Lip Color

[MuskyGary]

Does lip color matter on a plug? I know some companies use clear, (so the fish can't see it ?) Some plugs have went to a red lip or a chartreuse lip. I am thinking of making a lip mold and pouring it with clear alumnlite, or am I wasteing my time? Some lips have a 60 degree bend which I can't duplicate with lexon and that is what I am trying to come up with. Macarta on the other hand is a solid color and the fish don't seem to mine it.

[MuskyGary]

Go to the Rapala page and look at the new DT Thug lure to see the lip Im talking about.

[SmokeyJ]

I don't see any reason why you couldn't bend the lexan to produce that style of lip. Hazmail has numerous tutorials on lexan bending, but since that is just a straight line bend I think it could be done fairly easily with a ceramic hair straightener. The key thing Haz has always pointed out is not to overheat the lexan because it bubbles.

The thru-wire would be interesting on that style of lip, but not much more complicated than on any of the medium or deep diving cranks you see on this site with the line tie in the lip.

[BobP]

It's hard to know what a fish will bite - or not - but most of us go to the trouble to make baits as lifelike as we can in the belief that the more natural the look, the more likely it is to get bit. In that regimen, clear lips get the nod. There is also a practical side to it however, which is where circuit board lips come in. Circuit board lips started out on shallow baits meant to hit cover continuously. They were short lips that hopefully didn't detract too much from the natural profile of the bait. But I've seen large circuit board lips on deep divers and they catch fish. Some new Rapalas come with translucent red lips, some Wiggle Warts have craw color accents on their clear lips, some Lucky Craft Flat CB-20's have craw claws printed on their lips. So what's a boy to think? To me, clear lips are still preferable unless there is some important design reason to go with an alternative.

[spoopa]

If your just trying to make a straight bend in the lexan you could easily bend it with the technique that Hazmail has done in the tutorials. Just done some last night using his method and they turned out great.

Fish are fish tho, you can never tell what they want:mad:. some days I bet the clear lip would be better and the next day they could probally care less what color the lip is. I bet if its a bright color like chartreuse the fish would notice that though... good or bad? let the fish decide that one for ya:lolhuh:

Goodluck, Jacob

[rlcam]

I also had similar thoughts awhile back on clear or dull finish like some LC's.I had thought that even the clear lips had some flash from sunlight refracting through it to a certain extent.And the dull or flat finish whatever they call it would not have flash,I maybe wrong,just my thoughts on it.I have taken really fine grit sandpaper and sanded a few of my repaints where the bill is pretty beat up,and they looked pretty good.

I also thought on the LC's where the claws are painted on the bill were a bit odd.I thought when a crawfish was threatened he would back up.If the line tie is on the front the claws are moving forward.It should be( Crawfishing) as the old saying goes...Rob

[BobP]

Yeah, I have one of those LC Flat CB-20's in Spring Craw, and I removed the claw print from the lip. Like it better without.

[RayburnGuy]

A friend of mine that fishes professionally uses the old mudbugs a lot. As your probably aware, they have a metal diving lip. If the finish on the lip got dull he would take a fine grit sandpaper and shine them up. He always claimed the fish liked the flash. As far as I know, there is only one certainty in fishing. You never know for sure what they want until you throw something at them.

[sinyo]

I use PVC pipe for the lip so its solid white..but it can catch fish as much as my acrylic lip lures

for imitate bloody mouth and make it more attractive sometime I give red color in this lip..with same result in fishing.

PS: I only use my crankbait for pacu fish..(wich is eat heartily)

Ernest

[rlcam]

Sinyo,may I ask how you use pvc pipe for a lip.Could you post a pic...Rob

[jamie]

Gary I like musky fishing and really dont think it matters to them.But I like the looks of a clear lip though, maybe it because it what im used to seeing but look at the bait with metal lips.Those baits have been catching fish from the beginnings of musky fishing. I like petes method of bending lexan and one day when I have time to try something new I will spend time working on this.The draw back to alumilite clear is the cure time. I think you will spend more time trying to making one lip with the alumilite, I think it would be faster to bend lexan. This is my:twocents:

[sinyo]

Sinyo,may I ask how you use pvc pipe for a lip.Could you post a pic...Rob

@ricam: ok..

in order to make this thread not out of topic

I'll make new thread..and I'll PM u the link

ernest