mark poulson

I shoot at 330-340 degrees and get no shrinkage/dents. For me, the hotter the plastic, the more it shrinks/dents.

Thanks Nathan. Charlie started out being my younger daughter's dog, but he wound up being a part of the family. The house seems empty without him. He was a coon hound with big, sad eyes, floppy ears, and a great personality. He is missed.

Dieter, I actually don't drink much anymore, either, but my dog died, and it hit me a lot harder than I thought it would. I wound up toasting him one night, and ended up with an artificial cork as a souvenir. I was just messing around in the garage the next day when the popper bug bit me. It's a little light to throw with a baitcaster, but I know it'll cast fine with spinning gear, as long as there's no wind, or I cast down wind. At first I thought it was butt ugly, compared to some of the frogs I usually throw, but then I thought about all the real life frogs I've caught in my life, and it didn't look that different. Anyway, it was fun to make, and it will remind me of my dog Charlie every time I look at it. Take care, Mark

I agree with Patrick. More transparent baits for clear water, darker colors for off colored water, and use flake to get contrast, which is a key for attracting fish.

Here's a site for some more "exotic" paints that work: http://www.mckenziesp.com/Wildlife-Colors-C2020.aspx

Here's a good site for Wasco taxidermy paints: http://www.mckenziesp.com/Wildlife-Colors-C2020.aspx

I'd ask him what baitfish the stripers feed on and what size, look up some pictures online, and then go from there. Typically, out here in SoCal, the local saltwater baitfish that school and get eaten, by bonita and tune out here, are either sardines or anchovies, both of which are long and thin, and are silver with green and violet accents. Once you know what you're trying to imitate, there are bound to be people here who can offer suggestions. One word of advice I would give you is that salt water fish are much harder on fishing lures that you're probably used to with duck decoys. Plan to make everything stout, with heavy stainless steel hardware and 3X hooks. Those stripers are big and strong.

I've always just blown on the belly hook hangers first, after I've dipped, to break the film that covers the hanger eyes, and then I use a wooden tooth pick, passing it through the hook hangers and removing the excess from it with a paper towel after each pass. I remove the drip buildup at the rear hook hanger and clean the hanger at the same time with a paper towel. If there is hardened clear on the hangers after I've cured the clear coat, I use a pair of split ring pliers to remove it.

That looks really good! Let us know how it holds up.

Thank you Miles for the list, and the suggestions. Welcome to TU!

I just looked it up online at McKenzie Taxidermy Supply, and they have some interesting water-based colors (Hydromist). At $10+ for 8 oz. for metalics, the price seems good, too. Let us know how it works for you.

I use Apple Barrel and Folk Art paints, which aren't specifically designed for air brushes. From what I've learned here, that means there may be larger pigment particles, which clog the small passages in an air brush. Because I'm lazy, and only paint for myself and friends, I thin those paints with Auto Aire 4011 reducer until they are like skim milk before I use them. When I do get a clog, I usually just backflush the paint back into the cup a little to clear it. If that doesn't work, I pull the needle back a little to make more room for the paint to pass. It's not scientific, but it works most of the time. If I were going to screen the paint, I would thin it first, because it comes out of the plastic bottle way too thick to use anyway.

Dry cleaned? You must be flush!!! Hahaha

I use it to thread silicone skirt "legs" through the sides of my plastic craws and worms.

My black backed crank seems clear, but it isn't as sharp as the SC 9000 cleared baits. But it is plenty clear in the water, and I was able to paint and clear the bait Friday evening, and fish it Saturday. I even did a "test" when I, intentionally of course, cast too far and bounced it off a rock. Hahaha It didn't crack, dent, or scratch. Maybe it's because the PVC it's made from is so hard, so it helps protect the finish, if that makes sense.

I made my own by pinching a large split shot onto the ends of a mojo sinker sst wire. I use it for threading line through the level wind on my baitcasters, and for getting flashabo through the eyes of my trebles when I'm tying feathered trebles.

I repainted a crank yesterday with a black back, and dipped it. 3 minutes in the nail light, lifted and turned every 30 seconds, and it didn't cloud up. It's in the boat to be swum today, so I'll know more when I get it into the sunlight.

Thanks.

It could be that the cloudy just doesn't show up on my lighter paint jobs. I haven't tried it on a dark colored lure, but I will, to see if it's a color thing. I'll post the results, either way.

Ben, Do I understand what you're asking? You think that, if you put the line tie into the cupped face, it will be down in too deep to tie the line easily? I have never shaped a popper like that, but, if I did, I'd put up with the hassle of having to thread the line through the recessed eye, instead of putting the line tie above or below the mouth. Poppers work because they trap both water and air when they're popped, and I don't think moving the line tie above or below would let you do that. Have you already painted the bait? If not, and you think the cup is too deep, bite the bullet and remove some of the outer lip, so it's not so deep. Having to shave the outer edge again isn't that big a thing compared to making a popper that won't pop. I put my popper line ties just above the center of the cupped mouth, and then I tie my line and slide it down toward the bottom of the eye to get a really good pop/bloop/spitting action. I tie line on and cut it off at the Palomar knot several times first, and slide those knots up around the eye, so when I finally tie on the actual fishing line it stays toward the bottom when I'm done. I anchor those knots with some crazy glue. It doesn't hurt the action of the lure. My biggest fish on a homemade popper is 8.37 lbs, so I know it works. It got me big fish for my club for the year.

Why are there no balsa mythters? Is it a "men get hernias/woman have hysterectomies" type of thing? Seriously, I hope building cranks stays fun for everyone involved, even if you make baits for a living. Remember, it's fishing.

What did you find?

Think about how much you really save before you commit to just buying online. I'm sure that, for people painting baits for a living, price is really important, since there isn't any extra meat on the bone to spare. But, as a hobby builder, convenience trumps price for me sometimes, since I use very small quantities of paint. If I run out while I'm painting and a local shop, like Michael's or Graphaid, has what I need, I'll pay for their brick and mortar store margin, because being able to continue working is more important to me than the extra money. If I know I'm running low on a couple of colors, I will order it through TPC or Coast, since my need is not immediate and I have the luxury of time.

That big crank with the tow point toward the front of the lip, which I am assuming keeps it shallow, should be deadly in dirty water, and mud lines. Hmmm.....

I am reading that guys are getting "foggy" finishes. I haven't experienced that. I use PVC and Createx/Auto Air/Folk Art/Apple Barrel/Wasco paints, which I dry with a hair dryer between coats. I use a nail box UV light for curing, and lift and turn the baits every 30 seconds for three minutes. Is anyone using PVC having fogging issues, or is it just those building with wood or resin?