mark poulson

One of my most successful walking baits is a silver trout that has become a light golden color over time. It still catches fish.

I don't make sub-surface gliders, but, on my surface walkers, having the weight more central, and slightly past the mid point, is key for walking. I want the rear of the lure to be heavier, so it has more inertia and wants to keep moving when the front stops, which initiates the walking action. I don't know if sub-surface gliders are weighted similarly. When I was trying to duplicate the weighting of a lure I liked, I would put it on my workbench with no hooks, and put a pencil under it, crossways. Then I'd move the lure until it balanced, and that told me where the center of gravity was, so I could shoot for that with my own lure. That method should work for the Hell Hound, too, just to give you an idea of how the weight is distributed in the original.

Driving all that way and not getting to launch sucks. We've been dealing with the quagga inspections here in SoCal for several years. Lake Casitas was the first, back in 2008, to close to the public and require inspection, and then a 10 day cabled quarantine, before you could launch your boat there. Lots of the local guys up there had their boats "locked down" and only fish Casitas. Others went in on a pontoon boat that's locked down and moored there permanently, that they "time share". Then Cachuma and Piru followed with their versions of inspections and cabling, and now Pyramid and Castaic are onboard with the same type inspection and cabling. Diamond Valley will not let a boat from Arizona or CA Counties with quagga contamination launch, either, and their inspection regime is even more rigorous. All of these water supply lakes are worried that mussel contamination will result in huge, ongoing maintenance expenses, which will eventually be passed along as higher water costs to us consumers. it would be nice if each lake would recognize the others' cabling, but that's not always the case. As a boat owner and bass fisherman, I do miss Casitas. But I am cabled for the local SoCal lakes that do recognize each other's cabling, and I don't see fishing Diamond Valley any time soon, so I have learned to deal with it. And, if I were on the water boards for these lakes, I would be just as concerned. In fact, as a water customer, I'm pissed it took them this long to get Pyramid and Castaic, and the rest of the CA Aqueduct lakes, onboard with an inspection program. We here in SoCal now take the inspection protocall, and the geographic restrictions, into our fishing plans almost automatically. Just like checking projected weather patterns and campgrounds before we go, learning what the inspection regimes are for a particular lake have become a part of our long term planning for away trips.

Sweet!

You better do you the dressing and skinning far away from the house, or your wife will give you a frying pan upside the head. And you won't have to wait for the next Father's Day! Hahaha

So, if you want to burn them, but have them stay down, you need a heavier lure. Only experimentation will tell you what works best for your needs.

I'm wondering out loud if you could pour some dorsal fins from soft plastic, like the tails?

That looks like a great solution to the weight problem. I hope the fish agree!

The lexan window is a great idea. You need to monitor the lures for drips, sags, and bare spots. So make it easy to open in case you need to work on them after you've started turning. There are clear plastic storage containers that might work as a top for you. Make a four sided box base, with a clear sided storage container on top, held in position by two cut off nails and corresponding holes in the container. Then all you have to do to service the lures on the turner is lift off the container, and it is easy to re position afterwards. I thought of this when I made my turner, but mine is a ferris wheel design, with the lures suspended between two large plywood discs on a BBQ rotisserie spit, and it's too big for any container I could find. And I'm too lazy to make a lid for it. Hahaha

I just posted 5 more photos in the hardbaits gallery, of the last three baits, finished. They all weigh 31 grams, so I shaved off 5 grams by making them thinner in front. But they are still very buoyant, and hang down at an 80 degree angle when floated. If I push them down, they pop right back up. I'm going to take them for a swim Saturday. I have no idea what the flared tail will do to the action. I guess I'll find out Saturday! Hahaha

If it works for you, that's all that's important. Other people can make up their own minds.

Dieter, This is the hook I used: http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Do-it_Mustad_Flipping_91768BLN_Jig_Hook_50pk/descpage-DOIT917.html

Thanks for the follow-up and info Gary.

U Dah Man!!!! Funny, but you hit on the key for me in mold making. Take your time, and things turn out better.

Good idea!

Sounds like good stuff. Does it yellow over time?

I'm assuming you are painting with an air brush, and have some kind of a compressor. Gently blow the dust off your lure with your air hose, and go. Anything you use to clean or wipe your lure will have it's own contamination issues. Just do your blowing off outside, so you don't stir up the dust in your shop. If you don't have a compressor, get a good artists brush with fine, soft bristles, and just brush off all the debris and dust before you coat. I always worry more about dust contaminating my lures once they're on the turner. I make sure I'm not doing any work in the garage when I've got coated lures on my lure turner. I typically coat last thing at night, turn on the turner, check for drips and bare spots, and then close the garage door gently, so I don't send up a cloud of dust. I apply a second coat the next morning, and don't work in the garage until that afternoon, so the Etex has set.

It hangs down some, so the point is just below the level of the tail, and it's supposed to pivot up when a bass bites it. One of the pictures I posted in the gallery shows the hook hanging down as far as it goes, and another shows it swung up into the biting position. I just float tested the new blanks, and had to add 7 grams to them to get them to hang in the water like I want. I hope to get them painted this week, and try them out this weekend. They still weigh 31 grams, so I saved 5 grams by making them thinner, but they are still buoyant, and should cast like a rock.