Them Muskie Lures

Hi, Thanks. I used the material that you use to line drawers. I found it at Wal-Mart I believe. If you can't find it, send me a PM and I will send you a piece if you want some. Thanks, Greg

Diemai, Thanks. I have been making lures for a while, just screw eye versions. These were my first ones using thru wire. Yes, I was able to find some open water last weekend and they all ran perfectly without tuning. My best guess I will get 4-6 feet as these are designed for spring and fall/winter fishing. I am making a deeper diving version as well, but wanted to focus on the shallow baits. Thanks, Greg

Here are my first lures utilizing thru wire construction. I used .062 304L stainless steel wire and drilled through the entire bait. Both types of baits are 4" long. What do you think? Thanks, Greg

I have looked over the site and have found some tutorials about thru wire construction and I am not sure if this has been tried or not, but wanted to see if it has. Has anyone cut a groove around the entire lure and placed the wire in the groove and epoxied it in? Where the ends meet, crimp a wire leader connector to both ends to secure it. I realize around the lip may be tricky, but I think I can figure something out. I really don't want to cut the lure in half and drilling a hole through 4-10" baits (at least for me) is tricky. Any thoughts on this? Also, what is a good size diameter wire to use? I assume stainless steel? Thanks for your feedback. Greg www.themmuskielures.com

Woodieb8, Thanks for the info, but in this case, the question is directly related to the top coat because I have 4 identical lures, 2 with 3 coats of polyurethane that run like a dream and 2 that have 1 coat of super glaze epoxy and the action has changed completely. It doesn't run nearly as tight and has a tendency to roll a little, not completely out of the water. I mentioned earlier that it's 5/8" western red cedar. The lip angle is 45 degrees and I have not put any ballast in the lure, only the hardware. I am going to give Etex Lite another try. Maybe the other epoxies are too thick...I will try them this weekend and post results. Maybe I need to play with the weights as Dave suggested. For my gliders, the epoxy works great, it just seems with the crankbaits, especially smaller ones, it can affect the action. I appreciate the feedback and I will give Etex Lite another shot. Thanks, Greg

Bob, Thanks for the reply. The lures are 5/8" thick WRC and do not have any weight in them, with the exception of the hardware. Thanks, Greg

Jamie, Etex Lite seems to be too thin and requires multiple coats. The EX-74 (or 88 I can't remember) was thicker and I only needed one coat and I didn't have to put it on a turner. I can just flip them. Etex lite was not as tolerant with the mix ration. The EX74 always gives me a solid topcoat everytime, but Etex lite just doesn't seem to be as forgiving. That being said, I will try my next batch of lures with Etex Lite again and see what results I get. Do you mix it and leave it in a cup for a while before brushing it on? Thanks for the help. Greg

I am running into a problem and wanted to see if anyone else has or has had this problem. I have made my shad baits and have been trying to find an alternative to epoxy topcoats, so I have been trying SC9000 by Target Coatings. I have put 3 coats on and it's a nice finish, but I don't think it's going to be strong enough for musky/pike fishing. My lures run great with the polyurethane. When I used the epoxy topcoat, the action is not nearly as tight and doesn't run as true. The weights are .8 oz for the poly and about .84 for the epoxy coat. I know that the epoxy is thicker, weighs a little bit more and increases the volume, but is this normal? I have used Parks Super Glaze, Envirotex Lite, EX-74, EX-88 and Devcon 2TON. I really would like to find an alternative that is tough enough to withstand muskie fishing. Does anyone have an suggestions for a marine clear or automotive clear that I can dip? I have heard about the issues with Dick Nites, so I am thinking I want to pass on that. Any other suggestions? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, Greg

All, Thanks for the feedback. I will try the suggestions. As usual, great feedback! Thanks again, Greg

Skeeter, I have been trying to use AZEK PVC board from Home Depot. For crankbaits, I can't seem to get the action that I am looking for like I can with Cedar. I am still playing with it some. If you want to try some out. I have a 1 x 2 board that you can have. I notice you live in Grove City. I live in Marysville. Be glad to help you out. Thanks, Greg www.themmuskielures.com

I am developing a 6" shad style bait that I would like to be able to troll down 8-12 feet, possibly 15 feet. I am using western red cedar that is 5/8" thick and I have routed all edges. In the pictures, the line tie is a temporary one in the lip as well as the screw eye coming from the top as I am trying different lips. The current weight is 1.5 oz with just the bait, hooks, lip etc. No paint or epoxy yet. The lip angle is 15 degrees. I know there are some good builders on the site, so I wanted to get some feedback. The lure runs nice, but I don't think it's going to get to 12 feet, more like 6-8 feet. I am probably going to have to add a little weight to the lure also, but what about the lip angle and line tie location? Any suggestions? Please excuse the messy epoxy on the lip. This is just a test one! I appreciate the help. Thanks, Greg www.themmuskielures.com

I had used Iwata Eclipse's for several years (siphon feed). I didn't get much more than 1 year out of these brushes and got tired of the brush not performing. I did all the recommended cleaning, water between colors etc. and they just would not perform like they should, so I have gone to strictly gravity feed brushes and I will never go back. I have 2 PS900 airbrushes and the Talon. I strictly use the Talon and I love it. I am sure the Iwata gravity feed brushes are excellent as well, I just personally didn't want to invest the $$$ with my prior experience with the siphon feed models. Good luck, Greg

I ordered a quart of the SC9000 and am trying it now. I make lures for musky/pike, so we will see how it holds up. I will post my results. Thanks, Greg www.themmuskielures.com

I am using the 1/8" lexan lips from Metal Works Stamping (same ones as Rollie and Helens etc) and I am having an issue cutting the slot on my table saw. I think it's the kerf of the blade. The blade that came with the saw was a 24T general blade and the lip slot was very tight and I had to file it some to get it to fit. I switched to a 60T blade and now I have some slop. Should I go to a 40T? If anyone has a blade they use that works, I would appreciate it. I hate to buy different blades hoping they will be correct. Most do not have the kerf size listed on the package. Any help would be greatly appreciate. Thanks, Greg

Mark, I get mine from HEB MFG. They require a $60 minimum purchase, but it's definately the best deal. I am not sure if they have the size you are looking for. www.hebmfg.com 802.685.4821 If you call or email, they will send you a price list out. Hope this helps. Thanks, Greg

I have been using KILZ as a base coat and I dip the lures and let drip dry. My question is what is everyone else using? Are there alternatives? The KILZ works, but it's pretty thick. This may not be an issue, but wanted to check. I use Createx paints and epoxy as a top coat. Does anyone have any other thoughts? Thanks for any help. Greg www.themmuskielures.com

I am thinking about purchasing a Paasche Talon airbrush or possibly an Iwata (lower end) brush. I already have 2 PS900 airbrushes and i like them, but I want to know if either of these brushes are better. I also want to have a brush that I can get parts locally if I needed to. Any help would be great. Thanks, Greg www.themmuskielures.com

I am constantly looking for different scale patterns to paint, thus I am always looking at stores to find something "new". I think most people know about laundry mesh bags, but are there any unusual items that are used? Here are the list of items I use: 1. Laundry mesh bags 2. Drywall patch repair kit 3. Drywall tape 4. Gutter guards 5. Drawer liners Thanks, Greg

I have been making my glide baits out of maple and lyptus. I have been using a roundover router bit to round the edges so it's basically a rounded bait. The glide / turn action is good, but I was wondering if anyone has experimented with rounding the edges but not completely rounded. Hopefully, this makes sense. I have seen some baits where a rasp was used and the edges were just rounded a tiny bit. Just curious if anyone has seen changes in the action by rounding the bait more symmetrically or not. Thanks, Greg

Pete, Thanks for the reply. I am assuming you were directing me to your tutorial for the tools? Your tutorial looks great. What I was hoping to do was to drill a hole through the lure, slide the wire through with the closed end on the front of the bait and the wire through the tail. It's the piece sticking out of the tail that I am trying to determine the best route to take. I am trying to do this without using 2 halves. Does this make sense? Thanks for your help. Greg

I would like to use thru wire construction on my lures. I have purchased closed eye wire, so on the front, I have a closed eye and then I push the wire through the bait to at the tail of the bait, the wire needs to be made into a closed eye. What is the best way to do this? Are there any tutorials? I thought that maybe there was a tool out there to do this, but I can't seem to find it. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, Greg Them http://www.themmuskielures.com' rel="external nofollow">

Finlander, I have noticed that most (probably all) deeper diving lures have the line tie out in front of the lure and down the lip. One thing that I have just started trying is taking 1/8" cotter pins, drilling a hole through the lip and then running it into the bait and then I epoxy it in. So far in initial tests, it seems very solid. I have attached a picture of some of my baits. Thanks, Greg www.themmuskielures.com