Seeking 56

Crimping the brush will usually stop the bristles from pulling out.

The way I see it, the closer the ballast (presumably lead) is to bottom of the bait, the least resistance to bouyancy it develops. Whereas, the higher the ballast is up in the bait the more resistance it will incur by the filler used to cover it. The filler (ie: wood epoxy) will obviously be lighter than the ballast and therefore should create more bouyancy which should cause a resistance thus creating a shimmering / wobble effect as it drops. This is my explanation based on visualization only. Altough I designed my gliders to suspend, the route I would try for a shimmering / wobble effect would be as mentioned above.

They are also used in Reef Hawgs and Suicks musky lures. I haven't heard of any that have failed as of yet. I'd be curious as to the action though, seems like they will add a lot of weight. s56

Very informative video Diemai thank you. You have inspired me to supersize a pikie minnow now that I've seen how you attach the twisted line tie to the bent lip. I decided to use .062'' wire for the line tie and notched a W at the back of the lip so it holds better. I will probably pin it with round head brass screws prior to clearing. I will be painting the lure soon. Notice how it's still rough? I will rattle can it and then wet sand it so that all the valleys and pits dissapear, then I will apply my pattern. No more sanding the wood body smooth lol! I used white cedar for this lure. I sealed it with West Sytem epoxy and went as far as thickening it with microfibers on the areas where it's going to be prone to hook rash. Overkill for cedar but what the heck! I'm not doubting the eye screw through the lexan or omega clip guys, but unless a stress test is conducted on these methods, I will continue to use the thru wire method as shown in the picture. Thank you all for your input.

Hope this gives you a better idea compared to the original Dave. Essentially the eye screw would be positioned between the 2 marks if I go that route. I found some 3/4'' eye screws that are almost threaded to the top that may work if screwed in straight. The bottom of the 1/4'' lip has been shaved to match the one on the other lure. Woodie thanks for the input I gathered you tried it before?

So, I'm close to completing my 16'' jointed Depthraider. All the parts have been cut and shaped. Now, the question remains, what do I use for a line tie? Would a .092'' eye screw hold in a 1/4'' lexan bill? I would like to make it as close as the original as possible without having to go thru wire. I was thinking about screwing it in at an angle to get more bite since the eye screws are not threaded all the way. If it's feasible, what drill bit size would you recommend? Thoughts? Thx s56

You don't mention the drying process, are you using a wheel or just hanging them? I would put a very thin coat of clear and position it horizontally to dry, you may not even any drippings.

I would like to see pics on the thread when it pertains to problems related to building, topcoating, etc... Stuff we debate about all the time, especially water intrusion and it's effect or " the lack of " on wooden lures. s56

Try experimenting with cedar if you have access to it. It's probably the most popular wood used amongst musky lure builders. You may just find a happy medium. Don't overlook the fact that depth is also achieved on fast you retrieve the lure. s56

I'm pretty confident the coffin style will not make much of a difference compared to the same otherwise rounded bill. I have noticed a wiggle difference on mine when I used a denser wood like ash compared to my usual mahoganey. The difference is more noticeable at slower speeds, the denser ash's wiggle is not as tight and tends to pull harder. If you're going to use balsa, I would consider adding a bit of ballast in the center of the bait. s56

You should be able to remove that blob with a razor blade.

Have a look at net replacement bags, I got a rubber coated one for a carp pattern and found it easy to work with. s56

Mark, I'm sure these guys are wrecked at the end of the season. When I cast and it's usually because i'm in someone else's boat. I don't toss anything larger than 8''. In my boat we only troll. Some good thoughts there fatfingers. Although not the same project but I'm going to approach it like I did when I made my 13'' straight cedar Believer. I had so many doubts initially but I persisted, followed every curve as the plastic version...verdict? It runs really nice and doesn't blow out. But here's the best part, no hook rash! I winded up giving it to a good buddy of mine for helping me with my transom. In case anybody's wondering, it's going to be a 16'' jointed Depthraider. s56

This size of lure would be a first for me, but as BobP suggested 1/4'' or even up to 3/8'' thick but I would run the ballast horizontally almost flush with the belly.

When I'm fishing off peak times, I've noticed that a jointed round sided crank has been more effective for me than its straight version. That being said, a straight flat sided bait will be my go to bait as it has produced for me time after time. I have yet to build a jointed flat sided crank so I a can't comment on its effectiveness vs its straight counterpart. s56

Thanks guys, scientific math is not my forte. This will definately be an interesting build. Mark, there are musky guys out there that toss 2lb lures. s54

The lures weighs 1.9 oz, at a factor of 8 it comes to 15.2 oz is this correct? Is this the weight I should be striving for to replicate the same action of the 8'' lure? Sorry if i'm questionning the math but how can 2 16'' identical shaped baits without ballast weigh the same if one is cedar or better yet balsa, and the other is oak? What am I missing here?

Loft, assuming you're using the same material?

hazmail, Sorry, I should've specified that it's a plastic bait. I think then that I may have to weigh the plastic lure and ensure the 16'' is twice the weight? robn510, It's a jointed crankbait but depending on the weight of the 16'' cedar or hardwood I was thinking that I may either have to compensate with ballast or bore out material. This will definately be a trolling lure used with an E-Glass rod that I had shortened to 6'10'' specifically for larger lures.

I'm going to be fishing a bucket list water system this fall where bigger lures in the past have yielded enormous fish. As a result I want to build a special bait for this trip. So, in theory, if I trace out a commercially produced jointed bait and supersize it 100% lip and all, say to 16'' in length, shouldn't it have the same action? Any factors to consider? I've supersized baits before with the original size lip and have had great success but increasing the size of the entire lure is a first for me. I'm thinking about making it out of cedar but would consider a hardwood. Appreciate your thoughts and input. s56

Almost forgot Leopard frogs, my biggest ever came on a frog. Bonk it first, otherwise it's going to burrow. Good to know about the hot dogs!

I use 2 to 3'' raw shrimps with great success but was told by a buddy to use wieners because they work much better. I haven't tried them yet so I can't confirm. My rig is a 2-3 oz no roll sinker with a 4/0 circle or octopus hook. When I fish out of my boat I punch some holes in a can of cat food and attach it to the anchor.

I use 1/8'' for 8'' cranks and haven't had a problem so far and I pound bottom with these baits. 10'' and up I use 3/16''. s56

Have you tried it as a topcoat Gino?

If you can't find the product you're referring to, I'd recommend this stuff. Quickwood.com I've used it as a filler and also to build up baits and haven't had any issues whatsoever. s56