sagacious

Can't help with the vids, but the Rapala test tank is as follows: A large trough runs alongside a wall, placed at waist-height. The inside of the trough is painted white (a helpful detail, I think), and looks somewhat like a very long bathtub. The workers have short 'fishing poles' with a few feet of string on the end, and either drag the lures through, or walk them down the tank. With this setup, a bunch of lures can be checked very quickly and efficiently for both floatation and balance, as well as run slow and fast. With a "flow tank" and several of lures to test, I reckon you'd want to test 'em all for buoyancy/balance with no flow, and then test them all again for tracking with the flow on. Seems cumbersome, but I see how it could prove useful to some. I usually prefer to test each lure for all aspects at the same time.

Good ideas everyone. LaPala's thread "Lure Making Videos" shows video of a Rapala lure testing tank in action at their facility in Estonia. Might be helpful, looks pretty simple to implement. When I test lures, I need to be able to test them at a variety of speeds-- from dead slow to quite fast. The straight tank setup Rapala uses allows for this. I suspect that the test parameters you subject your lures to would largely determine whether a round or straight tank works best for you. Here's the video: http://www.tackleunderground.com/forum/showthread.php?t=10964 Good fishing!

I fish spinnerbaits similar to that one all the time. Once you put the split ring in there, it does change some ways the bait works. However, it will still fish like a spinnerbait, and not like a chatterbait. In my opinion and experience, there is only one practical use for a bait designed like this, and that's for BIG fish. Unless you're fishing for large saltwater fish or musky's, a standard spinnerbait or chatterbait design is probably a better bait for a variety of reasons. First, the wire blade arm should be shorter than a "standard" spinnerbait. Occasionally you'll get one where the jighead length, arm length, and blade size conspire to make the hook catch the blade. Shortening the blade arm wire is the best fix. Cut it down 1/4" at a time until the blade no longer catches the hook. If you want to jig it, the blade arm definitely needs to be shorter. Changing the blade style or size can keep the hook from catching it. Long blades such as large size willows, or larger indianas seem to cause more problems than colorados, and smaller willows. If you still have occasional problems, try a nice, fat deep-cup colorado instead. Shortening the swivel/blade section of the bait helps too. If the wire will fit through the bb swivel eye, remove the split ring holding the swivel to the wire loop, and rig the swivel straight to the wire loop. Hope that makes sense. This, plus a deep-cup colorado, will give you more vibration. The tail of that shad looks like it has some problems. Switch it out for another brand, or a larger shad, and don't thread (jam) it onto the hook so far. Or, take Ron G's excellent advice and go to a twistertail. Even if you put a shad on there with FANTASTIC action and wiggle, the bait will still fish like a spinnerbait, and not a chatterbait. Hope this helps, good luck!

Vodkaman is spot on right here: Yes, you should certainly be concerned about water if you are melting sinkers, or any lead that has come into contact with water. DR weights (and other large sinkers) are especially likely to have some water trapped inside them. Large lead castings almost always have some degree of porosity. The degree varies with the specific lead alloy, pouring temp, and technique, but as the quantity of lead increases, the shrinkage rate usually causes internal voids. DR weights have usually been used fairly deep underwater as well. Water under pressure will find it's way into any porosity. Plastic coat or not, you know it's been exposed to water, so treat it as such. However, no real reason to worry if you melt it safely. First thing to know is NEVER PUT a sinker or any lead that might have been exposed to rain or water directly INTO MOLTEN LEAD! The only safe way to melt it, is to put the cold DR weight into your COLD melting pot, and allow it to heat up slowly and melt. It'll take a while for a large DR weight to heat up anyway. As the DR weight heats up, any trapped water will hiss off harmlessly as steam, and long before the lead itself melts. This is the only way to safely melt lead that has been exposed to water. Read the sticky at the top of this forum, and you'll find other good safety tips. Oh, and ummm.... always wear safety glasses! Hope this helps, good luck!

lol! Don't chuck the gadget in the dumpster just yet! Sometimes it helps to look at things from a different perspective, and you never know what will get the creative juices flowing. Good luck, and good fishing!

JBlaze, Great pic tutorial of the wire bending. Funny how different people find different solutions for the same problem. I formed a couple of these spinnerbait frames to try, and this is the method I used. Here's a quick way to form the bends on the 'vee' part of frame. It's fairly simple, so I'll try to describe it without pics. Step 1) Bend an approx 8" piece of wire into a tight 'vee' shape. The point of the vee will be the line tie. Step 2) Bend a 45* angle in both legs of the vee, about 1/4" from the point. Step 3) You need a simple "forming mandrel" made of a piece of wire for this part. Take a piece of wire (or a finishing nail or similar) slightly larger in diam than the wire you're using, and place it crosswise inside the 45* angle. Grab the mandrel and wire with a pair of needlenose pliers so that the mandrel is crosswise in the jaws, and the wire legs of the vee stick out forward of the jaws. Step 4) Last step. By hand, bend the legs of the vee twice around the mandrel. Keeping the wraps tight is easy, but like everything else in life, one or two practice wraps using softer/thinner wire makes everything easier. Connect the blade wire vee form to the spinnerbait jighead by bending a "Y" yoke in the jighead wire. That part is done freehand and is fairly straight-forward, so I'll let you figure out your preferred method there. Here are some reference pics in the wirebaits gallery: http://www.tackleunderground.com/photos/index.php?n=1613 http://www.tackleunderground.com/photos/index.php?n=1611 Hope this helps, good luck!

Pete, and others that work with wire, Do yourself a huge favor and get a pair of cable cutters like these: http://www.pricepoint.com/detail/11923-325_PARC12-43-Brands-271-Park-Tools/Park-CN-10-Cable-Cutters.htm Cable cutters will cut wire much easier than any other standard wire cutters or dykes. Cuts hard wire, soft wire no problem. A lot easier on your hands, and the tag end that gets snipped off doesn't go shooting off like a bullet-- it just drops into your hand. Cuts thick wire very easily. 1/8" stainless welding rod? Clip, done! I've been using a small pair of Shimano cable cutters for the past few years, and they make easy work of hard chores. Plus, the wire ends get cut square, with no sharp ends. Go down to your local hardware store and get a pair, and you'll thank me. Good luck, and good fishing!

Great writeup and pics! I've been doing it the same way with 0.063" and 0.076" hard stainless wire. Only thing to add is......... always wear safety glasses when working with wire!

Another method is to foil the lead bodies with aluminum tape, and then clearcoat. Simple and quick. Here's a few pics of lead jigs that have been foiled. It's difficult to capture in a photo without over-exposing the pic, but they are very shiny. http://www.tackleunderground.com/photos/index.php?n=1595 http://www.tackleunderground.com/photos/index.php?n=1596 You can also powdercoat with Caswell's super chrome or a similar product. Good luck, hope this helps.

Weedless trebles like those would be easy and fairly quick to make. First, cut three pieces of stiff brass wire about 2" long. Keep them straight. Diameter of the wire will depend on the size of the hook, so use your best judgement. Next, place the three pieces of brass wire alongside the treble hookshank, one between each leg of the treble, with most of the wire sticking up beyond the hook eye. Hold 'em in place by pinching 'em against the hook eye with one hand, and then bind them down with very fine copper or brass/bronze wire. After lashing them down, you can adjust them a bit, but don't bend the brass weedguard wires yet! Step three is soldering. Acid core or rosin core solder will work fine. Heat the wire wraps gently with a small propane torch, and touch the solder wire to the wraps. The solder should immediately flow along and around the wraps, and secure everything in place. When the solder flows, take the torch away asap. Be careful, and don't overheat the hook! The last step is bending the weedguard. Bend them down at the angle you like, and clip off the extra wire that protrudes past the hook point. Done! The ones Cabela's offers use tinned steel wire for the weedguards, but brass spring wire is probably best for making your own. Good luck, hope this helps.

That's great you're assisting GY in his case, and I hope these folks get what's coming to them. It's too bad you didn't get any help from Ebay or Paypal... File separate criminal charges of fraud against 'em, and if convicted, you'll see that restitution. Assests seized in GY's case aren't necessarily relevant to remuneration in your fraud case. If needed, ask that the Rupert's have their paychecks garnished, and you'll see your money eventually. Best of luck!

An old long-handled slotted spoon works well for skimming off the steel clips, and other crud. Good luck, and be safe!

Very well done, Glaucus. Innovative, simple, and well-designed. Bravo!

Wow, I hope "the other member" who tipped-off this criminal about your post here sees this latest development. Bad juju indeed. Have you notified the police in AZ (or wherever Mr Rupert was apprehended) about the fraud you experienced? With any luck you may be able to have your money returned to you as restitution.

Daymon, Great looking lures. Can you post a pic of the original bait duplicated in the second pic? Weighting may possibly be an issue, but for this style lure, the width of the lip seems small in relation to the bait size (3-5/8"), and I can see how lip width might be problematic to judge from a picture. Lip width is obviously adequate for the shorter lure. As I'm sure you know, lures of this type are very similar to the 'J-plugs' used for decades by West Coast salmon fishermen. In those baits, lip length is indeed short, however it is fairly wide. That may just be the rub here, since as far as I know, those baits don't now (and historically haven't) used or needed weighting to make them swim correctly. One more thing: Historical accuracy aside, the line tie should probably be as low as possible on this type of lure. I believe that Luhr Jensen recommends a solid knot to their J-plug's lure eyelet, and that the knot be pushed down forward on the eyelet, so that a low angle is achieved. Latest production uses a through-fitted bead chain swivel to achieve a low-angle line connection. So, perhaps a smaller (lower, shorter) line tie eyelet might help too. Hope this helps, good luck!

Yes, absolutely. Even SG in an ultrasonic cleaner can damage reel parts if you let it run overnight. Just put the parts to be cleaned in for no more than 15 minutes, and you'll be OK. Don't put parts in the running cleaner, and then wander out of the shop and forget about it. Reel frames and sideplates made from lightweight alloys are perhaps the most susceptible to ultrasonic pitting damage, so be forewarned. A short cleaning is OK, but not an overnighter. Head's up: Don't put glass vials + reel frames and parts in your ultrasonic cleaner, or you'll soon be cleaning broken glass out of your ultrasonic cleaner. The best option for cleaning bearing sets is to use either plastic 35mm film cannisters (with the snap-on cap), or use prescription med pill bottles (with the screw lid). Chuck them all in the tank, but just don't let 'em run overnight. Good luck!

Just a friendly warning: do not leave reel parts in an ultrasonic cleaner for more than 15 minutes. If your ultrasonic cleaner has a timer function, use it. Ultrasonic cleaners may cause severe etching or pitting damage to certain reel parts. The ultrasonic cavitation of the machine dramatically increases the aggressiveness of the cleaning fluid, and alkaline cleaning solutions and soaps should never be used. As well, some of the common alloys used in fishing reels are not suitable for ultrasonic cleaning, and will inevitably be damaged by prolonged ultrasonic cleaning. This isn't theory, I've seen it myself, and you don't want to see it yourself. Hope this helps, good luck!

That's a fair question. Only powder paints require baking. There are many types of powder paint, but the ones typically used for painting lures are a type of epoxy powder that is heat activated. The paint is in a powder form until you heat the jighead and dip it in the powder. Then the powder that touches the hot lead melts, and covers the jighead. Afterwards, the jigs are "baked" to fully cure the paint. Until the jigs are baked and cured, the powder paint coating is brittle, and can chip very easily. During baking there is a chemical reaction in the epoxy coating, and it cures into a very tough coating. While it is curing in the oven, the paint gets soft, but usually not soft enough to flow. But remember, it is an epoxy, so as it cures it hardens and won't run-- just like Devcon 2T epoxy. Unless, of course, you put on way too much, and then occasionally it will sag and cause drips (before it has fully cured)! Hope this helps. Good luck!

Yes, some people do use spectra as backing. However, dacron is usually the best option. If your finger comes into contact with spectra, and the fish makes a run, you risk the likelyhood of a very serious cut. If a loop wraps around your fingertip, even worse results can happen. 20 or 30lb spectra is so thin that it's tough to handle safely on a fly reel. Good luck!

If you just need a few for yourself, Bass Pro has black bb swivels with split rings. Price listed is $2.19 for 5. http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Product_10151_-1_10001_7822_100010005_100000000_100010000_100-10-5 Hope this helps. Good luck!

Correct. The link you provided is to the super-flex Sculpey, and the regular stuff works well too. You can usually find it at art stores, and sometimes at hardware stores in the 'crafts' section, and it's not expensive. It's like most any other modeling clay, but made from a heat-setting plastic. You form it into whatever shape you want, bake it in the oven (follow the simple directions on the packet), and you've got your master for making a mold. It can be sanded or carved after baking. It firms up and hardens during baking so you can handle it without damage, but it retains some flex and 'plasticity', so it's easy to remove from a mold half. Plaster and Bondo won't stick to it, but it's best to still use a mold release, like vaseline. I've used it for making prototypes for small finesse baits up to large reaper-style baits, and also for jigs up to 9oz (for ocean fishing here on the West Coast). Very easy to work with, and doesn't dry out, so you can take your time when making up a new bait.

Vodkaman, Oh dear me... this is a freshman-level mistake. Water is indeed compressible. This fact is well-recognized by physicists, engineers, and analytical biologists, among others, and certainly does affect computational dynamic fluid analysis. The numerical value for the compressibility coefficient for water is 4.59 x 10-4 /MPa. This factor is best not ignored when constructing theoretical hydrodynamic models, considering the accuracy we usually expect from theoretical modelling. Results will not reflect real-world conditions. Sort of like averaging averages. Since the density gradient in water can exceed 1%, the density change for nitrocellulose (wood) across the gradient might exceed 10%, quite significant! For more information, see Svedberg (1940), Mossiman and Signer (1944), and Fujita (1956). On a more familiar level, perhaps, we are all aware that lakes stratify, and that warm water floats upon cold water. This, of course, is because cold water is denser than warm water, so even the non-physicists among us will have a basic understanding that water can change it's density (compressiblity). Many folks also recognize that their lures will float or sink or swim differently, depending on water temp. Additionally, the water density at the bottom of a lake will always be higher than at the meniscus, regardless of water temperature, simply due to the weight of the water above. There's your 4.59 x 10-4 /MPa density change at work. Dynamic density gradients are also deterministic in the analysis of vortex propagation, and would likely go a long ways to furthering (and possibly clarifying?) your modelling of the behavior of the hard bait. On the other hand, I suspect LaPala is on to something. Now, normally I allow a wide latitude between theory and practice-- the real world being what it is-- but I must take you to task on this oversight. If water wasn't compressible, the oceans would be over 100 meters higher than they actually are-- and that would spoil whole lot of really nice largemouth water! I'll return you to your thread now. Cheers and three beers!