Search the Community

I found this link today: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPBYNqn8t4ZV-UfrbJoXi4Q about a hydrographic transfer kit for home use. Then the lighbulb went on and I ran a search for blank hydrographic transfer "paper" , and found: https://www.amazon.com/Hydrographic-transfer-printing-printer-0-3X20M/dp/B01NCV1G5O for inkjet printers! I think this could be a way to print any wild pattern you can think of and wrap it around a lure.

Hey guys, Maybe I am out of my mind but I tried searching what to do after shooting/injecting/pouring soft plastics but I can not find any relevant post. I could of swore, that one time I came across a post, that said after shooting soft plastics, you should place them in cold water over night. I've always done this. Sometimes I've added garlic scent to the water or even salt, I don't know why the salt, maybe I thought some would transfer to the bait through osmosis!!! Recently I have started to shoot some baits that are very heavy in salt and I feel as if the "water cure" is sucking out the salt, is that possible? Does anyone have any special process they follow after pouring/shooting soft plastics? For my next test, I was going to shake them in salt and laminate bag them, or put a little garlic oil in a laminate bag and call it a day. Thanks in advance. Charles

Alright, so I gave myself a challenge about a month ago to hand carve a lure from a block of wood and catch a fish on it. I initially wanted to accomplish my goal and move on to the next challenge, whatever it may be, but after finding this site and seeing just how much knowledge is available, I think I have found a new hobby in conjunction with fishing. First of all let me just say THANK YOU to all of you guys who share your experience on here. I wouldn't have known where to begin without all of the tips. As for the lure: I decided to go with a top-water popper to give a little extra excitement to the payoff if, and when, it happens. I went online to Jannsnetcraft and ordered some basswood blocks, screw eyes, split rings, and treble hooks for around $16 (including shipping). I used a store-bought lure to trace out my body design and transferred that to the block of basswood. Then, I went the old-school method of using a trusty ol' pocket knife to carve out my body and sanded it down. After reading through a few posts, I decided to use super-glue to seal the wood and this worked just fine. Here is a pre-sealing pic. Then, came the real work...... the painting. I didn't have an airbrush available so I decided to use some Testors model paint that was lying around. This worked ok, although it was pretty messy and I haven't read too many good things about using it on this forum. The painting process itself was pretty cool/challenging and I really can't believe some of the work that is on this forum. You guys are friggin amazing. I printed out a stencil to add a little detail to the sides and went with a basic frog color scheme. My detail technique needs a little work. lol. One regret I have is my crappy topcoat that I used. I got a little too antsy (typical rookie mistake) and just bought Krylex Outdoor Clear Coat spray (try not to laugh too hard). It gave the lure a decent glossy finish, but I can tell it will not be durable and probably not anywhere close to waterproof. I am going to need to put a better topcoat on the lure before putting her into action so my question is this: Can I put a 'good' topcoat on top of my crappy topcoat or do I need to try to sand it off and risk ruining my 'masterpiece' paint job. I know D2T or E-tex is preferred by most on here, but I saw another member suggest using Hard As Nails Clear also. My goal for this lure is to catch a fish and throw it in a display box in my office as a bit of a trophy. Any suggestions are very much appreciated and thanks again for all of the shared knowledge. Josh