Big Epp

That'll do it! We have had about a week of really nice weather now. @cadman, I'm in the same neighborhood (about an hour outside the city). It was nice to finally get the ice off the creeks and ponds so I could get out and test some lures! I am one of those who gets impatient when it starts to warm up...we've already grilled out twice and I'm starting plants in the basement. I can't wait to get the garden going! I think we're still about six weeks or more earlier than my first fish last season, and there's still an excellent chance of frost until late April/early May. I interviewed for a job in a native village out on the bearing sea (St. Lawrence Island)... that's some harsh weather! Only trees on the island grow all of 12" tall...my wife literally asked me to start looking for jobs in places like Florida or the D.R. instead.

I like the look of the line-tie in the tip of the nose. How much weight did you put in it? I make a similar crank with 1/4 oz sinker in about the same place you put yours, then a hook at the "point" of the belly. For a first test you could try a couple line tie points and see which one works best. I like to make at least 2 at a time, with only 1 variable different. When I made my first crankbait the variable was 1/8 or 1/4oz ballast, and 1/4 worked better. Nice looking crankbait though! It certainly seems like you're off to a good start with it. Are crankbaits popular over in Europe?

I've heard many spray between 30 and 40 psi. That's about where I spray, though I'm an amature in this as well. Baker builds (youtube) mentioned spraying at 40. Higher for thicker paint I think. The free booklet I picked up at hobby lobby says to use lower psi for up close details and higher for greater coverage. Makes sense to avoid overspray esp when using stencils.

Huh, simple, but looks effective!

Depending on what you are looking for specifically Lurepartsonline.com has some good options. I have no idea if they ship to Germany or not though. https://www.lurepartsonline.com/Lure-Making/Shop-By-Product-Category/Packaging-Accessories/Packaging-Materials?page=1

True enough! My buddy was/is an excellent bass fisherman. He just has a head for how they function, whereas I'm much more of a generalist. There were times we fished creeks by where he lives and we'd both catch maybe 12 fish. He would have caught 11 bass and 1 bluegill, and I would catch 3 large creek chubs, 4 bass, 4 bluegill, and 1 rockbass. Funny how the little details make such a difference.

Great sales pitch @exx1976! I have been very happy with a 6gal pancake.

Funny story...when I was in college there was a reservoir near campus. I found there were a bunch of crappie (small) in the lake and I would often go target them with small inline spinners off riprap and around a pumping station. One day a buddy came with me fishing... We were both using ultra-light rods with small inline spinners. I was out-fishing him by a wide margin. After a while I cut off and tossed him the spinner I was using and started using the spinner he had been using. Still out-fishing him by a wide margin we then swapped fishing poles. After I caught about 5 more crappie to his 0 he just gave up, mumbled something about "never being able to catch crappie anyway," and started throwing logs and stuff in the water near me.

After Curt's initial post I both chuckle and cringe every time I see someone post multiple pictures It's really nice to see people start engaging for the first time. There are so many ways to approach lure making and so many different perspectives.

Oh nice! I didn't realize these were resin.

Nice looking mistakes @Hillbilly voodoo! Did you add weight to those or do the hooks and face cup thing keep them correctly oriented?