Weighting cranks

[rlcam]

Do you guys mostly weight a bait for castability or sinking depth.I'm sure there is a fine line there where you want to get the best of both worlds.Right now most of my baits are all different weights,but when I get a pattern going so I can emulate the size and weights, so all are the same,what is a good starting point.Got some samples from Maverick and tried just hanging weights from screwed in hooks and to my amazement my lure floated upright,hope i'm on the right track.I am just wanting to start out making some for myself,so can I get one of those duplicator tools from Sears or Lowes to help get the sizes close,and with what and how do you guys weigh your baits.I have started out making a copy of a flat bait like Stanford baits,and have made some like a Poes.This site and you guys are amazing,I can only hope to get 10% closer to you guys than I already am.Just the thought of catching a winning limit(or just one keeper)on my own lures is already driving me further into this addiction,glad this is not a drug site cause i'd be HOOKED....No pun intended..Thanks

[LaPala]

Mostly a compromise btw the 2. Or you can think about making weight transfer chambers . For this it's usually done with 2 piece or 3 piece laminate construction. Good luck with your experiments.

[BobP]

I think ballast is for both castability and action (not sinking depth). Castability is also affected by the shape of the crankbait and its lip, i.e. the bait's aerodynamics. Some designs will never throw long distance because of their aerodynamics. On some, that really isn't an issue - I'm thinking here of shallow cranks you typically cast toward shore cover from 20-30 ft distance. As long as there is adequate ballast to throw them on a baitcaster, I don't care about casting them 100 ft. The vast majority of wood bass crankbaits employ an integrated ballast slug/belly hanger. You can cast your own, buy them commercially, or try alternative configurations by moving ballast forward-back, or both. The ballast keeps the bait upright and also supplies a counterweight to the forces generated by the bait's lip, so just getting a bait floating upright isn't always the end of it. You have to experiment. A good place to start is copying a commercial crankbait you admire, then experimenting with ballast and lip design to improve it. When experimenting, I think 2 things are essential: first, a scale to measure ballast, body, hardware and finished weights; and second, a notebook to write all that stuff down so you have a chance of repeating the winning formula when you get it just right. Once the hardware is buried in the bait, a misty fog develops in your brain when you try to recall exactly what you put in there!