Hillbilly voodoo

Definitely no favoritism to the regulars no worries there most winners every year only really contribute contest entries

Congrats to those who won and those who contributed some awesome baits

It does give an idea on some proven jerk bait actions I think a lot of people overlook jerk baits and focus on baits like cranks they can just retrieve in stead. Personally I enjoy lures that I add a lot to the action by how I retrieve them personally I like jerk baits that can be worked both fast and extremely slow are ideal. Ones that give off a lot of action with short jerks and rises or sinks really slow a lipped jerk bait design is on my to do list along with a perfecting a hybrid pull bait I am happy with. A soft tail jerk bait has been an option floating in my head too

The funny thing with fisherman grading action like he did it’s mostly personal preference. Personally I believe different variations in actions shine more under different conditions and with different species with jerk baits the way to angler works the lure and the rod/line set up varies the action two personally for pike I prefer jerk baits with an erratic action on the jerk and a slow rise over back up on the pause. For brown trout I prefer a tighter action on the jerk and a almost motionless suspend on the pause. Just a personal preference for the two species for example

Again no help on the bottle style airbrush I use gravity fed clear coat is a preference thing it seems and they all have good and bad I have used Etex and KBS myself ETex pros easy to find, looks nice, easy to do multiple coats, durable when using multiple layers, and doesn’t smell cons must use a lure turner, if your turner jams or power goes out it becomes lopsided, must clean blank of oils of it doesn’t stick well, it’s heavy impacting buoyancy, and it can soften in the heat KBS pros no turner needed just hang your lure, thinner coat, very durable for thickness, less impact to weight Cons it stinks, should wear a mask, doesn’t provide the same glass look epoxy does, prone to bubbles if you put on too thick of a layer or apply next coat too early, storage after opening is more difficult, and more difficult to find (at least in Canada) my opinion clear coats all have pros and cons. They also involve some learning application wise I now use KBS because I lost a few big batches using Etex from power outages and lure turner malfunctions. My wife hates the smell of KBS so I had to improve my ventilation system

Started with a cheap badger and was not happy switched to an iwata neo and I am much happier

That is all dependent on your market for example here where it’s mostly pike fished with swimbaits around 6inch or larger is more marketable it all depends on your market and species

If you are drilling to install hook hangers and tie points try pouring them into your blank. Saves time and easier to make them secure just something to consider

I can’t say I have noticed this issue with blanks I have poured out of alumilite while or when I tested smooth ons equivalent to it. I have not noticed it even when I have snapped the odd blank in half. Don’t ask sometimes my temper gets the best of me when a project goes wrong are you talking just damp but the bait is still solid all the way through? I may have to check a recent reject blank for this

Another thanks for the contest even though most of my planned entries failed to go as planned so only one entry this year Making lots of firewood lately with prototypes that just don’t do it for me On a positive note I got a new airbrush and got some good results reworking an older design. Seems my so so spy bait makes a nice glider/jerk by changing my resin recipe and removing props lol

On the last night of my set at work then I will be off for a few days and I will start picking at some designs I have all kinds of partly finished designs laying around lol I have two soft bait projects in the works, two soft bait rigs, a crankbait, and a lipped jerk bait. This does not include all projects sitting on the shelf that I pick at at times or redesign I might be a little scatterbrained

Well it looks like my hard bait and soft bait won’t be making it. Nothing going right and back to work for 6 long shifts tomorrow Lost part of my airbrush cleaning it so no painting either. The fins on my soft bait also won’t hand pour nicely in and no time to mod the mold I might be able to sneak in the hard bait at the last min

I am using it for soft plastic too but poured around 325 for temp. Still green with soft plastics so this is only a small number of pours either way go with what works for you is always the best option. Post your results on degassing as it might be helpful for others

I am not sure what is going wrong I use mold Max 30 following the steps I mentioned and it works.for me I am pouring pike lures so more mid sized not as large and maybe that is the difference My experience is mostly using it for hard baits and only a handful of soft bait molds so my luck might change in the future

Even though my lack of computer skills and the fact things are basically frozen this time of year around here would make it a pain making a video I like your idea I think maybe a new category biased in action would be interesting and leave the existing categories as is This year I don’t even know if I will complete my entries in time

Most of my lure making invoices silicone molds and I never degas the silicone without issue but there are 2 things that can cause dimples 1) your mold is only as good as your master. I clear coat my masters and this makes things super smooth. My hard baits comes out with a slick finish even 2) when making your mold pour a thin layer covering your master and stop. Wait a minute or two before pouring the rest. This will give time for small bubbles to come to the surface and pop. Blowing on it or a blow dryer helps. This will create a smooth skin around your master before pouring the rest of your mold. This is extremely important when using mold release because it reacts to the silicone creating more bubbles from what you are describing I am betting you used mold release an poured the silicone all at once. This creates a cavity full of dimples. Been there done that lol My molds have smooth pour cavities but if you cut up an old mold the middle is full I’ve bubbles

I sell lures on a small scale and have dabbled in it for a fair amount of time. I still work at a job but I work long hrs in exchange for lots of days off. This gives me a reliable income and time to build lures on the side Can you make a few bucks yup but you need to unless time management, your honest expenses vs profit and how to sell your lures Your asking a question that has been asked on here many times. Do a search and you can read comments regarding most questions you might have My advice try seeing how you do selling lures on the side and see how you do If it was easy we would all be doing it though lol

Eastman03 I poured the tail out of a stiff saltwater plastic so it’s stiffer I think it’s more the design with the tail only connected with only a think spot at the top of the tail. My thought is to redesign with a shorter paddle that has more support heading towards the tip and move the thinner section a bit closer to the body I am going to take it slow redesigning this project to get it right. Also I have another prototype in the works that is going really well and some mad scientist ideas are running through my head on this other prototype

I will attempt another variation in a few days when I am finished my set of nightshift Thanks for the suggestions

That is what I attempted and I tore the male(soft plastic) end of the connection twisting it together on 2 prototypes maybe if I widen the socket but I was thinking the friction of the screw is why it tore I will have to try again with some mods