littleriver

Ben We are all friends here. If we are to have an open and honest discussion, I believe it is fair for everyone to share his or her point of view. Having used both products and having read this thread, I felt compelled to share the points not yet covered in the discussion. My commentary is in no way directed at Mark but PVC as a building material. I do use it myself on occasion and my experience using it has formed the opinions shared here. But, I use it with the reservations mentioned. Every builder must make his or her own risk assessment as we are all individuals with our own situations. But, if I have to choose between working with a building material I know my body has NO chance of breaking down and one that it does, then, the choice is an easy one for me to make.

Why I like PVC but Love Wood Availability/Cost PVC can be found at Lowes for a price. Wood grows on trees for Pete's sake. Does it get better than that? Joy After working with both materials, wood is in my opinion is more enjoyable to work with both in feel and smell. Not sure how to describe the smell of PVC as your carving it or sanding it but it is far from pleasant or natural. The odor reminds me of something burning in mama's kitchen. Then, there is the feel of those shavings on your skin. Hard, itchy and unnatural to the touch. Can't get them off soon enough. Wood on the other hand has a variety of odors and all are natural and comforting (at least for me) to be around. And the feel of wood shavings on the skin is just the opposite of PVC, natural, softer, not irritating(at least to me) and almost comforting. The smell and feel of wood brings back fond memories for me of setting on the front porch on summer afternoons with my grandfather carving away at a piece cedar until it disappears. Speed Yes PVC can be made into a fishing lure overnight but so can wood. Sealing wood with superglue allows one to turn a piece of wood into a fishable lure in nearly the same time as PVC. In fact, I often test swim new lures just after carving and then sealing them with nothing but superglue. Takes minutes to do and is effective. Durability Here is where PVC really shines in my opinion. The stuff is tougher than grandma's day old biscuits. Really, you can't get rid of the stuff. It is engineered to not break down even under chemical attack. Unlike most woods which mother nature in her infinite wisdom designed to fall apart at the first sign of moisture, PVC will last a very very long time. Good thing right? Not so fast. What if a piece finds it's way into your eye or worse yet lungs? It will not break down like wood. You'll have to dig it out or cough it up. One thing is for sure, your natural body fluids are not going to break it down. But wood does break down with acids produced naturally within the body to a limit. Safety should be the first thoughts in every builders mind. Well I guess that about sums it it up for me. I hope everyone finds their own path to a safe enjoyable build. Thanks for reading...................

With most two parts another coat on top mixed properly will do the trick.

This is how I do it............Gene doesn't leave much out of this thread...........really good read!! http://www.tackleunderground.com/community/topic/22413-hand-carving-your-own-wood-lure/

I refill a used devcon syringe like this one.... http://www.amazon.com/Devcon-S31-Clear-2-Ton-Epoxy/dp/B0006O8QQ0

Thank you! I am sure it is a little harder to duplicate the action of this bait than your average crank. But that won't deter me from trying . Fantastic unique hunting action! And from your testing, we know bass like it too. Really nice!!

Your welcome; glad you found the information useful. Sorry however, the bait is not performing as expected. If your set on changing building material to something more buoyant it may not be a bad idea. But if your willing to keep working with what you have , I have an idea. Change the angle of your bib. Change it to an angle like Nathan's http://www.tackleunderground.com/community/topic/25425-diving-billsjust-not-for-diving-anymore/ This should bring your wake bait to the surface. Not sure if your aware of it or not but you may cold bend lexan to a point to test these new angles without having to cut new lip slots for your experiments.

If I didn't know better, I'd say that minnow was drunk. Great action I would say! Got any of that wine saoked lumber left? I know a bait I need to copy. Good work!!! Thank you for sharing!!

Gene Sounds like a few minutes on a turner, then turn your light on, should get you a really level coat.

I would try a wider bib first. Wider than the bait and narrower than the bait where they join. A wedge Bib. Also move the ballast closer to the bib. And finally if that does not work, move the line tie closer to the bib. i would just try one thing at a time. Sounds like the body of the bait is dictating the action. You need to put the bib in control of the bait and doing these things will do exactly that. Nice looking bait! Hope you get it swimming soon.............

Congratulations! Sounds like a keeper. I look forward to seeing the video.

Looks Like maybe a weighting issue. Where is your ballast in this bait in relation to the front hook hanger?How does the bait sit in the water? Level, nose down or tail down . Where is the waterline? The bait has little or no belly. I am assuming the ballast is close to the centerline of the bait.

Sorry to reply so late John . Hard to tell from the picture how wide your built in bill is ? But if you go too high with it the bait will just roll out . Taking the line tie towards the nose will mean less depth and tighter action. You could try a few spots easily since your working with wood . I would weight it with a nose down attitude. One problem is going to be the fact that the bill and support for is is all buoyant. I think this will work against your 10 ft goal by preventing you from getting a good diving angle. Good luck........... Vic

No expert but my thoughts are free....... Have no idea if possible.But I think your line tie should go about the middle of your ring finger. Nice that you found a use for the barrels. I am guessing wine is cheaper by the barrel too.