CreekMonster

I've never had a problem, but then again, I fish mainly for bass. Can't say that I'm not paranoid about it though. I find comfort in the fact that Heddon and many other companies used and still use screw eyes in a lot if not all of their lures. 1/4" in some. I use 1" to 1 1/2" in mine, it makes me feel better anyway. I've never used epoxy on them, but like I said, I fish for bass....lol. Jay

Yes, got my yesterday and they're very nice.Got a couple of hats on the way. Very good work. It's a real pleasure being able to support this site. Thanks. Jay

Very nice. You must be very patient to be that good with a pen. jay

Oh yeah, I personally test every single one I paint, and not once have I had a problem with weight or action. I have actually had some of them develop a wider wobble with more vibration. Some of them, but the majority are not affected at all. Jay

I am by no means calling rapalas bad. As far as I'm concerned, you can't buy a finer quality lure that is mass produced. I still have rapalas I've been fishing for 15 to 20 years and are still very fishable, (and yes, I catch fish on them...LOL) I was just inquiring if any one had experienced a similar problem. I refinish some here and there to try and balance money spent on my habit of handcrafting lures.(can get kinda expensive..lol) and Rapalas are fairly good sellers.Stripping down to the wood is just not lucrative for me and in the past, a light sanding on their super tough top coat was all it took. Kinda hurt my feelings when I realized the coating was not durable, and I sincerely hope this is not the new "norm" for the company. I have quite a lot of experience fishing lures, and I'm here to tell ya, these particular ones wouldn't have lasted up to a couple of fish. I'm fairly positive they were seconds or rejects. The top coat on them was equivilent to one coat of clear lacquer from a rattle can. PLEASE DON'T GET ME WRONG, I WILL CONTINUE TO BUY THEM, I'LL JUST BE MORE CAREFUL WHERE I GET THEM. Yall know the old saying, " if its sounds too good to be true, it probably is" well, in this case it WAS....LOL I should know this very well by now, but sometimes I just can't pass up a good bargain. Or at least what I thought was one..... Thanks for the replies.. Jay

They just about have to be real, they were in the boxes, still glued shut. But the color schemes were new, I even got 2 of the silver with 3D eyes. I bught them to repaint. I sanded lightly, I mean LIGHTLY, with 400 paper, to knock the gloss off and hit them with 2 differant kinds of primer.( I tried a second kind after the I messed up the first lure) The paint ate through the clear coat and bubbled up the graphic wrap. I couldn't believe it! All my other Rapalas are so tough, you have to use a hammer to scratch them. I'm leaning on the "rejects". Probably quality issues with the top coat. Jay

I recently bought some rapalas on ebay and the quality of the lures was second rate at best. The lures were NIB and at a glance looked good, but when I took them out of the boxes, top coat was crap. The quality of the lures is nowhere near that of the ones I've bought a WalMart. They look legit, but I can't help but wonder if they're counterfiet.Possibly seconds or rejects? Anybody else had the same problem? Jay

Water clarity, time of day, size of lake, aggressive or non aggressive fish, temperature, etc. Far too many variables for me to make an educated guess, but I sure feel better about a quiet presentation. Them big hawgs sure tend to be spooky. Jay

Bill dance is my hero.I've never got the chance to meet him, but besides my grandfather, he taught me more about fishin than anybody else when I was growing up. The stuff he teaches about, when applied correctly, will actually work. As for R. Martin, I've heard a lot of bad stuff about him, quite a lot. If you really want to laugh, find the Dance clip where a snake falls out of a tree on him. I bet he kicks and slaps that snake 10 times before it hits the bottom of the boat. Jay

Thank you Don, I'll put him on it right away. Jay

Hey yall, my friend is thinking of building a cedar canoe and is looking for a good supplier of white or red cedar. Preferably white. I thought this might be a good place to ask around. Any help would be appreciated. Jay

your very welcome.Try this thread, it'll explain it a lot better than I can. Jay http://www.tackleunderground.com/forum/hard-baits/9102-sealing-wood-lures-something-different.html

I had similar issues and also used Polytranspar. I started sealing my lures with clear lacquer using the vacuum method and bought some Dick Nite white lure coat and used it for primer. so far, I haven't had any issues. Jay

1/4 inch. .25" on the mentioned site. Careful if you sand with a dremel, the fiber will crack if you sand or grind too agressively. Jay

wonder if a double would catch a "double" or whether the fish coudl figure out if it was coming or going............................ Jay

I currently spray D.N.'s topcoat with my airbrush.I thin it a little with high quality lacquer thinner and and spray light coats rotating between lures. About 5 coats works pretty well for me, sometimes waiting 24 hours and spraying 2 or 3 more thin coats. I've had pretty good results so far, and almost eliminated the use of my lure turner. Just be sure to thoroughly clean your gun immediately after you finish. Jay

The hat looks great! When can I get one?........As far as the color, love it. The only color hats that I buy nowadays are earthtones, Khakis, olives or similar greens, and greys. I have nothing against darker colors, its just that it gets pretty darn HOT down here in Alabama, and I have pets also.( nothing shows off your pethair like a black or blue cap) lol. Like the shirt too. I really like the "custom Lure Maker" logo idea and would definately buy just about anything with it on it (no thongs for me though). I am very thankful for this site and the great people on it, and would be more than proud to sport any of the apparel I've seen. great work yall, and thanks for listening to our opinions. Jay

I'll wait as long as takes, especially if it means 100% or at least most of the $ goes to T.U. And by the way, that baitmaker logo shirt is killer, and with models like that, a whole lot of "Master Baiters" will be buying............sorry, couldn't resist...LOL Jay

I'm a khaki man myself. just prefer the earth tones. And personally, I think the T.U. logo would look much better. I'm proud to be a member of this site. THANKS TU !!!! Jay

Oriental trading has some imprinting too. Up to 7500 stitches and 7 thread colors, prices vary and according to the catalog, set up is free. They also offer smaller quantities, starting at 96. http://orientaltrading.com/imprints cap item # VF-80/6087 visor item # VF-80/6129 Jay

I actually ordered some "laser lights" (tritium capsules) with this in mind. Drilling a small hole in the fiber and using the tritium as a power source with no batteries. Problem is the tritium capsules were tiny and didn't emit enough light for my application. I have purchased a couple of lighted lures to disassemble and use as such, the light is red and flashes and should give a wild looking effect especially in the green fiber. But i've been busy and haven't had a chance to take the lures apart to see what i'd be working with. The LED idea is by far the best, and brightest, and finding a small circuit activated by water would be great. I used a small LED to get the glow in the pics I posted in the gallery. Too bad I'm not into electronics.Thanks for the input, now I'm gonna be up all night searching for that perfect something to tear apart..... LOL Jay

The fibers actually transfer light kinda like a wire with electricity. If light hits one side, it is transfered to the other side and vice versa. So, if light reaches the eyes under water, they will give the apperance of "glowing". But, if there is no light, there is no glowing. In reality, the clearer the water, the better effects you get. Problem is, it would be more effective in stained water, where the light does not reach the lure, thus no glow. Kinda redundant isn't it. The optics make for a cool looking lure but IMHO, they're not nearly as good at catching fish as they are at catching "FISHERMAN". lol.... Not to say they don't have an advantage underwater, to me it seems to be a "selling" point rather than a "catching " point. hope this helps. Jay

Just ordered a t shirt, would've done it a while back if I knew they existed. Now I NEEEEED a cap! Jay

Just checking, Thanks, great looking eyes and a very nice selection. Jay