Painter1

We have had the best luck with buzz-baits on clear water when we use a black sharpie to color most of the blade with a very streaky "paint job" much of the shiny blade below shines through and the Bass seem to home in better on the strike. Several of us have been doing this for awhile and the hook up ratio is much better even without trailer hooks. I wanted to apply this technique to spinner baits but the chrome blades don't hold the ink very well. I found some Black Nickel blades and have modified some spinner baits with them but it is not really spinnerbait season here now. OTHER than night fishing, has anyone used these blades on a spinner? If so has it worked for you?

sounds like it might work well for buzz bait in the weeds also. Thanks for the tip. I will try it.

I can't get my pictures to show the colors very well, but I am looking for a recipe for purple/brown laminate. Kinami and chompers each makes a version in a drop shot worm. The Kinami has red flake and a lot of salt, but is only semi-opaque on the purple side. Any help is appreciated

Has anyone tried floating foam, like the "pills" that are used to make floating snells?

Does anyone know where to get micro-bubbles in a color other than white?

Lurecraft does not make it easy. I have had to resort to ordering a single mold just to find out what the lure will really look like. Searching their site can be tough also.

Larger flake?

That is better than my MS Word system. I sorted them alphabetic but have all kinds of scribble in the margins already from notes as I have adjusted colors. Only a few of the color have really worked well though, LOL

I think heat is the answer, also. I have used my heat gun and also warmed the section of a mold with a mini-torch where the bond will happen. I think it was one of Frank's videos where he shows how to heat a blade up, set both sides of a bait against the heated metal and then join them while still gooey. Same principal.

I will check it out and see what I have. Shoot me an email and I will snap some pics to send. You can see the lot that way. it is at gmail - MRKSTL82

I have an open pour "french-fry" aluminum mold you can have along with a couple other items. The mold is a multi-cavity Del, I think. I'm in St Louis so if you are nearby you can pick it up. I was warned when I started this hobby, so I will pass it on; Making your own baits is a fun but addicting past time.

That article is 9 years old? Just wondering what happened to the product since I never heard of it or saw it in the tackle shop. The Tablerock bass are loving a bait that will float a 4/0 hook but in using micro-bubbles I am struggling with colors and softness. A new compound that would float a heavy hook would be great.

Wow, Mike, that stinks. I hope you feel better soon. Anyone have any burn resistant glove ideas that a person can actually work in?

I think most of it is mineral oil with additives. I would think some stabilizer would be needed with a fish oil to prevent decomposition.

That color may be "Nutmeg" from Lurecraft. It has been a good color for me.

Thanks for all the help guys. I made some 12" plum open-pour worms last night with 1 tablespoon of flotation additive per cup of plastic. It really whitens the color so i had to use a lot more colorant and also offset with black. The color is still different because the entire worm becomes so opaque. I tested the worms on a jig in the hot tub, and while they do not go vertical, they do stand about 35 to 40 degrees off of vertical. I sent several packages to friends today to get some feedback so we shall see. If someone knows where to buy a darker colored float additive, please let me know. Thanks

I plan to make some baits that need to stand up vertically and so I bought some microbubble additive. Any suggestions on ratio to plastic? I also noticed that it significantly lightened the color. I need to make some dark colors so any tips for that are appreciated. Thanks, Mike

Thanks, guys. That is solid information I will use. I really appreciate it

I decided to make the crawler and leech/minnow bait harnesses for out group heading for a Canadian Fly-in trip. I am a newbie at making these so I apologize if my questions are elementary. We fish for Walleye with a M action spinning rod, spooled with 8 to 10 lb line. Most of the harnesses I am seeing are made with 14# plus. What size and type line are you using? I watched 2 video on tying the snells. One of them wrapped 7 times and the other one wrapped 12 times. How many wraps do you make per hook? I bought some of the floater type beads that string onto the line. I am assuming these would NOT be used in conjunction with a spinner, since the spinner would weigh it down. If you want the bait to float up off the bottom how many of these floats are needed and how do you secure them? I ordered #2 and #3 Colorado blades with #2 folded clevis based on the little I learned by browsing, For walleye fishing what size and type of blades and clevises do you use? Last one: How many beads or does it really matter? Thank you for your help

We are headed for a Canadian trip and hoping you guys can clue me in to the best places to buy Walleye & Pike Tackle. I am making our jigs but need to buy the rest. BTW, are any soft plastics good to use up there besides grubs? I have a fair number of molds for plastic baits. Thanks

The wobble I mentioned is the worm on the hook. Supposedly the Jackall head makes it do this. I am hoping the Do-It mold will make a jig that does the same thing.

I searched and read the threads from last year on the Wacky Jig Mold and see that it looks like a challenge to make these jigs. But my question is; How do the jigs fish compared to the tungsten jigs that a major manufacturer makes? Is there any difference in how they wobble as they fall? I appreciatte you thoughts. Thanks

Excellent! Thank you, Sir.

Thanks for the suggestions. Has anyone tried this yet? http://www.basstackle.com/product_p/wackywormmold9.htm I love the action but wonder if the bass will hit one side and not be hookable? What do you think?

I want to try dipping some hollow-body swimbaits and need to find some tall & narrow containers that are microwave safe for the plastic. Any suggestions are appreciated