Swimbait Hinge Question

[bassinfool99]

Hello all,

I have a quick question for those who have some experience with hinges. See attached photos of one of mine with the hinge pins on the aft sections. This deal works out pretty good, but I was wondering if putting the pins on the forward sections would work any better? There is a little more meat on the forward sections, so I was thinking it might be a little stronger. So whadya think? What kind of modifications would I have to make to either section to make this work, and would the action of the bait be improved/hindered.

Any and all comments/suggestions/questions would be appreciated.

[BobP]

Whichever side has the pin, it all has to hold together so I don't see a big difference. But if the hinges are reversed with the notches pointing forward, it will significantly alter the action of the bait since the segments will be catching more water.

[mark poulson]

That's a great looking lure. How long is it, and how much does it weigh.

I make 4 section baits, but I never put a hook in the tail. The hinges in the tail section are so small I'm afraid they wouldn't take the strain of a big fish. Plus I really don't want anything that would potentially dampen the action of the tail.

But, then again, what do I know? )

[bassinfool99]

Bob, Maybe I wasn't clear, I'm just thinking about reversing the pin/hinge position, not the carving or major shape changes.

Mark, You bet I'm concerned about putting the rear hook on that last section. The stress testing I've done so far seem to indicate it should be strong enough, but I still worry about it. I may move the front hook forward a bit , and place the rear hook on section 3.

The bait is 8", and I guess it's about 4oz....I say guess because I don't have a scale. I've made 3 of these so far, and I have the floater version working OK, it's more a twitch bait than a waker/swimbait. I think I read where you have something of the same problem as I.........the floaters are hard to make swim right to qualify as true swim/wake baits.

I have a slow sinking one that wakes great, but I really would like to have one that floats & wakes great........without adding a lip!!! Ahhhh the addiction!

The bait in the photos is weighted enough to run about 4' deep on a medium retrieve (ROF???? I haven't tested enough yet), and will swim well on both slow/fast retreive...at least that's my goal.

I'm not really happy with the color scheme, but I figure that's something I can revise over time once I get some feedback from the fish. SO far I've managed to get 1 to eat the thing while it was plain white!

[mark poulson]

bassinfool99,

I've found that, in order for a bait to swim well, the joints have to be really free. Not just that they don't stick when they are moved, but so that, when I bend the bait, the whole thing bends past 90 degrees, so the tail is starting to "look" back at the head. The first joint being loose is really critical for me, since I think this is where the swimming is initiated, and if that joint isn't almost sloppy, it's an uphill fight to get the bait to swim.

One of the best floaters I ever bought is the new BBZ1, and you can drive a boat through it's joints.

As for color schemes, yours looks fine. I have, in the past, leaned toward more silver schemes, with lots of glitter/sparkle, but the last few I've made have been more subtle, almost dull. I made them like this after a friend of mine won a tournament at Lake Casitas (may she rest in peace) with a 12 1/2lb largemouth he caught on an old, beat up, dull 10" swimbait that he'd removed the bill from, and just used as a twitch bait. It looked like a trout that had been attacked and wounded, and he fished it like it was stunned and helpless.

Just shows how much I know about painting!

Good luck. It really looks like you're well on your way to great lures, and total insanity!

[lockjaw]

If you reverse the hinge/pin system, wouldn't you have to make a receiving slot for the hinge on your forward section so the body can swing? Otherwise the swimming action will be very tight because the range of motion will only be the gap of the "V." Does that make any sense?

[captsully18]

Bassinfool99, I like your bait. Looks just fine with paint just as is, but the fish will tell you more. As for your hinges, they are right on. I believe that if you switch the pin/hoop position you will find that it won't swim the way you want. JMHO, but then not sure how much I know. Why not try one and see what does happen? May come up with a new innovation.

Mark is right on the money about free movement in the hinges. The looser the better. Too tight and bait will not swim.

You have a very good looking bait there. Good luck with it and future baits.

David

[Vodkaman]

By moving the pin to the forward segment, you are moving the hinge point forward. To me, this would be visually more desirable.

You could argue that you could shorten the front section. But, the limiting factor on the length (or shortness) of the front section are ballast location and hinge fitting. moving the hinge point forward allows you to steal an extra 3/8" to 1/2".

Whether it alters the action, who knows, I'd like to know. These kind of baits seem to be a mystery. We don't really know how they work. A few ideas float around, I have a few of my own. But knowledge is increased every time someone like yourself shares the experiments and puts them up for discussion.

The lure looks great, I wish you success with it and look forward to reading your discoveries.

[gadawgs]

I agree with mark. I put a number two triple grip on the front, but my baits are only 5 inches or so.

[RiverMan]

Great looking lure, if it swims good, fish it!

[BobP]

A small lip can make a big wakebait swim. I use a lip the same size/shape as a Strike King 5" King Shad swimbait for a 3 segment 7" wakebait, and just install it at about a 80-85 degree angle. It's pretty inconspicuous and the bait wakes and swims well.