mark poulson

Oops! I am so embarrassed! Hahaha

Clearly there are a lot of wire choices available. I just posted one that works for me, is readily available, and not expensive. Give this wire a try, and yo might not have to go to college to figure out which wire will work and why; https://www.lurepartsonline.com/Looped-End-Wire-Shafts

Since you haven't tried to bend any wire yet, I'd suggest you get the smallest quantity possible, to see if it will work for you, before proceeding to a larger quantity purchase. I have wire that I bought, thinking it would work, only to find out it was totally unsuitable for my needs.

I was asking because I wondered if the material would affect the strength of the fastening.

I am just a hobby builder, for myself and a couple of buddies. I get my 051 wire here: https://www.lurepartsonline.com/Looped-End-Wire-Shafts

What kind of bait are you talking about?

I'm still working on the same pack I bought 15 years ago.

What material will it be made with?

Which wood is the painted bait made from?

The embedment happens right behind the gill plate, so it isn't as bad as it sounds. From the pictures I've seen, a musky's jaw is so long that the tail hook on one of my 6" baits would never pass the jaw, anyway, and, now that I think about it, would probably never embed in that hard jaw material. It was just an idea to try and reduce the torque on the belly hook hanger. It is pretty common on quality swimbaits made for bass and stripers here in CA.

I have never even seen a musky, except in pictures, so this is just a question based on my building and fishing lures for largemouth bass and stripers. I use an 80# rated swivel for my belly hook hanger, set in super glue with a piece of spinnerbait wire passed through the buried eye that runs side to side, just for insurance. because, if I get careless, and allow the super glue to enter the barrel of the swivel, the wire will fail before the swivel body can be pulled out with a pair of pliers. I like the swivel belly hanger because it seems to keep the fish from using the weight of the lure to lever out the hook. It provides enough freedom to allow the lure to swing around and embed the tail hook into the side of the fish, which really cuts down on their thrashing and fighting. For you guys who build musky lures, do you think that method might work for you?

I use a half full 5 gallon bucket of water in my garage as a float tank. It works for cranks, and for soft plastics and jigs.

I was going to ask if Covid 19 affected buoyancy, but then I decided that might be off topic. :O)

Swivels are usually rated for strength where they're sold. Use the smallest one that still give you the strength you need. I never go under 80lbs, because the strains from casting, and from getting slammed by big fish thrashing are high.

Would adding some runny super glue to the areas to be carved beforehand help them to carve more evenly?

I know the saying is, "That which doesn't kill me makes me stronger", but it sure feels like it's killing while it's happening. Sorry you lost all that treasure.

Dave, Did you have to abandon all those shop tools when you moved?

Me, too.

The reason for wanting stock with parallel faces is to make it easier to mark a centerline on lure blanks, and to cut square lip slots. You can make any bait with the tools you already have. I use a bandsaw, oscillating belt sander (https://www.homedepot.com/p/RIDGID-Oscillating-Edge-Belt-Spindle-Sander-EB4424/202459151), and a cordless drill, plus a drill press. I use sanding blocks and files to finish shape my lures. I would stay away from trying to use a router, unless you're really experienced with using one. They can be grabby finger eaters.

When I have a problem with my painting/topcoat system on a lure, before I add the topcoat, I paint up a sample on a test piece with the same shape as the problem area, and play around with different changes until I find one that works.

Wouldn't that be considered an invasive species? Hahaha That is a nice looking bait.

Antioch (94531) is between San Francisco and Sacramento. According to google, it's 575 miles and 9 hours driving time from Blythe.

Thank Barry. The golden shiner is all your fault! Hahaha

Thanks. I do a variation of the same bluegill pattern, because it works, and I know how to do it. I'm no artist, so I use the KISS method. The top one is supposed to be a golden shiner.