Tuna

I also posted this on BassResource. I purchased three Kastking Speed Demons and three Kastking Royale Legend reels in mid-November. As a practice, I always tear down a new baitcast reel to check components, clean and use a synthetic lube for bearings, buff metal drag washers and lube gears. During this process I found the drag tension spring washers on all six reels improperly installed. While I had the reels apart I took some photos. I notified KastKing US and China support of this issue. After they researched, the production manager in China admitted they have been making an assembly mistake(see correspondence screenshot). Since Kastking has not posted anything in regard to this issue that I could find I decided to contribute. It will only take 4-5 minutes to check your reel and correct. Just flip the position of the spring washers to the proper alignment (see misalignment schematic). The correction should add quite a bit more range in drag tension.

I got curious so I left a message for Krylon Product Group. I asked if Fusion Clear was available in liquid and if it would be a waterproof finish on the plastic blanks I work on. Here's their response: Hi, Thank you for taking the time to contact KPG. We are grateful to have a chance to help. We don't have anything for that type of application. Nothing in our line is rated for submersion in water. We appreciate you letting us have the chance to help. If there's anything I didn't answer today, please don't hesitate to write back and I'll reply as quickly as possible. Respectfully, Roger KPG Industrial Product Support

Forgot to say it has a hole in the lip.

Saw this at Shelt's.

Glad someone else got some benefit.

Google: 100PCS wire diameter 1.9mm outer diameter 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15mm white silicone O ring Use 8mm OD for skirt control and 9mm OD for senko style baits.

PM sent.

Mark, is your avatar showing your personal best? Looks like you're in Hudd country.

Did these a couple years back when I was using a sharpie to colorize the start of guide wraps. The epoxy mixed with denatured alcohol blended the red sharpie into the camo colorfast wraps nicely. happy with the result. Kind of a fire effect. Got into mixing DN with finish when I used it to turn silk wraps transparent on a panfish dabbing rod. Also used it as a blank coating for scraped rod blanks. Had a few of these plastic blanks laying around so onward I went. The white one (Powder) was done with a paint marker, all others with sharpies. Powder crackled a bit as the paint shrunk. fine with me. Finish coat was flexcoat thinned with a few drops of DN also. Pretty nice result. gave most away in exchange for boat time and beverages. Kept Powder and Irondad(Big Daddy). Like the names? All sharpied blanks came out translucent. You go over the whole blank with sharpie, then go over with denatured alcohol on a cotton swab, repeat process until you have the darkness you want. The black sharpie comes out a black grape after a couple coats. Used my favorite ice fishing jig head Sally Hanson nail polish for the mouths. Now looking back I'll have to do a few 1.5's, 2.5's and a D87 with the Big Daddy pattern. Maybe a couple spooks or sammy's too, along with an Early Shad and Spot. Ok I'm done.

Thanks for the replies. Any of you do "off the wall" patterns say like french fries? Really don't think the fish care. May be something a bass fisherman just has to have. Yes, we can do one with ketchup on the ends. Grilled cheese might be another good one. Hey, I got it, a daredevil red/white painted style. I know, it's Friday night but I really haven't been drinkin, just the way I am.

Got bit! I'll follow. I would recommend all guys dig out that old #33 with #6-8 mono, slap it on an ugly stick or wonderod, add a 3" white twister on an unpainted leadhead. Only a aglia #2 for a back up. If you could afford it add a 14' alumacraft with a 9 1/2hp evinrude (no electronics or trolling motor), if not, stomp the shorelines. Bare bones fishing! Plenty efficient. It would sure lighten the load for fishing trips and ease the fishing budget. The fight would be much more interesting and memorable too! I understand, it's not all about buying confidence, it's about building confidence. Damn pier pressure! I'm sure there are good anglers that would outcatch many of us using the throwback combo. So I plead guilty of creating stuff I really don't need and share so maybe someone else can revise it into something even more useable. Sometimes we create stuff just for the helluvit. One vote against.

A folding crankbait stencil or one side at a time? Which is the preference for you? I'm just a newbie but I assume the folding stencil might easily scratch the paint?? Thanks.

I saw there is at least one company offering a tungsten weight that sort of embeds into a senko style worm to add weight. I prefer it over a jig head style weight. These can easily be made with regular split shot, a drill and some light ss wire. I push it up through the bottom of the bait and then put my hook through the wire loop. Seems the original senko lasts a few fish longer. Here's how I configure.

Have had issues with skirts on war eagles draping over head during retrieve. Probably doesn't matter to fish but I don't care for it. Fixed the issue with a wacky style o-ring.

Glad to hear it will work for base coat. Still want to try it for the finish coat. Not much odor to it either. Walmart and True Value used to carry it but have since switched to ColorMaxx, tried it, not as good as Fusion. Ace Hardware, order online for $5.99/can, pick up in store, 31 colors + clear plastic finish coat gloss. http://www.acehardware.com/search/index.jsp?view=full&kwCatId=&kw=fusion&origkw=fusion&sr=1&f=Taxonomy%2FACE%2F2568447&lmdn=Category Do It Best Hardware, order online for $5.49/can, pick up in store, 30 colors + clear plastic finish coat gloss. https://www.doitbest.com/search?utf8=✓&category_id[]=&q=krylon+fusion&button=search

How about Krylon Fusion? Made in satin and gloss. A few years ago I painted three sets of vertical blinds (about 200 4" blades). Both sides of the blades were painted black, then both sides coated with my wife's color preference. This created sun blocking vertical blinds. The only prep I did was wash with light solution on Dawn dish soap, rinse and allow to fully dry. Fusion laid real nice and seems it absorbed into the plastic blades. After hanging for the past years, banging together on window open windy days we have yet to see any chipping anywhere even on the edges, no marks or damage. Passed the fingernail scratch test too! Sold on this stuff. Thought about doing a base coat with it and now maybe experimenting with as a top coat also. Clear spray link: https://www.amazon.com/Krylon-2444-Fusion-Plastic-Clear/dp/B001TNMWBM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1510670370&sr=8-1&keywords=krylon+fusion+clear&dpID=41xtt6nMi4L&preST=_SY300_QL70_&dpSrc=srch

Well, ok, duh. Moving baits mean reaction bites from aggressive fish. I throw topwater most of the time because of the strike and the fishing speed. I only throw cranks, not counting hard jerk baits, when I've exhausted other options including soft plastics. I'm finding it very interesting though how many techniques there are to produce nice looking hard baits. Definitely going to try airbrushing, printed wraps and hydro-painting. What is the best inexpensive "dip" for top coating hard baits? Don't want to hand brush each bait and wait for epoxy finishes to cure out. Thanks for your replies, they make sense.

I wonder a couple things about craw crankbaits: I don't see many painted in accurate "match the hatch" molting stages; hard shell, peeler, mushy and leather back. The patterns reverse the direction a crawdad normally "scoots". A bass would almost always "hit" the claws and head first then turn it before ingesting. If the reversed pattern seems to work the best, why not add a bit of weight near the bait's rear eye so it would settle like a real craw, tail first, claws up in a defensive mode. Seems a guy could use a 2.5 body and paint it similar to a Koppers. I've attached close to what most older crawfish look like in our rivers, ponds and lakes in Iowa if it were in an aquarium. It would be a bit darker in its natural habitat. I've just begun to look at crankbait designing and DIY methods so just curious.

Great stuff Chuck! To make an accurate bait outline, just cut a bait in half and clean up edges. saw something very similar on YouTube. I like that this idea does both sides and uses binder covers easily found at an office supply store. Wondered, does it matter if you use the satin or gloss binder covers?