Want To Paint Some Ko Sammy Lures ..... Suggestions

[Kris]

Looking to buy some Sammy lures to paint. I've read here on the forum where most people have had good results from these KOs.

I was looking for some suggestions on the size. I've seen where they range from 100mm to 130mm (4-5 inches).

Thanks.

[Richard Prager]

www.predatorbassbaits.com has 100mm and 130mm. I have painted many and also fished the 100mm and is a good blank. Out of about 100 blanks, I haven't had a bad one yet. It also has a slot in the mouth and gills. I have not tried his 130mm. He does stand behind his merchandise.

[mark poulson]

I also use Predator Bass' 100m knockoffs, and they are great. I drill the tail and add a little weight, so they hang down in the water like a real Sammie, and they catch fish, and are easy to walk.

I just did two in baby bass for the upcoming spawn.

[sambennett]

Hey Mark - I did a baby bass Sammy 100 for spring of last year and it worked out really well. My #1 topwater last year, even beat out my buzzbait. I don't mind the action "as-is" - they walked easily and cast a mile. I can see how adding a little weight in the tail would help, I just don't care to mess with it.

I think I ordered 25 or so and painted them up for friends. They have a mouth/gill slot that can be a little difficult to keep clear during topcoating. I use thinned D2T. I decided not to worry about it too much and they still came out just fine. Some of them ended up blocked and I personally couldn't tell much difference.

I saw that Predator has some Chug Bug blanks now. I'll probably do a handful of those this year. Those are smallie killers on my river all summer long.

[sambennett]

Hm... just went out to Predator to order a few Chug Bugs and I don't see them on there anymore. That's a bummer.

[mark poulson]

Sam,

I just went there and saw them:

http://www.predatorb...s.com/id69.html

Oops! I just reread you post, and saw you were looking for Chug Bugs.

Sorry.

Try here:

http://bustinbassbaits.com/programs/shop/estore.cgi?category=Unpainted_Crankbait_Bodies&showitem=1033

Edited February 2, 2012 by mark poulson

[Kris]

Mark...are you drilling out the tail from the bottom? Are you covering the hole with epoxy?

Also, has anyone tried the 5" (130mm) sammy? Just wondering if there is a difference between the action/strikes of the 4" (100mm) and the 5" (130mm).

[sambennett]

That's weird. I still can't see 'em at Predator. I see some other poppers, but not the Chug Bug. I found them over at Bustin' Bass. Maybe that's what I was thinking about. Or I'm losing my mind and/or my eyesight. At this point anything's possible.

As a side note - has anyone ordered the 3" minnow jerk from Predator? I want something similar to a smaller husky jerk. I did a handful of his 4" jerk baits last year and they turned out OK, but not exactly what I wanted for this round.

[mark poulson]

Mark...are you drilling out the tail from the bottom? Are you covering the hole with epoxy?

Also, has anyone tried the 5" (130mm) sammy? Just wondering if there is a difference between the action/strikes of the 4" (100mm) and the 5" (130mm).

I drill a 3/16" hole in the top of the tail, over the last section, add a couple of steel BB's, and seal it with bondo.

I drill the top because I don't think the BB's will hit it as much, and there will be less stress on the top.

I put the bondo on the sticky side of a piece of blue painters masking tape, enough to seal the hole about 18" thick and just cover the sides of the hole. Then I put the tape over the hole, and work it down to follow the contours of the bait. Hopefully, there is enough bondo to both fill the hole, and spread out a little on the bait, but not to fill the entire tail. That's why I spread it out on the tape first.

Once the bondo has set, I peel off the tape, scrape off the bondo that's past the hole, and sand down the hole-filling bondo to flush with the lure body.

I reinforce the bondo with drop of crazy glue, just enough to cover the bondo.

My final step is to brush over the tail section with clean acetone, to remove any residue and clean it, ready for paint.

By using tape, I find that the bondo sticks to the tape enough that I can put a bondo plug on the top of the baits and have it stay up while the bondo sets. The bait is upright that way, and the rattles don't get stuck in the bondo before it hardens.

I use the same method to add ballast and rattles to any of my clear plastic knockoffs, and I've never had it fail.

The acetone at the end restores the clear appearance to the plastic and removes any sanding marks.

Good luck.

[saltshaker]

That's weird. I still can't see 'em at Predator. I see some other poppers, but not the Chug Bug. I found them over at Bustin' Bass. Maybe that's what I was thinking about. Or I'm losing my mind and/or my eyesight. At this point anything's possible.

As a side note - has anyone ordered the 3" minnow jerk from Predator? I want something similar to a smaller husky jerk. I did a handful of his 4" jerk baits last year and they turned out OK, but not exactly what I wanted for this round.

Sam, are you referring to the Megabass X80 KO? If so, I've bought them but haven't fished them. I think Brad might be able to help ya. Seems like he mentioned the smaller jerks to me. I also bought some from dakotalakestackle.com. I think they are in the Vision line...just smaller.

[mark poulson]

I've fished his Megabass X80 ko's, and they are good. They are light, and harder to cast than I like, so I drill the back where the second set of plastic nibs is located, and add three or four ball bearings, to get the head down attitude when they float, and to act as a weight transfer for casting.

They cast much better, dive faster, and catch fish.