Shawn M

That is interesting, I normally mix devcon with some fine glitter and a bit of fingernail polish remover (acetone) to thin it out and make it easier to work with and have not had any reaction with the powder paint. I wonder if it is the "sparkely nail polish", I'm not familiar with that product. I double checked baits that I used acetone and others I didn't and could not notice a difference it the colors, though that could be my eyesight. Shawn

I figured I'd try to my hand at coming up with a Talapia skirt, how do you guys think this looks? Shawn

Thanks for sharing the tip Arkbuck, I love throwing BBs and will definitly give that a try! Shawn

I've never had plastic interact with PP. I've used baits with just PP and with devcon as a topcoat with no problems. Shawn

I use fingernail polish remover and have been pleased with it. Shawn

Pete, Within 45 minutes of Bankok you can fish for mekong and striped catfish and barraumundi. I usually take a 5 hour ride towards the burmese border to fish for snakehead and jungle perch too. I'm planning a trip now for mid-May. It is the off season so hotels are a bit cheaper. I use a guide service, great folks. Not sure if it is appropriate to give out the name of the guide service here, so PM me if you would like to know who I use. Tremendous fishing, huge fish. By far the best fishing trips I've had have been in Thailand. Shawn

I've never had problems PP over oxidized heads. Shawn

I think Netcraft has them, never tried them though. Shawn

Thanks for the info Bob. You gave me some additional ideas! I'm mostly a wire bait guy, but am chomping at the bit to try out some hardbaits. Thanks again for everyone's advice!! Shawn

Mark...I looked at the wood chopper on BPS, neat looking bait. I had to google the Lunker Punker, the shape is a probably a bit beyond what I think I could do right now. Tons of options...hopefully I can finger out something that will work. Shawn

Thanks for the info Hoodaddy...I have some basswood blocks, but may just order some basswood cigar shaped plugs (may not want to start out carving my own). I'm hoping that should be stout enough. I'm assuming I can drill a hole maybe 1/2 inch from the tail end and pour some lead in. How much weight would need to be added? I'm guessing that for a 4" lure maybe 1/16oz or so? I didn't think about the line fouling on a front propeller. Thanks again! Shawn

I'll definitly be bringing some trailer hooks along this year. I love throwing buzzbaits and had some tremendous strikes using them for Snakehead. I'm just looking for another bait to throw and love to catch them on something I put together. Shawn

Thanks for the replies guys, sorry I did not respond sooner but work has been keeping me busy as all get out. I figured a topwater spook style bait would be a good starting point, hopefully without getting too frustrated. If I can get a few to work right then I'll try poppers. I would like to eventually try my hand at an Ike style lure (used to love those things back in the day, hard to find now). The reason I want to add the propellers to the spook style is for a trip to Thailand for Snakehead. I had a ton of strikes last year on buzzbaits, but not a high percentage of hook-ups (still catching 10+ a day, but it's easy to be greedy). I figured a couple treble hooks would increase my chances while putting up enough commotion to get their attention. Should also help hooking the jungle perch (smaller mouths). Should I go with a propeller on front, rear, or both?? Thanks again for the responses...I'm sure I will have some more questions once I start putting some together! Shawn

Hi guys, I'm sure this has been discussed in the past, but a quick search didn't give me much. I've been wanting to try my hand on some crankbaits, but have been hesitant. I'm thinking at trying some topwater baits, cigar shaped and popper. I have some basswood blocks and was wondering if this is a good wood to start with? If I try a 4" cigar shaped bait, what is a good size propeller to use? With a popper style bait, do you need to add weight to the back end? This has been a pretty bitter winter and I've put together enough SBs to last a couple years so I was hoping to see what I could do with some hardbaits. Thanks! Shawn

LedHed, I used clear fingernail polish over eyes but fell in love with Devcon, plus I've been mixing fine glitter in with the epoxy and just dig how it looks! I still use fingernail polish over holoform tape and other stickers I put on blades. Shawn

You could try something like an easel. Not too difficult and you could use some pine 2X2's, pretty cheap wood. Not sure how fancy you want to go...but an easel style you would only need basic handtools and few screws, a bolt with washers and wing nut, and chain or string to keep the leg from splaying out. Shawn

Aussielad, I dip them. I don't know why white PP is so difficult, but was pleased with adding some pearl PP to the mix. Plus the color was pretty cool looking. This is a bit off subject, but do you fish for barramundi? I fished them in Thailand last May and thought they were an awesome fish. I caught them on SBs, BBs, and a couple other baits I normally catch bass on. I'm planning another trip to Thailand this May and will try some other "bass" lures out on them. I caught a bunch of 4-7 lb fish, but am looking to break 10lb this time out (of course a 15 or better would be nice!!). A real nice fish to catch, explosive topwater strikes and a heck of a fighter. Shawn

I agree with Pike...smooth blades and some fluted blades are mostly what I use. I've also played around with with putting some holoform tape on the blades and think that adds some flash. I've also had luck with painting blades. I think it boils down to what you are most confident in using... Shawn

Even though epoxy takes longer to cure, I think it gives a better finish, IMHO. Shawn

Hey guys, Like most folks, I have a real problem using white PP. A buddy of mine asked me to make him some solid white SBs, which I was putting off. I was painting some SB heads for myself tonight, I have been using pearl as a base coat for the colors I like. I think it goes on real easy, with great detail for the heads. Anyway...it got me thinking. I mixed a 70-30 mix of white and pearl PP and painted the heads for the SBs my friend wanted. They came out really nice and were much easier to paint than just using white PP. Just an idea to toss out there. Shawn

I looked at cabelas but those aren't the ones I remember. Shawn

LOZ, Do you think upsizing to a 4" shad would help, or would it be too big? Shawn

Hi guys, I put a bait together thinking the action would be great...it isn't. I was hoping someone could give me some insight on what is wrong with this. I went with a 3/8 oz arky head with a 5/0 hook, #4 fluted blade, a 3" shad body, and 20 strand skirt. I was hoping it would shake like a chatter style lure with a SB blade. Needless to say, the tail doesn't seem to vibrate at all. It is pretty much a SB (action running straight), but if you slow roll it or try and jig it the blade catches the hook. The only things I can think of is to trim the skirt or shorten the arm. Any ideas? Thanks, Shawn

Now that is an interesting looking SB. I agree, whoever made it has some serious skills bending wire. It would be cool to see someone try to make one. Get's you thinking a bit, huh? Shawn

IMHO, no finish is indestructible. I now use powder paint and devcon, but after bouncing SBs off of rocks and everything else I can cast in or on, the paint gets rough or chips. I tried using rattle cans (haven't worked up to air brushing) before I learned about powder paint and can honestly say that powder paint gives me a stronger finish. Sorry not much help, but try the PP as a base coat as rr316 mentioned and see if that works better for you. Shawn