HellRAISER Posted December 26, 2007 Report Share Posted December 26, 2007 I have seen that the big lures are the way around here.... how about a micro lure...let's say around 3-4 cm long....flat...at...any tipe...what do you guys say about this? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vodkaman Posted December 26, 2007 Report Share Posted December 26, 2007 Why not, the same rules apply. Some of the lures on this site are bigger than the fish that I catch! When you post your pic, put something along side to demonstrate the size. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rowhunter Posted December 26, 2007 Report Share Posted December 26, 2007 Could this be what you're talking about? The top one is around 9.3 cm but the bottom one is just 4.2cm. I usually make large Musky bait's so I found this particularly challenging. Douglas Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whittler Posted December 26, 2007 Report Share Posted December 26, 2007 These little buggers are about as small as I make. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LedHed Posted December 26, 2007 Report Share Posted December 26, 2007 Rowhunter, whitlter WOW - very nice baits. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobP Posted December 26, 2007 Report Share Posted December 26, 2007 I use 1 5/8" rotomolded fat balsa bodies from Jann's Netcraft. Good quality, undercoated and ready to paint with light sanding. The 1 5/8" size is as small as I want to work with hand tools. The body has enough volume to ballast for a 1/4 oz bait with good action. 1/4 oz is about the minimum for baitcasting reels. One thing I hate about small cranks are #8 treble hooks. I'm experimenting with leaving off the belly hook and using a Gamakatsu Octopus hook on the tail. As well as great holding power, the single hook pointed up makes the bait virtually snagless so you can throw them anywhere. I haven't noticed any difference in hook-up ratio with them so far. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IamSpartacus Posted December 26, 2007 Report Share Posted December 26, 2007 One thing I hate about small cranks are #8 treble hooks. You people with your access to bigger fish then me. The in-between sizes of my cranks have #8 treble hooks. What I really hate is the #12:oooh: I'll post some pictures when I head back to my apartment, my roommate and I have made quite a collection of "Micro cranks". Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benton B Posted December 26, 2007 Report Share Posted December 26, 2007 I make a lot of baits that are 1.5 inches long and weigh in the 1/8oz range. I've got some that will dive 6-8 feet on 4lb line. I've got a couple of customers that love to hit the trout water with these little baits. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HellRAISER Posted December 26, 2007 Author Report Share Posted December 26, 2007 i've got the river olt near me...(just 10 min by byke:yeah: )...and have acces to a lot of fish from those littel ones...up to the big guns asp...pike.....cat fish..and the list goes on...strange thing in winther they like the littel ones...up to 5 cm....small wobbel...deep divers....that is why i ask about this type of cranks:yay: thanx for the help... And what type of wood is the best....balsa???or what do you sugest??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobP Posted December 26, 2007 Report Share Posted December 26, 2007 Balsa is the least dense and most bouyant wood and gives you more options as far as ballast. It usually makes a livlier bait. But it's also much softer than other wood and requires reinforcement if you want durability. (through wire body, multiple undercoating, tough topcoating) For fishing in pike waters, I'd probably go with a hardwood. There are some great pike lure builders here on TU - check out the descriptions of their baits in the gallery section for ideas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benton B Posted December 27, 2007 Report Share Posted December 27, 2007 I use balsa wood for everything I build. Just make sure to seal the wood very well and a good top coat. I use them in lakes and rivers, smallmouth like alot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fishsticks Posted June 17, 2011 Report Share Posted June 17, 2011 Well I've been working on a tiny crank for a few days now. This topic is the closes I could find that fits my project. So far I carved a piece of oak down to 3/4" long. I have the shape that I am looking for, but now I have my first problem. I wanted to use a #61 drill bit for my through wire hole, but it's so small the chuck on my drill and dremel will not clamp down in the bit. So my first question is does anyone know of a tool this bit will fit in? I could just use a bigger bit and bigger through wire but with this smaller lure I wanted to keep the tolerances as tight as possible. The next issue I'm dealing with is what material may be best for making a spoon out of to make my lure dive. I was thinking of using a piece of SS sheet metal but I am afraid it will be too heavy. I could just try it and see if the lure still floats but I am open to any suggestions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vodkaman Posted June 17, 2011 Report Share Posted June 17, 2011 I have some odd diameter bits that I wrap masking tape around, to tailor them to the Dremel. They work fine. It will cost nothing to give it a try. You are correct, the SS lip will be too heavy. Circuit board material would be the best choice or 1mm polycarbonate. Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark poulson Posted June 17, 2011 Report Share Posted June 17, 2011 Well I've been working on a tiny crank for a few days now. This topic is the closes I could find that fits my project. So far I carved a piece of oak down to 3/4" long. I have the shape that I am looking for, but now I have my first problem. I wanted to use a #61 drill bit for my through wire hole, but it's so small the chuck on my drill and dremel will not clamp down in the bit. So my first question is does anyone know of a tool this bit will fit in? I could just use a bigger bit and bigger through wire but with this smaller lure I wanted to keep the tolerances as tight as possible. The next issue I'm dealing with is what material may be best for making a spoon out of to make my lure dive. I was thinking of using a piece of SS sheet metal but I am afraid it will be too heavy. I could just try it and see if the lure still floats but I am open to any suggestions. Using a heavy wood like oak makes it tough to make a small floating lure. The hardware and hook will probably be enough to counteract any buoyancy the oak has, and the sealer, paint, and topcoat won't help. And a metal bill would only make it heavier still. I'd stick to plastic of some kind for the bill. From what I've found making 1.0 knockoffs from PVC, the bait needs to be kind of fat to have enough buoyancy to be a floater when it's done. I've made some 2" flat sided cranks from it, too, and I've been able to make floaters, but only just barely. I think balsa is the way to go for small stuff. I have an old Stanley electric drill with a really fine chuck that I use for really small bits. If you were drilling balsa, I'd suggest wrapping the shank of the bit in masking tape, to make it fatter, and then clamping it down hard in your chuck. Even if it's slightly off center, the soft wood would be forgiving. I don't think that will work with oak, because it such a hard wood, but you might want to give it a try, just in case it does the job. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobP Posted June 17, 2011 Report Share Posted June 17, 2011 Well I've been working on a tiny crank for a few days now. This topic is the closes I could find that fits my project. So far I carved a piece of oak down to 3/4" long. I have the shape that I am looking for, but now I have my first problem. I wanted to use a #61 drill bit for my through wire hole, but it's so small the chuck on my drill and dremel will not clamp down in the bit. So my first question is does anyone know of a tool this bit will fit in? I could just use a bigger bit and bigger through wire but with this smaller lure I wanted to keep the tolerances as tight as possible. The next issue I'm dealing with is what material may be best for making a spoon out of to make my lure dive. I was thinking of using a piece of SS sheet metal but I am afraid it will be too heavy. I could just try it and see if the lure still floats but I am open to any suggestions. I use millimeter drill bits quite often. You need the Dremel collet set or the adjustable collet that allows you to use any size bit up to 1/8". The collet set is pretty cheap. I think you may run into a problem using oak as a body material on such a tiny bait. After you add hardware, lip and finish I'll be surprised if it floats (assuming you want it to!). Oak has a nominal density of 47 lbs/cu ft versus 23 for basswood and even less for cedar or balsa. Whittler here on TU is the guy I think of first when talking about tiny baits. I'd ask his specific advice. Good luck with the project! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rotorhead Posted June 17, 2011 Report Share Posted June 17, 2011 Well I've been working on a tiny crank for a few days now. This topic is the closes I could find that fits my project. So far I carved a piece of oak down to 3/4" long. I have the shape that I am looking for, but now I have my first problem. I wanted to use a #61 drill bit for my through wire hole, but it's so small the chuck on my drill and dremel will not clamp down in the bit. So my first question is does anyone know of a tool this bit will fit in? I could just use a bigger bit and bigger through wire but with this smaller lure I wanted to keep the tolerances as tight as possible. The next issue I'm dealing with is what material may be best for making a spoon out of to make my lure dive. I was thinking of using a piece of SS sheet metal but I am afraid it will be too heavy. I could just try it and see if the lure still floats but I am open to any suggestions. Well I've been working on a tiny crank for a few days now. This topic is the closes I could find that fits my project. So far I carved a piece of oak down to 3/4" long. I have the shape that I am looking for, but now I have my first problem. I wanted to use a #61 drill bit for my through wire hole, but it's so small the chuck on my drill and dremel will not clamp down in the bit. So my first question is does anyone know of a tool this bit will fit in? I could just use a bigger bit and bigger through wire but with this smaller lure I wanted to keep the tolerances as tight as possible. The next issue I'm dealing with is what material may be best for making a spoon out of to make my lure dive. I was thinking of using a piece of SS sheet metal but I am afraid it will be too heavy. I could just try it and see if the lure still floats but I am open to any suggestions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rotorhead Posted June 17, 2011 Report Share Posted June 17, 2011 Dremel makes a chuck that can hold a bit down to a #80, the size is almost like a large hair. Rotorhead Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rofish Posted June 20, 2011 Report Share Posted June 20, 2011 When I saw you are going to use oak for a tiny crankbait, I knew you are going to build a sinking lure, willingly or not. But Mark and others have already warned you about this. As to the use of a very small drill bit in an usual drilling chuck, I also ran into this problem, and I think I have found a better way than using masking tape. I used copper wire, wrapped around the drill bit, in tight coils, one after the other. Sometimes the drill bit might be off center, but you can try clamping it several times, until the bit is perfectly aligned. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fishsticks Posted June 20, 2011 Report Share Posted June 20, 2011 Yeah I thought about the type of wood I used after I had this one carved out. I used a circuit board for the lip, which worked out well, and just that alone made the lure almost sink with the tail end just barely floating. So I'll probably just restart with balsa. I still want to go just as small, so hopefully the balsa will work. For the size of the lure I plan to put on 2 #16 treble hooks. I bought some and they look like they would be just the right size. I'm just searching for some tiny split rings, #0 is the smallest I've found so far but have not ordered any. If they are still to big I'm not sure what I'll do yet. I may just have to put the on the through wire itself. Whatever I have to do I'll find a way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fishsticks Posted June 29, 2011 Report Share Posted June 29, 2011 Thanks for the info, the tape worked for the smaller bit, but I picked up a keyless chuck for the dremel yesterday. My lure kept sinking, so I thought I'd try to hollow it out before switching to a different wood. Just to see what happend. After I was done my lure was nothing but a hollow oak shell and it still sank with my through wire and hooks attached. It may work with just one hook, but that's not what I was trying to do. I think I'll just have to make it a bit fatter with balsa and it will work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark poulson Posted June 29, 2011 Report Share Posted June 29, 2011 Thanks for the info, the tape worked for the smaller bit, but I picked up a keyless chuck for the dremel yesterday. My lure kept sinking, so I thought I'd try to hollow it out before switching to a different wood. Just to see what happend. After I was done my lure was nothing but a hollow oak shell and it still sank with my through wire and hooks attached. It may work with just one hook, but that's not what I was trying to do. I think I'll just have to make it a bit fatter with balsa and it will work. Man, how in the world do you hold that thing to shape it, not to mention just being able to see well enough to make something that small? Hat's off to you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vodkaman Posted June 29, 2011 Report Share Posted June 29, 2011 Man, that is small With lures that small, you could probably get away with using water bottle plastic. The curved section would increase the stiffness and if the concave side was forward, it would give more action by catching more water. The small length of lip combined with the curve section should allow the lip to keep its shape and not bend back. Try a piece in your hand and see what you think. Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
