.dsaavedra. Posted July 17, 2008 Report Share Posted July 17, 2008 here is one that im working on. i was originally gonna do it in baby bass color (i traced a bass picture to get the shape) but now i think im gonna do it in a shad color, because there are some large gizzard shad in on of my favorite lakes. anyway, heres the lure with weights and hardware installed and epoxied together. next step is to test it out (i need hooks before i can do this) and then paint it. the bait: wide range of motion: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RiverMan Posted July 17, 2008 Report Share Posted July 17, 2008 Just a suggestion, you might try bringing the sections closer together to hide the gap between them. Turn in the screw eye on one or both sides and you will still get plenty of flex in the lure. As it is now, the tapering you added to each side isn't doing you much good because the sides don't touch anyway. You could probably lose 30% of the flex you have and still get fantastic lure action. good luck.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
.dsaavedra. Posted July 17, 2008 Author Report Share Posted July 17, 2008 yeah i dont like the spacing in between them either. its not adjustable because these arent screw eyes, theyre thru-wires. i'd have to crack open the epoxy and then re-epoxy the lure, and im not gonna do that, i'll live with wide gaps. next time i dont wanna do joints like this, it was such a pain in the but to make them this way and keep all the joints straight and not to far apart (although that didnt seem to work). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark poulson Posted July 18, 2008 Report Share Posted July 18, 2008 Making the joints easier to adjust is a major reason I went to screw eyes and hinge pins. Once I get the screw eyes adjusted to the gap I want, I remove one, and epoxy it back in, using the other as a depth gauge. That way, I can match what I had. When I used twist wires, I measured the amount the wire that stuck out with a tape measure, but I always wound up having to tweak the wires to get it right. Not so with the screw eyes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diemai Posted July 18, 2008 Report Share Posted July 18, 2008 @ DSV You are very productice , indeed ! Obviously you have employed some kinda jig or form to shape your wire eyelets , since they look alike one for one . If you are able to furnish such neat eyes , why not making at least the hinge eyes a lot smaller , I think you could even go down to about half of their present diameter . This step would render the sections closer together about half way , too:yes: ! Also smaller eyes are less prone to deform under tension . Greetz , diemai Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
summitlures Posted July 18, 2008 Report Share Posted July 18, 2008 whoa! That is a nice swimbait! But , since I'm a noob at luremaking, how do you make the joints? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark poulson Posted July 20, 2008 Report Share Posted July 20, 2008 (edited) summitlures, There are two basic types of hinges that I've used, with success. Back to back screw eye/wire loops, and screw eye/wire loop with hinge pins. Depending on your skill level, the material you use to build your lures, and what's available to you in terms of lure building supplies, both these types of hinges will work. Rofish posted pictures of twist wire hinges used in Europe, and I'm sure there are lots of clever people out there with their own ideas. And JRHopkins has his own unique hinge that works. I now use the screw eye/hinge pin method, because it works for me. I can adjust the width of the joint by adjusting the depth the screw eye is inserted, with the finer threads making small adjustments easier, and the hinge pin of sst spinner bait wire, with one end bent to 90 degrees, gives me the ability to take my lures back apart for "service". I'm still learning, so some of my past efforts now require tuneups, where previous paint schemes, gluing methods, or top coating efforts have failed, for one reason or another. I don't sell my lures, so I have been able to learn as I go, without worrying about customer satisfaction. Aside from my weekly fishing buddy, who I've given lures to, and who doesn't hesitate to make "constructive criticism" and request customer service, I'm the only one I have to please. Correction. Me and the fish! Edited July 20, 2008 by mark poulson Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
.dsaavedra. Posted July 23, 2008 Author Report Share Posted July 23, 2008 here is a pic of the bait with the foil on: this is my messiest foil job ever i am not pleased. there are a lot of tiny wrinkles around the edges due to the contours of the lure. it doesnt look bad from a distance and i KNOW the fish wont mind, but its just the little things that bug me when i am inspecting the lure, you know? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark poulson Posted July 23, 2008 Report Share Posted July 23, 2008 (edited) Seal it well, and give 'em hell. I know you'll catch fish with that lure. It looks great. How did you do the foil? Is that a photo finish? Next time, you might try putting a pearl silver undercoat on before you foil, so the edges of the foil blend into the paint and aren't as noticeable. Edited July 23, 2008 by mark poulson Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carpholeo Posted July 23, 2008 Report Share Posted July 23, 2008 Do you have to back the foil with anything before you run it through the printer? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
.dsaavedra. Posted July 23, 2008 Author Report Share Posted July 23, 2008 yes its a photofinish, just like Husky's tutorial. i taped tissue paper to a piece of regular paper and ran it thru the printer, and then spray glued it to a piece of foil tape and stuck the foil tape on the lure. here is the bait with the back and belly painted to match the picture to the best of my abilities. once again, it looks sloppy close up, but looks good as a whole (IMO). it will look much better when the epoxy goes on, it will be reflective and it will bring out the colors more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carpholeo Posted July 23, 2008 Report Share Posted July 23, 2008 "and then spray glued it to a piece of foil tape and stuck the foil tape on the lure" Good idea I've just been gluing my patterns directly to the lure body,which has a tendency to leave air pockets,I think I'll try it your way next time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rofish Posted July 23, 2008 Report Share Posted July 23, 2008 DSV, When glueing the foil to the body, use a cylindrical object to take out the wrinkles. I use the back part of drill bits. The paper (or is it tissue?) with the printed image on it will not be damaged, if you roll the cylindrical object over the wrinkles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
.dsaavedra. Posted July 23, 2008 Author Report Share Posted July 23, 2008 DSV,When glueing the foil to the body, use a cylindrical object to take out the wrinkles. I use the back part of drill bits. The paper (or is it tissue?) with the printed image on it will not be damaged, if you roll the cylindrical object over the wrinkles. yes i do use a cylindrical object (battery) to smooth it out. but due to the way the corners are rounded off, the foil got a little wrinkled. i tried to smash down the wrinkes the best i could but they are still a little noticable. carpholeo, i have tried gluing printer paper right onto the bait before, but i have found printer paper doesnt really want to conform to the shape of the lure. the foil tape will bend and stay bent making it much easier to work with. it is VERY adhesive though, so make sure you put it where you want it the first time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Husky Posted July 25, 2008 Report Share Posted July 25, 2008 yes its a photofinish, just like Husky's tutorial. i taped tissue paper to a piece of regular paper and ran it thru the printer, and then spray glued it to a piece of foil tape and stuck the foil tape on the lure. :twocents:While I find the Foil tape to be a fine product, there are times I prefer the use of kitchen foil. Infact, I have some "heavy duty", some regular and some I got at the dollar store (really Flimsy stuff) on hand. I spray glue the tissue to the foil and when that has set, I do spray the foil to the lure. As per my tutorial, I don't worry about getting the halves to join seamlessly, as I find the D2T fills the separation nicely. (Tissue on dollar store foil is really thin and pliable, albeit delicate.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
.dsaavedra. Posted July 27, 2008 Author Report Share Posted July 27, 2008 here is a picture of the bait with the first coat of epoxy on and the tail in place. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carpholeo Posted July 27, 2008 Report Share Posted July 27, 2008 that things gonna swim in a serious S pattern ! good job Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark poulson Posted July 28, 2008 Report Share Posted July 28, 2008 Take it fishing! That's an order! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
captsully18 Posted July 28, 2008 Report Share Posted July 28, 2008 WOW! Sure would like to see that thing swim. Bet it would be hard to keep the fish off while videoing it. David Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
.dsaavedra. Posted July 28, 2008 Author Report Share Posted July 28, 2008 haha you guys are great i ordered a swimbait rod and a pack of 2/0 hooks from bass pro shops the other day, the rod came in today but the hooks did not i am going to put 2nd coat of epoxy on the head today and this lure should be ready by the weekend! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark poulson Posted July 28, 2008 Report Share Posted July 28, 2008 You should look at Tackle Warehouse - bass fishing pro shop for fishing rods, reels, swimbaits and lures. . They have good prices, a really good selection of stuff we use out here in SoCal, and ship immediately. I live in L.A., they're up the coast a little, and I get stuff UPS the next day. For you it might be two days. Give them a peek. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
.dsaavedra. Posted July 28, 2008 Author Report Share Posted July 28, 2008 haha i am very well aware of tacklewarehouse. i have placed many orders from them. but i wasnt out to spend over a hundred dollars on a swimbait rod, specially because i wasnt sure if swimbaits would really produce in my area, so i bought a cheap swimbait rod from bass pro. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark poulson Posted July 28, 2008 Report Share Posted July 28, 2008 Dont tell anyone, but the Okuma line of swimbait rods is a steal. $100+-. Also google fig rods, and go to the Matt Newman swimbait rods. $100+- also. If you find you're going to be throwing swimbaits a lot, and you want a different rod, look at the Okuma line. They have affordable 8' rods that work, and any swimbait over three ounces will wear you out if you're making long casts with a 7'6" rod, no matter how good it is. As Captain Jack Sparrow says, "It's a matter of leverage". They cast as well as my Shimano Crucial swimbait rods, for just about half the price. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
.dsaavedra. Posted July 28, 2008 Author Report Share Posted July 28, 2008 hate to tell you, but almost everyone knows the okuma guide series rods are great swimbait rods for a low price i just wasnt sure how well swimbaits were gonna produce in my area, so i got a cheapie. i casted with this rod in my yard with a 2.5oz weight, and this thing handled it like a champ. i was casting my full spool of line all the way to the bare spool. almost hit a couple cars driving down the road Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark poulson Posted July 28, 2008 Report Share Posted July 28, 2008 That's great. Sounds like the rod you picked is up to the task. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
