mark poulson

Luke, Tell us what kind of paint you're using.

Once you've added the hooks and line tie, float test them. If they lie almost lever, with the tail slightly down but the back still mostly out of the water, they should work fine. I would test one on the water before I finished all of them, to see if the weighting needs tweaking. I haven't made poppers that big, but I've made lots of topwaters that big and bigger. The biggest poppers I make are 2 1/2", and they hang down at approx. 45 degrees. The tail down in poppers is more exaggerated in small poppers, because they are light, and adding ballast helps them to cast better, but it's not required in larger poppers. Line tie position is very critical. Play around with your test lure to see where to put it. I generally put the tie either dead center of the cupped face, or slightly above center, and then make sure my knot is all the way down toward the bottom of the line tie eye. That seems to be key to getting the bait to pop really well.

I don't make resin baits, but you would have to use a resin with the same density as balsa to get the same action. I'm pretty sure that would be a resin that would be too weak for lures. Everything I've read about resins says you have to add lots of microballons to get it more buoyant, but I could be wrong. Again. Hahaha

Clever solution. Thanks for sharing.

I like the lightest material I can use for deep divers, so they back out of hangups really well. It's no accident Rapala uses balsa for their DT series. I'd rather be able to add ballast between the bill and the front hook hanger, like the DT series of lures, because it makes the bait more stable on the retrieve. I don't build with wood anymore, but, if I did, I'd look at either a strong balsa, or sugar pine, for my material.

I'm going with the mixing it more idea. When I don't mix it really well, I have a bad mix. I've learned to deal with the air bubbles that come from mixing, instead of under-mixing to avoid them. A hair dryer will soften the epoxy, and let the bubbles rise to the surface and break. It will also speed the setting.

It looks like you've done a great job.

I've found with smaller topwater baits that having them hang down almost vertical is the best way to achieve a good walker. They need the weight in the rear to give the tail section enough momentum to keep it moving when the head stops. That initiates the walk-the-dog action, and seems to be critical to getting a small bait to walk. As someone to whom computers are still aliens from another world, my hat is off to you! You have bent the monster to your will!!!!!!!

Beautiful! The deep shimmer in some hardwoods is amazing! Be sure and use a wire leader, so you don't get bit off!

Thanks.

Wow, that looks great! You did an amazing job. How long did it take you to make it to that point?

Here's the link: http://advancecast.majorleaguefishing.com/majorleaguefishing/event/challenge-cup-elimination-round-one/14

Thanks.

Thanks Paxamus. I use Sculpey Clay to make my soft plastic masters, and I want to use it for my jig masters, too. Will that RTV work with Sculpey Clay?

Thanks David. What brand of RTV are you using?

If you can get the trimboard from AZEK, it comes in 1" net X 3 1/2", and in longer lengths, so there's more usable material.

If you're using wire for the weedguard, what about bending the wire into a V, with a short leg to insert into the single weedguard hole? That way you could use the standard mold, and still get the V weedguard you want.

Time for another dumb question. I'm confused. All of the RTV silicone mold making stuff I've found is rated to the mid 400 degree fahrenheit temp. range, but lead melts at 600+. How is it that molten lead doesn't ruin the RTV molds?

I drill them by hand, with the bit chucked in the drill press, so I just go by eye.

You sound like a marriage councilor!

I've used both the AZEK decking, and their more buoyant trimboard. The decking has about the same buoyancy as Poplar, and the trimboard is even more buoyant. But you have to remember the material is only buoyant if it weighs less than the water it displaces. So cranks that I've made with thinner tail sections don't back up like the ones I made with thicker tail sections. I have a couple that float, but suspend once I've cranked them down. The ones I made with the same profile from the side, but with almost the same width front to back, float and backup great. I've made small topwaters, 4" and the shape of a fat pencil, and they work fine, but I am careful not to overload them with heavy hardware. Balsa is the most buoyant material I've found, short of hollow plastic, but the trimboard is almost as buoyant, as long as you have enough material to float your hardware. Even balsa won't float if you overload it.