Matt Moreau

Sup Mike, Like Bob mentioned epoxy, sharp edges, thickens.....all dont go well together ona bait you cannot modify or adjust. Thus I cannot be much help with expoxy as I do not use it for that application. If you can disassemble that would help and that is how I prefer to TC my baits is by sections. If it helps here is my method using a dipping or spraying medium as a TC. When I cannot disassemble or its a friends bait I am doing and dont want to take it apart because it usually involves another small hole I use rubber bands. just wrap the rubber bands around the joint using a half hitch to make it nice and tight. It will lock up the joint so it stays straight and protect it from any TC, then I just use an exacto once died and cut them out. works like a charm and pretty easy. I got that tip here probably 10 years ago. Dont go crazy and wrap a ton around.....wrap just enough less is more.

heat transfer foil! Its used on Tshirts and such. Harder to use than alum tape but when done right end product is much better and tons of color options. I havce tried with just warming the lure but results were not good. now just spray some adhesive on the bait let tack apply the foil and use like an eraser or something to rub it down REALLY REALLY well.

I struggle with this technique! I have tried like Benton suggested with a straw and just made a mess LOL. Sea sponge, ripped sponge, stencil dottied with wood burner, tape, geez I have tried them all. I have tried loading like Benzin but never took the front two shrouds off the brush I will have to try that. When I was experimenting with this technique I had to reduce the more than normal like 2:1 to get the best results. Do you guys do this with the shrouds off? What paints are you using? I mainly use createx when I care about the paintjob otherwise walmart 50 cent apple barrel and thinner baby! HEHE

I have no clue what it is but I love it!!!!

Interesting I will follow this thread. I have tried "over reducing" methods but nothing ever worked all that good. I just finally broke down and bought candy colors. lol Candy red craw....delta....right now.....BOOM! ;-p

I agree with above too but even when i used syringes I had problems until I actually timed how long I mixed. I found If I use syringes and mixed at least 5 minutes taking my time and getting it thoroughly mixed it worked fine. Shoot now I mix decoupage(i get the one at home depot or lowes by the gallon) all by weight 1:1 and in large batches sometimes up to 10 oz and never have an issue as long as i mix it good. I do not really use it for lures anymore I use it for making micarta knife handles

Do you think its crackle Mark? It very well could be since I have been out of the game for a bit, but all the ways i have tried crackle you get raised edges where it splits but its been awhile since i have tried so maybe there are better ways now. To me it looks like a tan/white base with a messy netting or a multi layer net job like a large hole net with a smaller hole net over the top and your choice green...the blue is probably a simple stencil since it has such sharp edge lines like an exacto cut into plastic. the rest is a basic craw.

Archives are a beautiful thing! ;-p Like Ang said getting down n dirty with the bait is just about the only way to do it right. Generally I just scuff and paint too unless the bait needs TLC. Then you can go the whole nine yards Fill, sand fix as needed. If its a plastic bait and has significant hook rash or if its beat up and you wand a clean surface after sanding you can QUICKLY dip plastics in a strong thinner to "Melt" the top layer and make smooth after sanding but you will deform and melt the lure if you let them sit to try and let the thinner take off the paint for you. How do you know this you ask? There are a few "DERP" baits that I tried it on! LOL

Mix a little into createx topcoat then finish the bait as you would. This method doesnt look as good but still works well. I never tried the transparent base but it should also work. Like others have mentioned lite multiple coats work better than heavy coats especially for this effect.

Ya pearl ex works good or you can order from paint with pearl if you want more options and an automotive grade pearl powder. Now one thing to remember the pearl ex and others like it are made from Mica generally. I haven't ever had an issue with Mica based powders since mica is actually a mineral but some flakes and powders that are plastic based and such will not stand up to harsher chemicals in clear coats. I found this out the hard way so test a little before you go all out. Also little known fact but you can buy Mica pearl powder for makeup and its the same thing but cost less. they have soo many colors it will make your head spin too.

Its done with pearl pigments or flakes. I bet the paint he used was auto air gem color shift sapphire....

Great info here and like everyone has said everything we have done makes us who we are. So we all have a slightly different outlook on things. I think we are all saying the same basic concept but different ways. Like I said weight and weight placement is key for ME. With a lighter lure you have more options to control variables than you do with a heavy lure. Also, You can always add ballast in strategic areas to control action but with a denser/heavier wood you do not have this option except to drill and plug with air pockets or buoyant material which brings in new issues. So back to the key concept I think...Action! What do we mean by action? A desired reaction to the inputs we place in a bait? A denser wood cannot have as much action as a lighter wood. Place 2 cranks exactly the same dimensions and the lighter one will have more movement because the forces exerted on it effect it more. Now is it the movement or action we want? Probably not! A denser wood will have a different action than a lighter wood with ballast added to be the exact same weight because we can manipulate those variables. So same cranks but we add ballast and I guarantee the lighter one with ballast added to control the action will be more favorable. Can we add too much ballast of course! But to have that option IMHO is better than not. I have never run out of room for ballast but i have made baits out of oak, black cherry, almond blah blah blah that just did not perform as well as woods like bass wood, yellow cedar or even poplar. Again these are my views and opinions only copyright infringement does apply!

I would suggest researching this and digging through the archives. Simple answer is Oak, Hickory, eucalyptus and such but you will not be happy with those and that is the wrong direction for you to head. You have a good wood you are using add more ballast! There are wood density charts out there that tell you what the more popular wood choices are. But IMHO basswood is one of the best choices out there for crankbaits and jerkbaits. It is easy to carve, has tight grains and holds screws very well. Others like balsa may outperform it but they have weaknesses like screw holding retention. You should really try and do some research on here about design, theories and what not. Essentially you want a very buoyant wood for many reasons. A few examples are with weighting and weight placement. You have more control over how the lure falls and where the weight is placed which effect action in the simplest terms. Also less buoyant woods like balsa have more action thats why they are soo popular given the inherent weakness of balsa. Again you should read up on this as you would have reading material for weeks if not longer.

Good points my friend. I am no expert like I said just tested a lot of failures! LOL So for some good banter lets explore this more and I think this is still on topic(If not lets make a dedicated topic)...From my testing I think we are on the same page. I like a 60/40 ratio front/rear, note this is without a tail on it. With a tail I want the bait to be close to 50/50. In the picture above it looks to me like the bait is more of 40/60 ratio and with a tail on it the rear section is going to me considerably longer. If you measure an S-waver profile it is exactly 50/50 with the tail on it. And while they are the OG and work like crazy I do not feel they can match some of the custom guys out there that have figured it out. I do agree that the tail seems to "Follow" the front around but I think it does much more than that in reality. Think about it, what initially makes the head section turn? Why do some baits just go straight unless the action is forced? The tail is what initially kicks out and creates the "Wave". Once in motion it "Follows" the head around but still is the driving factor to get the bait to kickout or wave and the more it moves the easier it can do this. I just feel with a 60/40 its a more natural movement and with less mass it can kick the bait out easier and sharper. As for the "Gap" I go back and forth on this. I tend to think keep it as tight as possible but like you said I have baits that work where it is clunky and wide. Look at a deps 250 its considerably wider than most others yet is a staple for glide baits. We really need a dedicated topic on this and hydrodynamics! Where is Vodkaman Dave we need you!!!

First off I am not an engineer or expert by any means. I have played with glide baits and while yet to master will give u my humble opinions... I agree with everything above but want to add that the least amount of weight you can get by with in the tail section the better. Slight nose down fall is good for +5 ft... if u fish shallow and slow u can get by with dead even. Also weight in tail should always be as close to the hinge as possible while keeping it as low on bait as possible. Like stated above the easier or less restriction on the hinge you Have the slower u can fish the bait. A lot of variable go into that simple little statement though as u can see. Another idea that may help along these same principles is if you happen to make another I would Lengthen the front section and shorten the rear a little. That will take more mass out of the tail and allow it to swing easier.

@BobP I forget its been so long but when you tap the can do you initially put a layer of bloxygen Bob?

Interesting read and product. Thank you for posting this! I guess I will have to experiment with the stuff a little to see how I like it. I have been reading some very interesting posts with Mark and his nail polish, but I expected that from a SoCal guy. Somewhat concerning to see he now lives in my backyard it seems! ;-p

I am by no means an old timer, joined in 07, but I do often think about the guys that helped me along the way and how thankful I am for this site and people behind it. I do more reading than posting but I cannot express my appreciation for all of you! This is a great read and I hope more people chime in so we can hear from them!

I would personally recommend Basswood then. it is probably my favorite all around wood because it's got good buoyancy, easy to sand/manipulate, cheaper more abundant and the grain structure is small and tight a lot alike AYC(Alaskan Yellow Cedar). It just doesn't have the oils of cedar which are good and bad. I can purchase basswood locally at a few different hardwood distributors. Maybe call around and see if you can source it locally. Poplar is OK with a nice grain structure, buoyancy, availability and I use it still to this day sometimes but I much prefer basswood. I would use poplar before Western Red Cedar because I hate the grain and soft spots you get with WRC. Like I said it behaves like pine when sanding with hard and soft spots. The only drawback with poplar I find is it will crack or split if I really try to crank down on a screw eye.

Hmm ok I will check it out...Havent heard of it before but I like and have used a lot of alumilite products in the past. I am guessing its a UV cured epoxy and those were getting popular when I fell out of the scene. 1 Question is if it is epoxy does it crack like 2ton, flexcoat or Etex over time? I make mostly big swimbaits and gliders so epoxies are not my first choice for a few reasons.

What size? I can give you the name of a few shops in OR and WA but they are spendy... If you are just looking for like 1x1 Alaskan yellow just buy it from Saltys shop. I think he sells it in small quantities cheaper than I can find other places. Just remember Cedar has some nasty oils that are harmful when inhaled so wear respiration when working with it, Western Red has grains and soft spots similar to pine whereas AYC/Port Oroford is much more consistent much like basswood but with water replant built in.

@woodieb8I can get Auto clear but its the low VOC CA compliant crap. I bought some to spray the tailgate of my truck about a year ago and its worthless. Maybe they have refined the waterbourne formulas now but when I looked at some forum posts back then to find out what I screwed up I found that the results were not great. Auto clear was all I used for years so I feel a bit naked now without it! lol @mark poulsonThanks Mark! I read the thread Nathan started and a few others on KBS but was still skeptical with my experiences with MCU's. Also, I mold most of my swimbaits and cast them. The Urethane resin degasses for awhile and with KBS already having bubble issues I was even more scared. I may still try it and tap the bottom of the can like we did back in the day with DN and either brush it or spray it on with my little auto clear gun. Figured I would try this local stuff first and that doesn't seem to be panning out. @Bassinfool So in your experience the KBS isn't durable? Man the baits I actually got done with DN were very durable and still fishing today! I only fish for bass though no toothy critters. If I could have figured out the storage issues I would still be using DN.

If you are buying the same blanks then the easiest way I have found is to make a jig for a table saw or band saw. If you have different or varying shapes and sizes you can try a miter box but you still have to hold the bait and it can be difficult. Honestly I just eyeball it and go slow cut small then when you adjust to make bigger you can make your corrections usually with a dremel on slow speeds. remember the tow eye has the ability to correct for small mistakes so it doesnt have to be perfect IMHO

Wassup Guys!!! Sorry I have been MIA for a while. Got a new job and had a little girl a few years ago so time has not been spent in the shop. I recently got back out and building again so I am trying to see what the latest is on the all purpose, do it all, dippable, one coat, dries rock hard in 5 min no turner needed brilliant UV stable top coat. OK now that that is out of my system... I am fully aware that the best finish is purely subjective and probably never going to be found. Thus, I am looking to see whats the latest on top coats. From what i can dig up its basically still the same from 3 years ago... Epoxy, DN/MCU or in some cases concrete sealer. Well I have tried DN 4 times and never could get it to last even with utilizing all the bloxygen methods so I am kinda fed up with that stuff. Epoxy even decuopages have all cracked and failed over time and so it will kill me to finish a bait knowing it only has a few years to live. My go to 3 years ago was 2 part auto clear but now with California restrictions on VOC I cannot get the good stuff anymore! I went goodies shopping a last week and bought 2 concrete sealers to test. One is lacquer based and one is Acrylic xylene based. From my tests they both react to water based paints but very differently. The acrylic one is temperamental and if you do a good heat treat and put the createx top coat on it will be ok, but the lacquer is opposite if you use the top coat it tends to crack and react more. Both seem to produce a very hard finish but it seems both are prone to worm burn. Other than DN, Epoxies and Auto clear what finishes are not susceptible to worm burn? I still have my lure turner I can go back to epoxy if I have to but I know there is something I can buy in CA that is a better option. Also, I never liked water based finishes because they all seemed to turn white and soft if there is prolonged water exposure like leaving them on rain soaked deck. Maybe putting a final layer of polycrylic over a concrete sealer may work for the worm burn though? Advise and suggestions welcome...actually I am begging for them! Cheers, Matt

This is basically what i was told by another person that has down well in the bait making and painting industry. Like Nathan said tho the government probably wants its money and I just don't know how legal this is or if its worth risking it to sell a few baits.