A-Mac

Catatafish looks wicked~ It looks like it should work. However, I just completed my bluegill swimbait (successfully) and came across some simple issues that may help. Make sure your hinges are clean and don't have any tension on the bait itself! There can be epoxy/ glue residues preventing wobble. I realized that if any of the hinges are clogged, the bait will not get into a sequence and will swim straight. However, I haven't messed with any other head designs and I'm relatively new to the engineering portion. I speak from guess in test.

i make a flat sided crank. I've been turning them in a drill gun, squeeze clamped at the slowest revolution possible (~1revolution per 4 seconds). I'm using devcon, the finish is perfect. I do 2 coats but one coat is good enough if the bait is covered adequately.

mustad triple grips... for bigger trebles i like owner (if ya got the $)

got the fins on. ran into some devcon problems... its been 2 days and its still tacky... i don't want it thicker (coating) than I have too. Can I still coat the bait w/ a 3rd coat over the still tacky finish? Can/should I thin devcon to make a thinner coat since this is the 3rd? I got the new fins on. Microfiber is da shiznit. Looks pretty cool. I'll post pics once i figure out how to save this bait... once again... bdhaeh, that sounds like a good idea for the fins, as well as taping them off before coating (snax). lessons learned.

I just had a similar problem w/ devcon 2 ton on my swimbait (icon). This was to be my 2nd and final coating and for one reason or another it is still tacky as well. I've experienced this problem once before and I try to make sure I do mix it quite thoroughly. So here is my question. Since 2 coats are no on the bait (and devcon is pretty thick) should I thin out the Devcon for the 3rd coating and then apply? Is this even worth trying? This bait has been problematic from the beginning... can't wait to make another one!

Its Alive!!! Here is the rundown on swimbait tests. 1st tested as is... very little movement. 2nd added silly puddy to the lower tail and started getting some movement. 3rd added more silly puddy, just to the ventral side of the tail... more movement but still pretty lame. 4th added silly puddy to beef up forehead and had no significant changes (still had puddy on tail). 5th removed dorsal and anal fins and left tail beefed up w/ puddy. Lots of movement and achieved swimming action! 6th removed puddy from tail (no dorsal or ventral fins) Eureka! I think my new tackle box companion and I have some tournament business to attend to in the upcoming season:yes: The ventral area did seem to lack vortex. However, it actually deadened the action w/out the fins in comparison to trail 6. So it seems that everyone was right depending on the trial. Luckily, I didn't destroy the bait while removing the fins. The bait needed 1 more clear coating anyways (reason y the wires are sticking out everywhere). So here's my game plan. I'm gonna roll down to Sportsman's Warehouse, get some microfiber, and see what I can do. Any news as to whether microfiber will lessen my action? When I acquire my supplies and refurbish the bait I'll add some pics and hopefully a swimming video. Thank you all for your professional wisdom!

what exactly is microfiber? I've seen it on other baits and it looks amazing. I just got done wandering through Hobby Lobby hoping something would pop out as a material to use as fins. I'd like a thin rubber but didn't see anything.

I thank you all for the comments... except that d@m^ IU fan I plan to build another one and do some tests at my work (aquaculture lab) this weekend. I will try the silly puddy on the current one and also try a new one without the fins. I think I will have more space between joints. I think that by doing this more water will be displaced. Shouldn't the first joint still wobble even if the lacking of ventral area is the potential problem? Anywho, from what I've found every bait design has its own quirks. I guess the challenge is what makes it fun. Optimism I will keep you all posted on progress... and failures

interesting... so are you suggesting i should slap some silly puddy on the tail area and see if it works? i need a hydro- engineer!!! Do you think the narrow head section has anything to do with the water displacement necessary to swim?

This lure sits perfectly in the water at the moment. I'm not sure how much more weight I could cram into the head w/out going to tungsten. On another note, Aspen is the only wood I've experimented w/ so far. It shapes beautifully. What type of wood would you guys recommend? Does this matter? Denser wood will probably dampen action; However, I may not need as much weight either... Time will tell. I'll give more info on what does and (mostly) what doesn't work.

I do have some weight in the head. I would say ~40% of the inserted weight. I have the rest in a chamber in the belly (bulging area).

I carved the bait out of aspen. I feel the trickiest part is cutting the angled areas to be hinged. Several baits bite the dust early on at this stage. I just got a miter box and that helps. As for the fins... yup, I feel thats my unsolved mystery. I will test the next one before putting the fins on to see if that is the problem. I do want to eventually make these softer in comparison to lexan but durable enough to not get torn up. Also, I think that softer fins will allow a fish to engulf the bait better. Thanks everyone for the insight! Figured the real pros would have the input I needed.

I'm actually a fisheries major at Purdue University and did the paint in comparison to my Freshwater Fish ID manual. Yeah, I can see where the fins would be a problem... but they're my favorite part! On my first one I got it to wobble but I had to insert a lip. I'm thinking of maybe using a poured rubber to make the fins. Or maybe somehow creating a joint in the fins? Any ideas? The current ones are actually made from lexan. Looks like I'll dedicate another 9 years of my life on this one. Lure making is like fishing, in the eyes of the beholder one is never as satisfied as he would like to be.

no joke. i got bit in 7th grade. 9 years later i'm still infected!

The bait shown as my icon is a recent swimbait that I had just completed. Its about 4.5- 5" long and is jointed just behind the gill plate, just behind midsection, and at the tail. However, it doesn't swim! It goes straight through the water. This bait is quite symmetrical on both sides and is fairly accurate to a "pregnant" bluegill in shape. Is the head of the bait suppose to be broad? I think I may have it too hydrodynamic and no water is being displaced. Any suggestions? Thanks!

Nice. I've been working on a bluegill swimbait and I've been debating on what I was going to do come time to clear coat. Here is a question for ya. After you put your pins in (I personally use machine screws and chop off the heads) do you cover were the pin is going when its all put together? If so, do you still use the same clear coat as before?

Hey there! I'm Aaron McAlexander. I grew up in Southern Indiana and currently a senior at Purdue University majoring in fisheries and aquatic sciences. I'm also prez of the Purdue Bass Club (just google us for our website). I've been makin my own lures since I was in 6th grade and am currently experimenting with jointed swimbaits and will post pics once i get 'er painted. This site has helped me a great deal, especially with wood sealants and clear coat applications. I def. appreciate all of your help. Thanks! Aaron McAlexander