mark poulson

Thanks guys. When my new "magic" color and flake arrives, I'll report back. Adding some chartreuse makes sense, to lighten the green, but I won't know if I need it until I've tried the stuff that's coming. I have kudzu. I'll play around with that, too. If I can get it to work with my old .15 red flake, I'll be thrilled.

My kids are totally computer literate, and I'm happy for them. But I'm not, and, at 66, I am too lazy to try and learn "all" about them now, so I don't see 3D printing in my future, even though my across the street neighbor uses them at work. And I'm sure my unease with working on the computer colors my attitude, to a large degree. But the real reason I will pass on them is, as a hobbyist, I love carving out my cranks and swimbaits. It's fun and satisfying. For me, it's like actually fishing, instead of watching fishing on TV.

I'm sooo jealous!

I look forward to hearing/seeing your progress. Having a weedless hard bait that you can throw into grass like a hollow body frog would be the cat's meow.

Sounds like the way to go for wood lures. Does it add much weight?

Amen!

I am going to play around with both MF color, and Baitjunky's flake and color, and see if either, or both, work for me. I think you're probably right about the Del's flake not liking higher temps., but I add it after the first 350 cook, and try to keep it down to 330 after that. I hand pour a lot, and need the plastisol up to 330 to get it to pour well.

If you can, picture a soft frog shape in a hard bait, with a double frog hook hung from the bottom so the hook tines can lay down onto the back of the lure, but with enough play that the hook shank can swing up against the belly when it's compressed on the bite, so the hook points rise up and can engage the fish's mouth. I haven't tried it yet, but either the spring between the hook shank and the belly, or the magnets at the hook seats in the back, should keep the bait weedless until the bass bites down on it and pops the hook points up into it's mouth. In theory.... Hahaha I think it's worth a try, anyway.

A larger hook or a feathered rear treble will damp down the action on a crank, but that's not always a bad thing.

You're probably right. Depending on how much you work it, it's probably a toss up. I use glass rattles, the long ways front to back, on poppers which are too small for other type rattles.

If you can find a small non-rusting spring to put between the hook shank and the body, you could make slots for the double hooks in the back of the frog, like a soft frog, and the spring would keep them hidden/weedless until it gets bit. Or maybe two small magnets in the hook slots to hold the points until it's bit. These springs look like they might work: http://www.use-enco.com/1/1/29622-stainless-steel-compression-springs-319-8037.html

I don't have either mold, but, from the pictures, the 702 claws look bigger, and mount more on the side of the bait, which should make for better swimming action.

Most mold and injector manufs. have "how to" videos on their sites. Otherwise, you can probably find tons of videos for plastic pouring on You Tube.

Maybe a single hook crank, like the one I made a while back, in a frog shape would work. I don't know what kind of cover you're fishing, but it's an option for a wake bait: http://www.tackleunderground.com/community/index.php?/gallery/image/10603-deep-diver-single-hook13/

I'm too cheap to try that. Hahaha

Me, too, especially if its a rib bone. I'm a sucker for BBQ. I tend to put BBQ sauce on my steaks, and I get a lot of grief from my kids for that.

You can pick up a cheap plastic kids pool from Toys R Us. The kind with the hard sides, so hooks won't be a problem. If you want a bigger or longer tank, dig a trench, line it with a heavy plastic tarp, and then put a waterproof plywood trough into it, to protect the plastic. Once it filled with water, it should work fine. I've also heard of people using big plastic ice chests as tanks, too.

When I used to make wood baits, I played around with Minwax Wood Restorer as a sealer. It also is used for strengthening rotten wood, and is absorbed. But I found that the solvents took a long time to off gas, so I had to wait a week before I tried to use heat dried paints over it, and, even then, it sometimes bubbled out from the end grain. But it was, by far, the best sealer I ever found. It got into every hole and detail. Sounds like the CPES is a better version of wood restorer.

One plus for putting a side to side rattle beneath and between the eyes is you don't have to cover the aluminum with bondo, since the eye will cover it, and the top coat will add reinforcement. I get a better sound with one ball bearing since it move farther, and faster, than multiple balls. The larger the ball, the deeper the rattle.

Ben, Your bone looks good. I usually add either some transparent brown, or transparent yellow and metallic gold, depending on if I want a dirty bone (brown) or a warm bone (yellow and gold). I guess which you choose depends on whether you like your bone dirty or warm. Hahaha

Test spray some light coats of basic colors, one on top of the other, to get different shades of colors. Like a light coat of blue, and then top that with yellow, to get greens. What shade you get depends on how much of each color you use. I use mostly transparent colors, but I buy Apple Barrel Moss Green, and thin it, as a base for my green pumpkin colors for trout bait backs and shoulders.

I ordered some of Baitjunky's water melon color and .15 red flake. Pretty soon I'll have him to blame! Hahaha

I'll try some Thanks. I see in my Lure Parts Online catalog they sell it, so I'll order some today.

Barry, Have you tried PVC for you wake baits? It works great, and there is no sealing needed. PM me if you want more info.

I find a side to side rattle is louder than a front to back. I seal my side to side rattles with aluminum can discs, super glue, and bondo, and they are pretty loud. I drill through holes at the eye locations on my walking baits, and use 3D eyes to cover the aluminum discs. I use 2 SST ball bearings that are just under 1/4", and they make a loud noise. I have found that putting the rattles side to side on wide X'ing crank baits can cause the aluminum covers to be dented and bulge, so I am careful to coat the bondo filler with super glue to make it stronger. I also use glass worm rattles in baits, if there is room. Again, side to side gives me a better rattle with them, too.