mark poulson

Man, my monitor sagged from the weight of those baits!

Try Solarez dual cure resin. I use it all the time for a top coat. It can have a blush on dark colors, because it has some kind of a curing agent, but it's not bad at all, and works. Make sure no UV light is present (sunlight, LED lights), dip and hang over dipping jar, remove final drop(s) with a paper towel, and hang in a UV fingernail light box for three minutes. This is what I use: http://solarez.com/products/low-voc-dual-cure-polyester-resin/

Or you could just use a hula grub.

They are much stouter of heart than I. I'd be afraid the hook would open up when I tried to get the fish out of the weeds or tulles.

If I'm making a balsa bait, I drill for all the hardware, and then seal with super glue, because it soaks into the wood in the hardware holes and makes it stronger without adding a lot of weight. When I used to make jointed baits out of poplar, I struggled to find a sealer that was "bulletproof". That's why, when JR Hopkins suggested I try Azek PVC, I jumped on it, and haven't gone back to wood since, except for the occasional balsa bait. I'd suggest you think about using PVC for building. You never have to worry about sealing it, because it is totally waterproof, and the Azek Trimboard is almost as buoyant as med. strength balsa.

Thanks. I've stayed away from polish, even though I have some. I'll have to give it a try. Those are amazing looking baits, once again!

I get the same thing. I have to use long strokes, and be quick. Try adding a little acetone to thin it.

How about cutting off the hook and making pierced earrings?

I think the original Ned rig is meant to be dragged flat along the bottom. It think it would excel in clear lakes with no weeds. I know bass will eat a deadstick senko off the bottom, so this rig would add some movement, too. I would go with 21xdc's rig, because it is weedless and there are lots of weeds where I fish. Right now I peg a sinker to an offset worm hook, so I can drag the worm through the weeds.

Will the Lee's plastic pot get hot enough to melt/pour lead?

Will the plastic pot get hot enough to melt/pour lead?

Great video, and really nice baits! I think the Mad Dad should be called Don't Shoot!

Ben, This has mylar bits in it: http://www.ebay.com/p/Sally-Hansen-Xtreme-Wear-Nail-Polish-440-in-The-Spotlight-Holographic-Bars/1900098362?var=451584740444

John, were you able to paint and/or top coat over the Mother's polish?

Take your time, be sure you have a sharp blade, and remember, sand paper is your friend.

Yeah, but you heard him. He's got a 1200 mile drive just to visit him!

You can always sell the hooks on Craig's List. Hahaha

Dave, The beauty of your idea of using both is that the saw removes a lot of material quickly and roughly, but doesn't dull quickly. The router is slower and smoother, but the bits dull more quickly. Theoretically, because the router is removing far less material, it should stay sharp longer. Having to change between two machines might increase build time, but the more finished results that require less sanding might make up for it. The video of the original lure duplicator from years ago, where the stock is fed into one end as a long piece, and router-smooth blanks come out of the other on a continuous basis, is the holy grail.

Joel, you can make your own Plaster of Paris open mold. It's easy. Man, just when I get used to the self correct printing pop automatically, they go and fix it! Grrrr!!! Hahaha

Bob LaLonde made this: http://yumabassman.com/forums-new/index.php?topic=5709.0

I think he used what he could find at the time for screw eyes. Remember, this bait has been around a long time, and a lot more hardware choices are available now than back then when it was first made.

I am lazy, and I only make lures for myself and a few friends, so I can be less exact and it's still fine. Since I can only do one spinnerbait at a time, I skip the fluid bed with spinnerbaits. I put the powder jar on top of a big piece of plastic baggie, heat the head, hold it with a pair of small needle nose vicegrips over the jar, and use my fingers to grab a pinch of power and drop in to the head. Since I'm holding the head over the jar, the majority of the excess falls back into the jar, and I use a putty knife to put the excess on the plastic back into the jar when I'm done. If I'm doing a two color head, I put both powder jars on the same piece of plastic, spaced apart, and I can just reheat the head after the first color and do the second. I find that I have plenty of control if the amount of powder and where it falls using my fingers. But I am no artist, and that helps. I actually have more trouble curing the spinnerbaits in my toaster oven. It is always an awkward arrangement at best, keeping the hook and wire away from the heating elements. My next project is to make a wire jig to hold them better.

I had that problem, until I switched colors and glitter. My watermelon/red looked brownish/orange. Leonard at Baitjunkys suggested I try his color and glitter. That solved the problem.

Gliders, The entire bait is shaped on the lathe. The tail slot, hinge joints, and lip slot are all cut on a table saw, with jigs for orientation. The eye sockets are drilled. I'm guessing it's done on a drill press, again using some kind of a jig for orientation. The screw eye hinge has to be put together before it's installed in the lure, because it is too heavy a gauge to be able to close one side after it's installed. They probably used epoxy to install the eyes in predrilled holes.

I've found, in building jointed baits, the real strain on the hinges comes from the swimming action of the bait itself. The constant impact of the sections hitting each other when a bait is swimming, and the force generated when the bait hits the water on a cast, are what really tests a hinge system. Heavier bait sections need stronger hinge links.