mark poulson

Bob's right. Either epoxy or, for me anyway, super glue will give both waterproofing and strength. In my experience, transparent base is used to either thin paint so it's more transparent, or, the way I use it, to apply glitter to a finished paint scheme with a brush. It is not a protective film layer, or a wood sealer to be used prior to painting.

The strength and rigidity of the bill material you choose is what's most important. Ideally it would be super thin, so the bait dives more quickly because of less water resistance from the edge of the bill, very rigid, so the energy of the water flowing against it on the retrieve isn't lost or lessened by the lip bending on the retrieve, and super strong, so it doesn't break or crack when it hits something, or, like the older Rapalas, when you slap grass off of the bait. For me, there is no one perfect material. I have had to play around with different materials to find which ones work best for which baits. I use circuit board material for baits that don't have the line tie in the bill, and Lexan for those that do.

I use an .051 through wire for my bass ploppers, but I did try the .062. It was a bear to bend to form the tail loop/hook hanger, but I could do it. I just find the .051 is plenty strong for bass. I buy the 12" wire loops, just in case I want to make a longer plopper. The 8" and the 12" wire bunches are the same price, so I opt for the 12". http://www.lurepartsonline.com/Online-Store/Wire-Shafts/Looped-End-Wire-Shafts.html

Those look like an EWG hook with a couple inside the lead head.

A vent that is a little too big is a pain, because you have to trim the tag that's left, but a vent that's too small is a nightmare, because you wind up with incomplete baits that have to be remelted and poured again.

You can use a small file to enlarge the vent at the end of the tail, too.

Thanks Barry. They actually plop louder than the bigger versions. I have no idea why!

I love that video!!!

A bit of nostalgia. These came back to me after 15+ years.

I finished the last two ploppers, and repainted the first one. All are createx paints, Rustoleum X2 Gloss Clear (2 coats) and clear nail polish on the hook swing path to prevent/minimize hook rash. I used some silver glitter nail polish to add flash to the tails.

When I'm going to use epoxy, I wear nitril gloves to keep my finger prints off the bait.

I would try holding pressure for a five to ten count, and using some kind of a spray, like Pam, before each shoot.

For me, it depends on the mold, and how many pours I'm making. Aluminum molds heat up quickly, so my first pour sets faster than the next, but I can cool the molds with compressed air and pour again more quickly, if I need to. POP molds take longer to get hot, so I can pour again a little faster. A thicker bait will have more hot plastic to cool, so will take longer to be able to demold without stretching or deforming. Each mold is different, so it's trial and error for me. I'm just careful to use PAM as a mold release spray between pours.

I threw it all day last week. Caught a dozen+- bass, and a couple of stripers. I missed two good fish, throwing it over the grass along the levee rip rap at high outgoing tide, that didn't get the hook. I had put on #4 KVD EWG trebles, so I changed out the front hook to a #2, and didn't miss a fish from then on. The #2 hook rashed the side of the bait pretty good, because I had only put clear nail polish along the #4 hooks path. Lesson learned. When I repaint this one, and paint the other two I made today, I'll cover a lot more of the paint with the nail polish.

They work for me. I spray them with PAM before each pour.

Azsouth is right. You can make your own diving bills out of Lexan.

That makes sense. Thanks.

Why do you want to use them? I'm just curious.

Keep looking. It'll be under something.

I am just a hobby pourer, so this is just how I do things, not necessarily the only or best way. I shoot some PAM cooking spray into my injector after each shot. That has kept the O rings in good shape for more than 5 years. Knock on wood. I shoot med fast, and hold pressure for a 5 to 10 count, depending on how thick the bait is. Good venting lets me shoot faster, since there is no trapped air to get rid of, but each mold is different, so I vary how fast I shoot accordingly.