mark poulson

Just remember to use a dust mask. Most woods that are really rot resistant have oils in them that are hard on your sinuses and lungs. If you have allergies, they can be murder!

Do a test of your entire paint system before you paint another lure. Thin, well dried coats of water based paints should not react to most top coats. Really strong top coats, like the exterior water based urethane I have used, have such strong film strength that they pull as the dry and shrink, and can cause crackling on any paint they go over that isn't strong. Createx and other water based air brush paints aren't strong enough to resist that pull, so I put a coat of the same manuf.s interior urethane on them first, to make the paint strong enough to resist the final top coat. But it's great for enhancing the crackling to crackle finish cranks!

FrogAddict, Where and how are you attaching the hook?

That's just great! Another "must try"! Hahaha Bob, are you using their green glo paint?

I was thinking of surgical tubing, because it is stretchy and flexible, and it doesn't rot. That's the tubing that comes with trailer hooks.

I hope bass do like magnets, because I just made three hard frog lures that use them to hold the hook tines in place.

I feel for you, but not too much. Hahaha Enjoy your time in school.

If you're just starting out, look for some Azek PVC trimboard. It's totally waterproof, machines like wood, very buoyant, and is hard and strong. I use it, and can shape, weight, paint, and top coat a lure in a day, using Solarez top coat. If I want to, I can fish it ten minutes after the top coat is cured, which takes three minutes in a UV nail light box. Otherwise, all of the woods you listed will work.

I've been using Solarez for a year now, and finally saw the white haze you're talking about, on a black frog paint job I just did. The haze may only show up on dark paint, and this happens to be the first time I noticed it.

It is great when someone "in the industry" is willing to share their knowledge. Please tell him thanks for me.

Jmarsh, With your double hook fixed, there is a lot of weight above the lure, too, so it makes weighting tricky, especially if you want the frog to float more or less horizontal. Adding enough weight to keep it belly down may make it less buoyant than you would like, but you didn't say how you want the frog to swim. I swung my hook so it is below the bait at rest. I was trying to make it weedless, and the weight of the hook below the frog helped it to turn upright on the landing. Happy accident. The line on the lure will affect how it swims, so, you're right, you do need to water test it. But you can add some line and test it in a bathtub, too. Dieter does it all the time. But only a test at the pond will tell you how it casts and works on the retrieve with a long line as a leader.

I think your frog rolled is that the hook is on top, so it's top heavy. One of the reasons I hung the frog hook below my frog is to keep the weight low, and toward the rear. I just posted two more in the Hard Baits gallery. They are a little different than the first one. I tried to keep them more buoyant by making them just a bit bigger that the first one, so there is more PVC for buoyancy. The black one is the biggest, and I was able to add a side to side rattle and still have it float more horizontal. Did I tell you it's fun making stuff? Hahaha