mark poulson

And I would bear in mind that most commercial lures are made with economical manufacturing in mind, so their paint schemes are easy to do and repeatable. The photos above of the goby show it has a mottled pattern on it's back, so it is camouflaged from above. I find that adding a random pattern helps make the lure seem more natural, but also makes it harder to see except in clear water, so bear in mind what water color he'll be fishing most of the time. If it's off color or murky, getting your lure noticed is the most important thing, since bass are primarily sight feeders, so you might want to try brighter, more contrasting colors.

Thanks for the link.

A neat concept, for sure. Only trying your design will tell you if it works, and what the problems might be. Unless you're a laminar flow engineer, and can model it on the computer. I would worry that the large triangular area where the lure is suspended would tend to have it's own circular water rotation, instead of the water going around the top of the tank, down the far side, and under the triangular block. One way to try and keep a vortex from forming in that area might be to extend the vertical side of that triangular block that's on the pump side up above the water line, and drill a hole for the pump pipe, to force the water for the pump to be drawn from below the triangular block, instead of some of it coming back over the top. That should promote a more circular flow pattern, especially if you keep your water source up near the surface. And a narrower tank might make the flow more consistent, and help to avoid side vortices. I don't know if this is possible with your sump pump, but rigging a valve in the outlet pipe, so you can control the amount of current flow, might be a good option, so you don't just wind up with a tsunami all the time. Let us know how it works out.

Most bottom dwellers have evolved so that their coloration imitates the bottom they live on, so they blend in and don't get eaten. The ones that stand out get noticed and eaten more often. So you paint scheme will depend on the bottom of the areas where he fishes.

Do you have a link to a company that will do that?

I just bought some to try on deep crank eyes and jig heads.

A mild vinegar/water solution kills quagga mussel larvae in you bilge and livewell, too. And it removes water scales from your boat.

X3 That is a beautiful build. Be sure to put some kind of paper or plastic at the bottom to catch the drips, so you don't mess up that beautiful machine.

I use whatever size hooks that won't foul each other or catch on the bill, and still let my lure sit right in the water at rest, and swim right.

I use the salsa cups and lids from my local Mexican take-out.

The law of unintended consequences. Hahaha

That's a great looking bait!

Amen. If you can't afford a CPA, you aren't a viable business. You should rethink what it takes to be in business. It's serious, and the IRS doesn't play around.

Thanks Bob. I couldn't find the white on their site, but I'll email them to order some. I saw that about the glow powder and auto clear. That's a great idea for bikes, and spoons/blades. I don't fish where there are walleyes and pike, but I bet adding Glonation eyes to a walleye crankbait would make those eyes pop.

That's a very intriguing concept. Lots of "little stuff" to work out, but that's the fun part. Let us know how it works out.

Thanks Ben. The label on the can I have was no help.

Try heating the blade before you paint it.

Thanks. I'll check a can I have in the garage. Very interesting stuff, anyway. Thanks.

Speaking from experience with down draft units for kitchen cooktops only, they are very inefficient, because, in the case of gas cooktops, they pull the flame and heat away from the pot you're trying to cook with. An overhead exhaust fan works with the natural tendency of warm air rising, so they can be less powerful and still do the job. Rather than doing a down draft, can you make what amounts to a spray booth setup behind your bench, so the fan draws the fumes away from you as you pour?

I switched to Kosher salt, and the opaque is much less.

Does this mean that adding softener to a bag of stiffer plastics soften them? Or coating them and then putting them in an open tray?

Ben, Is the acid/zinc combo what makes Rustoleum paints work?

I haven't made a Manta, but the glide baits I have made have their ballast in the belly, and more toward the middle of the bait. The longer the bait, the farther apart the ballast, and the longer the glide. Short baits almost walk the dog underwater. Berkley makes a sub surface walker that you could buy and strip, to see how they do it. Here's an interesting video that shows how adding a weight in front of the manta enhances it's action: