Yake Bait

Kevin, Drilling is done on a press. I draw a line on the bait that represents where I want to run the wire and use this to line it up perfectly in the vice. I start with a short 1/8" bit, then switch a 6" bit and run it in as far as it can go. I then flip the bait and realine and run through the other side. Usually you can get both sides to line up but the "lead lock" allows you to be a little off since you are fishign the wire up though the lead hole. The 1/4" holes are done with forstener bits. Last year I did some work with a hand drill and did not have good results so the drill press was my solution. Sagatious, I have a few cable cutters but could not get them to cut flush wiht the belly of the bait. Had to use side cutter and grab the other end with pliers and bend off at the nip. Wondering if I need to get a cutting disk for my dremel tool and saw off...

I've been optimizing this technique on the past few baits that I have built this winter. This time I twisted the two ends of the wire together before locking them in with lead. Not that it was really necessary, but in case I fall off a cliff, I will use this bait to hook onto the edge and save myself... The main wire is 0.062" with 0.051" double ended loops that drop off the main wire. The main tunnel is 1/8". The belly hooks eyes go through 1/4" tunnels that tie in to the main wire. The nose and tail get countersunk with the same 1/4" bit which allows me to draw the wire loops inside the lure. Five minute epoxy keeps everything sealed up and in the proper positoin. The 0.062" wire is a little tricky to fish through the lead hole and is extremely difficult to cut off once it is twisted into a pair. Need to find a little easier way to do this, but overall I like the way this technique comes together.

I'm not at all an expert on swim baits (never made one) but agree with LaPala that the fins would act as a stabilizer making the lure want to run straight instead of snaking back and forth. The lure itself looks very nice, quality assembly and very cool paint. Hope you can tune her up without giving up the details that make it stand out.

Very nice! I don't know how you guys paint those little bass baits so finely detailed. I would end up with painted fingers!

Go to your local glass shop and they probably sell scraps of either lexan or some other brand of polycarbonate. You will likely do better there than your local hardware store. There are a number of trade names for polycarbonate, lexan is just one brand of polycarbonate. The stuff is bullet proof... literally they make bullet proof glass from it. Safety glasses are also made from polycarbonate. As far as plastic lips are concerned it is the stuff to use. Hazmail is right, it is better to use the best material the first tiem than to repair with that material later.

Thanks, Unfortunately the action is not what I wanted. I tried the higher line tie and it has a nice side to side actoin on a straight retrieve now and is stable. When jerking it, it acts more like a chop bait and was built too heavy for that kind of action. I considered trying a low line tie Mark but did not have a lot of room to work below the original. When you see the photo of the two lures, you will see how it can be bouyant right side up, but also be top heavy out of water. There is a lot of arch to the back to get the carp profile and that is why the center of gravity is high. I started a new one that has more of a traditional glide bait profile but will get another carp paint job. This one will get a river test after the 1st coat of epoxy before it gets painted to make sure it has the correct action. The new lure is in the photo for comparison.

Thanks Mark. Out of water, if I hold the lure at the line tow and tail eye, the top is heavier - in other words the bait wants to sit upside down indicating that the center of gravity is above the line tow. In the water, the bouyancy of the lure keeps it in proper orientation and is quite stable. When I do the out of water test on my other glide lures that work, they are belly heavy and sit in the correct orientation. I think that this supports the idea that the line tow is too low right?

It was a nice day yesterday so I went to the river and tested the two glide baits that I made this winter... http://www.tackleunderground.com/photos/index.php?n=2083 This lure worked well. The blade was very active and flashy and I could hear the metalic noise on the figure 8 when I kept it near the surface. The mass of the blade prevents wide swings when it glides, but there is good side to side actoin and it also will swing back and forth on a straight retrieve. http://www.tackleunderground.com/photos/index.php?n=2198 This lure had good bouyancy but seemed to have an exageratted belly roll. Belly roll is good, but I think it is too much in the case of this lure. This gets worse when pulling the lure on a straight retrieve, the faster you go the more unstable it becomes. In comparison to other glide baits that I have made (that work better) one problem I think is the lack symetry around the tow eye. I was using a carp photo to stencil the profile of this lure and placed the line tow at the most forward point of the lure. The nose of a carp is quite low. I think that the tow eye needs to be higher on this lure to allow the lead weight to provide more stability when in motion. The lure is plenty stable at rest, the problem seems to be more around the dynamics of when it is in motion. Questions... 1) Any other observations that would contribute to excess belly roll? 2) To correct symmetry, could the line tie be raised, or should the nose of the lure be redesigned to be more centered along the lure. I like the carp shape but it may not lend itself to making a good glide bait design. It would be pretty easy to add screw eye in the proper location to make this lure more fishable. If I make a lure like this again, I would bring the wire tunnel up to match the desired location.