diemai

@ Sharptooth Many causes possible for your problem , ....first thing is , I'd check whether enough ballast has been inserted . Probably your timber material also lacks buoyancy , thus you cannot add enough ballast without rendering your bait into a sinker , also minor buoyant wood does not offer as much sideward stability . Also you can reduce the lip size a bit , but this also reduce diving depth and wiggling action . You may also try to put the line tie a bit lower towards the lip(not in general , but for this particular lure) , this reduces the leverage around the line tie caused by the oncoming water pressure . By mentioning your joining method I figure out , that you are blaming that joint for your problem somehow , ..........but this won't be the case at all . Just try to temporary tape some ballast under the belly of the front section(rear section should possibly remain unweighted not to slow down the "snake" move)and see , what your lure does , .....if no more ballast can be put still keeping the lure afloat , try to reduce the length of the lip or make it more pointed towards its tip, just STEP BY STEP , ...always test inbetween . Next time try using more buoyant wood , this can carry more ballast , so you have better opportunities of balancing you lure . good luck , diemai

Tried the same with same result , .............I had read somewhere , that plastic coffee cups(the kind from slot machines) would work , ....but since they've switched the slot machines at my work to paper cups recently I haven't had a chance to gather some for another try , ...don't wanna buy them ! greetz , diemai

Though I don't really have something to add to it , .........a very nice thread and discussion , ......thanks a lot for sharing your experiments , Dave ! greetz , Dieter

I know , what you mean , .......these round-bladed props have smaller bearing holes , as they are supposed to be mounted onto wire shafts , I guess , ........the pointed ones , that I've mentioned before have larger holes , especially meant to be used with screweyes . Please have a look at my latest topic , there is a detail picture of such prop somewhere in there : http://www.tackleunderground.com/community/topic/22659-weedless-topwater-bait/page__p__169315__fromsearch__1#entry169315 It's post #15 , .........I've just had a look ! greetz , diemai

@ deadgame11 An almost impossible task , I'd say , ....not much you can do other than downsizing trebles and splitrings , like Mark had already mentioned . On a timber lure you could also drill out material at the back and plug the holes it with some more buoyant material , ...but on a hollow hard plastic lure this would be impossible , as there is only air inside(won't try to fill in any exotic gas lighter than air , would you ? ) ! Removing any BB's is not an option in my opinion , as it would surely alter the swimming balance of the lure as well , ...what's the use of a lure sinking as slow as desired , but getting to lay on it's side as soon as you'd start to retrieve it ? I only see the option to stick some kinda buoyant material on the back and/or either top side of the lurebody ,........ it should be flat and snug against the lure body not to create an entirely wider body shape ,........maybe thin slices of PVC decking or maybe a certain kinda tape consisting of an isolating foam material and an adhesive backing might work as well(???) , ....it is used to insulate gaps and slots between windows or doors and their frames against draught air passing through . You might roughly paint these buoyant pads over in matching colors , ...won't look pretty for sure but might fulfill your purposes ? Just my , ........................good luck , diemai

@ acheryrob ...............just briefly browsed through all the write-ups in here , .......but the final comparison picture of a stickbait and your "Devil's Horse" is evident to me , that the wood you are using lacks a good share of buoancy(unless the stickbait has some internal ballast) . I'm not familiar to your local basswood , .......but if I would turn down a stickbait of comparable size out of my favourite abachiwood(Scandinavian lure manufacturers like Nilsmaster and Turus Ukko use it as well for some models) and mount screweyes to it , it would pop up like a cork and would require about 1/3 to maybe even 1/2 ounce of ballast in it's rear to get it to work properly and still float up quite a bit . Also the thru-wiring "eats" up a lot of buoancy on your slender propbaits , ........not only the wire shaft and props are quite heavy , but also the drilled away buoyant wood material is replaced with heavier glue , .....one thing adds to the other and all to your disadvantage ! Try making a "Devils Horse" of same size and material , but utilize epoxied screw eyes this time , ........you should find a positive difference in the grade of remaining buoyancy , ........if still not enough , you oughta switch to a more buoyant material(maybe PVC decking ?) and/or make the lure body somewhat more voluminous , thus more buoyant . good luck ,............. greetz , diemai PS : These kinda round-bladed props that you've rigged are quite heavy and made of thicker brass sheet , ....try rigging the pointed type widely available at component stores , these are lighter , .........make sure to care about prop sizes matching your lures .

@ Vodkaman .................sometimes I envy such people like you , Dave, .........I can hardly part from anything ! @ mark poulson I've still got a couple of more lure-fishing related books , but these are all in German , naturally ! I ever was a bookworm , since I've learned how to read and write , .......I've also read all the books of my hometown's public library , that somehow lay in my fields of interest , even ordered for some issues not available here through the loan net systems of ALL public libraries of my homestate ! ................but what did you do , before you went online , Mark , ........... ??? greetz , Dieter

@ mark poulson Mark , there are heaps and heaps of underwater lure videos around on YouTube , ....BUT , ......I can't remember to have seen a topwater lure filmed from down below(that does not mean , that there won't be some around) . There is a guy , that filmed lure actions trolling them at boatside , ...probably there was a topwater amongst these , .......but heck , I just can't remember nor find his channel anymore . Here is another one , .....no topwaters though , ...but nice underwater videos amongst them : http://www.youtube.com/user/OntarioFishing?blend=22&ob=5 Just scroll down all of his uploads ! greetz , Dieter

My pleasure , Dave , ........thanks for having taken the time to watch them ! greetz , Dieter

Hi , folks , I've made these two little films last night ,........thinking that some fellow lurecarvers(or those intending to become) might be interested or even take advantage of them ! part 1 : part 2 : greetz , diemai

Thanks a lot , mates , ........a video will definately be made , ......the question is only WHEN ! greetz , Dieter

@ Gar-Tracker Thanks a lot , ......Off course I've designed these lures mainly to slide over lily pads , thicker waterweeds would surely take them to their limits as well . @ all By now I've carved two more blanks , and these are gonna be the last ones so far , ....actually I ran out of ideas about what else to try . First one is really a bit chunky , but I need added buoancy to keep the lure afloat and still be able to trim it to proper tail-down swimming position(if it would even be possible ) . It is a lure with an interior paddle wheel , that I have made from 10 X 10 millimeters aluminium square tubing . The groove to accommodate that wheel I've cut out on my hobby routing machine while the blank was still in it's block shape , ...I've carved the blank around that groove , so to speak ! The axis of the wheel consists of 1,5mm SST welding wire , it's bearings are small pieces of brass tubing 3,0mm X 2,0mm(bore) , ..........after painting and topcoating it will be assembled and secured by two pieces of electric cable insulation firmly pushed over either end of the axis , ....countersunks on either side of the blank allow for enough space for these tubing pieces , ....the bond could be disassembled again any time in case of maintainance required . A small piece of 1,0mm SSt welding wire makes up for the roughly "W"-shaped line tie , gonna be pushed into position from the inside of the paddlewheel groove and later epoxied . Second blank is a prop lure , .........I'm also a bit anxious , whether I'd be able to trim the lure properly to achieve the required tail-down swimming position and still have it flip over incase it would land on its back after casting . Note the shop-bought prop , .......I've tuned its tips to get it to spin much easier , .........also I have souped it up with a little bearing made of a 3,0mm pop rivet . Don't like these narrow props that much , as they do not get to spin that easy , .....but with these little modifications they'll do fine ! greetz , diemai

My link also sells a few wooden blanks , .......but must be assembled with hardware . greetz , diemai

I made myself a jig out of a rectagular wood dowel maybe 1/2" X 1" or slightly larger , screwing in a big open eyescrew on either end of the narrower side, the kind for wall hangers . These eyescrews must be protruding long enough for the lure to fit inbetween still keeping sufficient space to the dowel . I'd use an "S"-shaped wire hook to attach the lure onto one eyescrew by it's line tie and a stronger rubber-O-ring to fix the blank to the opposing eyescrew by it's rear hook hanger eye . Now I can wrap the rubber ring around the open eyescrew to get the multi-sectioned lure stretched out real firm , ........the tension generated is high enough to allow the lure to sit sturdy enough even for brush painting . To mount the dowel jig for painting and drying , I utilize spring loaded clamps . I also topcoat such lures this way , ...for my fast curing epoxy I do not need any rotisserie , ....but it should not be a problem to build a lure rotator to accommodate such dowel jigs . The joining eyes of the lure would most likely clog up with paint and laquer this way , ....after curing I clean them off carefully with my "Dremel" and 1,0mm drill bits and small balsa , ...or a carpet knife . good luck , diemai

Thanks a lot , mate , ....here are two more(one is not weedless) , .......this blank carving just helps me to pass through my boring lateshifts easier ! First one is of the same kind like the blanks above , I even added a small nose indention for popping sound , made with a "Dremel" oval router bit . This lure supposed to resemble a small minnow swimming on it's side , ....gonna paint it in a natural fish pattern and attach a red/black skirt later . The second non-weedless blank is a version of the old "Shakespeare Baby Popper" , .......a bit of a unique lure , because different to "ordinary" popper lures it hangs on the surface vertically , only the nose sticking out . Because of this the lure can be worked "on the spot" , with little flicks from the wrist it can be used to tease a located fish to strike or to thoroughly work it at likely holding spots , ..........it would just remain at the face of the pike for a longer time . The blank is about 3" long , .......I hope , that the long rear screw eye , the big hook and the homemade brass bush for skirt attachement would provide enough weight to allow for proper vertical swimming position . The brass bush was cut off from round brass rod , drilled through in a machine vise on my drill press and turned down to proper diameter on my lathe(it's motor has a chuck) by filing and sanding , .......no milling machine neccessary . Since there is not much space to add more ballast in the tail , I'd have to wrap some solder wire around the hook shank , if I should really need more ballast . Started out working on another weedless lure yesterday , ....also same weedless design as above with a rigid hook attached , .......but I wanna try to assemble a small prop in front in a way , that the lure would still be able to be tossed over the pads , ...........difficulty is rather more to get such lure to flip over to correct swimming position aftercasting due to the added weight of the prop , .........but I shall see , ....gonna keep you updated . greetz , diemai

@ Vodkaman ............luckily we have never experienced such in our flat , .....my wife would surely run mad ! They only occassionally ate up our carp chum remainders left in the garage for the next day's trip ! When I was a boy , me and my best fried used to kill a lot of mice for forage for his falconry hobby , ......want some tips ? Certainly I'd do a video of these lures , Dave ,........but would surely take time ! @ RayburnGuy Thanks , Ben , .....I hope , that it would not even have a chance to squeak , when the jaws of a big pike would engulf it with massive power ! @ Mark Poulson ..............thanks , Mark , ......made another one yesterday , in a flat, fish-like shape this time , ...still have to fit in the hook . greetz , Dieter

Hi , folks , Just carved out another blank of this kinda lure , .......a mouse bait this time ! It's also made from abachi wood and in about the same dimensions like the first lures above . This time I decided to make the lure's eyes out of the plastic heads of tailor's pins , snipped of the metal pin to a length of littlemore than 1/10" to serve as a stem , gonna glue them in after painting but prior to topcoating . The sockets to accommodate the eyes are furnished with a small "Dremel" ball router bit . Since a quick shirt won't fit much to a mouse , I've thought about making the tail of a piece of latex tubing , ...but I might also try to wrap on a thin leather strip later , ....dunno for sure yet . The lure is gonna be tail-weighted , so that it would hang head-up at about 30° , ............I hope that I could still get it to flip over to proper swimming position , if it lands on it's back after casting , .........but I guess , that the high and rounded back , also the almost round tail end would enhance this feature , ......provided that I get the ballast as close to the belly outline as possible , .........gotta beat a sinker flat and cut a flat weight pouch into the belly for that reason . Just put it into a 50/50 solution of turpentine and boiled linseed oil , ....gonna soak it there for a couple of days , ..........after drying out for some weeks afterwards , it would be ready for procceeding . greetz , diemai

@ Vodkaman ..............great video , Dave , ....thanks for posting , .........gotta make myself such a jig as well , as up to now I'm clamping a nail on the very sideward edge of my vise , ........looks a lot more convinient this way , as one gains more space to wrap around . But what is that wooden block for , that you slide on prior to snipping off , .....is it to determine about even lengths ? Thanks for sharing , ..........greetz , Dieter

Hi , folks , During the past weeks I've made two videos displaying the present contents of my bank-fishing AND my boat-fishing tackle bag/box , ........quite a few homemade lures to be seen in there(OK , in the first vid some got out of focus , in the second one I did better , I guess ) . Thought , that I might share these in here as well : greetz , diemai

Looks scary to me somehow , .......but these fish are no carp ! greetz , Dieter

@ mark poulson ...............thanks a lot , Mark , ......but I don't think , I'd be done with that bait before winter or at least late fall , ........presently I'm into carving several lure blanks per week at my lateshifts , when all of my grinding machines are running well . Don't take the time to seal and paint them now in summer , so I've gotta wait for boring winterdays to procceed , I guess . Just on Saturday morning I've got myself another board 28 X 80 X 4400 millimetres of abachiwood from a lumberyard in a neighbor town , ....that one's gonna take me a long way again But I'll definately post them in here , when they'd finally be done , ........only takes time ! Thanks again , ........greetz ,Dieter

@ RayburnGuy Thanks , Ben , .......I'm pretty much aware about the poor hook-up changes of such baits , ....but at least they can fish where most other lures can't and it's great fun even looking at a missed strike , .......probably even having a pike jump out at full length . I still have more confidence in such baits like the one I carved here rather than in those hollow plastic frogs , stickbaits and poppers , ...........the reason is simply the protruding hook , .........on those plastics the fish really has to engulf the lure between it's jaws and squeeze the lurebody together to render the hookpoints "armed" , .........on these "old fashioned" lures the hook stands already free and has a reasonably sized gap between hookpoint and lurebody , ......so I believe , even despite of many misses as well , ....that this kinda lure provides better hook-up chances , ..........at least counting for our native pike , .....can't talk about bass , as we do not have them over here ! ..................and nevertheless I also like the looks of these timber baits , .........also the second or third pike would have shredded a plastic frog to pieces , I guess , ........wood lures would last a little longer , hopefully ! ..................just ordered for some more quick skirts from US Ebay last night(can't buy skirts nor trailer hooks over here) , .......there surely are more "PadFrogs" to come ................ ! greetz , Dieter