mark poulson

Have you tried adding it to a dipping top coat?

I had some stripers bend out the #8 hooks on a Duo Realis spybait, and the same thing for some bass on a Zip Baits Orbit 80 jerkbait with #8 hooks. But I find the smaller, lighter wire treble hooks usually bury past the barb more easily, so they don't get thrown as much. If you have to horse a fish out of cover, you may bend the hooks out and lose the fish. I stuck a 7 on a homemade spybait, and one of the rear treble #6 hooks had gone all the way through it's lower lip, so I had to use pliers to unhook it. I was fortunate. I was throwing shallow, up onto a sand bar, and then bringing my bait back out over a ledge, where the fishe were waiting. My fish hit like a striper, and I had it on a crank rod with 12lb fluoro, so I just let it dive and tire itself out against my bend rod and thumb on the spool. I had just caught a striper, so I that's what I thought this fish was, too, and the first I knew it was a largemouth is when I finally got it up to the boat. I think you can see in the photo I was very happy;

Yozuri makes a lipless trap with the indented nose. Actually, it's a channel that runs up the forehead, almost to the line tie. I used that channel on some of my lures. It seems to help them dive faster. The picture you posted looks like a lot of similar traps.

I've never seen those before. At first glance, those look nice, but they also look heavy. My experience is that tight tolerance hinges like that only work as singles, and they foul easily from crap in the water. The also look kinda short for swimbait hinges. But they may be the next great thing in swimbait building, so, if you decide to pull the trigger and give one a try, let us know how it works.

I use the salsa cups from my local Mexican food take out restaurant. I wash them with dish soap in the kitchen sink, and they work great. Or I mix a small amount on a piece of duct tape I put onto the front part of my work bench.

But it is educational. I always feel smarter after I've "read" it. Just like I do after a few beers!

I think reducing with Pledge is overkill, and makes clean up a bear. Have you tried reducing with AutoAire reducers, like their 4011 or 4012?

Bob, Is circuit board more brittle than Lexan?

My Badger siphon brush has a .5 needle, and I use it for thicker paints, and to base coat larger lures. Otherwise, thinning your paint is the way to go. I can shoot pearls through my .35 if I add a couple drops of 4011 reducer.

I tried capitalizing the first letter, but that didn't work. This does: p.o.p, kinda like B.A.S.S.

If I were going to paint and sell knockoffs, I'd contact Jim at Predator Baits to see if I could work out some kind of a bulk deal with him. At least I'd know that the baits work before I started painting.

I use Ben's trick on some Vision 110 knockoffs from Predator baits, and they wake great. Just use light paint, and a light top coat, like a urethane or concrete sealer, and smaller hooks, to keep the baits buoyant. I also shortened the bent bill so it won't dive sub-surface on the pull.

Dave, Watching the video of your test tank is like reading the Sports Illustrated swimsuit addition!

Hahaha The blind leading the blind! I'm happy if I have been of any help. Sharing is what this site is all about. Almost everything I know about lure making I learned here, so I'm glad to be able to share what I've found.

Great looking bait! Post how it swims, as soon as your hard water melts.

That's a good looking bait!

Try here: http://www.barlowstackle.com/2X-Strong-Treble-Hooks-C79.aspx

Let us know how it works out. I see you have to brush or dip it, because the particles are too big for an air brush, according to their website. How much was your 1 oz. bottle? Does it have an integral brush on the cap?

Tony, Hard water make's for a tough test tank! That sucks!!! Find a place to test it. I'm dying to hear how it worked out. How did you anchor your screw eyes?

I like how you think!

As soon as (if) the sun comes out, I'll do a test, and let you know what happens.

If your fish are eating naked lures they must be preverted! I've caught fish on unpainted, white PVC lures, while I was testing them. They were white, so that is probably why. Of course, I'd love to think it was because of a genius design and build, and a great action and retrieve, but that is probably not it. If I were building to sell, I'd worry a heck of a lot more about my paint jobs, because appearance and detail are so important to fishermen. I don't think the fish care nearly as much.

Jaw, It worked for me, back when the SoCal lakes had water and shallow cover. Now they are so low they're all rock and mud, and a few long dead trees.

A dumb question....I was taught to fan out a conventional fiber weed guard, so it is, more or less, a single strand thick from one side of the fan to the other. The guard covers the entire front of the jig, but is softer, because it is spread. It still isn't weedless, but it comes through brush and wood pretty well. Has anyone else done this?