jamie

Ive got another one for you. I read post in the past about foilling baits in a vaccuum seal bag like used in veneer projects to help imprint scales.. Not to get into the technique but to make a pump try useing a pump that you blead your car brakes with and a ziploc freezer bag. Just clip the corner of the bag insert your hose and duct tape the sealshut on both sides.place the bait inside and there you go. I never done a bait this way but I have veneered a small box this way. Batter up who has the next one lets keep this thing going.

when you are useing your router have you ever had your finger a little to close for comfort to the blade. I use a little rig to save my fingers. Take a block of wood and put a handle on top it should look like a hand sander that holds dry wall screens for sanding drywall mud. Onthe bottom of the the rig glue down a piece of that no slip pads used in the work shop. When useing your router table take your rig and place it over top of your bait and guide it through the blade. Your hand is out of the way , think of it as a kind of push stick . I wish that I could have explained it a little better but when I figure out how to post pictures you will understand what Im saying. Lets here the next one guys lets keep this puppy going .

Mark still trying to figure out how to post a picture. I have another one for you. Sanding edges after rounding them over use a bow sander rig. To make this rig take a a piece of wood and cut out a handle, shaped like this |_____|. Then take a belt sander belt and cut some strips a few inches longer than your handle. Use a bolt washer and wingnut and drill a hole through the handle at both ends of the handle and lap over your sand paper and run the bolt through it. The sand paper will mold to your bait. This rig is a little hard to explain but its simple ,it looks like the frame of a hacksaw but instead of a metal blade your have a strip of sand paper. Be sure you dont use paper sandpaper it wont hold up use belt sander belts or cloth backed sandpaper. I always like to talk shop and this thread has been the best one in a long while come on guys keep this baby going.

Hey hazmail I have another one for you. When your painting your baits a flexable lure stand would free up your hands. To make this use a flex line , the one I use is the kind you use for the supply line for gas heated water tanks. Then I bolted one end to a base and epoxy a bolt in the other end . You can either bolt a small spring clamp to the top or make rack shaped like this |___| and bolt it to the the top.In the rack you suspend the bait between the two ends , I use wire used to hang drop ceiling. You can also keep the bait in the racks, clearcoat them and bolt them to your dryier. I have these rack made for each lure.

on my wheel I have 6 runners that runs from one end to the other. then the lure suspends in a rack shaped like this |___|. Then take your rack with the lure suspended inthe middle of it and either use a clamp tohold it to the runner or bolt it to the runner. You can really stack up some baits on your wheel this way.

hey I dont know if any you guys have tried this, but try putting auto paste wax and polish your needles and tips on your air brush. Paint has a hard time sticking to it and cleaning is a lot easier.

I think what kind of fish your fishing for matters. Here in WV when you go to the mountains trout fishing ,native brook trout are very sensitive. You really have to watch your casts and even how close you walk to the edge of water to make a cast. Musky fishing on the other hand just let her fly. And for bass fishin stick a hook in his back and put a float on him Im going musky fishin.

I feel your pain guys. My wife thinks Im a sick man and not even Dr. Phil can help me. The good thing is my 5 year old is just as crazy as me if you ask her. When he was 4 we would have to bring his fishing pole in his room at night because he couldnt sleep with it being all the way in the garage. HE can cast a fishing pole better than his 14 year old brother and fish all day and half the night if you let him. This year when it warms up Im going to bring him all the way over to the dark side and let him start painting his own fishing lures.

hey yake , here is another quick tip. If you have digital scales at home take apeice of solder and some lead shot and match the weight of the solder against the weight of your hook and split ring. when you are dropping your bait in a bucket of water to test the balance, hook your solder through the eyes of your bait. It will save you time taking hooks on and off if you have to drill more holes. i watched a buddy of mine drill a bait with the hooks on .the bait slipped out of his hand the bait started flying around and six beers and a doctors visit later he was fine.

I believe Snaxs is right.Shape has a lot to do with the baits glide. Most of the baits I do are gliders and shape plays a big role in how they work. A bait with a a sharp nose like a rattle trap has a great glide. Also if you turn the eye hook sideways your leader will slide back and forth in the eye after you sweep your bait and give you a tighter turn. Back to weighting your bait two or more placements is better in my opinion. Its so easy to misplace your weight and two even three weights will help you have a balanced controlled fall which is very important.

thanks guys, Ive tried both epoxy and wood sealers. I like the epoxy but the time isssue when you are trying to seal a large number of baits .I just upsized my dryer from running 10 baits to more than I would want to do at one time up to 100 baits. I was thinking the plastic sealers would give me the working surface that I like with half the time and a potion of the money.

Ive been reading on dipping wood baits in a plastic sealer what are the pros and cons. any problems with this way of sealing?

try stamina components for your jerk bait tails. And stay away from basswood on your musky baits. A buddy of mine made them that way and when water soaked in through a hole or small crack in the finish from wear things turned bad. the wood tends to bust and crack

You can never go wrong with foil for a nice flash