mark poulson

Don't tell him how deadly that combo is!!! Hahaha

I hate how salt eats at some hooks, like bronze and chromed hooks, so I try not to use salted baits on open hook applications like chatterbait and spinnerbait trailers. If I do use them, like as jig trailers, I make sure to remove them after each trip. But the fish seem to hold salted baits longer, so I use them.

The strength of the wood you're using should probably dictate how much you need to worry about pull out. Balsa is weak so it is a big issue. Pine is a little stronger, poplar is strong, douglas fir is strong, and PVC is strong. I drill pilot holes in all of these materials before I run the eyes in, to prevent splitting. I would run the screw eyes in and then back out again, to cut the threads into the wood, and then coat them with brush on super glue and run them back in again. To me, that stands the best chance of the super glue strengthening the wood threads. For added strength, you could also use a fine wire, once the eyes have been run back out, to put some regular super glue all the way into the hole, so it soaks into the wood down deep, and then run them back in coated with the brush on glue. If you are really concerned do some tests with pieces of the wood you use for building, and see how the eyes hold in it before you use them on your lures.

You Da Man!!!

Are there any storage issues with this, like with DN?

Dave, Does this mean that a deep diver with a lip more aligned with the center line of that bait, front to back, dives deeper because it takes longer for it to reach the point where it is vertical in the water and no longer dives?

One of the things that using sst bicycle spokes for hinge axles with sst .092 screw eyes does is produce a squeak.

I taste the salt in the baits, so I think the bass do, too. I know I've been able to "lead" a bass out of a bush when it's holding a GYCB fat Ika, by pulling gently on it, so I could get a good swing on it outside the hangups. The bass won't let go with gentle pressure. I've never had that experience with a non-salted bait.

Sounds good!

I love the idea, and the execution. Congrats. Do they land belly down all the time? Do they roll on the retrieve? Do you have to use a weighted hook?

If you get .092 eyes that are 1 3/4" long, I doubt you'll be able to pull them out of the bait before the wood fails.

Does the curved tail with the hook on the underside, like on a Wiggle Wart, make a crank less likely to snag?

Heat will make the epoxy set too quickly. I keep my epoxy in my garage, and it can get hot. If it does, I let the two bottles sit in a tupperware of cold water for half an hour before mixing. Just room temp., not ice water.

I don't know what's more disturbing, the shape of the bait, or the mind that thought it up?!! Hahaha It's really cool looking. I hope it works for you.

Please be careful!

I was able to make a 3D bulging eye by drilling a shallow, flat bottomed hole at the eye location, painting the eye scheme onto the flat bottom, and then adding successive drops of Solarez, UV curing between each drop. Because the resin is viscus, I was able to achieve a hump, but I only did one side at a time, so I could quickly put it under the UV light before it flattened itself out. It was fun to do the first time, but, after that, it was a pain in the.....neck.

For translucent baits I use Kosher salt, because it is coarse and won't make the baits cloudy.

The fumes from a hot wire cutting PVC, provided it actually worked, would be really nasty.

Can you use Mend-It Glue? http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Mend-It_Glue/descpage-MIG.html I've used it to keep eyes in place on soft swimbaits, so I think it might work for your eyes, too.

That's a really smart idea!

We used to use paraffin oil on wood butcher block tops because it doesn't turn rancid. I don't know if it will work for scents.

Just be sure to match your line size and rod to the gauge of the hook wire. The heavier/thicker the hook, the heavier the line and rod setup, so you can drive that hook home. I fish smaller swimbaits at times, on 8lb and a med. light baitcaster, so I use a smaller, light wire weighted hook. I can't find the manuf. name or link now, but I got the info here on TU.

Use your freshwater soft plastics, and just figure you're going to have to pour more. Getting bit is a terrible problem to have. Hahaha

Jeff from MF contacted me, and I ordered some of his glow additive. I only want a hint, not a floodlight, so I'm going to play around with it in some pearl/white plastic to see how it looks in the dark.

I did a site search, but was unable to find what I wanted. Is there an additive to make soft plastics glow in the dark? Not UV, but something that will make the baits glow. I fished a night tournament recently, and my partner had some glow in the dark swimbaits that looked like search lights! I don't want that strong a glow, but I'd like to be able to make my baits glow a little. Can I add the Glonation power to my plastic?