mark poulson

Drilling sectional baits. I made my first triple fish knockoff, just to try to make a jointed bait. I used back to back screw eyes, and learned quickly about making sure your lure segments are longer than the screw eye. ) I also learned that there isn't as much room in lure segments for hook hangers, weighting, and hinge parts. So I decided to use the hinge pin of stainless wire method, to eliminate one half of the screw eyes, and to make assembly easier. I shaped the lure completely, then cut it into sections, and beveled the sections so they nested. >> About a 70 degree angle, actually, 35 degrees each face. I made a jig for the drill press so I could drill the hinge pin holes after I'd made the segments, since it is so much easier to shape a lure that's all one piece. It's just a 4X4 screwed to a 3/4" plywood base, with a ripping of 3 1/2" wide 3/4" plywood cut to the bevel angle of the male segment, and screwed to the side of the 4X4. I put the lure segment up against the 4X4 where the plywood makes a corner, so the corner holds the segment square to the jig, even though it's shaped on the bottom, not flat. I hold the lure piece by hand. I position the jig so that the drill bit is centered over where I want the hole, clamp the plywood base down to the drill press table, and drill. I use a slightly oversized drill bit to drill most of the way through the lure segment, and finish the hole with a straight piece of the actual sst wire as a bit. It's harder to explain than it is to do, and it works. If you drill the hole too far from the point of the lure segment, you can just sand the segment until the point is closer to the hinge hole. It won't matter in terms of looks or how the lure works. I'm basically a lazy person, so, trust me, this is easy, and it makes shaping the lure easier because it's still in one piece.

No can see.

rlcam, I couldn't open your photos. Please try again. My youngest is home, and I'm going to get her to help me post some photos. Get your kids to help you. This computer stuff isn't meant for people over 40. Too much thinking. )

I believe in Santa Claus. Merry Christmas from a Jewish carpenter.

Bester, The only paint "secret" I have is a recipe for an avacado green that I made to give a trout bait a lighter colored back. All Createx transparent water based colors. 10 drops tan 2 drops bright green 1 drop bright yellow As you can see, it's not rocket science. For me, it's not even art. I just started with what I thought might be a good base, the tan, added some green drops one at a time, stirring well, and then added a drop of the yellow to give it a little lighter green color, and came up with avacado. I didn't know beans about color, and still don't. My sister is an artist, and she can paint or do anything in art. Sometimes talent skips a generation. In our case, it skipped me, period. I just fumble around and try stuff. But there is no wrong in paint, just new colors that do or don't work. Working from the bottom up is a really good process. After you seal your bait, and prime it, use a base coat that will be the foundation of your bait's color scheme. For me, it's either pearl white, or pearl silver. Look at any fish, the bottom is lighter than the top, so, looking up, they blend in with the sky, and, looking down, they blend in with the bottom. Try to keep your bottom foundation color clean up at least 1/3 of the side, then start with you secondary color, like, in the case of rainbow trout, a hot pink. Typically, I spray the back from the side, and the overspray goes down part way to the bottom, giving me a misty hot pink stripe, and a solid hot pink on the back. Then I use the avacado on the top of the back, and let it overspray down the sides a little. Idealy, there will be a hot pink mist line, and then the avacado begins from soft to solid on the back. I may spray a darker green down the middle of the back, and highlight the head with translucent tourquoise. But light on the tournquoise. I use a hair dryer to heat set the colors after each spray, and I clean my airbrush between colors. After I've heat set/dried the final color, I use a water based red sharpie to highlight the gills, and a little red regular sharpie under the chin, and then a black water based sharpie to make the trout dots. Either I make a whole bunch of small dots, or less, but more definate, larger dots. I try to bear in mind the whole time that the basic color of a rainbow trout is silver. I also bear in mind that, in my case, I'm making a reaction bait, and the impression of a trout is what I'm after. Also, something that's a little different that what other's are throwing. After I let the bait dry for a day, I put it on MY NEW DRYING WHEEL ( ) ), and coat it with Envirotex Lite epoxy. After 24 hours, if it's set and dry to the touch, I put on a second coat, and, Voila!, I'm a genieass! ) Now you know my entire secret paint scheme collection. I'm new to lure building, so I don't have a big library to share. But I can copy like a champ, and that's what my test board is for. I sprayed both pearl white and pearl silver on a piece of sealed, primed plywood, and I just try different color combinations on it to get close to what the guys in the gallery have done. I haven't screwed up enough courage to try stencils yet, but, compared to the rattle cans I started with, my airbrushed lures make me happy. And I have a few of my buddies trying to bum them off me. Now that's a rush!

Applied physics tonight. Christmas eve, neighbor is locked out of her house, key in lock turns but doesn't open the lock. After I tried to jiggle the key and the lock, checked for a window I could jimmy, removed the mail slot and snaked my arm up to the inside thumb turn and turned it, all to no avail, I applied physics. I use my 20oz hammer and superbar, and pried the door open. Diagnosis, old pot metal lock keeper died of metal fatigue. The equation for this is as follows: When in doubt, get a bigger hammer. Merry Christmas to all, and to all, a good night.

I use self adhesive drywall mesh tape for my scales. Admittedly, I only do larger lures, 4"+ and up, but it works for me. It's not as nice a pattern as the hexagonal mesh pattern you get from fabrics, but I have a ton of it, so I use it. You can double it, offsetting the screening, to get a finer scale, or different patterns. I typically run it at a 45 degree angle, to get a more scaly looking pattern. I use clips to get it to follow the contours of the lure more closely, but I usually only scale the sides and shoulders, so how well it fits at the top and bottom aren't really important to me. I don't think there is a residue from the self adhesive glue. Least wise, it doesn't interfere with subsequent paint coats, as far as adhesion goes. Short story long, works for me.

Bester, This forum is a real give and take affair, and it takes a while to get to where you are able to give anything worth while. It helps to give before you take. I know, I'm still waiting to know enough about lures to contribute. Meantime, I've found the best policy is to lurk, read, and ask general questions. PM someone for some special advice. I've had nothing but generous responses from those I've PMd. But if you don't try yourself first, and are asking for everyone's "special" colors, or formulas, or shapes, or anything else, you're going to get a lot of, "No comment". These guys (and gals, if you're there) are really good at what they do, they have put in countless hours learning lurecraft, and it's asking a lot to expect them to give it up, just like that. It's like a friend of mine and his partner. They have won six tournaments at one of the local lakes this year. They're really on the fish good. But I would never think to ask them how or where. That's for them to volunteer, if they want, or not. I know for a fact they both put in countless hours figuring the fish out, and I would be embarrassed to ask. I know I'm kind of long winded, but, what I'm trying to say is, take it slow, don't ask for the moon right out of the gate. Think of it like dating. Get to first base first.

Be sure and get a brush with teflon seals if you're using solvent based paints.

I think the vacuum approach is much more practical than a pressurized system for home lure makers. High pressure is really dangerous.

My theory is that I can understand what you guys say when I read it, but it vaporizes from my mind the minute I turn the computer off! Probably due to some vortex in the back of my head. ) But it's fun reading what you write.

I'm no expert, but it would seem to me you'd want a 7amp fuse between you big battery and your camera, at the least. Not sure of anything, just a guess.

Some guys out here in SoCal use 6lb test, and, after making their cast, use the trolling motor as they let line out to "extend" their cast before they start their retrieve to get cranks deeper. It has become a tournament issue, with some local trails limiting the amount of line that can be let out to 10 yds, and outlawing the extension of a cast by use of the trolling motor. But it works, and tournaments were won using it. That's why it was addressed and outlawed.

Jeremy, The pleasure was mine, for sure. Did you photograph all those new punker paint jobs you had at the BAT? They were truely awesome. How's the yellow headed black bird doing on the Delta and up at Clear Lake? Mark P.S. I'm only Mr. Poulson in court. )

Typically, the solvents/liquids in sealer will penetrate, but the solids won't. I don't know, since Minwax doesn't need to be stirred, if the solids are in solution, or if there's some other magic chemical that would soak into the wood. If so, it would surely make balsa a lot stronger. But maybe at the cost of bouyancy. I use Minwax, too ( thanks Nathan), but I've never soaked my lures. I just dip, hand to dry, sand with 220, dip, sand again, and then prime. I also use Krylon primer (thanks again Nathan) as a primer/sealer. But then I seat my hook hangers and eye ties in epoxy, and epoxy the whole bait when I'm done. Having said that, when I used rattle cans for primer, paint, and clearcoat, I used to just hang the lures to dry after I used them, and then shoot another clearcoat onto them. I always thought water intrusion was a fact of life with wood baits, something you just learned to deal with. I didn't think you could make a wood bait water proof. It would be cool. Please report you findings. It's great to have a testing lab on the site. )

Yes, in my experience, you have to use some kind of a primer if you're painting metal. Which primer depends on what kind of paint you're using. I don't have any experience with painting metal lures, only metal on jobsites.

Do you guys shake your Createx before you use it?

It's the cheese fumes from those hats! )

Over size the hole, and epoxy the screweye into the lead. If you oval the hole a little at the max. depth by twisting the drill bit gently, it will make the hole bigger at the end than at the entry hole, and the epoxy will not pull out. The epoxy around the screw threads is at least as strong as any wood, so the screweye won't pull out.

Clamboni, Which wire do you use for you hinges, and what do you use to drill for the wire?

I'm with you Jason. Great cold weather/water crank. Tight wobble seems to be the ticket for lethargic SoCal bass.

And Happy Chanukah, from a Jewish carpenter.

Has anyone tried putting drops of epoxy onto self adhesive scale paper, and then cutting them out with an exacto knife? Seems like you could get just about any eye color and size you wanted. I'm going to try it the next time I clearcoat something, and have epoxy left over.

You could always use some protection.....bend the hooks over on a couple of sets of different size trebles, so you can test without risk.

Now that's a holiday visual, for sure! Hope you didn't set the hook too deep. When I was a kid, my neighbor's Mom was an ER nurse, and she used to tell us some really juicy stories about what came through the ER doors, but I never heard of fish hook decorations on a tree before!