Fishwhittler

That's a very generic question, and I'm not entirely sure what you're looking for. There are certainly guys on here that make wooden lures from scratch, and there's no shortage of shallow diving crankbaits in the mix. I make wooden or PVC cranks, most of them shallow divers. Are you looking for ideas for crankbait designs?

I'd recommend carefully cutting it in half with a saw or dremel tool. If you dissolve the lure, you won't be able to tell where the ballast was located.

I use 19 gauge stainless steel twisted wire hangers. Either epoxy or superglue to hold them in place. Epoxy is tougher and more impact-resistant, superglue is faster for prototyping. I once tested how strong these hangers are by clamping one in a vise and pulling on it as hard as I could. If you're using balsa or another soft wood, the wood will fairly before the hook hanger breaks free. I've no idea what the failure point of a hook hanger in PVC is because I wasn't able to break it. Conclusion? If you're fishing for something small enough that through-wiring isn't mandatory, either one will work just fine. My preference will always be for twisted stainless hook hangers, since they're by far the less costly of the two and they can't be unscrewed as easily as a threaded hanger, making them a slightly more watertight option for the long term.

How large are they? Are you asking about the lure in that particular color pattern, or just the lure? Without any more information, they look like pre-Rapala models in the 020 size. Found this image that seems to be a match.

Older Citicas (everything before the G) were phenomenal value. I own an E, D, and B, and I just bought another B for my son. Rebuilding it now with added bearings, carbontex drag and a few other goodies. The only reason I would not recommend them is that those older reels can be in rough shape and need some significant TLC. My son's reel had an almost unusable drag when it arrived, which was expected so no loss there. That reel doesn't even have Shimano's Dartanium drag washers, which are silky smooth when new but require regular maintenance to not fall apart and/or fuse to the brass gearing. Bottom line, older Citicas represent truly excellent value for the dollar. But they need some work, and if you don't work on your own reels - which isn't hard, mind you - they may not be the best choice.

Don't know if they're exactly what you're looking for, but Barlows Tackle has some deep diver blanks that look similar to what you describe. Lurepartsonline is a TU sponsor and has a decent selection as well, and Janns Netcraft has some Bandit blanks.

Ditto. I currently own 3 used Shimano Citicas of various generations. Also bought a Daiwa T3 for $200 when they were on clearance due to the T3 being discontinued. I still need a Citica 200D for my collection, and MAYBE a Citica G, but for my money the Citica D and E were some of the best value for the dollar ever produced. The only reason I'd avoid buying used is if you're not 100% comfortable with the idea of maintaining and/or repairing your own reels. Not every seller is completely honest, and buying used can be a very mixed bag if you don't know what you're looking for.

Cut up an empty plastic milk jug. You can get a decent number of stencils out of one jug, and it's basically free if you drink milk.

Apologies for the late reply. If that's the case, pretty much anything from Daiwa and Shimano is going to be good. Lews has quite the following as well, as does Abu Garcia. I will say that most low-profile reels from Lews, Abu, Pflueger, and a number of other brands all come from the same factory, though Abu's round reels from the C3 up are still made in Abu's own factory in Sweden. So as far as low-profile reels go, anything from the brands mentioned is more or less just a different iteration of the same reel. Shimano and Daiwa both make their own reels (as well as making one or two for other brands). I tend to assosciate Shimano with slightly better low-end stuff than Daiwa, while Daiwa and Shimano both have excellent top-tier options. he biggest difference between the two, IMHO, is that Shimano uses centrifugal brakes for almost everything while Daiwa tends to go for magnetic brakes. I'm partial to centrifugal brakes, though I do have a Daiwa T3 that I've no complaints about. Honestly, most reels around the $200 price point will be perfectly satisfactory and will mostly be fairly comparable. It's still going to come down to what you like the best.

Most metal-frame baitcast reels are at least decent. Non-metal frames aren't a deal-breaker per say, but because of the flexibility of the frame they tend to be less of a long-term investment than a reel with an aluminum frame. I've fished with two baitcasters with graphite frames, and while they work just fine and I've never had any malfunctions, under heavy load (such as fighting a fish) you can feel a tiny amount of flex that isn't there with a metal frame. Can't speak as to how much effect that has on the lifespan of the reel, but using a graphite reel with heavy line for winching is probably not going to do any favors for the reel in the long run. When it comes to brand, I'd say try to get to a store such as Bass Pro, Scheels, etc., and see how different reels feel in your hand. Then buy what you like. Most reels at a given price points are fairly competitive with each other. Bottom line, the only thing I'd really avoid is a non-metal frame. There really isn't a "best", there's just what you can afford and what you like.

My solution ended up being a coat of thread sealer before topcoat, which took care of the problem. I never had problems with fisheyes when applying Etex over thread sealer, come to think of it. I had some minor issues before I started doing that, but none after.

I think you just explained why I was having issues at all. I never really thought about Etex containing more solvents than other epoxies, but that would explain why I experienced the issues that I attributed to uncured paint. I was using Etex when I had problems with running paint, and I had the most problems with lures that had been painted the same day as they received topcoat. If they had been painted a day or so before, the running was decreased or nonexistent. Come to think of it, I don't think I really had the same issue with running paint while using other epoxies, and I experimented with a number of rod-building epoxies for lures back in the day.