All Eyes

Does anyone troll for catfish?

Exceptional work Ryan. Your stuff is so clean and well done.

It is red cedar. Here is another pic.

Thank you!!! The eyes are from Dead Meat Customs. They make some great looking eyes.

Hi Chris, I have made both versions (twisted and straight wire) but don't care for the twist at the line tie. It comes up through the lip at an angle and bugs me. Smaller gauge wire is ok because it's easier to straighten the line tie (tune) On my straight wire baits the wire extends deep into the body almost to the mid point of the bait. I also double pin my lips into the wood using pieces of 1/16" or heavier stainless wire. I drill holes up through the bottom going through both sides of the lip into the head area and epoxy the pins into place. A twisted wire makes a stronger connection for sure but on these larger musky baits the wire is a bear to bend and would be next to impossible for a fish to pull it through the lip. I have never had any issues with the wire coming loose or moving at all. Hope this helps answer your question.

Thanks Braided! The color combos are fun to play around with. Especially some of the vivid fluorescent colors. Here is another recent one.

Thanks a lot eastman! This one was done in Createx opaque fluorescent orange. I find it works best when built up slow with light coats as apposed to shooting it fast and heavy.

Thank you!

Thank you Ryan! The gills are done by dipping waded up pieces of netting material in paint and dabbing it on like a sponge technique. Then I lightly dust over them with white before applying transparent colors over top.

Thank you! Here's another pic in my hand to give a better idea of the size.

Thank you! This one was done in Createx pearlized gold with a bone colored belly. For the scales I used a piece of plastic gutter screen.

Very cool!