SW Lures

I use 1/8" or 3 mm. I caught about half of the time rivers, lakes with rock. I also troll some. I let them bad boys bounce off the top of the rocks, some times with no choice. I get hung up in a gap between the rocks while trolling to. A lot of stress happens with this and it probably happens at or near the lip. I sometimes modify the front of the lip by filing the leading edge. That thickness is easy for me to get. I'm sure others use something different. Nice looking bait to. No complaints from me, Dale

Yep Mr. Young, it works very well. Mark told me about it some time ago. I believe that it gives a bait more action and guides the bait a little straighter. Not to mention this technique holds the bait more upright (stability). It does not effect the action in my opinion. I have been doing it to a very slight taper. You can hardly see it. I do this while shaping. My way is not faster then what Mark does. His being saw I believe, but it doesn't take much. Dale

I let it set out for a few days. Moisture content is relative to the the area that you are living in. IMO, let's say drying out wood to 6%, it is not where it will stay in your environment. Humidity changes that ideal number which is said to be about 6%. I have always allow wood to adapt to the conditions. This is because of cracking and such things, before staining or painting. However I keep it in my shop where humidity is just a tad lower then what is outside. If I was giving advise to someone new to using this wood, look for very little grain and a white look similar to a good grade of balsa. The green wood needs to be left alone. The green wood has a higher content of water. Yes you can dry it out but the wood will be harder and not easier to work with. There are different wood types in a given tree. "Heart/core" and "sap", each has a different characteristic. Pick your wood wisely. Even balsa has its grades. This is one of the reasons why I will not buy online. You think you are getting a good grade but when it gets to you, it is not. I like seeing, picking it up and feeling the texture of the wood. For anybody new, Wood Grades 101 is over. Have a nice day. Dale

Ok.....who said that hard woods need less ballast because of it's buoyancy. I was working on a pike/musky lure while doin house chores today. The lures are poplar wood. One is a swimbait, the other is a stick bait. The stick bait is taking 22-23 grams of ballast and the swimbait is needing about 21 grams. This is installing bill, rings, and hooks. I want it to rise very slowly and I was told to get the lure to run 6-10'. It is for some else. I have a mini kiln, or a friend has a saw mill with a large one that I can use if he has room. This is high grade poplar that has been dried out. I was just extremely surprised at the ballast needed for this lure. The poplar is very nice to work with, IMO. That was surprising to. I like using poplar for furniture, but carving is just fine to. Pictures will follow soon, step by step of the carving. Take Care, Dale

Lol, May be there for a couple. Right size to.

Oh well, maybe a old thread but some good advise. Live and learn. Lol

After sanding starting with 80 grit, working my way down to 180, some times 400 grit.I use mimwax hardner and sealer to seal the lure for testing. Three or four nice brush coates will do it. The sealer dries quickly. After testing, if needed, another coat can be added after a ruff up with a light sand paper. If that's not needed, ruff up and paint the primer/sealer of your choice, if airbrushing. If not any primer will do. I use the higher grit count in 2" width or 1" straps. I buff the lure like I was buffing a shoe. This makes the round parts of the lure just that round, smooth and even. I'm going to throw this out there about primers/sealers. When airbrushing the base color makes a difference of shades of the colors. As far as wire, I agree with Dave on the wire size. I use Tig electrodes, but I don't recommend it to some one just starting out. I agree with Bobp about paint dry time. I also agree with him on about split ring size. I don't use 3 or 3 heavy except for large fish species. You both have got a lot of info. Pick the right way for you. All of these techniques are proven and works. Enjoy this hobby and take your time getting started. Use the search box at the top of the page. It's a encyclopedia of info. Good luck to you both and catch a fish with your first bait. You will be hooked just like the fish. Dale

@JR I have been fishing with my single body baits (stick), with good success. So I have started a swim bait. I understand the fear of failure. We put a lot of time into a lure prototypes. But if we don't give it a try then we will never know how to do it or that we maybe good at it.. I look at a new type as a challenge and doing each of them, as being fun, failure or not. If I'm wrong.....I have learn not to. If I'm right then I have learnt something valuable. It's fun to learn and to experience errors or accomplishments even at my age. So when someone jumps off into the unknown, I try to help if I can. I think that's why most of us try to help others. Design, shaping is new to me. But I will give any design a go. I also enjoy talking about this topic. That's when someone may correct me and send me into the right direction rather than going into a trial and error mode. Always ask a question. Always give it a go, you will never know if you don't. Dale

Glade to hear from you Dieter. Was wondering if you were ok. Take Care, Dale

Also I agree with Aulrich about the bill, after thinking about the lure running true. As far as being shallow and its width and the height compared to the body. The water is rushing over the body from the bill. This could be your problem of not running true and action. You have a very interesting lure design, I would like to see it work for you. Good luck, Dale

I was looking at the short one and maybe bigest one. Then looking at the longer one I started thinking about what Dave has drove into my head and what I read about what hydrodynamic force happens with a lure traveling through the water. The lure is most likely very true to the center line (X line). With this being said the water traveling around the lure will be exactly equal or at least extremely close. Therefore there is no force making the lure to move in any direction. Example a arrow with out quills (feathers). The only part of the lure that tries at all is the bill/lip. Think of how the Zara Spook lure acts as it moves straight, other then the "walking the dog" technique. You need to give the bait some flat on the sides near the tail. As the water comes around the shoulders it creates a swirl that pushes the tail from left to right then visa versa. Equal pressure creates nothing but stress. Hey I know what that's like? Ok if I'm not right.....I will punt. (American football humor) or Dale

Let's us know how it goes.

Design wise, the one bait is not a hydrodynamic shape. As it has been stated here many times, any change creates a effect (good or bad). The open mouth can create a restriction or even a twist action, upward, sideward push etc. Without a lip/bill and not really knowing ballast positions. I really have not got an idea why except for what I stated. This I do know, the bait must have something to push it down. When you are cranking a bait in you are above the bait (most of the time) you are pulling the bait up. Unless your rod tip is parallel or below the bait. Therefore you must have something to drive the bait down. Even lipless baits have a design and ballast to drive them downward. The lip or flat spot on the head, if done right can even help with what I call barrel rolling or twisting. Testing different ballast positions can help you to understanding what this design can do. I agree with Dave, you will most likely not get no more then a very shallow diver as it is. I hope this helps, Dale

I have a pair that I dropped and scratched, but I sent them back to the manufacture and got the lens replace. As far as I know about a wipe on or something like that, no I don't. Those type of chemical solutions don't work most of the time anyways. I hope someone knows something to help tho. Sorry Glenn, Dale

I have always like watching and learning from your videos. You and several others help me learn how to paint lures. Sadly I'm still trying? Could you please get this into the forum cookbook some how? It would be easier to find that way. I have a Musky bait that I'm designing and adjusting right now. However I will not be finished testing for awhile. I would like to use this scheme on one of them when I'm finished. Also I would like to get into words in my cookbook that I keep.If I get time the next few days, I'll get it into word directions of how to. Mainly for the colors that you use. What's kinda neat is knowing that you are a member. Although it shouldn't have surprised me. Again very nice work as always, Dale

Not sure that your material is simular to wood as far as excepting adhesive. But I have tested some incredible stress on epoxy and/or glue, +700lbs per square inch. It will hold trust me. But I must agree with someone who stated here (can't remember name), that it's no more stronger than your weakest link; line, split ring, design/material for that matter. If you are like me, keep on researching. You need to prove it to yourself. Doing the test helped me immensely in understanding what makes a lure design....tic. Fishing with them helped but I was after fish only. It's different in designing one, then catching fish. Dale

I'm working on the same size bait, for the same species of fish. I'm doing a stick type and a swim type. I will make two or three of each. I will find what weight is needed to do what I want the lure to do. Then find the approximate locations for ballast. Then I will place the ballast in and check the bait in the water by using a rod. If all's good I will have the all information about the lip, ballast weights, depth of ballast, etc. If the lure is not what I'm looking for, then bait two comes into play or three LOL. When the first one that is what I want, I keep for future reference (unpainted). I will take pictures to. All measurements are kept on a spreadsheet. In the future I use a contour gauge to find the shapes that I want, so I can make another one. I then link the pic to the spreadsheet of the baits information. I know that this seems out of control, but it's not. I have found this out when I started and I wish that I did it from the beginning. I backed up and got the existing information now. Since this way of keeping info is set up now, it's not bad at all. My grand really enjoys working on baits with me. This information will help her. She is a accomplish kayaker that loves to fish. She will start fishing soon for this season with her own baits. Take Care, Dale

That's interesting, I have used it a lot in the past. I have a family event today but I may have time this evening to find out if I gave you the right advice. I don't use it much anymore, I could be forgetting something. It may take awhile. If anybody can help All Eyes......go for it. But your work is nice, Dale

You can try jannsnetcraft also. LPO is a sponsor tho. All I know about are in grams like Ben has stated, which to me is the best. The small weight gives me a chance to put them in different location, starting with the weighted belly hanger. Then of course I make my own regular weights in the same increments. I have found that I can buy the weighted hangers easier then to make them. Any upward swing in prices could change this. I have found that winter is the time to design and "crank" the baits out. Although evenings and bad weather days works to. Dale

This seems to be a wire bait topic, not a hard bait topic. Look up at the top of the page and open the main page for the different forum categories. Choose the "wire bait" forum. You will find help there. Knowing your mold model number may help with the size and brand types. Heck I may get there and help you. Good luck, Dale

You need to make it into a jpeg. You can use different sites like tinypics. You upload from your pictures and then you are prompt to use what type of format and size. Your get it, take your time. Good luck

Oh so that is you. You are a truthful person also!! Back to the topic now, Dale

I have read some post about 3D printers using it to make lures here. I think it is a interesting topic. Thanks for sharing, Dale

Lead "dot" weights are sold for ballast changing on the exterior of a lure. These weights are self adhesive or you can tape them to the lure. I have a set of leather hole cutters/punches. I cut foil for eyes and have cut dot weights from the weights that are used to balance a car tire by sticking to a rim. The weights are more flat and most are square in shape. Remember that the tape weight can change the buoyancy of the lure and being on the bottom will not be the same as when the ballast is in the bait. There are calculators, spreadsheets to help but I have not had good results with them. I guess since I use more native woods species of North America. As far as making your own ballast, I do. I used oak boards as a mold which is ok. I was worried that the hole of the pour was getting bigger, changing the weight. My alternative was to get a blank mold and drill hole sizes that I would use now and maybe in the future. There is a crazy person here named Ben who uses lead wire. I'm sure that he will be a long shortly. He/? (You really don't know) can help you or someone else can help. Remember the lower in the belly of the lure, the more stable the lures run. But some times a little higher makes the perfect lure travel. I hope this helps, Dale

Amen to that Pete!!!!! Nice Mark!!! Dale