julle Posted January 15, 2012 Report Share Posted January 15, 2012 Normally I make balsa baits and the line tie is directly in the lure body but this time i tried something different. I wanted a somewhat deep diving crankbait that would trow far and was durable. So I tried beech wood. Damn that stuff is hard! This would also be the first bait with a line to in the lip. So i just tried it out in the water but it was not what I was hoping for. It had some action but not enough. I didn't use any weights in the bait because the wood is already so dense, could this be the problem of it lacking action ? It's JUST floating in the water when it has hooks on , and I suppose it might even suspend when painted and lacquered. Would it work if i drilled a couple of big holes in the bait and sealed this up to up the buoyancy a little? Or should I change something with the line tie or the lip? thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobP Posted January 16, 2012 Report Share Posted January 16, 2012 Interesting lip! It's just about impossible to evaluate from a pic, even with a good description, due to the unique lip. If you think the bait is too heavy, yes, you can drill some holes and cover them to create air pockets and increase the buoyancy. I'd do that in the top of the bait and make the holes fairly harge. I have no experience with beech wood. In the final analysis, if you have to make too many "fixes" and compromises, it's often better to start over with a more buoyant wood. Even if the lip is perfect, if the body is too heavy the bait will never have a lively action. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crankpaint Posted January 16, 2012 Report Share Posted January 16, 2012 some times a little wiggle works better then a big wiggle 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
littleriver Posted January 16, 2012 Report Share Posted January 16, 2012 I would change the angle of the lip. More angle may give your more action. For experimenting, One might try a sheet of aluminum. If you do not have any , cut up a soda can and glue two pieces together. This should make it strong enough for testing. Then cut out the shape just like your lip. Next temp install bib in the bait and bend the bill to a variety of angles and see what happens. Good luck! Vic Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
julle Posted January 16, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 16, 2012 some times a little wiggle works better then a big wiggle I know this is sometimes the case and even for some specific fish around here. But I just want to give it a little more action to avoid it running still when lacquered. I know I should just start over with a different wood but I just wanna make this thing work:P The wood was so hard to carve so it would be a pain to not make the best of it. I'm going to drill a series of holes first in the top, the wood is plenty strong to have these air pockets in it. I know that grinding the lip edge to an angle will also work sometimes but this would be my resort because I suck at doing that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greg.p Posted January 16, 2012 Report Share Posted January 16, 2012 move the line tie towards the bait. you have it smack in the middle. that will work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woodieb8 Posted January 16, 2012 Report Share Posted January 16, 2012 HI. the lip angle looks to be near 17 degrees. as stated move the line pull closer to the body. that will increase wobble. as for harder denser woods weight slows action.. seal it very well as as it absorbs water it will be even heavier, possibly creating a countdown casting lure. as for slow action here in cold water for muskies it can be deadly for neutral fish. just a few thoughts. nice body style Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
