mark poulson

Spoopa, Thanks for the words of encouragement. I'll keep the faith. Pete, I also found out that I needed to have the lure's nose pointed, like you did. I make my four piece lures with weight near the hook hangers in the first and third sections, and that seems to make them swim well, and turn 180 degrees on a pull/pause. I typically weight them until they float level, with temporary weights on the hook tines, and then add the additional weight using 1/4" lead wire, which weighs 1 gram per 1/8". I cut it with a drywall knife, rolling it back and forth like a tubing cutter, roll it on my tablesaw top with a piece of 1/4" steel to get rid of the raised edges, and then push it into a 1/4"+ hole. A drop of crazy glue holds it fine. Then I bondo over the top to hide the hole. If I want a sinker, I add the additional weight both toward the nose, and in front of the rear/third section hook hanger. I don't think the grooved head is the problem. I started doing that with some three piece lures I made, and they swim fine, with the head stable, and the tail flapping like a flag in the breeze. But all my lures are taller and thinner than yours seem to be. My 4" bluegill, whose body is only 2 3/4" long, is 1 1/4" tall, and only 5/8" thick at the mid point. My 6" three piece bluegill/crappie lures, with 4 1/4" bodies, are 2 1/4" tall and 3/4" thick at the mid point. They all taper back from a more pointy nose to thick and the first joint, and then back down to thinner (3/8") at the tail. I also taper them top to bottom, so they have a V profile, like a battleship. I think this keeps them stable at high speeds, so they don't roll on their sides. atrophius, I actually do that kind of bulb on the end of the tail section on my four piece lures that have a spring holder for a plastic tail. I did it to give me enough space for the tail to mount, but not have a really thick lure most of the way back. It kind of flares out at the tail. They swim fine, so I guess it works. Tim, I copied your double split ring tail on the one I just made, to try and keep the size down. Man, what a pain to get split rings through the plastic without springing them open! I wound up using #6 split rings. If it swims better, I'll probably find some better, smaller rings. Those big rings are gaudy. How big are your bluegills?

Dieter, You're probably right about the height of the lure acting as a rudder. In fact, I made the lure's profile a V, with the top thick than the bottom, to help stabalize it on a fast retrieve. Riverman, I know a four piece would really swim well. But, with such a small lure, I can't get that many segments without going crazy. atrophius, I want to stay away from a soft plastic tail section, because of the weight, and also because I'm lazy. I just finished shaping and jointing another one, with a plano divider tail attached with two small cotter pins and two split rings, like I've seen it done on lures here. I'll let you guys know how it swims when I take it to the pond to test, THIS TIME before I paint it. At first I got mad at myself for not remembering the problems with two piece lures. Then I remembered that some of the most experience fishermen I know, tournament guys, sometimes forget to put in the drain plug before they launceh. If they can forget, I guess it's okay for me, too. Thank goodness the first lure does swim, or I would be really pissed at myself! I really just wanted to make a simple, quick, down and dirty bluegill bait for the post spawn, not planning another major project. Of course, as John Lennon said, "Life is what happens while you're making your plans".

If I were turning a lure with the slot already cut, I'd turn that part with a wood rasp and fine file, or coarse and fine sandpaper.

Dave, What do they say, if you keep doing the same thing, but expecting different results..... I was so busy making a new, small, pretty lure that I didn't think about anything else. I'll probably play around with the double O ring deal on the tail, since I can use really small cotter pins without affecting the weight too much. When I saw it swim, I felt like I had forgotten to put the plug in the boat! All the bells and whistles about two piece lures went off in my head, and a big sign flashed, "What were you thinking, dummy?"

I recently made a 4", two piece bluegill swimbait, and posted the pics in the gallery. Report on the 4" bluegill. Good new, bad news. The good news, it casts and swims, and it looks great in the water. The bad news, it swims in a big S pattern, not with the wiggling tail I wanted. The head section moves from side to side as much as the tail, so the lure goes from bent like a C in one direction to bent like a C in the other. I think I should have put the ballast in the head section farther forward, toward the nose, to try and stabilize the head more, but the lure is so small it's hard to put ballast where I want it, instead of where it fits in. The PVC body is only 2 3/4" I've never made a two piece or fished on without a bill that didn't swim poorly, so I don't know why I should be surprised. Even the Jackall Giron, which I was thinking of when I made this one, swam poorly. I've always added bills to correct this, but I had hoped that this one might swim differently. I had grooved the forehead like a rattle trap to try and give it a diving plane and to try and stabilize the head, like the chines on a boat hull. I also found out it is a very slow sink when I throw it with 10lb fluorocarbon. A foot a minute, so it still wakes at moderate speeds, or with the rod held high. And it's stable, so it doesn't roll, no matter how fast I burn it. And, if I'm not too radical, it will turn 180 degrees on the pause, without fouling. But working it like a jerkbait is certain fouling of the hook and line. I'll leave it as is, and make another. But the glider that's in the same photo shines. I'll probably start shaping a couple more gliders today, and cut out another bluegill. I'm just wondering how I can weight it differently, or make the tail a third section, using the double O ring method I've seen here. Any other ideas or suggestions about how to solve this problem would be welcome. I'm afraid it's inherent in a two piece lure, but I just don't want to think that. Decisions, decisions.

pizza, Thanks for the Harbor Freight link. I just ordered one of the kits.

Dieter, I'd be really careful about putting an actual toothed saw blade wheel on a Dremel. The abrasive discs are kind of forgiving, but a toothed blade will grab, kick, and run. It can do real damage to lures, but, more importantly, fingers. Be sure you have the lure body clamped, and both hands on the Dremel and braced, before you turn it on and start cutting. I've worked with wood saws all my life (I have the stitches on my leg to prove it), and I would never use one of those blades in a Dremel. The abrasive discs may be a little slower, and a little thicker, but they are a whole lot safer.

Dude, You definately need to wear a respirator, with all the painting you'll be doing! Congratulations, and remember, "Be careful what you wish for..." Hope you enjoy the ride.

Now that's funny!

Thanks.