Seeking 56

Rowhunter, you're right about rattlecan paint not requiring a clearcoat, in fact it's an option I give someone who wants a plastic bait repainted as I don't usually clear them on my own plastic baits. But one of the benefits of using rattlecans on plastics is that you're able eliminate the priming stage. Unfortunately, I wouldn't be able to sell any wooden baits if they weren't cleared especially when everybody else does it. I'm more of a builder than a painter and I wish you guys would expand a little more on what wood it is that expands and contract / lifts paints and cracks clear because I don't experience those phenomenons at all. I use cedar and mahoganey almost exclusively now without any issues. s56

Rowhunter, are you suggesting that autoclear will fail on properly cured rattlecan painted wooden lures? If so, why?

Actually Gino, you should try it and see for yourself. I'm actually going to use the product again but this time I'm going to make sure that bait has cured for a month!! 'Cause in IMO in the end when paint cures and hardens properly it's still paint. It clearly says on the gallon use for paint. I was so eager to try the bait that I rushed to clear it. I hear ya, Woodie.

I used a High Gloss Clear Waterborne Polyurethane Copolymer Industrial Coating 1.2 single stage clear from this company. The lure was dipped several times but after a few months, cracks appeared throughout the whole lure. Now, since this was one of my first rattlecan lure I can't guarantee that the paint was fully cured when I used this product but as you can see, it can crack.

For me, I've found that the same paint scheme doesn't catch fish on all my lures. Perch patterns whether yellow belly or orange or white for example seem to catch more fish on my lipped baits than on my gliders. So if someone's interested in one of my gliders, I'm honest by telling them, perch has never produced on that specific lure. And the opposite holds true for my lipped baits.

Will definately not paint these 2, I'll just etex them. Hard to dispute what you've said Ben, But on lunar minors and majors for example, I have experienced the opposite with multiple fish days by switching to different colour and styles of cranks after the first fish. The common denominator was the depth presentation. By no means am I suggesting how to fish and this is hard to do when the fish are on but if one doesn't experiment by switching lures during the peaks, he'll convince himself that it's the lure colour / pattern that's hot and not the fish's mood. Personally, this is why I'm convinced lure action / presentation is more critical than colour. I have a friend who could probably relate your rattletrap story to his Strawberry Sledge.

Getting there Ben, getting there

" the only things that really important is Depth and Speed. The fish will react to a lure due to depth and speed, the other three are irrelevant " X2

Does the screw eye slot have to rectangular? How about inserting something in your mold that won't stick to the resin and subsequentaly allows you to pull it out once the resin has dried? Like a plastic dowel?

You must be using soft temper Yvon. I use .059 304 hard temper on my line ties and troll 7+ mph and never had a failure. There's more stress at the line tie than there is at the joint sections.

Are you saying that you're wearing out .062 wire??? That's a first! After how many seasons? Are you using soft tempered stainless?

Hooks are always an interesting topic. On your next prototype move the 2 front hooks forward about 3/4 - 1 inch. Muskies will often take the bait headfirst so you need hooks as close to the head as possible. Some muskie guys automatically go up a couple sizes on certain baits because they track better at higher speeds when trolling. I've noticed it on Depthraiders by switching over to 5/0. I've also had 3X 5/0 hooks straightened and as a result switched to 6x. On certain baits it affected the action considerably and switched back to 3X and kept a looser reel drag, some not so much and kept the 6X on with a tighter drag. So, the hook strength is also a consideration. Personally I find the 3x 5/0 and all around good hook up to 10'' baits. I'd keep those hooks on that bait. I'f you're going to put 2, experiment with some 7/0. Keep the pine for prototypes only. Have fun! S56

I'm not suggesting this particular product will fail but the mutli-strand leader buddy was using to cast musky lures had 3 of the strands break over a period of 3-4 months. It was looped with a ball bearing swivel and had a couple of sleeves holding it together. The individual strands loosened from the initial twist probably because it was looped. Was it the quality of the wire or the way it was assembled? Hard to say because it didn't appear to have a weak spot. Have you tried downrigger cable? Hope this helps S56

For rounding a bait that size I would suggest starting off with a riffler / rasp. This will allow you to remove the same quantity of material every time you do a pass on the edges or on the side of the bait. Then finish with sandpaper.

As mentioned above regarding band saws. But, they do make sanding belt attachments for scroll saws. Is it practical and efficient? Dunno....

On some round bellied baits I've made I've gotten no hook rash whatsoever. On wooden baits I sell I T them like this. See below. I find this method eliminates a lot of it. On plastic baits though I sometimes think the sound of metal rubbing on plastic is a good thing since it could draw the muskies in especially if there's no rattles in your bait.

3/32'' for hardwoods. I'm now using Gino's dowel method for cedar lures by inserting oak, maple or birch dowels. If i'm doing several i'll use e-tex if one or 2, 5 minute epoxy is fine. 1/16'' in certain hardwoods like maple will cause the screw eye to heat up and may break depending how fast you screw it in.

If you're using E-tex, put only a very thin coat otherwise, it will change the action on some baits. I ruined a 13'' jointed Believer putting it on too thick.

Could you not cut the bait in half after you drilled the thru wire holes and seal it that way?

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Has anybody tried airbrusing over a rattlecan primer or a wet sanded a rattlecan gloss base? Createx etc... should stick well enough without having to clearcoat it, no?

Once you figure out your cost and profit margin, see if your local tackle shop would consider a consignment agreement. s56

Could be in left field here but, wouldn't an arched back cause a lure to run horizontally as opposed to a 30 - 45 degree angle? Would it be a fair assumption to say that water is to lures what air is to automobiles. A downward force on a sloped back would keep both back ends down? Dave?

I've noticed the action differences in ballast location on my hardwood gliders but not so much on my hardwood lipped baits. Prior to this thread I never really gave it much thought as my main concern was to keep the lure upright and suspending. There is a noticeable difference though when using different wood density especially when I switch over to Ash from Mahoganey. As Ash being more dense it produces a more subtle action and is not as lively as Mahoganey. These wood characteristics make a big difference in the fall when the water is colder. Another factor to consider is hooks. For example, going from a 3x to a 6x 5/0 treble really dampens the action on some musky lures. s56

I have a few questions about fiberglass saltwater. Are the lures you make hollow or solid? How well does it take screw eyes? Is it comparable to any type of wood you worked with before? Thanks s56