jamie

I like the design ,but I think the weight of the hooks plus the wire above the center of balance may give you some problems. It dosnt take alot of weight to get a bait to tip and blow out if the weight is on top of the spine of the bait. Not to sure of the action your looking for but im very interested of the outcome. I add weight to some of my baits in the spine of the bait to give a desired action but too much will give you headaches. I hope this bait works out for you and keep me posted.

I make larger musky baits and I use a bandsaw to cut mine out. Clean up at the end with a sander. Then use a torch to clean up around the edges .

+1 100% agree

Has anyone heard from him lately? He used to be a regular and havent heard from him in a long time.

im from St Albans , right outide of Charleston. How about those EERS. Go blue and gold.

if a dremels all you have then make the groove with a cutting wheel.You can stack two wheels if you need a wider groove.

Thank you......

Musky , everything else is just bait........

Sounds to me you not mixing enough. you can mix a 50/50 exactly but if you dont proper mix propper it wont all come together. Mixing smaller amounts is easier, enough for a few baits. mixing larger batches leaves more room for error. Ive used etex for years and rarely have I ever had issues like that. My mistake when I first started was mixing too large of batches that I didnt mix all the way. Mix exactly what the box says to, not what looks good and set aside and cover for 10 minutes and you will see better results. Also dont be tempted to put too heavy of a coat on, go thin and layer when the bait start to become tacky(to get the two layers to bond). You must also use a turner when useing etex, there is no way around that if you want a good finish. Im thinking that fat fingers had a tut on finishing.

+1

What kind of epoxy are you useing? And are you turning your baits when drying?

I agree with alot of all above and would add the tail may be causeing drag and not letting your bait swim.

Ive been wondering for a while about Bruce. I hate to hear this, he will be missed.

Best advice is learn to use your airbrush before ever aiming at a bait. Practice control and practice some more. Youtube has some great instructional videos and you should check them out. These videos has nothing to do with baits but you will learn alot from them and practice. Nothing is more frustrating than working along time making the bait and at the end you are fighting the brush.

Crystal sheen. I bought it in a bind for etex a few years ago and tried it. I had very disappointing results. I have a friend ( a very well known musky bait maker) and asked him about it, he had the same problem when he tried it.. He had a large batch of baits that he made that had some returns because of the cracking. The bait would crack then large pieces would over alittle time chip off. This is my experience with it, maybe somebody else has had better luck. I will stay with good old etex , its never failed me yet.

Tried it and it cracks in a hot tackle box. Ive even left it in a hot garage ( part A and B ) seperated unmixed and the bottles blew up and had epoxy everywhere. This is my experience with it. I know of other musky builders that tried it with the same results.

Im a little late but happy birthday.