capt mike Posted January 30, 2011 Report Share Posted January 30, 2011 (edited) Last year I was fishing with small swimbaits and catching small bass on them. One morning I was reeling in a 13" bass that i had hooked. When I got the bass about 8- feet away from the side of the boat, a big bass came up and nailed him on the surface and missed. I left the hooked bass swimming around in the same spot and saw that big bass come back and swallow it head first and go back down. I tried to set the hook after about a ten count and only had it on for a few seconds. The big fish wouldn't stay hooked. I reeled the small bass in and measured it and let it go. I promised myself that i would make a big bass colored swimbait for this coming spring. Here it is. The big one is a little over 11-inches. I'll clear coat it tomorrow. Can't wait to use it. Tell me what you think. Edited January 30, 2011 by capt mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
not a bear Posted January 30, 2011 Report Share Posted January 30, 2011 Looks really good, nice job on matching the bass pattern! Have you had it in the water to test the action? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
.dsaavedra. Posted January 30, 2011 Report Share Posted January 30, 2011 they look great. nice shape and color. i'm not so sure i like the red though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capt mike Posted January 31, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 31, 2011 Swam very nice as a wake bait. I swam it with the sealer coat and hooks and it floated right at the water's surface. It may weigh down a little after the clear coat and paintt. I wanted the red to flash behind the gills on the retrieve. Just an idea to try. I regret that I drew in the outline around the jaw and gills. I would definitely not do that again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fish 30acre Posted February 1, 2011 Report Share Posted February 1, 2011 good looking scale tipping effect sir Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Desertbass Posted February 1, 2011 Report Share Posted February 1, 2011 I had a lot of trouble getting my swimbaits weighted enough to sink. I kept moving to heavier woods (poplar now) and I still have to add a lot of weight. Let us know how it goes getting it to suspend or sink. I finally added a small lip to the original baits that were bass wood. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capt mike Posted February 1, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 1, 2011 (edited) I had a lot of trouble getting my swimbaits weighted enough to sink. I kept moving to heavier woods (poplar now) and I still have to add a lot of weight. Let us know how it goes getting it to suspend or sink. I finally added a small lip to the original baits that were bass wood. I know what you mean. I made an 8" gizzard shad last summer and had to hollow out half of the head and fill with lead shot. It is a fast sink and has gotten me three hook ups with 5 lb. plus bass. Its hard to leave room for hardware and make a fast sink at the same time. The trick was to make a large head section to provide ample space for weight and hardware. I need to try Azek material for the sinker baits. The scale tipping was from a stencil I made with a sheet of clear document cover and exacto knife. I cut each little scale with the knife in the shape of a little football. Then punched it loose with my fingers. Time consuming, but i'm happy with the result and I have the stencil to use over and over. Edited February 1, 2011 by capt mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark poulson Posted February 1, 2011 Report Share Posted February 1, 2011 (edited) Desert Bass, I use 1/4" lead wire that I bought from Cabelas for weighting my jointedswim baits. 1/8"=1 gram+-. Fits a 1/4" hole perfectly. I cut it with an exacto knife, and roll it afterward between my saw table and a flat piece of steel to even out the mushrooming caused by the knife. When I used poplar, I would shape and predrill all the hardware and hinge holes, drill holes in the head and second section for possible ballast, and seal. Then I'd assemble and float test with the hooks installed. I'd add lead sinkers to the front treble tines until I got the lure to sit, or sink, like I wanted, weight the sinkers I had used, and then cut off that much lead wire. Because ballast kills swimming action, I would add most of the ballast to the front section, and only put some in the second section for sinkers. Any ballast holes I didn't use I'd fill with paper towel, add a drop of crazy glue, and then bondo over them to seal them. I found that I wanted to weight the baits so they sat level in the water, or dove slightly head first on the fall. That way, the tail would float up and keep the lure horizontal on a slow, deep retrieve. Mike, First of all, you baits look great! They should get clobbered. Have you tried the plastic netting that avacados come in at the market, and the netting from oranges? Both are diamond shaped. I actually got a really neat effect by first putting regular tule netting over the bait, and then the avacado netting. Edited February 1, 2011 by mark poulson Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capt mike Posted February 2, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 2, 2011 Desert Bass, I use 1/4" lead wire that I bought from Cabelas for weighting my jointedswim baits. 1/8"=1 gram+-. Fits a 1/4" hole perfectly. I cut it with an exacto knife, and roll it afterward between my saw table and a flat piece of steel to even out the mushrooming caused by the knife. When I used poplar, I would shape and predrill all the hardware and hinge holes, drill holes in the head and second section for possible ballast, and seal. Then I'd assemble and float test with the hooks installed. I'd add lead sinkers to the front treble tines until I got the lure to sit, or sink, like I wanted, weight the sinkers I had used, and then cut off that much lead wire. Because ballast kills swimming action, I would add most of the ballast to the front section, and only put some in the second section for sinkers. Any ballast holes I didn't use I'd fill with paper towel, add a drop of crazy glue, and then bondo over them to seal them. I found that I wanted to weight the baits so they sat level in the water, or dove slightly head first on the fall. That way, the tail would float up and keep the lure horizontal on a slow, deep retrieve. Mike, First of all, you baits look great! They should get clobbered. Have you tried the plastic netting that avacados come in at the market, and the netting from oranges? Both are diamond shaped. I actually got a really neat effect by first putting regular tule netting over the bait, and then the avacado netting. Hey Mark, glad you brought that up. I tried using a red onion mesh bag but had trouble getting it to lay tight against the lure body. The mesh is very thin on the onion bag and nothing much was left for scales. How do you keep the msh tight? . i'll keep an eye out for the avocado wraps since i'm the grocery boy of the family. i'm also gonna look for that lead wire. Sounds like good advice. thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
.dsaavedra. Posted February 2, 2011 Report Share Posted February 2, 2011 Hey Mark, glad you brought that up. I tried using a red onion mesh bag but had trouble getting it to lay tight against the lure body. The mesh is very thin on the onion bag and nothing much was left for scales. How do you keep the msh tight? . i'll keep an eye out for the avocado wraps since i'm the grocery boy of the family. i'm also gonna look for that lead wire. Sounds like good advice. thanks. i wrap it around the bait then put a chip clip over the mesh at the belly of the bait to hold it on there tight. adjust as necessary. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldtoolsniper Posted February 2, 2011 Report Share Posted February 2, 2011 Nice looking bait! I believe that lead is called "pencil lead" I used it in Oregon with surgical tubing for drift fishing. It comes in many different diameters. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark poulson Posted February 2, 2011 Report Share Posted February 2, 2011 (edited) Hey Mark, glad you brought that up. I tried using a red onion mesh bag but had trouble getting it to lay tight against the lure body. The mesh is very thin on the onion bag and nothing much was left for scales. How do you keep the msh tight? . i'll keep an eye out for the avocado wraps since i'm the grocery boy of the family. i'm also gonna look for that lead wire. Sounds like good advice. thanks. I have a piece of dense foam board mounted to a piece of plywood, like an eisel, and drape the scale cloth over the lure, which is suspended between two rows of screws, one on each side. I use an opened paper clip in each end, and a rubber band from one clip to a screw to provide tension. That way, I can paint different length lures and just adjust the rubber band. I form the cloth over the lure, and use push pins to attach the cloth to the foam and provide a tight fit. I play around with pin placement until I get the cloth to conform to the lure's shape. I only do one side of a lure at a time, but it works really well for jointed baits. I've found that the cloth is a little stiff the first time I use it, but a coating of Createx, heat set, seems to make it much softer. Edited February 2, 2011 by mark poulson Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
30gills Posted March 2, 2012 Report Share Posted March 2, 2012 Hi all you gents are amazing and all have great ideas. I am new to the lure making sceen after buying a new Zara spook and heading up to the pond, after a few casts I nicked a twig with the lure and it broke the tip of the back off just at the hook hanger. After a few profanities I thought that was an expensive couple casts. So I said to my self "self you can make that". Ha if I only knew what I was getting into. I have been making lures ever since ( one whole year). So to make my scales I went to hobby lobby and baught so mesh/tutu meterial and a imbrordery hoop ( sory about the spelling). Put the meterial in the loop and all I do is just hod it against the lure when painting. Works like a charm with no hassle of pi s or clips. It only cost me around 5 buck too. I will add a few pics. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
30gills Posted March 2, 2012 Report Share Posted March 2, 2012 Here are the pics i promised. One is of the loop with the mesh, which you can put what ever material you want inside. The reason i went with the loop was because it was taking me so long to wrap the material and clip it. The second is a crank that i made that has the scale pattern. Hope that may help a few of you out by making things a bit easier. Good luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bassguy Posted March 3, 2012 Report Share Posted March 3, 2012 30gills, I'm going to give that a try. Is the mesh on both hoops? If so you really snug up the bait inbetween and it wouldn't move, and you could flip the hoop over and hit the other side of the bait too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
30gills Posted March 3, 2012 Report Share Posted March 3, 2012 No it's is one piece of material ( which is mesh or tutu material from hobby lobby ) and the hoops push together to hold the material. But I guess you could do it that way. I just push it up against the lure and paint then flip the lure and paint the other side. I use a vice that is not bolted down so it's easy to flip around. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crankpaint Posted March 3, 2012 Report Share Posted March 3, 2012 you could also get two sets of hoops and with the mesh in them clip them together and do both sides Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
