ArdentAngler

Ok, so besides the airbrush what paints and or accessories would I require? Would a small all in one unit be practical?

I'm a little lost myself, after reading through some old posts it just got me more confused. There are many mixed opinions and it makes choosing that much harder. Kits that sell compressors some say they are fine to work with while others disagree etc. The NEO and Iwata names have been thrown around a lot in every post so I know they are good. If I'm only doing a handful of baits at a time what would be the best and cheapest solution? Simple is always better for me so basic paint schemes is what I'm going for.

Can you use polyurethane for sealing and topcoating? I remember my grandfather using it on a couple lures that were repainted. Some of the lures yellowed over time, but the fish didn't seem to care.

I looked these up and seen a video on youtube and you can get some great cuts with that stabilizer attached.

Funny you say that about the pool area, I asked the apartment manager if I could swim some lures in the recreational pool to study them and got shot down...its been awkward paying rent ever since. Why can't they except the fact that fisherman are eccentric and do weird things? My wife walked in one day and found me in the living room with all my fishing tackle scattered around me, she walked up to me patted me on the head and said that I was "special". Not sure what to make of this??? By the bye @pickadoll that lure has a great action

I was thinking he IS Vodkaman! The word trigonometry was used and now I'm quite scared...there won't be a test on this will there?

The same problem occurs with the Delta and Dewalt scroll saws, the same machine yada yada. I'm sure the Rikon is the better quality machine. Depending on what's available for the better bargain is what I'll end up with. Though I would like to shop around for more options, see what a few other members impute. The consternation of losing a finger is holding me back a bit though. I like the idea of the scroll saw but the porter cable left a bad taste in my mouth.

Well a move may be on the horizon so the apartment hopefully won't be an issue anymore. I will definitely take the advice on the shop vacuum and maybe a dust mask. I vividly remember the headaches associated with the dust. Any suggestion on machines? I read the craftsman is the same as Rikon is this true? if so the craftsman can be picked up fairly cheap at a yard sale or craigslist like nedyarb said.

Ok well I'm reconsidering a band saw after purchasing a porter cable cable scroller. I spent months researching a bunch of scroll saws and found that if you don't have $600 you probably wont get a decent machine. So can a good tabletop band saw be purchased for under $200? I was told to stay away from any with three guide wheels to save myself the trouble of broken blades.

Yeah that's true, but it still seems overpriced and flamboyant. l was just at my local Cabela's to check these out $10!!! WOW, I'll stick with my Rebel Crawdads for that price. If they were compared to the existing models and proved to show some improvement maybe? Does anyone own one of these? I would like to see the static angle of these in water compared to the X Rap.

essentially isn't this the same as balsa covered in a thick coat of epoxy or polyurethane? Though, I'm not sure if these have the same weight as the plastic. Seems like a gimmick to catch fisherman rather than fish.

Maybe a better question would be are there any places that make custom tackle bags?

I have been looking on evilbay but those style bags always go for too much to buy and tear apart. If they still exist...its like hunting for big foot just to find a movie rental place nowadays! I should change this post to "calling all defunct trades" Went to our local Tandy Leather store and asked them...nobody could help me unless I was making a purse or a saddlebag.

Been thinking about making my own fly fishing/tackle bag, similar to Chapman, Brady, Barbour and or any English style bag. Seeing as these leather bags run $200+ it would be cheaper to make myself. The other reason is these bags aren't furnished the way I wished. Are there any templates or patterns available for these style bags?

@Littleriver You took the words out of my mouth. When I first started learning about lures static angle was not something that seemed important...how naïve I was! It was my assumption that all lures sat level, clearly I didn't pay much attention. * "Surprisingly these all float the same considering the internal housing is different for each model." They do not float the same, the older models are heavier towards the business end where the new model is centered. The smaller version 1 1/2" surprisingly has a nose down angle. I should test several of the same models and see if there is any difference in quality? Had a laugh as the sinking craw did exactly as its name states...sinks! I actually expected this to be a slow descending lure. As for the X-rap it contains a magnetic casting system which explains why its light in the tail. Interesting to consider which Rebel craw is the better build?

Thanks Dieter...now why couldn't I find this on Google? Must be word choice I guess, but "x-ray glide baits" seems pretty clear to me? So it wouldn't be as simple as carving out the desired size and shape then tank testing it by hanging some weights? Figure the weight of the hooks and paint shouldn't add too much. Hope this isn't a myopic way of thinking, I'm open to suggestions if you got em'.

Thought it would be good to start a post on the static angle of lures. There is a lot to be learned from how a lure sits, so here is my contribution. I apologize for the picture quality but it presents the idea. What stunned me was how much this angle changed with water temperature...unfortunately these are all done with cold water and doesn't show the difference in hot and cold. For example the Rebel Cat'r Crawlers stood straight up after adding a little warm water. 2" Rebel Crawfish all different models; the oldest 1 1/2" (cream colored one) is from the seventies with the tow point in the body, the others are from the 80's and up to the current model. Surprisingly these all float the same considering the internal housing is different for each model. The others are Lazy Ike, Rebel Cat'r Crawler, Rapala X Rap, and a traditional Rapala Minnow. Figure these may help the builders out there who do not own or have access to these lures.

Just curious but essentially a glide bait needs enough ballast to cause it to slowly descend, this ballast should be located at the lures center of mass or essentially close to the first hook hanger? Does this sum it up or am I still missing something? I'm guessing the biggest challenge is finding an appropriate amount of weight for each lure, now would this be easier or harder for smaller gliders? I wish to build small gliders for trout if that helps Can anyone provide some x-rays of commercial gliders or some pictures of ballast placement on some skinny gliders? Thanks

Interesting thread, I'm nonplussed at the variables that effect a lures action. Since joining TU my paradigm has shifted tremendously...my wife thinks I'm a few eggs short of a dozen after she caught me taking pictures of my lures floating in our drinking glasses; Since reading Vodkamans post on static placement...or whatever the term is??? for how a lure sits on the water, I've been testing my best lures and taking notes. The findings are remarkable as I was naïve to how my lures actually sat and swam. I thought of starting a thread to discuss and catalog the vast commercial lures properties...i.e. what makes these lures tick. Though I wouldn't know how or where to start, this venture would be extensive and canonical in the scientific sense. Though if you are able to achieve your prospect of digitally breaking down your lures it would be highly beneficial to understanding what makes said lure wobble or flick. Mind you the data you speak of seems way over my head and would need to be written in a more laconic prose.; the old saw "explain it to me as if you were speaking to a child" comes to mind.

There is a lot of good information in the archives but you have to know where to look, the cookbook sounds like a great idea. I too would like to see some video's demonstrating the action of a properly made glidebait. Personally being a neophyte to lure making, its hard to figure out where to start looking and learning.

Thanks for clearing that up, now I know what to order. Guess I'll grab the yellow handle snips next time I'm out. thanks again for the help!

I usually tie my own as well, use a dab of head cement or superglue to keep them from unraveling. Good to know where you can buy them though.

Ok what is a good thickness for small bait below 3"? I been using mm and it seems that Lexan is not measured in mm and this may be where I'm getting confused and having trouble. The 1/32 is for bass baits you said, and the wiss snips are they straight snips or? Haven't used them in a while, from what I remember there where three kinds left, right, and straight. I will look into powerdraw, been asking a buddy for a copy of his cad software...seems this is a better way to go.

I'm finding this to be an interesting read, been interested in glide baits ever since I came across the rebel cat'r crawler. This is more of a sinking lure, but still has similar properties of a glider. I have been interested in building my own for trout fishing, from what I noticed they tend to run rather large and are made for pike like Dieter said. I'm looking to make a sleeker shape like Big River's Pup (walk the dog lure) because I like the simplicity of the shape. Probably going to take Dieters advice and build the roach lure so that I can see and understand the dynamics for myself. Very curious to see where this thread goes

@Griffond: I thought about copper...made a few spoons years ago didn't take long for them to fade or green. Copper wire would look pretty slick on a lure though! Is there a link to that tube stuff you got?? do they have wire for 2" - 3" lures? Bobp@ My next question was going to be where can I find 1.2mm or 1.5mm Lexan...McMaster-Carr have to check there. $7 a spool for .031 wire? sounds like a good price! I have some 2mm from lowes pain in the but to cut using hand tools, also too big for my baits. Cany you cut it with snips without cracking or breaking? Thanks