mark poulson Posted May 31, 2012 Report Share Posted May 31, 2012 Has anyone here tried the single belly hook design that Sebile uses for his deep diving cranks? I'm thinking about trying it, using a piece of spinnerbait wire for the hook "axle", and I'm hoping someone else has already made all the mistakes, and can save me some time and trouble. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garyo1954 Posted May 31, 2012 Report Share Posted May 31, 2012 I'm thinking you mean this one Mark. Looks like you could use 4/0 or 6/0 deep throat jig hook, cut a slot, and run your pin through the body. Probably a little more to refining it to work properly. I'd be most concerned with slop in the horizontal motion. Might try a bushing or a bearing on either side of the hook to give it free vertical motion without a lot of horizontal play. G Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark poulson Posted May 31, 2012 Author Report Share Posted May 31, 2012 Thanks Gary. I cut one out, shaped it, and made the hook slot. I used a 4/0 jig hook with the eye turned like I needed. I'm going to install the bill, and see how it floats today. I hope it will get down 18-20', but we all know deep divers are unpredictable. I'll post the results in the gallery if it works, and here if it fails. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garyo1954 Posted June 1, 2012 Report Share Posted June 1, 2012 Mark, What is you extended the lip right up across the face like this... Wouldn't that create more downward drag causing the lure to dive deeper? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark poulson Posted June 2, 2012 Author Report Share Posted June 2, 2012 Gary, I've found, for me, achieving depth with a crank is a combination of lip length, width, and line tie point. I have my prototype lure in the garage drying right now. As soon as it's dry, I'll post a picture in the gallery. I made the lure body 3" long, 1 3/8" tall and 3/4" thick, so it would have plenty of buoyant material toward the tail. I made the lip wide for most of it's length, and only tapered it back toward the lure body at the very back. The blank, when carved and with the lip attached, weighed 27 grams, and I had to add 9 grams of ballast to get it to hang down at the angle I wanted, so it would dive immediately. I'm hoping it dives deep, and is snagless. I'm taking it for a swim tomorrow. Fingers crossed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark poulson Posted June 2, 2012 Author Report Share Posted June 2, 2012 I just posted some pics in the hardbait gallery. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tree_Fish Posted June 2, 2012 Report Share Posted June 2, 2012 (edited) That looks pretty darn good Mark! I'm anxious to see how it swims! Edited June 2, 2012 by Mindhunter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garyo1954 Posted June 2, 2012 Report Share Posted June 2, 2012 I like it! I like it a lot! Very interesting lesson in that bait too. Everything being equal, the skinny gets the deeper dive. Never thought of it but makes sense too. The bulky body with more buoyancy fights to go up instead of down. A skinny body with less buoyancy should be easier to get deeper. I'll remember that. Can't wait to see the results. G Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark poulson Posted June 3, 2012 Author Report Share Posted June 3, 2012 Well, the good news it that it swims true, dives deep, digs, doesn't sang, backs up, and casts a mile. The bad news is I didn't get bit. I'm going to try and remove some of the buoyant material from the head and body by making the that part of the bait 5/8" thick, but keep the tail the full 3/4" so it says more buoyant. I got hung up shallow once yesterday, but I gave it some slack, and it backed right out of the brush it was hung in. The hook never got snagged. Since it only has one hook, what felt like slaps during the retrieve may have been just that, but with no trebles slaps don't translate into hookups, so I don't know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diemai Posted June 3, 2012 Report Share Posted June 3, 2012 Now this is a very cool design , Mark , ..........I'm on fire , ............looking forward to hear about further test results in terms of hook-up performance , .......might give it a go as well sometime next winter . Thanks for sharing your work , ...........tight lines , Dieter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark poulson Posted June 3, 2012 Author Report Share Posted June 3, 2012 Dieter, I just finished reshaping the other three blanks, so they are 5/8" except at the tail. I'm on my way back out now to epoxy in the bills and line tie wires. I won't be able to float test them until the epoxy sets, and I can give the bills a final shaping, but I'm excited. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark poulson Posted June 3, 2012 Author Report Share Posted June 3, 2012 I just posted some progress pictures in the hardbaits gallery. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garyo1954 Posted June 3, 2012 Report Share Posted June 3, 2012 I just posted some progress pictures in the hardbaits gallery. Looks good Mark! I like the paddle tail you did. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark poulson Posted June 4, 2012 Author Report Share Posted June 4, 2012 (edited) I was just trying to cut down on the overall weight of the crank, but keep the tail thick for buoyancy. The prototype is a full 3/4" thick all the way, and needed 9 grams of ballast. It weighed in at 27 grams without the ballast. This model, with the body cut down to 5/8", tapering to 12"- at the belly, weighs 18 grams. I'll ballast it tomorrow, and find out how much lead it needs to hang down like I want it to. It should be a heck of a lot less than 9 grams. Edited June 4, 2012 by mark poulson Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crankpaint Posted June 4, 2012 Report Share Posted June 4, 2012 Mark when it swims is the hook sliding up into the slot ready for the strike or hanging down below the bait? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark poulson Posted June 4, 2012 Author Report Share Posted June 4, 2012 It hangs down some, so the point is just below the level of the tail, and it's supposed to pivot up when a bass bites it. One of the pictures I posted in the gallery shows the hook hanging down as far as it goes, and another shows it swung up into the biting position. I just float tested the new blanks, and had to add 7 grams to them to get them to hang in the water like I want. I hope to get them painted this week, and try them out this weekend. They still weigh 31 grams, so I saved 5 grams by making them thinner, but they are still buoyant, and should cast like a rock. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diemai Posted June 4, 2012 Report Share Posted June 4, 2012 @ mark poulson Thanks a lot for further explanations , Mark , ........I hope things would turn out all well for you in the end ! Greetz , Dieter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark poulson Posted June 4, 2012 Author Report Share Posted June 4, 2012 Dieter, This is the hook I used: http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Do-it_Mustad_Flipping_91768BLN_Jig_Hook_50pk/descpage-DOIT917.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark poulson Posted June 5, 2012 Author Report Share Posted June 5, 2012 I just posted 5 more photos in the hardbaits gallery, of the last three baits, finished. They all weigh 31 grams, so I shaved off 5 grams by making them thinner in front. But they are still very buoyant, and hang down at an 80 degree angle when floated. If I push them down, they pop right back up. I'm going to take them for a swim Saturday. I have no idea what the flared tail will do to the action. I guess I'll find out Saturday! Hahaha Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diemai Posted June 5, 2012 Report Share Posted June 5, 2012 @ mark poulson Thanks for that link , Mark , .....might come in handy , if I can't find something suitable over here . But I had a look at a big local tackle catalog yesterday at lateshift ,..... saw some wide gap wormhooks in there , that might work as well , .....only one has to snip off the worm attachement spur or wire coil connected to the hookeye . Good luck with your lure testing coming weekend , .........greetz , Dieter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garyo1954 Posted June 5, 2012 Report Share Posted June 5, 2012 Great job on the bluegill and sexy shad Mark! Those look like bass killers! G Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark poulson Posted June 6, 2012 Author Report Share Posted June 6, 2012 (edited) Thanks Gary. I hope you're right. I caught a 7lb bass on a homemade crank in the crappie pattern this year, and lots of smaller ones, too. Before the shad move shallow in the spring, and during the summer, the bass out here feed on sculpin, crappie, bluegill, and crawdads. When they're on the shad, it's hard to get bit on anything else, but there are lots of times when they eat other stuff, and small crappie are on their menu, too. Sometimes I wonder if my crappie, which are pearl white with a green back and shoulder mist, and then metallic gold mist over that, might look like baby bass, too. Edited June 6, 2012 by mark poulson Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
