mark poulson

I use clear nail polish to keep my 3D eyes on my swim jigs.

Hoff, Your bait looks interesting. I've laminated PVC decking to PVC trimboard in the past, but, for me, it wasn't worth the effort. I hand shape all my baits, and, even though I get close, they all vary by the time I'm ready to add ballast to them. For smaller cranks, it is possible to repeat a shape well enough to be able to use weighted belly hook hangers to get close, but I have trouble getting bigger baits that close. I've found that I have to play around with my ballast too much after my bait is shaped, depending on the shape, to be able to incorporate the ballast before shaping. Please keep us informed as you build them.

That is a great question!

I only tie for myself, so I usually use the same skirt parts that work for me, but, when I want to save a combination, I use my cellphone camera to record my skirt parts, and then save them on my computer.

I use the thin and the medium. I've never tried the thick. For me, the thin works for attaching eyes to crankbaits, for attaching tight fitting crankbait bills, and for making baking soda filler. It also seals balsa baits really well, and also PVC trimboard baits. The medium works well for anchoring weed guards, and installing crankbait hardware. I use the ZAP accelerant to set the medium, once I have something glued and positioned.

Here's their home page: https://www.zapglue.com/ I usually buy it off of Amazon.

I do use those, too, but I like the 2 or 4 oz. bottles because I use it a lot in my bait building.

After reflecting overnight, I would say that Strike King is the crankbait brand I try to imitate the most. I am no artist, and their paint schemes are easy to copy, and they catch fish.

I was told by a tech at Etex that it should two equal parts by volume, and it should be very well mixed. She said that, if the first coat stayed soft/tacky, I should mix up another batched properly, and recoat the bait. That worked for me. I used epoxy syringes from Flexcoat, and I heated the two components first with a hair dryer, so they would measure and mix more easily.

Man, now you've made me have to think! Grrrrrr. I'll get back to you.

I have been using super glue since the 70's, so this is kind of embarrassing to admit, but I just figured out how to keep the little silicone caps on my ZAP super glue from getting clogged with dried glue and then sticking to the glue nozzle. I took the same artists brush I use to apply the grease to my reel gears and put a light coating on the inside of the cap and on the shaft of the nozzle. Amazing, no more stuck caps!

Forgive a non-CAD fluent question, but would embedding the mold halves in support wooden boxes that you can clamp together prevent mold warping?

Cool! Thanks for the pics, and the explanation. That is a massive amount of hook rash! I see why you changed it to top hook. Clear fingernail polish will protect the rashed wood without changing it's looks, or affecting the action.

How do they keep the line and hook in place during the cast, and when the bait lands?

I like that hook arrangement because you do have a hook on the rear section, but it puts all the strain of fighting the fish on the front line tie, and not on the hinge joint. How are the hooks held in place?

Here in NorCal, on the CA Delta, red craw squarebills work well on levee rip rap, and around shallow wood. Bluegill is also a good pattern, because the bigger bass here are bluegill eaters.

Send him a pm or an email, and discuss it with him. He's always been good about answering questions.

Dave, I love how you explain things so they make sense. Thank you. P.S. Your Oscar for videography is coming.

When I use the belt sander on PVC deck boards is when I get melting, if I try to take too much off at once with a fine belt. I don't seem to have that problem with 60 grit. I sometimes get wispy trailers, like spider webs, if I try to rip it on the table saw with a duller blade. Heat buildup seems to be the common denominator, so keeping my tools sharp, whether it's hand tools or power tools, has been key for me when I'm working with PVC, especially the deck boards.

What brand of PVC board are you using? I used to use AZEK decking, and had some machining problems, but since I switched to their trim board the problems have gone away. Maybe the decking has more of the actual PVC material, since it's stronger and heavier, and that's what's sticking/melting.

I'm guessing Leonard is facing the same Covid-related issues when it comes to keeping things in stock. He only makes money when he can sell something, so I'm pretty sure low stock is not by choice.

Nice! Depending on the lure's size, you may have to give it a fatter profile to give yourself enough room to add additional belly ballast. You can always thin it afterward with a sanding block to remove some of the buoyancy the fatter body will provide.