diemai

Never heard of , but just googled some pictures , ......indeed the "Smoo" has that special body shape as well , but I might not make the head fatter than the rear body , as this way the lip weight would not render the lure to swim head-down too much , thus not so much ballast could be placed into the rear in order to have the lure swim level again and also resulting into better casting performance . Forgot to mention about the body cross section of my Aussie versions , ......it may vary from circle round to oval(relation height to width up to about 1 : 1,7) , wheras oval bodies provide a stronger wobble compared to round ones , also do turn out more voluminous , .....thus more buoyant to be able to carry a bigger lip and more rear ballast . Greetz , Dieter

Mark , I don't mean to say , that they won't hit it at all , but I've just gained the impression , that perch respond better to such lively lures compared to pike . If deep divers for pike are in order , most likely during fall season , I'm more confident about straight-bodied and minnow-shaped lures sporting a narrower and elongated lip , either oval or pointed , as sucha lip and body configuration provides a more moderate swimming action , yet retaining a fairly deep dive(though not as deep as the Aussie versions) . Here an older model with such a moderate action : http://www.tackleunderground.com/community/index.php?/gallery/image/11096-best-pike-this-season/ But also I've got the problem of making too many different lures , so each single lure might never get the chance of highly intense testing . Greetz , Dieter

I guess , I'd have to , at least partly , disagree , ........at least if you'd be ready to leave the typical short and fat-bodied crankbait shape behind , guess that you call it an "Alphabet Lure" ? Some years ago I had started to carve deep diving lures after Australian samples , .....these basically have an elongated and curved body and a very large and wide , forward pointing lip , .....their wobble is very strong and vigorous , ......the more curved their body , the more strong the wobble , and the lest curved the body the deeper the dive , ..at least as a rule of thumb . I'd make these deep divers either from very buoyant PU hardfoam material or abachewood , also quite a buoyant timber(though not quite as light as balsa) . Already with my first versions of such Aussie lure versions I've found , that the big lip would let an unweighted blank float up pretty much nose heavy , but due to the buoyant material there would be still enough room for ballast . This ballast would be placed into the rear part of the belly , just down the tail end , in order to render the blank to float up level or at least only a tad nose heavy . Now this rear ballast not only makes up for the swim level , but also causes the lure to cast extremely well , also the big lip would act like some kind of a rudder or a stabilizing fin on flight allowing the lure to dart straight forward generating the smallest air resistance possible , ......most often such lure would level itsself belly up on flight , almost gliding through the air until impact on the water's surface , .......off course the elongated , curved body also does it's share to level the lure . But I've found out , that only a thin and light lip material would be essential to achieve this feature , ......made similar lures equipped with lips of 1,0mm aluminium and also 1,5mm Lexan , ....the Lexan lipped lures performed much better in terms of casting distance and stability on flight , .......only logical , since more ballast can be placed into the rear , if mounting a lighter lip . OK , ....but the most important question remains , .......would such lures have an appeal on your local American bass ? In Australia they catch local predators similar to perch , zander(walleye) or bass , ..that's what they are designed for , ....but for over here in Germany I've found , that local northern pike do not seem to be attracted by such lures too much , maybe they are just too lively in swimming action , .....but surely our local European perch(very similar to your Yellowbelly perch in the US) are . For you to figure out about these Aussie lure versions of mine , ...here are links to my gallery : http://www.tackleunderground.com/community/index.php?/gallery/image/9843-chalk-painted-deep-diver/ http://www.tackleunderground.com/community/index.php?/gallery/image/9844-mottled-finishes/ http://www.tackleunderground.com/community/index.php?/gallery/image/10152-latest-pvc-grubs/ Maybe worth a shot for American bass , .....dunno , ........at least these lures cast very well and can be made to run very deep(that lip size in my gallery picture never is the final size limit , I suppose) . Just my , .....good luck , diemai

Very interesting reel technology , ..thanks for sharing , Mark . Greetz , Dieter

I know , Ben , .......but the missus surely doesn't ! Greetz , Dieter

@ 702bassdude Welcome to the TackleUnderground , .....hope , you'd enjoy yourself in here ! Greetz , diemai

@ Travis Thanks a lot for your opinions as well , .......yesterday at the tackle store my decision has been made , .......with the help of the missus and also the salesman ! To get a little impression , ......here a video of that shop , not as big as American superstores by far , though , but it is the largest one in entire northern Germany , about 45 miles northwest from my hometown : Well , they've had that DAM wave bar reel laying for display on their desk , ...also some more expensive Shimanos and an ABU Black Max . I've had the Black Max in mind before , but still asked the salesman about the new wave bar technology of the DAM , .....but I've figured out , that he did somehow hum and haw about that reel , obviously was also not feeling too keen about it . But(as usual) the missus behind me had the final say , .....as the Black Max's offer was quite a bit cheaper than the DAM , .......and in the aftermath I'm pretty much satisfied , as for not that much more money that I would have had to lay for the DAM reel alone I still took a 10 feet casting rod , 20-50 grams lure weight , home , together with the Black Max reel , .......and the missus wasn't even too mad about it , .........guess , that this longer rod is much better suited for the intended purpose than the old 8 footer , that I still have laying around . .......but sometimes I'm wondering , .....just a little bit ,..... whether my wife is not right , when always saying , that I would surely have enough fishing tackle and lures by now , ..........only sometimes , ....and just a little bit ! Thanks a lot again for posting , guys , ....much appreciated , ....greetz , Dieter

I've already got two Ambassadeurs , ......I wanted a small low profile reel . Greetz , Dieter

Thanks a lot for chiming in , guys , ........finally some positive feedback on that technology . But now I'd have to think over my decision against that wave bar reel again ,....... heading for our largest local tackleshop this morning , ........well , gonna see , what they've got there . @TroutSupport.com Regarding the DAM reels , .....I think , that they had never attempted much to join the US tackle market , just too many competitors there , but I know about DAM vintage lures made in cooperation with Heddon prior to World War 2 , ......a few Heddon models were available over here under the DAM brand . On occassion I've also seen DAM vintage reels on US Ebay , I assume , that these were brought across the Great Pond by US military staff returning home , ......probably just like this 1960's vintage crankbait : http://www.fieldandstream.com/blogs/honest-angler/2012/08/vintage-tackle-contest-dam-wobbler Thanks a lot again for your opinions , .....greetz , Dieter

Ben , .......looks like both of us really have something in common , .....YouTube history documentaries are often deducting from my sleeping hours at night , .........greetz , Dieter

Now you're saying it , I remember as well ,........but I seem to recall , that these stamped out balsa parts were only up to about 1/10" thick , namely the single rips of the wings or fuselage . Don't think , one could go much thicker with the balsa , as in my opinion the punches used for these model plane kits were rather like profiled knife blades , not like the solid die punches one would use for dies punching out parts from sheet metal , ........I also believe that if using such solid punches for thicker balsa , the edge quality would not turn out nice , .....and some kinda longer knife blade punches would get stuck into the wood , as they enter deeper , and then not cut anymore . For explanation , ....I'm having punches in mind , that are about shaped like these cookie dough punches as pictured , http://www.frischekueche.at/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/Keksformen.jpg but other than these , they would have to be of tempered steel , as thin as possible and with a razor sharp edges , .......but still I'm convinced , that they could not handle 1/4" thick balsa ! Just my , ....greetz , diemai

@ RayburnGuy Same thing with me , when I first watched it , Ben , .......the missus kept on calling me for something , but I was just stuck to the screen ! Greetings , Dieter

@ Rayburn Guy Thanks a bunch for your efforts , Ben , ..maybe we'd get some sort of info from your friends ? Talking ABU , ...at first I need to apologize , I've mixed up the reel model names in my post above ,... ..I do not have any "ABU Cardinal " reel(which is their wellknown spinning reel with the distinctive drag knob positioned at the rear bottom of the reel housing) , but two "ABU Ambassadeurs"(these are their famous casting reels) . The ABU reel line is widely available ober here, also older collector's reels frequently appear on local Ebay , even seeing them on fleamarkets occassionally . Regarding maintainance or customer service , I can't really tell other than in Germany it is rather poor compared to the USA , ...do not know about ABU specificly , though . Often one's gotta wait for weeks and months for spares , regarding various discussions on local forums . Recently there has been a thread of someone saying that he wanted to order for some spareparts for four "DAIWA Saltiga" reels(high end saltwater spinning reels) to refurbish the reels at home . DAIWA Germany replied to his tackle dealer , whom had requested the spares , that the parts would not be delivered , but can be assembled , if the reels would be sent to DAIWA for maintainance ! Just one of the examples , why Germans often call their country to be a "service desert" . Anyway , ...if you're an ABU fan , you might have a look in here , pretty interesting to me , just like any of the world's famous tackle companies histories : Greetings , Dieter

@ Rayburn Guy You've just spawned my idea to do some googling on such reels , Ben , ........came up with some results : http://www.chattanoogafishingforum.com/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=64269&posts=4 http://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/topic/119557-us-reels/ http://reviews.cabelas.com/8815/128615/u-s-reel-hibdon-supercaster-800sx-baitcasting-reel-reviews/reviews.htm?sort=submissionTime&dir=asc OK , ...a lot of folks are obviously satisfied with this different piece of reel technology , ...but it also makes me think , that some are talking 'bout having purchased such reels on sales , ...looks to me , that the reel just did not sell like hot cake at it's original price , .......also the fact , that is obviously still a bit uncommon and unknown after a few years of first issue , makes me think , .......you're darn right with your statement , Ben . I'm also reading about difficulties directly resulting from the "Wave Bar" , ..... like uneven winding and also the need of certain line diametres and/or lure weights . All in all I must say , that all of these comments and stats there are starting to put me off on investing into such reel , ...as I assume , that the German DAM model would origin from the same Chinese stable like the USreels discussed in those forums linked above . Anyway , Ben , .....if you'd remember , just ask your friends when you'd catch up with them , ......may get too late for me , 'cause I think that my descision has just been made , .....but maybe to help other fellow fishermen facing the same problem like myself , as this particular TU thread appeared at first page of Google search results as well ! Thanks for chiming in , Ben , ......greetings , Dieter

@ ROWINGADUBAY Well , .......I see point in your stat about if such reel would be something special one would see more like it around , ...food for thought ! .......and regarding the ones on page 150 , .......too little capacity for my liking ! @ Griffond Thanks a lot for all of your hints , .....I'm already using "Fireline" and/or "Spiderwire Stealth Code Red" braid on my lurefishing reels , no matter what casting or spinning , ...just for the reasons , that you've mentioned . I intend to mount that reel to an 8 feet "ABU Conolon" light casting rod sporting a casting weight of up to 30 grams , had this one laying around unused for years , .......probably I might purchase a 10 feet rod lateron , but these are very hard to find over here , .....at least with lower casting weights and fairly soft actions . I intend to try a certain float rig in local rivers(off course I might also use the rod and reel for lure casting). That rig roughly consists of a sliding float , set to approbiate depth with a stop knot up the main line , a piece of a thin monofilament break-off line with a lead weight chain on it's end and a mono or fluocarbon side arm leader twice as long as the break-off line . The idea is to cast this rig into the river current having the lead chain slide along the bottom , slowing the rig down a bit as it would drift downstream(the chain lead would hardly snag up compared to a solid sinker) , ...... the leader above the break-off line would be baited with a nightcrawler worm or smaller earthworms and would drift down the river just a bit above the bottom , the float helps to keep the rig straightened out properly and acts as a bite indicator , off course . A casting reel is much better suited for this method compared to a spinning reel because of it's freespool bar , ..with a spinning reel one would always have to open the bail to release line , and also close it prior to a hookset , ......pretty much inconvinient , I'd say ! The other day I've met a fellow fisherman at the bank , he was just casting this very rig for seatrout on a homemade 10 feet casting rod , ...he did not beat about the bush with this rig , ...and now I'm pretty keen to try it for myself , .......he did not catch any seatrout that day , as they are still quite rare around here , but at least he landed three plaice on this rig . I see advantage in this method , because one can also fish this rig during local closing time , when the use of any lures is restricted ,...... and still search a big stretch of water actively compared to stationary bottom sinker rigs . Probably sucha "Wave Bar" casting reel might not be neccessary for this rig , ...but I must admit , that I'm eager to try such reel , .....nevertheless I'm keeping an eye on offers of "ordinary" casting reels on local Ebay . Greetings , Dieter

@ fishon-son Thanks for reply , ......my intention was to possibly get some first hand info about whether the promises in the adverts are true or not , like fewer backlashes and especially further casting . I'm not a rookie regarding casting reels ,........ I've got two ABU Cardinal's , one Shimano and one of another local brand named "Balzer" , and I surely know , how to use them , ........which might not be self-evident over here , at least not amongst fishermen of my own age . During the past casting reels have not been commonly used in Germany , were even hardly available(during the 1990's I've mailordered my first one from the US) , but since 10 to 20 years they've become increasingly popular , provided , that they would sport the over here demanded left hand wind . Surely you might not have heard about the DAM , as during their approx.140 years of company history they've never made it to step onto the US market , I suppose , .....but there have been business contacts between the DAM and Heddon during the 1920' and 1930's , as the DAM issued several Heddon lure models under their own name in Europe . Just linked that DAM video for information , no English version available , .... not expecting anybody to understand that foreign language , though , ..... sometimes I also do watch fishing and tackle vids in foreign languages , often still enjoying them . If you'd be interested , ....here is the English version of the recent DAM catalog , one of Europe's most traditional tackle manufacturers : http://viewer.zmags.com/publication/f4cbb46a#/f4cbb46a/1 That particular reel is described on page 48 . Greetings , 61diemai

Hi , folks , I'm in need of another casting reel to try out a certain drift float rig on local seatrout in a small river . A while ago I've come across a certain reel model issued by a local tackle company , ......by their advertisment I've had the impression , that the reel design is new and designed by them , but now I've found , that it was an American company , that came out with it a while before . Anyway , .....my question is , whether anybody has fished such a casting reel before employing this unusual "wave bar" line guide technology and would share his or her experiences in here , ......could you confirm all of the statements made in the advert , in particular about the better casting performance and fewer backlashes ? Just like to have some opinions before I'd make up my mind for a purchase of such a reel , ...or better stick to a reel with a traditional line guide system , ..........here is the American site about such reels : http://www.usreel.com/products/wavebartechnology.aspx And here is the video of that local company , that I had come across at first : Thanks a lot in advance for your opinions , ......greetings , diemai

@ scrubs I'm not too familiar to the Ande brand , guess , they don't sell it over here , ...but I've got a spool of chartreuse Ande mono somewhere , given to me by my brother-in-law living in Michigan . I use braid exclusively on all of my lurefishing rods , got mono only for for float and sinker -set-ups for baitfishing , ...not that costly and not neccessary , as there's not lure requiring total control . @ bassguy Thanks a lot , ....just saw , that I had obviously misplaced my initail design sketch of that lure , ....good that I had posted it in here , ....probably making some more . Greetings , Dieter

Sorry for replying a little late , gents , ......gone fishing and now busy with my weekendshift work ! Thanks a lot for your congratulations , I'm still excited over that fish , ........and today after having seen this video on their phones my two fishing shiftmates at work obviously won't mock at me anymore , ....always used to say , ......"Dieter , ..you're carving too many lures ,.....better go catch some fish , too !" Today they've kept shut ,..... admitted that this fish was even bigger than their own PB's , ...both of them travel up north to hit the coastline of the Baltic Sea for seatrout fishing , a 1 to 1 1/2 hour drive depending on location , .....I never did , ......caught this fish just 20 miles from home , ....in freshwater . .......Bill , to my shame I do not even remember the brand of that red line , .....just bought that reel the other day , asking the tackle shop clerk to spool on a 0,15 millimetres red braid (about 20 lbs pull strength) , preferable this one being one of my favourites : http://www.angelplatz.de/Spiderwire_Stealth_Code_Red_0_12_270m--sus061?referer=froogle&gclid=CMnV_Jve1b4CFaXHtAodKngA9g But it is not available in that exact diameter , so he recommended another brand , which I can't remember anymore , sorry . Thanks so much again , people , ....greetz , Dieter

After more than half a year now , .......all of this turned out worthwile for me : Put this smallest lure of my "Pfeffer" bunch into my trout lure bag , .....having just stocker trout of the fishing club's ponds in mind , .......but it could still deal with this far bigger and wild seatrout , .......even though the tiny splitrings and small hooks had almost reached their limits ! Really made my day today , ......these are the moments truly rewarding all of our elaborate but yet passionate lure work ! Thanks a lot for your support , folks , ....greetz , Dieter

Might be looking for such : http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_trksid=p2050601.m570.l2632.R2.TR4.TRC1.A0.H0.Xstainless+welding+wire&_nkw=stainless+welding+wire&_sacat=11804&_from=R40 It is softer and bends easier compared to stainlees welding wire rods , as it ist designed to be spooled down for MIG welding , ...but for smaller lures up to 2 " length I consider it to be OK . A 2 lbs spool should almost last you a lifetime . A this MIG wire already is a bit too soft for my own liking(usually I don't make micro lures) , I guess , that brass would be still softer than that(personally I'd keep my hands off brass) , .....but nevertheless I have one spool 0,8 mm dia.of such welding wire down the shop , most likely using it to wrap spacer coils for spinners or wire eyes for homemade bobbers and floats . Greetz , Dieter

I already have a few instructional videos out on YouTube , .......not made very professional , though , ...if you could use these ? https://www.youtube.com/user/61diemai/videos?sort=dd&shelf_id=1&view=0 Looks for the older ones , about 2 years ago , but there also are some recent ones . Greetz , diemai

Surfing the web I just came across this one , ........partly after a whole century , old lures still going strong : http://www.retiredlures.com/Still-Catching-Fish.html ................in particular I like the story about the "Heddon Gamefisher" , ........"check a local antique store !" enjoy , ...greetz , Dieter

There has been an extensive thread on this topic on a German site , ...if my memory serves me right , some fellas have even mailordered these toys from China , they were not too expensive . But they won't use them as casting lures , but as a substitute for a living minnow hanging underneath a bobber , since livebait is illegal in almost entire Europe . Greetz , diemai