twells Posted July 22, 2008 Report Share Posted July 22, 2008 Hey guys, I have been lurking for awhile and for my first post, I thought I would show the bait that I have been working on. It is going to be a 4-4 1/2" gizzard shad swimbait/wakebait. I am not sure if it is going to be a 2 or 3 piece bait, or if it is going to be a wake or a 3'-5' diver. Any and all comments/suggestions would be welcome. Thanks for the look guys, that is what makes this such a great site!! Here are the pics... Thanks Thomas Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boomah21 Posted July 23, 2008 Report Share Posted July 23, 2008 looks like a great start. Cant wait to see your finished work. Will it be lipless? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twells Posted July 23, 2008 Author Report Share Posted July 23, 2008 No, the plan is to have a lip. I am just not sure what angle/depth I will run the bait at... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diemai Posted July 23, 2008 Report Share Posted July 23, 2008 @ twells The bait looks very nice already , but to make things easier , I would have made the separation cuts prior to putting the body to shape(still in the stage of a flat wood board) . For one separation I'd employ alltogether four perfectly aligned sawcuts leading down from back , belly and either flank , leaving a ridge in the center of body to still hold it together , until all outer shaping is done . Also a lipslot and a slot for the tailfin I'd cut at this stage prior to shaping . I haven't quite done this on my first swimbait as well , shown in my thread "swimbait , very first attempt" , but only because the shape of my bait is kept quite simple , the flanks are rather flat and no details carved in , so I could handle the transitions from section to section just by eyeballing , but I think , when making a more detailed lure like yours , I would go with that method described above . Its quite tricky now to fix your lure for accurate sawcuts , you also might put blemishes into its finished shape . But at least now I know , how a gizzard looks like , don't have them in Europe , but looks much like our native bream , only that one gets twice as big . greetz , diemai Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mountain Man 26 Posted July 23, 2008 Report Share Posted July 23, 2008 I would make the section 1 (the head) longer and section 3 (the tail) shorter. This will give you more room for ballast and, for what ever physical reason that I do not know, it will just swim ("S" action) through the water better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark poulson Posted July 23, 2008 Report Share Posted July 23, 2008 I agree with Mountain Man about the section sizes. That has been my experience, too. Mountain Man, when you figure out why it swims better, let me know. I sure don't know why, but I think it may have to do with the head being rear weighted, which makes it unstable. The back of the section is heavier, so it moves more slowly than the front, initiating the swimming motion. And yet it is big enough to "anchor" the S, and allow the other sections to "flap" in the current flow behind it. When I've made equal section lures, they only swim at certain very limited speed ranges. Too slow or too fast, and they don't swim. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
.dsaavedra. Posted July 23, 2008 Report Share Posted July 23, 2008 you nailed the body shape! x2 about making the head bigger and the tail smaller. it also helps if you weight the head the most, the mid section in the middle, and the tail the least. ps. how good is that strike king king shad? i've heard pretty bad reviews about them but thought about buying one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boomah21 Posted July 23, 2008 Report Share Posted July 23, 2008 I own a few of the strike king king shads....they look good however the action of most of my homemade swimbaits are way better! They work ok however not something I would go crazy and buy up every color Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SmokeyJ Posted July 23, 2008 Report Share Posted July 23, 2008 ps. how good is that strike king king shad? i've heard pretty bad reviews about them but thought about buying one. Action isn't bad. The bad reviews come from the fact that the hinge on them breaks extremely easily. Not a good thing on a bait that expensive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark poulson Posted July 23, 2008 Report Share Posted July 23, 2008 Action isn't bad. The bad reviews come from the fact that the hinge on them breaks extremely easily. Not a good thing on a bait that expensive. I bought them when they first came out. The action isn't that great, but they swim, and they are very brittle. I won't buy another one. If you're buying a jointed swimbait, the BBZ is the best bang for your buck. And they work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woodieb8 Posted July 24, 2008 Report Share Posted July 24, 2008 all i can say is cool. muskies here in canada just eat them shads up every fall. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twells Posted July 25, 2008 Author Report Share Posted July 25, 2008 Thanks for the ideas guys. I will continue work on that bait, and after reading, I am going to start a new bait and cut the joints/bill slot first. I will keep following up on this thread and post pics of my progress. Thanks all!! BTW: The king shad didn't swim as well as I thought it would, but it does still catch fish. I would buy many, but I own 2 and don't regret the purchase! Thomas Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
captsully18 Posted July 25, 2008 Report Share Posted July 25, 2008 "T" I really like the body shape you have. I, also would suggest that the first section should be the longest for the same reasons mentioned by Mark. I am anxious to see the progress on this bait. Looks like it has great potential. David Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
