mark poulson

If I understand what you're saying, the deep belly in the front part of the lure offers more water resistance on the pull, so it slows faster, even as the thinner tail section keeps going, and that initiates the side to side glide. Surface walkers achieve that by putting more ballast in the back, so the back keeps going do to increased inertia when the lighter front slows. Man, I wish I had sat next to you in school!!!! Hahaha

Rob, You have to actually call your next order in by phone, and they'll take care of it then. I called them when I saw the credit to find out what it was, and the gal there told me how it works. There's a contact phone number on their website.

Dieter, Great explanations and videos. Thanks.

I used to use epoxy, but only used the D2T for coating the insides of my swimbait joint, before I assembled them and coated the exterior faces with either Etex or NuLustre 55. That was when I was building my swimbaits from wood. Switch to PVC decking for building, and your baits will last until a big one takes it away from you. It is both hard and waterproof, so the top coat is just to protect the paint job. When I build swimbaits for the salt, where our SoCal toothy critters roam, I use an exterior urethane over the PVC lures, and they hold up fine.

Understanding how and where to fish baits kind of informs my knockoff buying. I like to fish shallow cranks in flooded brush, and the 2.5 knockoffs work just fine for that. I also throw a lot of jerkbaits, and find the knockoffs, with some modifications, work well, too. I haven't had as much success with deeper diving cranks, but the knockoff jury is still out on them. There is so much more involved with getting a deep diver to perform and catch fish than with either a shallow crank or a jerkbait. Plus it's really hard to tell exactly how they're running, unless you fish gin clear water, or have a swimming pool. I have neither, so catching fish is my test.

I wondered the same thing, so I called them. They said call in the next order and they would apply the credit to it, which I did, and they did. It's kind of a hook to get you to reorder, but they are good for it if you call in next time. And it's found money. I never ordered from them expecting a store credit, so it's a bonus.

I use galvanized wire from Home Depot. It's 28 gauge, and works fine. And I can twist it until it's tight without it breaking. I use a rubber band skirt collar to get the skirt positioned how I want it on the jig, and then I wrap the wire between the rubber and the jig head a couple of times. Finally, I twist the wire with a small pair of needle nose vice grips until it's down tight to the jig, cut the rubber collar off with an exacto knife, pull up on the twisted wire to tighten the wire around the jig, and twist again with the vice grips until the wire is tight to the jig again. Then I cut off the twist wire, leaving about 1/2" that I bend down tight to the jig, facing the hook, and I use that twist as an additional trailer hanger.

I find that my sculpey masters come out of the oven a little flexible after I've cooked them according to the directions, but they harden when they cool. I was worried the first time I baked a master, so I put it back into the oven, and now that master is jet black! But it still works.

You can eliminate all hand oil contamination problems by wearing gloves. I use the blue nitrile gloves, and only wear one on my left hand, since I'm right handed and hold my airbrush in my right hand. The blue nitrile gloves are reusable, while the white latex gloves are more flimsy and don't last. The blue ones cost more, but last forever. When I pull my hand out it turns the glove inside out, and I just turn it back the right way before I put it on again. That way the painting side is inside when not in use, and stays cleaner. I hold my cranks in my hand a lot when I paint, and I even use my gloved hand to act as a stencil when I want to keep the paint off the head and gill plate. I hope this helps.

And maybe too hot.

Those are very nice baits! Congrats on a neat method.

I read that it's 1/1 by volume, not weight. Makes sense. Devcon sells their epoxy in double plunger applicators, which squeeze out equal amounts by volume, not weight. Thorough mixing is really the key. I mix by eye. I lay out what look like equal lines of hardener and epoxy (don't ask how I know about laying out lines), and then mix away. I use D2T mostly for anchoring hardware, not top coating, so I mix it with a wooden toothpick on a piece of duct tape laid onto my work bench, or in a small plastic salsa solo cup. Mixing small amounts makes thorough mixing easier. For larger amounts, I use a piece of wire with two 90 degree bends at one end, like a square U, so it gets into the edges of the solo cup. Or a popsicle stick cut square at the end. Whatever you mix with, mix like crazy!

I would go to this website, and ask them: http://www.coastairbrush.com/categories.asp?cat=11 They offer all things air brush.

I also hold them by the eye with a pair of needle nose pliers, and it keeps the eyes clean. If a little gets on the eye, I remove it before I bake the jig. It's much easier before it's cured.

I've never used them on a griddle. I've always used a microwave to heat my plastics. If you heat the plastic with a griddle, you might try to heat the plastic in pyrex first, and then transfer it to the silicone cups once it's hot. I've never done it, but it should work.

Nor Pro silicone cups keep the plastic hot longer. And hot plastic (350 degrees+-) pours better than cooler plastic (330 degrees). Get a digital thermometer so you can check the plastic temps and avoid scorching it by overheating.

I find that solvent based sharpies bleed over time, so they spread throughout the plastic tails I pour for my swimbaits.

Too smart!!!!

If you're spraying, try thinner coats to begin with, to give good adhesion, and then a smooth coat. I would make a test piece first, so I didn't ruin a bait I'd taken forever (for me) to paint.

They do look the same to me. I have no idea what's going on, maybe there is a licensing deal between the two, maybe Rick owns the design, who knows?

I'll give it a shot. Great, something else fishing-related to buy! Hahaha

I know Yamamoto makes a single tail grub that specially for spinnerbait trailers. At least, they used to.

Sequins! What a smart idea! Once they're glued on, a drop of black for the pupil, and you're all set! If I thought the looks I got when I bought nail polish were funny, I can only imagine what the woman at the fabric store will think when I ask for sequins! I already bought tulle there for scales, so I hope they will let me back in. Hahaha