks for that info, good stuff. I/we are not as lucky as you guys in the States as baitcasters are not the type of reel our suppliers usually keep in stock and most of the time it's a case of take what is available or dont take at all so it can be difficult specifying a model of reel. Not only that but I need lefty reels and for some reason 99% of baitcasters come as right hand wind :?something which has always confused me somewhat and only compounds a supply problem. Thanks Phil

Hi All I'm looking to buy a new baitcaster reel. Having used a Quantum Iron reel IRL3 forever, I have taken a shine to the QUANTUM Accurist 2 501CX. I know nothing about this reel, have never even seen one (only online). I have never had one second of trouble from the Iron reel and was wondering if the Accurist could/would match the longevity and reliability of the Iron reel ?, what is its performance like ?. I have looked at other reels namely ABU Revos and Diawa procasters but I am struggling to come to any kind of conclusion as the marketing makes them all sound like the best in breed. I do not like some of the comments re the Revo's that I have come across, I have 2 Abu Ambassadors 6500's and they are excellent but it would seem the Revo's are somewhat suspect ?. Any recommendations from you guys would be most welcome. I would not want to spend any more than I would on a Revo which in the UK is around