fishnart Posted February 1, 2012 Report Share Posted February 1, 2012 I spent five hours yesterday painting about 10 really detailed baits only to have them not turn out perfect. Sooo frustrating, washed the paint off and today and have to start all over again....waisted five hours of precious time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark poulson Posted February 1, 2012 Report Share Posted February 1, 2012 (edited) Man, I hate when that happens. Been there, done that! When I first started building lures, I made some real flops, and took the time to finish paint and top coat them before I tested floated them. I have a "wall of shame" over my workbench, with some of those hanging there, just to remind me to not skip a step. When I'm trying a new paint scheme, I try it on an old bait, or a plastic knock off first, to see if it really works before I use it on one of my "good" lures. That way, I don't invest so much time in it that I'm kicking myself if it doesn't work. But I've seen your stuff, and your "rejects" probably look better than anything I've ever painted. Edited February 1, 2012 by mark poulson Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CheapTrix Posted February 1, 2012 Report Share Posted February 1, 2012 I have found out, when it comes to not-so-perfect paint jobs, that the fish seem to still like the ones that I think are complete failures.......moral of the story.....just fish them and see what happens. I have actually caught several fish on a lure my daughter painted with a brush when she was five. It doesn't look like much, and my fishing buddies always make fun of it, but it has become my go-to bait and always seems to produce. CheapTrix Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobP Posted February 1, 2012 Report Share Posted February 1, 2012 Trix, maybe that's a comment on the "pretty paint thing". Great paint makes you feel great when you fish a lure. That's useful but I think the fish are less interested in art. My nephew was telling me about a "hot color" on a lake where he competes regularly. Guys were paying a premium for baits custom painted in that pattern, so I asked him to send me one to see what the hullaballoo was about. #7 Shad Rap, White with very sloppy random freehand green stripes - like a 3rd grader's version of the old Clark Gable pattern. Most TUers would have been too embarrassed to post it on the TU Gallery. But it was selling like hot cakes. Go figure! I think you can over-think any aspect of building crankbaits. Just build'em and paint'em the best you can and see what the bass think. You'll often be surprised, one way or the other. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishnart Posted February 1, 2012 Author Report Share Posted February 1, 2012 Haha, thanks Mark. I don't build my baits, I just use plastic ones I buy or repaints. I can only imagine if you build one and its not right, thats a lot more work than I do. Cheap Trix, I started to do the same thing, let my kids paint one for me to use. Luckily a little windex and a toothbrush and good as new for me. Doesn't even take the primer off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seeking 56 Posted February 1, 2012 Report Share Posted February 1, 2012 I`m forced to paint a `beat up` shad pattern on one of my glide bait now because it originally didn`t turn out like I was hoping. I`m basically wet sanding patterns through the next colored layer of paint. I`ve never seen this kind of pattern on commercial baits and since I`m donating it at a silent auction fundraiser i`m kinda nervous it won`t do well. I`m waiting for the paint to cure and I might consider posting it here after it`s cleared. S54 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crankpaint Posted February 2, 2012 Report Share Posted February 2, 2012 should try carving decoys and spending 4 hours on one and getting almost finished and you drop it and it breaks a fin or tail,thank god for super glue..lol YES I KNOW HOW YOU FEEL!! I've had a few days like that too and it really sucks to have to start over sorry about your luck but think of the bright side you get better at painting baits.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Bass Man Posted February 2, 2012 Report Share Posted February 2, 2012 Definately have been there and done that!! You have done some killer paint jobs on your baits!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saltshaker Posted February 2, 2012 Report Share Posted February 2, 2012 Haha, thanks Mark. I don't build my baits, I just use plastic ones I buy or repaints. I can only imagine if you build one and its not right, thats a lot more work than I do. Cheap Trix, I started to do the same thing, let my kids paint one for me to use. Luckily a little windex and a toothbrush and good as new for me. Doesn't even take the primer off. I'm thinkin' your "not so perfect" paint jobs still look better than most. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gentle Posted February 2, 2012 Report Share Posted February 2, 2012 I paint better in the afternoon than in the mornings, I guess it takes me a while to get in the flow of things. I paint simple stuff first, then the more detailed paint jobs later in the day, doing that has actually saved me from alot of do overs. But inevitably, there's always the human factor, and a screw up pops up now and then. I hate redoing things!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishnart Posted February 2, 2012 Author Report Share Posted February 2, 2012 Thanks for the compliments guys. Very thoughtful. Crankpaint I've worried about that with my repro fish. I worry that I'm gonna drop them and chip them or something while painting them, that would soooo suck. Uh, I think I just jinxed myself. Not painting any fish for a while... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fishsticks Posted February 2, 2012 Report Share Posted February 2, 2012 I spent five hours yesterday painting about 10 really detailed baits only to have them not turn out perfect. Sooo frustrating, washed the paint off and today and have to start all over again....waisted five hours of precious time. I thought this was a funny topic. Everyone has been there. Many of my flops are tossed in the bad lure corner for time out. Many were so bad they are still there! Sometimes my paint came out well, but when tossed in the water they do the unexpected. Ahh that one's diving way to deep, this one swims like a flounder, I swore that one was suppose to float... I put a lot of time into every one of my lures, no matter how it turns out I can usually find a way to fish it. If a lure sank faster then expected, I just find faster moving water in the river to toss it. If my crank doesn't dive, I'll call it my wake bait. Last year I made a deep diver and it didn't dive. Something was off with the lip and it would pull very strongly to one side, just barley staying under the water. So... I found a nice bend around the river and tossed it way out. It pulled over the deeper water, something no other bait could do, and third cast it hooked a striper. No words could describe how surprised I was. Something this taught me is people and fish see two different things. It's not always about how it looks or how well you think it swims. It's what the fish thinks that counts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vodkaman Posted February 2, 2012 Report Share Posted February 2, 2012 Some great responses here. My thoughts are that you may feel like your time was wasted, just like my first dozen carvings. But I am sure that you learned a lot from the mistakes, so consider it time well spent. Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
