diemai

@ DSV Nice documenting pics , that you have made there , I am eager to see your procceed on that lure:wink: . Have you made lures out of plywood before ? I haven't , in fact I do not trust it's glue , wether it is waterproof , since I know , that over here there is ordinary plywood around and a different kind bonded with a special waterproof glue , so that it can also be used for building boats ! Greetz , diemai

@ hazmail Different countries , different habits , hahaha:lol: . I have heard before, that rabbits and carp have turned to a plague in Australia , since the early colonists have imported them to keep up the old British habbits of hunting and fishing , as they where used to from home . Eating carp has a long tradition over here , the fish is originated from Asia , normally they had(and still have) scales , the one pictured here doesn't , it is a hatchery form especially bred for easier handling in the kitchen . They first brought them to northen Germany(don't know about the rest of the country and Europe)around the years 1100 to 1200 , when christian monks had christianized the local tribes . Due to beeing not allowed to eat meat of animals during feasting times , these monks in their monastaries started out in carp hatchery those days , and since probably the tradition goes to eat carp for Xmas or even more for New Years Eve . But usually these hatchery carp only live for three or four years , otherwise they'd get too big for the kitchen , also their quality of flesh gets worse , when older . Usually they have 4 to 7 lbs at this stage ! They also have a better taste during the cold season , since there are not so many small particles and algiae in the water at that time of year , also the fish don't eat so much as well anymore in colder water , thus not often digging the muddy sediment anymore . But in Australia its always warmer than in Europe , those conditions are better for them to spawn , since they need very warm water for reproduction , over here they only do in very warm years(which nowadays occur more often) . It is always the problem with such "alien" animals brought to a place , where they don't belong , we have troubles with a sort of crabs , that got to our North Sea harbors from Asia around 100 years ago in the ballast tanks of ocean liners . These nasty critters have by now even reached Vienna through the Danube river , they are a disease to anglers , since they eat off your bait and snap line and leader ! There are times , that you can't just put out a baitfish or worm over here , a fish never has a chance to find it on time , these crabs are there first:mad: ! I only have one solution , like for your carp and rabbit plague as well : Sell them to Asia , they eat anything over there:wink: ! PS : In my opinion a big carp outmatches any pike in terms of playing it , once hooked . Only bad thing is , that you sometimes have to wait for days to get one on ! Nothing for me:lol:!

Not to respond , either positive or also negative , is just not polite:yes: , though someone might simply forget ?

Sorry , forgot to attach picture !

@ King Bait Co Don't know nothing about the PETA except that they are the natural enemies of all anglers and hunters worldwide ! May well be possible , that their head is a German , since in the wide public over here obviously the welfare of animals is considered more important than the one of humans(at least mistreated animals always generate bigger headlines as crimes , violence or even murder against senior people) ! I also can frequently read of them in local fishing magazines about having lost for one more time a lawsuit against single persons or organisations involved into fishing or hunting over here:yeah: . Their complaints and arguments are just of the most unbelieveable and foolish nature , so that no judge could follow them:yes: ! And we haven't yet lost hope , that things could also turn out better one day:wink: : Since many years it was forbidden nationwide to keep your caught fish in a livewell net , you had(and have) to kill them instantly:( ! As a result , on a hot summer day you have to leave the waters edge before time , since you don't want your early day caught(and killed) fish to be rotten in the heat:eek: ! I consider this a massive impact on the planning of your rare leisure time:angry: ! But the newly reworked restrictions(2006) in the state of "Mecklenburg-Vorpommern" allow such livewells again , which is evident to me , that the common sense is not entirely lost , and we hope , that other states would follow soon:yay: . @ philB Off course this "Kill Policy" does not allow a very good stock of fish to grow over here and also that seldom bigger fish are caught . This German guy , that you mentioned , might as well also not have caught legal sized carp , because there is another restriction about not stocking legal sized fish anymore into the waters , so there are a lot of small ones against few big ones , the "Kill Policy" probably removed the rest inbetween:( ! But this really depends on each single water:yes: . Not to forget , that big carp are pretty clever , and most likely you don't catch them just like that ! In my local waters in Hamburg you hardly catch carp without special carp gear , especially not big ones . But they are the ones to be caught frequently from March through December , since these carp guys are the pioneers of CPR over here , and many of us predator anglers have learned our lesson and follow them nowadays , though it is still illegal ! Here is a pic , that I took on the 23rd of May , saw this guy playing this fish from the bank , when passing by with my small boat . I went ashore to look more , and he was so happy , that I took some pics with his own camera as well , since he was alone:lol: . Also made some shots , when he released it again , it was his PB of 38 continental pounds , so almost 42 lbs:lol: . Why , the heck , one should kill such a beauty , the quality of its flesh would be minor anyway ! Next season it would have gained another few pounds to probably make up for someones PB again ! @ hawnjigs Not really worth it to take a trip to fish over here , though we still have some excellent pike waters , a good share of Europes largest are still caught in German waters , but only frequently fishing natives most likely catch these trophy fish . Only option for a tourist might be to fish the coastal waters of the Baltic in "Mecklenburg-Vorpommern" . They have professional guiding there , a tourist license issue is possible and there are frequently big pike caught there at certain times of year . But in general the numbers of fish caught over here are smaller , on good days(long time gone) over here I have caught and landed 5 or 6 legal sized pike:yes: , in other European nations ( Ireland , the Netherlands) you could maybe catch them by the dozens on excellent days ! Dieter

@ PhilB Don't complain too much(though you surely have good cause for it) , I think , in Germany it's still worse than your described situation in the UK . We are very familiar with those difficulties about boatfishing as well , that you mentioned . Most likely no gas-engine powered boats allowed , and if they are(most likely on very big waters or public waterways) , you'd have to register your boat and/or pay for a license annually . You hardly find places to slip your boat from a trailer , even a lot of places are not easy accessible by car , so when fishing from bank , you often have to carry all your gear for a more or less distance to the chosen fishing spot . In many waters boat fishing is forbidden entirely , where it is allowed , you must most likely row . Fishing restrictions are issued locally by the single German states(Bundesl

@ mouldybits My ol' gal does realise about all those lures & tackle , when I get nuts about her latest shoes and fashion:huh: ! Never mind , Dieter

@ RiverMan Really enjoyed to view your collection , what an array of colors ! ! ! You are so right to say , that I enjoy seeing the lures slowly evolve under my hands very much ! But I must admit , that I don't take such an effort in painting them ! At this stage I want them to be finished fast , because most likely I already have new ideas on my mind about what to try next and I can't always easily wait for long to put my ideas into shape:nuhuh: . I know, it's kinda weird , but that's how it this:huh: ! Greetz , Dieter

OK , this morning I have sanded over my swimbait sections and masked the eyes with vinyl tubing , now it should be ready for first primer coats . More details about this way of masking eyes in my thread "new Banana lure"(sorry , don't have much time to write the same things twice:nono:!) . Greetz , Dieter

This morning I have sanded the temporary "for testing" topcoat rough for following primer coats to adhere better:wink: . Also masked lip and screw eyes . For masking the screw,-and wire eyes I utilize pieces of vinyl tubing , the kind , that is used to dress trebles on spinners or spoons . I'd cut them to approbiate length , heat up one end to melt with a lighter or candle and fuse it closed with my fingertips . Those too sensitive for this might also employ pliers for this . These tubings can be used several times , to remove dried paint before re-using , I'd put them in a small plastic or metal box together with some old sinkers or nuts and shake for some minutes , so that the loose paint comes off . Before sliding them over the eyes , I'd scrape off remaining paint with the blade edge of my carpet knife . The aluminium wire hooks , that I use to hang the lures into my drying rack , easily poke through the tubing , since their ends are quite sharp , due to having them snipped off with wire cutter shears . At first I'd now brush on two coats of white primer for better coverage . I'm gonna try acrylic one this time , since recently I had problems with following spray paint coats on solvent containing primer . Let's hope for the best , Dieter

@ SmokeyJ So probably Mark is right about the universality of that word in terms of working on metal , obviously it means either to shape or comprime metal by means of an outer force , in case of those bullets it would be a press to force the bullet into a kind of mold to comprime them , I guess . In case of the lead chunks it would be a hammer rendering their shape , but this is rather more like forging , but without utilizing heat:?! But as Mark once mentioned in another thread or in a PM , American English is a living language due to people from so many different origins making up for the nation ! For instance I just read a term in another thread " truck jackknifing" ! Never heard this before , but instantly I understood , that its meant to describe a truck with either its engine or a trailer to "fold" together , just like a jackknife ! greetz , Dieter

Drinking and fishing in my opinion does not go together , though obviously many guys over here use it as an excuse to their darlings back home just to empty a few six packs with their buddies at the waters edge:tipsy: ! I have done that few times as well , when I was younger , but I noticed pretty fast , that its useless , I want to catch fish and not constantly hang my lures & floats into trees and/or hopelessly tangle my line:sauced: ! And drinking beer results into having to pee a lot , even hazardous on a boat ! I once read , that in the heavily fished coastal waters around Norway most people drowned were found with the zippers of their pants open..... ! Still... , cheers , diemai

I had considered to cast my weights in a mold as well , but I would make it out of aluminium . I have made already some aluminium molds years ago , but for different items like jigging spoons , heavy football leadheads , sinkers , small spinnerbaits , etc.... ! Don't even remember all , they are buried in one box somewhere in my basement . I guess , that I never made one for lure weights , because I don't like any mass-production of my handmade lures ! I always like new challenges in making different lures(By now I already have a new idea on my mind about a lure , that pops on the surface but can also "walk-the-dog" , maybe even on a shallow dive ?) . And maybe such weights from a mold won't fit to all of my lure-ideas , though the weights could be cast in any length required by making the mold adjustable , but always of same diameter(for each different diameter I would have to furnish another cavity) . It would only take some time , but presently I am really not into casting lead anymore . @ mark poulson I have found that word "swage " in an US tacklemaking book(did not know it before) , used there to describe the working process of a hammer beating onto a piece of metal tubing to render it flat and shape to a lure , so in my mind I assumed , what its meaning in German would be , since I am familiar with that described process ! So , maybe my own personal translation went wrong ? But can't be that much , I suppose:huh: ! Anyway , just checked my dictionary here , and its not there ! Must really be a metal worker specific term:lol: ! You are right , that first casting lead into a lure , pulling the slug out to glue it back in , would be rather paradoxical , but I assumed it to be neccessary , since I know , that molten lead shrinks , when cooling down . But as I said , I haven't tried this weighting method before . Greetz , Dieter

But ain't no muskies at the Munich Oktoberfest , in Wisconsin there are !

@ Vodkaman Indeed , it is that stuff , I was talking about , but I never liked it that much , but they say , that it is rather refreshing in hot weather . Many people here up north go for the big native brands , "Holsten" and "Astra" from Hamburg , also "Flensburger" from same-named city located at the Danish border . First mentioned "Holsten Edel" was ever nicknamed " Maurer-Brause" aroud here , in English "Bricklayer's Lemonade" .

Remember a trip by car 27 years ago from Hamburg to the French mediterranian coast , we had a stopover for the night in Freiburg , close to the French and Swiss border . In a bar there I ordered for a "Weizenbier" , never came accross this stuff back then , a very sparkling , foamy stuff , having a yeasty flavor . They pour it from bottles into a longer , conical glass in a special way , so that the foam won't spill . As the lady behind the bar put a lemon slice into the glass , I almost shouted at her , that "why the heck she's putting lemon into my beer" ! She was astonished and little shocked , stammering "but , but ,...... it's supposed to be....!" By now this southern kind of beer has conquered the entire country , nobody would argue with the bartender anymore about lemonslices in the beer ! Cheers , diemai

blackjack is so right , its always so dissapointing to find out later , that some of the paints and topcoats are not compatible and ruin your work at last . This is why , I tend to stick to proven methods , but this here sounds so good:yes: ! Greetz , diemai

@ KcDano This maybe true , but I can't tell for sure . At least over here quite a few years ago there was a great public discussion about importing foreign beers not made after that restriction , the "Reinheitsgebot" . BTW : As far as I'm concerned , it was established around 1550 by a Bavarian earl or count to protect his people from health damage , because already in those days ruthless moneymakers didn't care about the welfare of others to make profit . And beer was consumed rather more back then as it is today , scientists found out about this from old household files and bills and stuff , but they often used to thin it with water . So , as far as I'm concerned , these foreign brands were only allowed to sell over here , if they are made accordingly to the tradition . I guess to protect our own breweries rather than the health of the people ! But never drank some of those beers , that became quite fashionable amongst younger people nowadays , always stayed with our locally brewed brands , which is widely done over here . There are different tastes of beer in different parts of the country , and we have a few great breweries , but hundreds of smaller ones . Cheers , diemai

@ mark poulson I expected it to be your experience to enable you to process this way , that you kindly described here . I once did the same with a bunch of six jerbaits , that were supposed to be weighted(with one single weight) to sink slowly , I have cut these lures out of teakwood kitchen boards . To save me some work , I only tested two lures in my waterbucket , it happened to be , that a 10 grams sinker just fitted to achieve desired performance , didn't have to tinker about it more . So I glued in those sinkers into all the lures , but after having finished and first tested them , I have found two of them still floating . Off course this is a result of different wood densities , also of subtle differences in the blanks shape , but since I trust more on weighting each single lure the way I do . When having to weight a sinking glider jerkbait , that most likely has two weights fore and aft , I'd most likely use roofing lead sheet . I'd first cut out a rectangular strip , approx . 18mm X 200mm , kink it and hang it on the belly hook . Now I shorten it , until desired sink rate is achieved . Then I straighten it to make up as a template to cut out a second strip . Now I have to estimate , about how to divide that strip to most likely two different lengths to let the lure sink at horizontal level . The rear strip piece most likely turns out a little shorter . In case , that it happens to cut one piece too short due to faulty estimation , I still have that second strip to start all over again. I'd use my taping method again for testing . The waste of lead I'd gather to cast sinkers or leadheads some day . After desired performance is accomplished , I'd roll up the strips as tight as possible(rolled them up loosely for testing before)and use a hammer over the edge of a steelplate(or anvil)to swage these rolls even tighter to a cylindric shape . After I'd drill fitting holes into the lure at determined locations for those lead-rolls to fit in . I heard , that some guys even drill the holes first , yet a little deeper , and pour molten lead in ! Now the waterbucket testing is done and as much lead drilled out on a drillpress as neccessary to achieve desired sink rate . Haven't tried it yet , since I know , that molten lead burns the wood's surface , and especially the leadplug inside the bore would surley start to turn , when the drillbit finds grip in it , so I guess after casting , it has to be pulled out and somehow bonded inside the bore with glue . greetz , Dieter