Hoosierdaddy Posted November 21, 2003 Report Share Posted November 21, 2003 I have a few questions about ballast weighting for you pros. Am I right to assume that the ballast should be as close to the front of the lure as possible as to not effect the lure motion. For instance, if I am designing a floating stick bait similar to the typical floating rapala, shouldn't my ballast be directly behind the lip and as far down to the belly as possible? Also does the ballast weight actually help the lure stay in position while it is swimming. For instance, if the above type of lure was trolled can a heavier ballast weight help the lure from rolling? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
out2llunge Posted November 21, 2003 Report Share Posted November 21, 2003 Before I put in my 2 cents...I'm not a pro, just a tinkerer. I've found that adding ballast: 1. Is sometimes the only way to get a lure to run right. 2. Prevents the lure from laying on its side 3. Should be kept close to the bottom of the bait. 4. Placement (ie. haed vs. tail) affects action I put it in the belly mostly for the types of baits that I make. Cheers, o2l Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woodenfeather Posted November 21, 2003 Report Share Posted November 21, 2003 I'm certainly not a pro but hopefully I can help. I made some floating rapala type baits from balsa awhile back and I found I got the best action by puting the balast right at the front hook hanger which was about 1/3 the lures length from the line tie. I figured it out by building a lure and drilling a couple holes in the belly and putting split shot in until I got the desired action and buoyancy. I would suggest you do the same as the body shape, bib and hook placement play a roll in determining where and how much weight to use. If you are using balsa wood than you will definetly need to add weight but the more you use the more sluggish the action will be. If you do it right than it will be stabil whether cast or trolled. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boatnik13 Posted November 24, 2003 Report Share Posted November 24, 2003 I use split-shot. First I float the wood to find the bottom. aline the bottom from nose to tail and I bore holes for split shot .The holes are oblong so the shot can be adjusted . It takes 3 shots (front ,mid,tail) at various sizes. My lures are all over 3" in lenth or they will sink. You will not see the weight once finished. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kingfish_ok Posted November 24, 2003 Report Share Posted November 24, 2003 I'm just a trial and error guy myself, but I'm up to about 70-30 on my working lures to basswood kindling ratio. I almost always put my weight at the lowest point for crankbaits. Poppers and spitters midway or more towards the back end. Hope this was of some help. Chistmas is coming up and non working baits (minus the hooks) make great looking tree ornamates. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
