wall of shame

[mark poulson]

I posted these in the gallery. They are some of my not so great

attempts.

I don't know how to make the larger. Sorry.

Edited August 8, 2008 by Spike-A-Pike
Mark - Your Yahoo links were broken

[BobP]

You can't really consider them "baits of shame" until the bass give their opinion The biggest thing about baits you don't like because of the paint job is that you have reduced confidence throwing them, and that is a killer for fishing them. Personally, I have no baits of shame. I strip them immediately and repaint! Don't want my friends making fun of me at the lake! But that's a whole 'nother thing that has nothing to do with catching fish.

[diemai]

@ mark poulson

At a glance I can't see nothing wrong with them , too , so BobP is right to say , that the fish would have the last word about them !

Should have seen my early weird designs , they'd rise up a good laugh , I bet !

Greetz , Dieter

[Lure--Prof]

Sorry Mark, I hate to have to tell you that I agree with Bob and Dieter, that those are total failures at being bad enough for a "Wall of Shame". So while your concept is good, your execution is far, far from the hideousness I would expect to be held up as an example of shameful lure building. There is far too much good work going on there, and as mentioned, the fish haven't chimed in yet. perhaps you've already come too far to be as bad as you imagined.

Dean

[mark poulson]

First of all, thank you to Bruce, or whoever it was who enlarged my pictures. I'm totally lost when it comes to how to do it. Each time I post in the gallery I have to relearn how to do that. And that's "easy".

You guys are too kind.

The truth is some of them do work, but, as Bob said, I have no confidence in them, so I don't throw them.

I actually did reshape and repaint quite a few already, and made them work better or improved the paint job. I hate to see all that material just hanging there.

My biggest disappointments were the tilapia, the jointed silver/aqua trout, and the jointed bluegill, which is now receiving a lip transplant. I made the joints too tight on the big trout, and it doesn't swim. I'll probably pull the pins and open the joints up eventually, and then do a different paint scheme.

And the bluegill has sort of a lame, wandering, rolling action, so I'm hoping a wake bill with at least get it to swim a bit more. I think I made it too fat and tall. I had to add so much ballast to get it to float upright that it is a floating rock right now.

But I did learn from them, so they weren't failures, they were just lures that didn't work.

I mostly keep them up there to remind me to test well before I paint.

Edited August 8, 2008 by mark poulson

[Wayupnorth36]

When I saw "wall of shame" I was excited that someone else would be willing to show off their less-than-perfect lures. I have LOTS of failures, and I love the chance for some good self-deprecating humor.

But when I saw your lousy excuse for a wall of shame, I was too ashamed to share mine. I keep them all to remind me of some of the progress that I've made, but after seeing your "failures"... well, I better get back to painting, so my failures can look that good.

One of these days though, when I get the time, I'll post some pictures of failed concept lures and body designs. I'd be interested to see failed designs from other "lure visionaries.":sauced:

[mark poulson]

Don't let the wall fool you. A lot of the really bad ones got cut up and refashioned into something that did work.

I have three jointed lures in my tackle box that I know are going to fail, since the other three I did the same way at the same time have already failed. I'm just waiting until the finish cracks, and then I'm going to have to strip those down and start over with them, too.

I've been very fortunate. After I made my first pupfish replacement attempt, and painted it with rattle cans, I found this site, and it has really shortened my learning curve.

I still make my share of mistakes, but less now than before, and, thanks to this site, at least I know how to fix those mistakes.

The hardest thing for me is admitting a lure needs to be redone. I just keep thinking, "If I just tweak it here, or add some crazy glue there, I can get by with it". But I've learned that I won't throw a lure enough if I think there's something wrong with it, even if I might get bit.

Anyway, just remember, "Lawyers send their mistakes to jail, doctors bury theirs, but the rest of us have to live with ours, even the ones we elect".

[diemai]

@ mark poulson

Very wise , but yet funny , statement about the mistakes:lol:!

truly ! Dieter

[yankee jigger]

Mark,my wall of shame is bigger than my wall of Fame.But......

I had this really dumb looking 5in. purple and pink belly floating minnow i painted,one of the firsts.

On a crappy march day last year at my favorite smallmouth river,i tried everything under the sun with no results.River was at flood stage and comming down,low 40's temp,just miserable.

I threw that stoooooopid looking crank and on the first cast,nailed a 17 in. smallmouth.He didnt just smack it,he attacked it.Next cast,bam but a little smaller.

I was up to 7 smallmouth in 20 minutes til the wife called me(damn cell phones)and told me everything was fine,dont worry and the firemen just left the house.She set the stove on fire making cookies with my kids.

Moral of the story????Dont sell your paint job short,it might just work.

And dont let your wife make cookies when you are fishing.

[mark poulson]

Now that's funny!

[Skeeter]

I fail to see why they would be on the "Wall of Shame" They look pretty good to me. NO ONE is good overnight. People like Prior, Hughes, and Sellars have spent decades learning how to paint. They love it. That is why they are so damn good. Keep at it. You have alot of potential. Be proud of your work. You spent alot of time on those lures.

Skeeter

[Vodkaman]

I agree Mark, they are terrible. I just hope I get that bad myself one day.

I fear I may have lost my bag of lures from the early days. The rented house where they were kept was shut down and cleaned out a few months back and I completely forgot about the bag, kicking myself, as I did intend to keep them. Some really wierd and very bad prototypes of ideas. I may even re-visit some of them, as my knowledge increases.

[mark poulson]

I am not "ashamed" of "my wall of shame". It was just a name I picked out of the blue.

A better name might have been, "wall of learning".

I learned something from every bait I made, good and bad.

I'm just today going to refinish the front section of one of my jointed baits whose finish cracked.

On close examination, it looks like the bait had a bubble develop under the paint, but on top of the primer. I think the primer was too thick, so it off gassed in the heat under my boat cover (100+ degrees) or the water based paint still had some water, even though I heat set it. I may have made the coats too thick, so they only skinned over, instead of drying all the way through, and the trapped water vaporized, causing a bubble, pressure, and, finally, cracking and peeling of the topcoat, with all the paint down to the primer coming with it.

Pure operator error. I hate it when I can't blame someone else!

So I'm still learning. With this bait, it's patience and thinner coats, and adequate drying time.

With others, it's perfecting joints, or body shape for max. action, or what woods not to use for what baits.

Fun, no matter what.

I have the good fortune to know Bill Siemental, of BBZ fame. On the West Coast, he was one of the original swim bait guys, and actually helped develop most of the different swimbaits that are now the industry standards. He actually carves his own prototypes, so I was talking to him yesterday about swimbaits, and he said he really enjoys solving the problem, and tweaking his baits to get them just the way he wants them.

Sounded just like the rest of us!

So the process is what's fun. And catching fish on them when you're done.

"Life is a journey, not a destination". I enjoy the ride.

Edited August 10, 2008 by mark poulson

[Lure--Prof]

Yes Mark, you and Bill nailed it. If you're not deriving satisfaction from meeting the various challenges that building original lures demands, then you need to find another way to spend that time!

Dean

[MR KNOW IT ALL KIND OF]

I never knew Bill could Carve!! you learn something new everyday!

[mark poulson]

Rookie,

He says he's been carving for years, since he and his Dad fished together. I don't know how detailed his carving is. I don't think he does duck decoy, full blown, detailed carving. He does the shapes he wants, and plays around until he gets the action he wants, and then it goes to the manuf., who details it.

When Dave Roberson and Rob Cummings of Orso Baits were in the prototype stage with their split tail lures, they had no detail. And the finishes looked like bones. Mostly white, with some grey and black. But they were really focusing on the action, and they got bit on the "fossil" baits, so they must know something.

I think Bill is the same way. He often says most baits will work if you present them the right way, in the right location, at the right time.

That's his BBZ idea. Not just a bait, but a system of how, where, and when you fish whatever you're fishing.

If you go to BBZ.com, he has all this stuff there, and is much better at explaining it than I am.

I'm just a Jewish carpenter who loves to fish.

He's a fireman who is part fish.

Edited August 11, 2008 by mark poulson

[MR KNOW IT ALL KIND OF]

"Yes Mark, you and Bill nailed it. If you're not deriving satisfaction from meeting the various challenges that building original lures demands, then you need to find another way to spend that time!"

Dean

"LIKE DRINKING BEER!! SELLING AMWAY!!! and CHASIN HOT MOM's that LOVE CASEY KANE at TARGET"

THE ROOKIE

Edited August 11, 2008 by The_Rookie

[captsully18]

Mark, "shame" on you. All of here already know that you ain't half bad (as a guy and a bait maker). "Wall of shame" indeed. Hell, I wish my best baits looked as good and worked as good. Oh, wait, I know, you can't get out on the lake to fish, so you thought you would just fish for compliments, huh?

Seriously though, I don't think there is anyone here (except perhaps Dean) who doesn't have a "wall of learning" as it were. But from the pics I do think you are a LEEEEEEEEETLE hard on your self.

So much for my rambling. I'm gonna go drink beer and chase hot women at Target. (in my dreams)

David

[mark poulson]

Thanks. Every time I think I've got it wired, something new and exciting happens, like a topcoat splitting. Oh, well, back to the drawing board. It's too early for beer.