JRammit

I like the dowel rod solution to keep everything on the shelves!... I planed on building several small shelves in my new area since i have no room for big ones... Ill have to steal this idea! Nice to see a few fellow billiard enthusiasts here!... There are few things i enjoy as much as fishing, but pool is one of them!

You forgot the kitchen sink (ha ha!) Most of the city ponds i fished were no boats as well, they were big but not huge... Being shore bound on a big lake can be a dissadvantage, especially in a pressured area! The most obvious suggestion is to go to the spots out of reach of the lazy angler... You are catching fish, so imo youre doing well, i wouldnt expect to catch a limit in a place like that... But heres a technique ive had good success with: tie on a #6 bait holder hook but dont cut off the tag end, instead tie a second hook same size about 4" down.. Using about a 6" soft strait tail worm (my favorite was Robo worm!) nose hook the bait with the 1st hook, then skin hook the back of the worm w the 2nd.... Hopefully you have a rod with light line (6-8lb), no weight!... Keep the rod tip low, line tight and just jiggle the tip, 5 or 6 tiny jerks at a time... Incredible swimming action! And a sink so slow its almost suspending!..

I think i saw Hank use this on an episode of King of the Hill

This is good advice Vic!... Especially for someone limited on time and tools such as myself!... I get frustrated at times, cause one mistake can put me back a week or two, seems like ive been working on this same bait forever (almost 2 months) when in reality i probably only have about 8 hours invested in it......... Question: if using epoxy as a sealer, how would i seal the inside of the lip slot without making it too small to accept the removable lip?? Also a tip: idk if you have kids, but if so they make a great tripod!.... My youngest boy does most of my filming, its a little shaky, but my hands are free and he feels like he contributed! Jeremy

River, thanks for posting the vid, it was my pleasure to watch!... I still have a great deal to learn about crank baits, ive spent days at a time searching the archives here, massive amount of info but seeing and reading are totally different! You sounded exactly like me talking to the people in the park, but i wont be doing much public testing anymore, i got a 500 gallon "tub" from work for free!... Its not as extravagant as Vodkamans test tank, but free is free! I wish i could throw my ideas together as quick as you did!... If i ever get enough time away from work to complete the project ive already started, i plan to do a little learning experiment involving "lip basics" with as many quick models as i can build... Hopefully by then ill figure out how to upload video from my smart/dumb phone.... If so, ill share!

My favorite part of the video was you explaining to the passer bys... Its always funny the looks and comments we get when we appear to be fishing in a creek/puddle/ditch that obviously holds no fish Id like to see it on a jerking retrieve... I dont believe ive ever seen a fat bodied jerk bait, but your proto seems to be trying to mimic the action of a jerk bait even on a steady retrieve..... Id call that usefull!

I thought i was the only one!.... It is an add-iction!... I have disciplined myself to "one project at a time", but the gray area is the caregory... Designing a new soft creature bait and finishing up a new style crank bait currently... And trying to decide between starting inline spinners or tying maribou jigs next???

How bout that nano-fil from berkley?... I got psyched about that stuff til i saw the price tag.... So, its still in the store

Hi!.... Been a few months i see, hows it comin?

Ive never been to NE, but use to live in Denver and fished city ponds on a regular, so im farmiliar with pressured waters!.... Would help to know what you are trying thats not working....... Ive found more times than not, smaller is better in these situations.... Example, Ive seen a crappie jig under a bobber outfish live minnows even for bass on occasion

I havnt made any spinners as of yet... But while looking into it I saw a handy skirt tying tool in my janns catalog... Its $15, but it's nothing more than a pointy tube, rubber band over the pointy end, skirt in the hollow end...... Could probably fashion one of these tools out of something laying around the house

Sorry I'm still stuck on the jet diver thing, but I think it's relevant... Also think Mark is right about the angle.. The jet diver lip comes strait out in line with the body, there's enough lip to grab water and dive, but not enough exposed at that angle to cause oscilation.... Maybe?... Or maybe it's the big fin on the line tie?? I'm probably not much help, but if u figure out what you did "wrong" I may try to recreate it... An "s swimming" diver pulling a crawler harness sounds interesting!

Sounds like u made a jet diver... I use to pull bait behind them for walleye... They're basically a crank bait that dives but doesn't wiggle, always wondered why, just figured the lip is so wide that it's easier for the thing to dive than wiggle... But at some point/speed enough energy should be generated to create those vortices that make our lures swim, yet it doesn't.... Its a mystery! Is yours a deep diver?

I was gonna ask about the shelf life... Punch bait seems to last forever.. I'd imagine since soap don't go bad, your blood bait would last a while too.... Also, does the bait float??

Ben, thats greatness!!... I once read up on making congiled blood bait, but when I mentioned the steps necessary to the wife (use of the fridge) the plan was shot down in flames.... Scrubs, I've caught a few cats by accident with 4" Berkley gulp minnows... One was 12 lbs, which was an adventure in my 12' jon boat!... We danced in circles, it was the 1st fish of the morning, so once I got it on the stringer my boat wouldn't turn right for the rest of the day

56.. My oldest son takes a trip to Lake Powell every year with a long time friend... They use hot dogs and catch everything from cats to stripers... They think its a magic bait, I think those fish are so active they would probably hit a cigarette butt.... But I don't tell him that Dave, if u need a tester for your formula, your secret will b safe with me!!!

I've never fished flats or blues... My spot is strictly channels.. No shad here either, if I get there before sunset I'll catch several small bluegill for cut bait, which out performs any other bait there... The bottom of this pond is MUCK, so I make bobbers out of dollar store glow sticks... I always carry the punch bait as a back up, or if I don't have time to catch bait I know it's fermented cheese mixed with cotton or weed seed fibers to keep it on a treble... But that's about the extent of my knowledge on the bait

We are all bait builders.. Plenty of bass/crappie/musky fisherman... But do we have any bait makers?? Catfishers??? Due to flooding/closures of all my favorite bass/crappie holes, I'm limited to one spot this summer... This spot is best noted for quality catfish! I've been using Danny Kings punch bait for several years with great success... But now that I'm building my own lures, I figure I should have a go at making my own bait..... Anybody here make the smelly stuff? Have a secret recipe? I could Google or YouTube it, but I'd like to hear what input my TU friends have first

They just had barriers up with a letter of closure due to "flood damage"... I just fished one of the spots 2 days ago, the parking area was flooded, but water levels were dropping not rising... Its a national park area, so I doubt anyone local has the pull to let me in....... I do have one spot left, it's a flood prevention pond in my neighborhood.. Its not a great spot by any means, but I did manage to put my buddy on a 6lb cat last night.. So he's not going home empty handed....

Man that's great info Bob!... I hadn't considered how the rules change with rising vs falling levels....... Unfortunately after driving around for almost 2 hours yesterday, I found ALL of my favorite spots closed along with the entirety of the LBJ Grasslands with no further notice of opening.. And most of the larger lakes in my region are closed to all watercraft..... Looks like I'll have plenty of tackle building time this summer!

Went out yesterday, started trolling Rapalas over flooded weeds... Nothing... Took to the woods w my ribontail worms.. Nothing... Tied on my 1/8 oz minnow jig and managed to catch a couple off a tree in 8' of water...... Roads you say?... I'll have to try the parking area next time!

Ha!... Were u using a Crappy jig?