littleriver

A few folks are asking about the components on my bait. So here it you go. The blade is made from a sheet of flat brass and the round piece above it is half a plastic bead. Both of which came from HL. I did put a slight bend in my blade. I used two pieces of hardwood and bench vise to make a press. The bead is sanded down . Depending on the length of your post the bead may be adjusted to give your own blade the desired slop. I debated for some time on the value of a second bead below blade. The original does have one but I wanted to keep my post as short as possible for strength. To help figure out the weight of blade need to get this thing hunting I used suspend dots on the blade. My first proto blade was made of aluminum. Finally settled on the blade you see here. After throwing the finished bait for a while the only complaint is the blade is rubbing the belly of the bait a bit. I am going to bend the the post to see if I can make go away . Definetly something to keep in mind on the next one. This one will be going in my daughters tacklebox. As soon as she saw the pink she had to have it. Guess, i will have to make my own . LOL Good luck with your own build.................

Here is the action ................

Thanks Mark Took it swimming this morning. Never know if things will change much after paint and topcoat. Hope to post some video soon.

Hi Boyd Welcome to Vic

My first baitcaster was an ABU . Recently gave it away to a nephew along with the Berkley lightning rod it was on. Still working great! The nice thing is how simple it it is. Just two settings. Drag and the casting drag dial. Learned how to plastic worm fish with this setup. Caught many a fish with it. Casts fair with much weight but the new reels like the shimano curado with the centrifuge drag system cast much further with anything tied on them.

x2 Homemade bed? I do not think we have seen this beast. You will have to engineer the next one to disassemble easily and fit through doors I hope. Vic

I agree. I haven't found a spinning reel yet that will outcast my baitcaster. With that being said, i still fish with both depending on where and what I am fishing.

Really glad you enjoyed these latest baits. I hope they bring a few bites. Also, thank you for the kind words. I have learned a trick or two from yourself and the many contributors here at TU. Thank you!! Vic

Dieter with reviews like that I will surely wish for more lure swaps in the future. Thank you for all your help. Namaste Vic

I am in Ben's camp. I never sharpened but have learned the hard way sharper hooks make a big difference. In fact I put a stone to the tip of every treble . Just takes a minute. Then test on the nail. if that baby does not stick to my nail like cooked spaghetti on the wall then I hit a another lick or two on the stone. you do not want a hook tip that slides on the nail. Surprisingly most factory hooks fail the nail test. Having a sharper tip will allow the hook to sink deeper and hold better when that fish bites. You only have a second to sink those bars in and a lifetime to tell stories. I want all my stories to end well. It makes little sense to spend weeks planning, making and finally fishing that perfect homemade bait only to put dull hooks on her. Why not give yourself and if you sell or give away your baits your customers and friends the best chance to catch something with your bait? Your baits may not get a second chance.

They both looked pretty good to me. I like that slow wide action on the little one. She needs a streamer on the back. Might try attaching a curly tail grub to the rear hook using a single hook with curly tail grub instead of the treble. Like one of Huberts lures. I think his curly tail is built in. I am thinking it will slow the action a bit and allow for a faster retrieve without blowout. The trick will be to find the right grub trailer. You have the perfect lure. Thank you for sharing. Always enjoy the videos.

Vodkaman has one of the best I have seen. http://www.tackleunderground.com/community/topic/22090-vman-lure-testing-tank/page__hl__%2Btest+%2Btank

Ben is right. A photo goes a long ways. Sounds like your wings are over powering the bait.