musky1 Posted March 31, 2004 Report Share Posted March 31, 2004 Does anyone know what kind of wood the Hughes river baits are made of. Thanks in advance. Jim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RiverMan Posted March 31, 2004 Report Share Posted March 31, 2004 I heard from someone they were made from cedar but don't know that for certain. I have built some gliders from cedar and they swim perfectly. I am now building some of hemlock as I got tired of having to add so much lead to the wood...cedar is about like foam. Why Hemlock? Have no idea, it just "looked good", lol. I have read that many of the gliders are built of mahogany so you might try that. Do you have a pattern for the hughes? If so I would love to get a copy of it. Jed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lure--Prof Posted March 31, 2004 Report Share Posted March 31, 2004 Hey Jed, I know what you mean about cedar, I even have to weight it for some of my topwaters...I've been using alot of poplar lately, if there's a jack of all woods, poplar is it. Lately I've built poppers, gliders, twitchers, and crankbaits with it: it holds screw-eyes well, is a good wood for detail work, casts well, responds to weighting in a predictable manner, and is available in the hobby-woods in dowel or square in the hobby-wood section of my local home-improvement store (Lowes). Dean Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
musky1 Posted March 31, 2004 Author Report Share Posted March 31, 2004 I don't have a pattern yet but I will. A friend of mine is going to x-ray the bait for me so I can see where the lead is placed etc. Another excellent wood to try is Spanish cedar, it's similar to Mahogany. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RiverMan Posted March 31, 2004 Report Share Posted March 31, 2004 I will give the Poplar a try Dean...will see if I can pick some up tomorrow. My only hope here is Home Depot so hoping they carry it. Would be interested in hearing what you find out for the Hughes Jim. jed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muskiemarc Posted March 31, 2004 Report Share Posted March 31, 2004 Musky1 I spoke with Stacy from Pro Tackle Musky Shop and he told me that the HR are made of Maple. I also heard that the Amma bama where made of basswood. I would also be interested in knowing what you find out when you X-Ray the Hughes River. As for the actual pattern I get mine from E-Bay. People selling them will often post pictures of the top and side views, just blow it up to the size you want and print. Cut them out and use them as templates. I have 10 gliders done. Phantoms, Mantas and HR types. Should have open water here in a few days so I can take them out for a test drive soon. Keep you posted on the results. Marc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RiverMan Posted April 1, 2004 Report Share Posted April 1, 2004 Have you posted a picture of one of your lures Marc? I would very much like to see one. Hey Dean I picked up several Poplar Boards today, hope to throw some sawdust later! Jed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muskiemarc Posted April 1, 2004 Report Share Posted April 1, 2004 Finally have open water on the shores of Lake Ontario here in Kingston. Took out the gliders that I made this winter for a test drive today and I am very happy with the results. They have a nice left/right glide to them. Now I have two wait another two months for the Musky season opener! Riverman: just picked up a digital camera. As soon as I learn how to use it and how to post pictures I'll add them here. Hopefully in a day or two. Marc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jerkbait Posted April 2, 2004 Report Share Posted April 2, 2004 I have been making gliders for a while and have a design that has produced 8 leagl fish (30")+ this winter/spring. I recently read a thread that made me rethink my weighting system. Routing a slot along the bottom of the bait keeps the weight down low where it belongs. The system I used since I have no router table is to use a cross-slide vice in the drill press. I can vary the depth and once the vice is set up square it is easy to do several baits. I have the shape I like (roughly like a smaller Divani) and the weight for pine, poplar, and maple so here is a picture of the orange one that the creek fish have been eating. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RiverMan Posted April 2, 2004 Report Share Posted April 2, 2004 Jerkbait, That's a great looking glider! Some time back Splash recommended I insert the weight the same way you are describing as he felt it eliminated the liklihood of baits wanting to "tip" to one side or the other. From my experience he is exactly right and this is the way I have been building them. I have read where some guys will drill through the side of the baits rather than the bottom and placed the lead as low as possible..haven't tried this msyelf. I have been drilling out several adjacent holes along the bottom and then smoothing the slot out with a dremel and pouring in liquid lead. I want to get away from this tho as I don't want to deal with the toxic lead fumes. What is the shape of lead you are using? Are you also pouring in the lead? Jed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joe32 Posted April 2, 2004 Report Share Posted April 2, 2004 The system jerkbait mentions about cutting a slot along the bottom of the bait.This is a method I have been useing for a while now and it does enable you to get all of the weight very low on the bait which seems to increase the glide and reduce the roll on baits. I am just starting to try the idea with some of the smaller jerkbaits that I make. But cetainly for gliders it seems to work better than drilling vertical holes for weighting baits. I have the luxury of having a router and it does make the job quicker. I see Muskymarc you say you have made some manta's what wood did you use,as the originals are solid plastic,what sort of action did you get from them.I would be interested to see one of you manta's. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
musky1 Posted April 2, 2004 Author Report Share Posted April 2, 2004 Riverman The last few posts you were talking about keeping the lead as close to the bottom. But, don't you want the lure to have a good wobble by keeping the lead more in the center? I've found I had more luck with lures that had a good wobble. Seems like the muskies like that sudden change of color from the white belly to the sides etc. Jim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jerkbait Posted April 2, 2004 Report Share Posted April 2, 2004 Joe I have a 50lb spool of 5/16 round pure lead fuse wire. It came from a construction salvage company. I have been pouring weights in a mold for making inline mepp's type spinners for smaller baits. As for wobble, I agree that it adds attraction to the baits but in current conditions it is unpredictable and a lot harder to get just right. I have some with vertical colums of lead tha do the wiggle real well and I use them in lakes but stay with the keel weighted ones in the flows. The fish in the local creeks have just been killing the orange even in clear water. I have done foil, photo print and other colors but they just seem to like the Gold fish. Maybe someone truned some paylake bait out and they saw how delicious they are! Jerk! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RiverMan Posted April 2, 2004 Report Share Posted April 2, 2004 Musky, You know you bring up a good point and I have not experimented with it enough to know how much the lead placement will effect wobble. In recent weeks I have been building gliders and wobble really isn't a big part of the action for these lures. That being said tho, I have had some problems in the past with baits wanting to sit at a slight angle with the lead being drilled straight in which doesn't make one happy after taking all the time to shape the body. I have also had baits that ran perfectly while testing with weight rubber-banded to the bottom but wouldn't do anything but roll once the lead was drilled in. You must be very careful to not change the center of gravity on the lure or it flat won't run. From my limited experience, the lower the weight is kept the less likely it is that I will have problems getting the lure to do what I want it to. If you look at the guys tho that build alot of baits like skeeter, chip, and others most of them do drill the lead in and it seems to work fine for them. Joe, I'm curious as to how well your router is working for the slots. It seems like it would be tricky to get the slot on a bait with an uneven belly...is this true? Also, have you had the bait go flying across the room while trying this? Thx. Jed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joe32 Posted April 2, 2004 Report Share Posted April 2, 2004 The router is attached to a router table and works o.k.Most of the baits I have made with this method have a rounded belly.All I do is run one side of the lure along the fence turn it round run it back through. I have had one lure catch the cutter and end up over the other side of the room.But I alway keep hand well clear and use a scrap piece of wood to pushh the lure through. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RiverMan Posted April 2, 2004 Report Share Posted April 2, 2004 Thanks Joe, I do have a router but only had it long enough to know it's "mean", real "mean". For now think I will stay with the drill. Jed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brett Posted April 3, 2004 Report Share Posted April 3, 2004 Riverman Put your slot in while the stock is still square. Trace your pattern and then cut the shape out. Another way to cut a slot is with a radial arm saw if you have one. Raise the blade, lower it onto the stock and slide the stock to get the desired length. Suppose a table saw will also work but you will be working blind. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RiverMan Posted April 3, 2004 Report Share Posted April 3, 2004 You know I thought about that Brett but thought it might give me problems with maintaining an equal depth on the belly of the lure. I will give it a try today tho and see what happens. Thank you for the advice! By the way, Dean was right, Poplar is a wonderful wood to work with, my favorite thus far. If any of you haven't tried it, give it a whirl, you will likely be "hooked". Jed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muskiemarc Posted April 3, 2004 Report Share Posted April 3, 2004 Joe 32 Here is a picture of two mantas I made along with an origional Manta. I made them out of Maple and added lead to match the sink rate of the origional. I also increased the size so they are more like the Hang 10 from Manta. As for the action I was pleasently surprised. I can make these guys glide just like the origional. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muskiemarc Posted April 3, 2004 Report Share Posted April 3, 2004 Here are more gliders that I build this winter. They are made of Maple, are slow sinking and have a nice gliding action. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RiverMan Posted April 3, 2004 Report Share Posted April 3, 2004 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RiverMan Posted April 3, 2004 Report Share Posted April 3, 2004 Very nice Marc! What is the small tail on the back for? I have read before why it was there but have forgotten. Also, are the gliders in the top photo round? It's hard to tell from the pic. Also, I'm curious as to what kind of a sink rate you set them at. I have never fished for muskies or used a "musky lure" but I set mine up to sink totally horizontal and I weight them just heavy enough to where they will sink with the lead and hooks in place. Additional weight from the epoxy is added on top of this. Jed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muskiemarc Posted April 4, 2004 Report Share Posted April 4, 2004 Riverman: The lures in the top photo are round. As for the tail I think that they act as a stabilizer. I have used other round gliders from other lure manufacturers and they were harder to work and keep under the water. If you didn't work them just right they often rolled and popped out of the water. The Mantas are much more user friendly. As for the sink rate I do the exact same thing as you do. Horizontal and just enough lead to sink slowly. Marc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RiverMan Posted April 4, 2004 Report Share Posted April 4, 2004 Marc, Hey thanks for the info. It's funny what you mentioned about the mantas. You know zara spooks are round and "walk the dog" pefectly on top of the water, seems a sinking version of this same shape would do just as well sub-surface, it's odd isn't it. Thanks again. Jed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muskiemarc Posted April 4, 2004 Report Share Posted April 4, 2004 RiverMan: There are some round gliders that work well without a tail, the origional Musky glider the Eddie bait is an example of this. However they often needed to be modified by adding lead to them to make them sink. I think you hit the nail on the head when you mentioned "sinking version". The gliders that I referred to earlier floated at rest. Another thing I should have mentioned earlier is that I add the lead at the head and tail of the bait as oppossed to the middle of the bait. Marc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
