Fish 30acre

gooood questions... lets hope we get some knowledgeable people with some answers

*im putting this in the hardbait forum just because this is where i am most often (if it needs moved, moderators go ahead). so something i have learned from spending a lot of time on this website over the years is that you learn alot but you also have to be very careful who you trust. i am naturally a trusting person, so its harder for me to believe that some people are only in this forum to steal designs from other people and then take the credit for it. i have even heard that most lure manufacturers have specific people in this forum that are here for only that. after finally realizing this over a year ago, i stopped posting pics of my latest works and are only showing trusted friends, which is sad because what i am doing now is tenfold better than what i have posted even just a year ago. right now, i have a friend at icast with a portfolio of some of my work in which he was going to show some of the manufacturers... i told him to use discretion and make sure he knew who he was showing and what their intentions were. thankfully, the first person he ran into this morning was larry dahlburg. they spoke for about 30 mins. larry told him NOT to let anyone else see my lures there at the show and that about 80% of lures out there are someone elses design. i was looking for advice from the best of the best out there, but larry said all they are after is bettering their name and will steal whatever they can to do so (i understand not all are like this tho). he also said that manufacturers will make a design even if its patented by someone else, because most lure crafters are not going to sue because they cant afford to. i understand that this is a business and that manufacturers are looking for an edge over the other players, i will be in this business soon too, i just feel my creativity is high enough to stand out on its own. i plan to have a booth at icast next year, so know that i am comfortable enough with my own designs and wont be stealing yours! and thank you to mr dahlburg. ....feelings?

pm sent my friend!

im not really sure why either! and theres not a specific lure im looking at. megabass and tru tungsten eyes are more what im looking for tho. ive seen the boss eyes and they seem to be closest to what im looking for but still not up to par for me...

do u know who the companies in tailand are? or how do i go about ordering thru a company like that? i know of alibaba, but are there other sites that sell the eyes? just having trouble finding the type of eyes im looking for... and not wanting the predator baits eyes.

i am looking for some above average lure eyes. i am familiar with all the sponsor links and the ones you can find on ebay, but i am looking for something a little more realistic. i dont want taxidermy eyes because they are too expensive. i want something like you find on some top of the line crankbaits and swimbaits. are these out there for the general public? any help would be greatly appreciated guys.

are you talking like a fish blank people use for taxidermy? that is the only "walleye blank" i think of when you ask. if thats not what you are asking, then please specify some more... if it is then check out wasco or vandykes or taxidermy.net

i guess i should add "if you were purchasing", not making.

for the new swimbaits i am soon to be developing, i want to know what type of joints the majority of people prefer. the two i am considering are the screw eye (or cotter pin) to pin set-up like most swimbaits on the market, or i believe it is called the piano hinge set-up, like on 3:16 baits, nates baits, as well as a few others... i am not partial to one or the other and both are equally as easy for me to create, but i just wanted to see what everyone else thought about them and what they preferred as a joint. thanks guys and its gonna be here where i make my decision...

email sent my friend. hope to do business with you!

is there any substitute for microballoons? i ran out and was just curious if anything else would work to make my alumilite plastic more buoyant. any help guys?!

id stay away from gorilla glue... that stuff expands too much and leaves a ton of little air bubbles in the glue after it hardens. plus if you allow it to expand onto the body of the lure, its a pain to get off!

and can it be painted easily??

ive seen the videos and love larry dahlberg. i was just wondering if others had used it and what they thought about it. also, what hardness they are using...

has anyone used this stuff before? there are many different hardnesses of the rubber, from used to make gaskets to roller blade tires. i am looking to pour some of my hardbait molds with the harder rubber, like the roller blade tires or they have one that they compare to a shoe sole. how easily would a screw eye pull through this stuff? and how buoyant is the stuff?

hughesy: what is your avatar pic of? looks like quite the craw crank... any other pics? and did basspro just call you up outta the blue cuz they had seen some of your work, or was there prior talks?

i hope to be making a living at it someday soon! i know its definitely a full-time job with lots of traveling and promoting/marketing. some more insight here would be great guys!

is there anything you can add to the alumilite resin to make is softer and bendable? im not worried about the strength of it either. figured id ask here to see what everyone thought before i went to them and asked...

folks, i am a little confused now... i am not after a patent. there is nothing so drastically different that would deem a patent on my swimbaits. tho the one does have a couple different characteristics i have yet to see on a swimbait. i am confused as to why these bait companies have told my insider that i need a copyright on them before deals are made, but you tell me there is no way to copyright a lure or no need to do so. the guy that i have had helping me with this whole process tells me different things than what most of you have said. this person is a trusted source and friend. he recently just stopped getting gratuity on his design on the blakemore road runner after 30 years (it was made in 1958, he changed the lead head design 30 years ago). he also developed and sold his hanging muskie lure box to plano in the 80s. it is still his design they are using today with a few minor changes. he sold it as a flat price with no royalty or gratuity. so he is a good source. he also tells me he has a lawyer for me and that it would cost about 250 to 500 dollars for the coprights... i do know that a company will change my design in a way that they think will be easier to mass produce and cheaper to make. that will be fine with me. what would you recommend here? a single one time buy out with no gratuity over a given amount of years? or a contract to get royalty after each year for an allotted amount of time? just trying to get feedback from any source possible. thanks guys!