Tackleunderground Hardbait Tip Of The Day!

[JBlaze]

Hello Vic, I went back and watched Gene's video again then looked at the amount of cutting surface that you have exposed and your new handle and guard that you made for the template. I think that with a lot of caution I would feel fairly safe using it. that is a really neat set-up. I think you might also use this set-up for rounding over flat sided cranks. Thank you Gene and Vic for sharing.

[mark poulson]

You might try using a teflon cutting board for a work table.

[RayburnGuy]

After reading Marks suggestion about the cutting board I was reminded of something else that might work. I've seen thin plastic sheets that are placed flat onto a kitchen counter top to be used as cutting boards. (I say plastic....could have been a thin sheet of teflon) It could just be glued to your work surface. Have no idea where you could find one, but your local Dollar Stores might be a good place to start.

Ben

[Lincoya]

Vic,

I don't use glue on the dowels. I just under drill and hammer the dowels into the holes. They won't budge.

Gene

[bassguy]

That's pretty slick making the bills that way. I've been making mine on the belt sander and cussing everytime I change the radius of the bill from one side to the other and have to go back and take alittle more off and so on. I have a router table sitting in the garage gathering dust, I guess with these ideas I'll have to put it back in service.

[Lincoya]

That's pretty slick making the bills that way. I've been making mine on the belt sander and cussing everytime I change the radius of the bill from one side to the other and have to go back and take alittle more off and so on. I have a router table sitting in the garage gathering dust, I guess with these ideas I'll have to put it back in service.

bassguy,

Spend a lot of time on your template and make sure it's right. Any mistakes you make on the template will transfer to every lip you make.

Gene

[bassguy]

bassguy,

Spend a lot of time on your template and make sure it's right. Any mistakes you make on the template will transfer to every lip you make.

Gene

I hear ya Gene. It has to be perfect to transfer a perfect bill.

Jerry

[Vodkaman]

Routers scare me too, but I really like this. My router table is already set-up, so if I need to make a lot of lips, I will probably go this route.

DAve

[woodenfeather]

Looks good Vic! As far as the slots you see in the lips in the picture, they were an after-thought to accommodate the wire. I justed drilled a hole and then cut into it with the scroll saw. I see you are using the circuit board material. I was curious as to how well it cuts on the router? I was thinking it might be really hard on the carbide but haven't tried it yet.

Here's a drawing of how I've been making the template:

Here's a side view:

[littleriver]

Thanks. Dan, the bit cuts the circuit board with ease. It is only 1/32 thick. I would say it is easier on the bit than the thicker lexan. Cuts much faster.

Your drawing is giving me more ideas. Thank you for sharing. I see a jig with several heads in a circle loaded with bibs. Just load the jig, cut and load again, at least six to ten. I would never need it at the rate I build lures. Will be using your idea to round off some bibs of my own in the future. Great idea!

[littleriver]

Here is one way to turn a reject into fish catcher. Recently made a bait that I thought was going to be just great . Spent a lot of extra time painting and finishing so it would be perfect. This was going in my tackle box. Finally the big day comes to try it out. Run skip and jump to the water edge anxiously tie on my new bait . Pitch her into the water. And.................BLOWOUT.................. Thats ok... so I try again and again and the same thing keeps happening over and over . So I think maybe I can tweek the eye a bit . Tweek her this way and that only to have her blowout this way and that........... Oh the pain ................Well after a few sleepless nights wondering how I can salvage this bait and what could possibly be wrong with her. I finally decide the ballast is too far forward in the bait. Making the center of gravity too close to the bill . When this happens, incase you do not know, the bill easily overpowers the bait and you have blowout city from every conceivable angle. This is my second blowout bait due to this condition in my short lure making career. I am sure there will be others. After diagnosing the problem, I came up with this solution.

I took my modified bait to the local proving ground(the duck pond) for a test run this eave. To my surprise and everyone else there just after just a few casts, I had something big on the other end of my line. As the fish broke, everyone was looking my direction. After a couple minutes of this, I finally lured the fish shore. A four pound something duck pond behemoth largemouth. She was hooked by both sets of trebles and too my surprise the modified treble was harder to unhook than the normal one. Sadly no camera to substantiate my story; only my word as a fisherman.

Edited May 25, 2012 by littleriver

[SNOWMAN CUSTOM BAITS]

I bought some baits from Jann's and painted them before testing . Some would blow out as you call it , I put a feather dressed treble on the back and it fixed it .

[littleriver]

Snowman I can see how a feather trailer would slow the action enough to bring a border line bait back under control. Some use curly tail grubs to do this as well. Like the tail streamer on a kite. Something to keep in mind and try first next time. Thanks.

The first one of these blowout baits I made i kept trimming the bib till nothing was left before I realized the bib itself was not the problem but its placement in relation to the center gravity was. Even with a very very short bib this bait would lay on it's side after a couple of wobbles

This bait was in bad shape. I put all the ballast just below bib on this one for reasons unknown to me now. Turns out a really bad idea.

[mark poulson]

Snowman I can see how a feather trailer would slow the action enough to bring a border line bait back under control. Some use curly tail grubs to do this as well. Like the tail streamer on a kite. Something to keep in mind and try first next time. Thanks.

The first one of these blowout baits I made i kept trimming the bib till nothing was left before I realized the bib itself was not the problem but its placement in relation to the center gravity was. Even with a very very short bib this bait would lay on it's side after a couple of wobbles

This bait was in bad shape. I put all the ballast just below bib on this one for reasons unknown to me now. Turns out a really bad idea.

I really think a lot depends on how buoyant your building material is, and how you shape your crank.

I learned to build swimbaits and walking baits from scratch, but I started to build cranks by copying my favorite commercial baits, so I had a much shorter learning curve, and avoided a lot of beginner's mistakes.

I like to keep the ballast between the bill and the belly hook hanger if possible. I think it helps the action of the bait, and also gives it a more head down position at rest, which initiates the diving action more quickly.

I used a Rapala DT16 as a model when I started making deeper diving cranks. It's ballast is right behind, and under, the bill.

Because it is a balsa bait, it is very buoyant, so the rest of the crank's body has enough lift to keep the bait from wanting to roll, or blow out.

I use PVC trimboard for my diving cranks. Even though it is very buoyant, it isn't balsa, so I leave the tail section on my cranks a little thicker on purpose, to keep the crank more buoyant.

That seems to have allowed me to put the ballast in front, and it also helps the cranks to back out of snaggs better.

I find that paying attention to centerline symetry, and float testing my cranks until they sit in the water the same way each time as a similar, successful lure, like a DT16, works for me.

One of the tricks I use in making swimbaits that don't roll I carried over into my flat sided cranks. I taper my cranks, so they are thicker along the back than on the belly. This makes them "naturally" more bottom heavy, since there is less buoyant material toward the belly, so they don't tend to roll, even on a fast retrieve.

When I figured out how to do that with jointed swimbaits, it really made a huge difference in being able to burn a bait back to the boat without it rolling over, and it works for cranks, too.

I've been lucky so far, and have only had to tweak my line ties a little to make my cranks run straight, instead of playing around with shaving the bills or changing the ballast.

I'd suggest you find a similar bait to the one you want to make, and really examine what makes it perform the way it does, and then imitate that.

Edited May 27, 2012 by mark poulson

[SNOWMAN CUSTOM BAITS]

Snowman I can see how a feather trailer would slow the action enough to bring a border line bait back under control. Some use curly tail grubs to do this as well. Like the tail streamer on a kite. Something to keep in mind and try first next time. Thanks.

The first one of these blowout baits I made i kept trimming the bib till nothing was left before I realized the bib itself was not the problem but its placement in relation to the center gravity was. Even with a very very short bib this bait would lay on it's side after a couple of wobbles

This bait was in bad shape. I put all the ballast just below bib on this one for reasons unknown to me now. Turns out a really bad idea.

Yea mine were store bought so they were only off a little . I have only built two hand made cranks the first was out of balsa and I didn't know to add weight to the belly ! It runs strait has a good wobble dives about 5 feet and almost jumps out of the water when I stop reeling and it backs up like a champ . The second I added a belly weight hook hanger and it runs pretty good . I am ready to start building a few more and I'm sure this good luck won't hold out .

[bassguy]

I find that paying attention to centerline symetry, and float testing my cranks until they sit in the water the same way each time as a similar, successful lure.

I have found if the crankbait sits in the water in a perpendicular pose or "square to the water", being the same size, weight, etc. I don't have to lake test my baits. Each and every one has worked the same way. So far (knock on PVC) every bait I have built requires no tuning what so ever when retrieved.

Jerry

Edited May 27, 2012 by bassguy

[littleriver]

Mark

Sound Advice from an experienced builder. Thank you! The factory bait I was copying is about 40 years old and is missing the bib. Definitely will build the weight into the next one instead hanging from a hook. Usually work these sort of bugs out with a swim before paint but was feeling confident with this one. Why is it always the ones you don't check. Lesson there for me somewhere.

Snowman

I built a number of my first baits without ballast. Most swam ok but weren't exactly great with speed. That is where Mark's advice really pays off. I guess that's what seperates the men from the boys. Still got some growing to do myself on this front. I like trying to make pigs fly myself.

Bassguy

Sounds like you have a very good build method for your baits to never need a tune. I always swim my baits myself. I am averaging one out of six need no tuning on a good day.

Thought you gentlemen might get a kick out of this................

My first hand carved hand painted crankbait. Made this a little over a year ago. Let me count the mistakes. And NO it did not swim! At least not till I bent the line tie down on the bib.

[FrogAddict]

Mark

Sound Advice from an experienced builder. Thank you! The factory bait I was copying is about 40 years old and is missing the bib. Definitely will build the weight into the next one instead hanging from a hook. Usually work these sort of bugs out with a swim before paint but was feeling confident with this one. Why is it always the ones you don't check. Lesson there for me somewhere.

Snowman

I built a number of my first baits without ballast. Most swam ok but weren't exactly great with speed. That is where Mark's advice really pays off. I guess that's what seperates the men from the boys. Still got some growing to do myself on this front. I like trying to make pigs fly myself.

Bassguy

Sounds like you have a very good build method for your baits to never need a tune. I always swim my baits myself. I am averaging one out of six need no tuning on a good day.

Thought you gentlemen might get a kick out of this................

P3213880.JPG

My first hand carved hand painted crankbait. Made this a little over a year ago. Let me count the mistakes. And NO it did not swim! At least not till I bent the line tie down on the bib.

 

Littleriver,

 

I won't even show you my first lure. Talk about ugly!