mark poulson

I think Travis said it perfectly. I would just add that this site has always, to me, been about learning and sharing. There are a lot of "real" custom lure makers here ( Travis mentioned Vodkaman, Nathan is another, there are lots more), but they are all open and sharing of their knowledge. When I first came here, I knew almost nothing about making crankbaits, but the members were generous with what they knew, and shared with me, and everyone else here. Thanks to everyone here, I now know how to build lures that work' and enjoy doing it. I want others to have a chance to get the same enjoyment. To that end, when I build a lure that I think will add to the group, I post it in the Hard Baits Gallery, along with schematics and explanations, like how to make a crankbait erratic (hunt) by adding moving ballast above the centerline of the bait, or how to achieve a wobbling fall in a spybait by raising part of the ballast above the lure's centerline, and giving it a flat bottom. It's not like any of us is going to get rich building crankbaits. But we can all still get the thrill and satisfaction of catching fish on something we made. There are lure building tricks and secrets, sure, but, to me, they really aren't worth much unless they're shared, and that's what makes this site so great.

I had forgotten about this when I replied earlier (CRS). When the chatterbait first came out, I used a split tail as a trailer, and burned it over grass beds. It was so erratic that I had bass chase it down and sometimes miss it, but they would hit at it repeatedly until they got it. So try burning it up on top to see if it will do that, once the water warms up above 55 again.

Travis' solution of putting a small patch of mesh in the area where the hook penetrates sounds really neat! That would let you pour soft plastics without having them tear off the hook on the cast, or on the first fish.

Try posting this question in the Wire Baits Forum. Those folks know all about lead and lead pouring.

Maybe offer them without hardware, and a separate price for whatever hooks and split rings you would normally add.

I found that bending the top of the blade lets me fish a chatterbait faster without blowing out.

Use a glass pickle jar, or salsa jar. The soaking material will stay in good shape for your next soaking. I have a pickle jar of Air Brush Restorer (thank you Ben) that's five years old and still going strong.

Me, too. I think today's plastics can be just as flexible in cold water, but there is no more durable bait than pork, and it stays salty much longer.

Just in case you haven't found a mold yet, TW has the 8.5" on clearance sale right now. https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Berkley_Powerbait_85_Power_Worms_9pk/descpage-BPBE.html

I just looked at the Berkley Maxscent Power Chunk. https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Berkley_Powerbait_Maxscent_Power_Chunk_6pk/descpage-CLPC.html Looks like it might work, but I haven't tried them yet, so I don't know how durable they are.

Do you need to clean off the excess immediately, or can you clean it off after that first hour?

I resemble that remark! Hahaha

I have to have something to do when it's cold and nasty! Hahaha

When I want to change the skirt on a jig, even one that's been fished a lot, the wire is a bear to remove.

I think you'll get more answers if you post this in the Wire Baits Forum.

I twist the wire tag ends, and pull up on it as I twist, so it snugs up tightly.

The plastic tops for salsa and guacamole are great for mixing epoxy on, and you can flex them after you're done and the leftover is set to remove the hardened epoxy, so you can reuse the top.

It has been quite a few years since I bought it, and I can't remember where I got it. The 5 lb spool says Ames Metal Products, 1/4" lead, wire solder. It is solid. I'm sorry I can't help with where I got it, but I'm sure you can google it and find it. I predrill 1/4" holes, and the wire slips into them nicely. Once I've gotten the ballast right, I anchor it with some runny super glue that wicks down into the hole once the wire is in place. I haven't had any come loose yet, and I'm down to the last 30" of that 5 lb roll.

Al, I think you hit the nail on the head. Hardener is thick, so maybe it is what settles out when plastisol sits for a while.

I have never fished for musky or pike, but, here on the CA Delta, we have bass over 10 lbs, and stripers over 40 lbs, For big baits that might catch big bass and stripers, heavier baits give big fish a lot of weight to use as leverage to throw the hook, so I don't use hook hangers with the ballast attached when I'm building them. I use 1/4" lead wire in predrilled holes in the belly for ballast. I put my 1/4" lead wire ballast in separate holes on either side of the belly hanger, from front to back. For bigger baits that need even more ballast, I'm sure thicker lead wire is available, or you can just use lead sinkers. Instead of attaching the belly hook hanger to the ballast, I use a heavy Spro #4 swivel for the belly hook hanger, glued in carefully so it still spins freely, and pin it in with a piece of spinnerbait wire passed through the eye that's buried in the bait, side to side. That takes away the fish's ability to torque the hook out of it's mouth, and I land a lot more fish. This is just another option.

I think solid chrome baits are much better in off colored water, where their bodies need to be noticed against the dirtier water. When I fished deep, clear lakes down in SoCal, I found that very light, almost transparent patterns on plastic crank baits, with a hint of a black back, and see-through silver sides/belly were the ticket. That way, when a fish looked up at a passing bait, all it really saw was an impression of a baitfish against the sky. I enhanced that with "In The Spotlight" Salley Hansen nail polish, which is clear with bits of mylar suspended. That provided flash without making the silhouette too strong. I also "painted" clear crankbaits with GloNation white/green glo powder, suspended in clear nail polish. That made the baits glow enough at depth to make them vulnerable. All those things helped me get bit.

Nathan, I think a lot of people don't have the time to do deep research. They're too busy just trying to make ends meet.

Lurepartsonline has everything you need.

Would blowing compressed air over the opened mold cool it faster?

That looks interesting. I would just worry about how long a battery charge would last, and how much torque it has.