mark poulson

I just read this on Western Bass: http://www.westernbass.com/forum/regular-guy-idea-the-great-american-lure-build-off-t85405.html Had anyone here heard about the contest?

Round file.

Congrats!!! The mold looks really clean, and those baits look great! You should get your arm broken!

I don't know if it's practical, but it seems like it would make for a really erratic retrieve if you mounted it on a jig head, and swam it like a crankbait. Like an upside down scrounger, but more subtle.

Here's the thread in home brew tools: http://www.tackleunderground.com/community/index.php?/topic/8409-looking-for-a-tube-tail-cutter/ Bojon is the builder who posted about the rotary cutter. I don't know if he's still active.

If I remember right, the one shown here was made with pizza cutter wheels on a through axle.

As I said, I copied the idea from Bobby Barrack's buzz frog. AMac, I got my buzz bait blades from Barlows. http://www.barlowstackle.com/Aluminum-Buzz-BladebrClockwise-Turn--P749C112.aspx I used the C blade, because I didn't want it to be too heavy, and that size works fine. I just bought the aluminum blades, and colored the one for the black frog with a black Marks-A-Lot. I'm pretty sure you could use other colors, too. toadfrog, I loaned a golf book to a friend thirty years ago, and it became his, magically! I guess books should go on the list of things that cause Alzheimers, along with borrowed power tools. Hahaha

Ben, I bet using that paint for the back and shoulders, and then scaling over it with another color would really pop.

Try using the small tule mesh, and overlaying it with the green mesh from an avacado bag. It looks almost 3D.

If you want to preserve the 3D details, Ben's right, some kind of urethane is the way to go.

Here's a "dumb" question from a carpenter. Can you make molds with the same machine, and will that material hold up to 350 degree Fahrenheit plastic?

Pete, That bait swims great! Paint it up and go fishing!!! My neighbor has been using those printers for his aerospace company since they first came out. When he told me what they could do I didn't believe him, until he brought home some of the prototypes he made. Amazing! Good for you!

Hahaha!!!!

You can always use old bbq grills, too.

All I think you can do is order a blank from each of the online suppliers and see which one comes closest. I would try: http://www.predatorbassbaits.com/id69.html http://bustinbassbaits.com/programs/shop/browse.cgi?&keywords=&lst=19&lnd=27&category=Unpainted_Crankbait_Bodies&sortparam=st&sortasc=asc&operator=&startprice=&endprice= There are others, but I think these show you what's available.

Really nice work! How did you do your carving and shaping, especially of those hinges? I found that, the longer the first section is, the more stable it becomes, and the harder the other two sections move. I can't get the head completely still, but I come close enough to get bit. I use a 2/1/1 ratio on my three piece swimbaits, and keep the ballast in the head as much as possible. Back toward the joint in the head, moving forward until I run out of room, and then in the front part of the second section if needed. I never put any in the tail. I find that, by keeping the weight in the front as much as possible and never in the tail, the bait swims level, since the PVC I use is buoyant. Also, since I use screw eye and pin hinges, I adjust the joints so the first joint isn't too loose, but the tail flops side to side. My three piece baits flap line a flag on a fast retrieve. I think that's the nature of three piece baits. A four piece bait swims in an S shape, like a snake.

Ed, I "cured" the dropped brush damage by putting a strip of old carpet down over the concrete in my painting area. It hasn't really gotten too dirty in over five years, and I haven't damage a brush since I put it down.

Welcome to TU. If you look at the locations of those who've replied to you so far, you'll see how widespread the participation here is. Everywhere from Alaska to Mexico, and coast to coast, plus Indonesia, Japan, and Europe. Everything I know about lure building I learned here. The members are both knowledgeable and generous. Check out the hard baits gallery, and PM the painters you like for some tips. And don't be afraid to post your own stuff. We all started just where you are.

Because, somewhere deep down inside, you're normal. In contrast to the rest of us....see, contrast again! Hahaha

Too funny!!! It will get bit!

Exactly! I tried to make a hard body buzz bait before, but it was not weedless at all, and the hookup ratio was lousy. Bobby Barrack's idea is the best of both worlds, a weedless frog and a buzz bait. I'm good at copying other people's ideas. My mother always said I was a backward element, so I guess reverse engineering comes natural to me. Hahaha

Only for a soft plastic magician like you!

Aaron Martens, who is color blind, chooses his baits for their contrast. I think maybe it's the contrasting paint jobs that get noticed as different, and therefore more vulnerable, on faster moving baits.