stretcher66 Posted October 11, 2012 Report Share Posted October 11, 2012 curious on whether a wakebait and\or swimbait needs to be tapered, wider on top, to thinner on bottom or thinner on top to wider on bottom? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
littleriver Posted October 11, 2012 Report Share Posted October 11, 2012 I think the answer will depend on the bait. I recently made a long A style wake which i preferred an upside down pyramid taper. I only discovered this after trying it different ways. I do not think one style fits all however. But as a rule of thumb, a wedge with a thick top and narrow belly is a more stable platform. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bassguy Posted October 12, 2012 Report Share Posted October 12, 2012 I try to make my swimbaits oval, because fish are oval shaped. If it works for them..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stretcher66 Posted October 12, 2012 Author Report Share Posted October 12, 2012 Thanks for the info, it makes since being wider on top and tapered towards the bottom. I was thinking for wake baits the bottom being wider to make it sit up higher, but that might be hard to make it stay upright without rolling to the side if not perfectly balanced. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ravenlures Posted October 12, 2012 Report Share Posted October 12, 2012 Just wondering. When you say wider on top how much wider on top than on the bottom. I would think you would also use a ballest on the bottom, just enough to keep it where you want it in the water. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
littleriver Posted October 12, 2012 Report Share Posted October 12, 2012 (edited) How much is up to you and what you want the bait to do. For me and working with this long A, I wanted a bait that would stay on the surface. Could I have used less ballast? Possibly, but by tapering the baits body more, I now have a bait that easily stays on the surface of the water without changing my weighting. And the action was unchanged. I think of in terms of a parachute or the raven The lift is above the ballast or body. The closer the lift is to the ballast the more unstable flight becomes. Wood or lift near or even under your ballast will make a livelier bait which can be a good thing depending on what your making. But too much and you have a bait that rolls. Most crankbaits have some taper. Edited October 12, 2012 by littleriver Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stretcher66 Posted October 12, 2012 Author Report Share Posted October 12, 2012 well not like a wedge, but more of a gradual taper. like looking at the edge of a tea spoon with the handle down if that makes any since. it's the only way i can think to explain it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stretcher66 Posted October 12, 2012 Author Report Share Posted October 12, 2012 well the roll is what i am afraid of. i want to have a wake\walkable surface lure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark poulson Posted October 12, 2012 Report Share Posted October 12, 2012 (edited) I taper all of my jointed swimbaits, wider on top and narrower on the bottom. I started tapering them to try and stop the baits from rolling on fast retrieves. Tapering keeps them from rolling even when you burn them back to the boat. For me, tapering from 7/8" at the top to 5/8" at the bottom removes enough buoyancy from the bottom to help require less ballast, and keep my bait lively. I do this for floaters, too. But I like my floaters to have just their backs exposed, so they "tail" on a slow retrieve, or on a pause. Wake baits typically have more of the back out of the water at rest, so it shouldn't be quite as critical. If you want it to swim sub-surface on a pull or faster retrieve, then you'll need to play with the shape of your lure to see what works. The Slammer is a great wake bait, and it's basically a cylinder, so that should give you a starting point. If you want to walk your bait, too, it needs to be slightly tail heavy, so the tail has more inertia and keeps moving after the head has been stopped on the pause. Small walking baits, like spooks and sammies, hang almost vertical at rest. The larger you bait, the higher the tail should float at rest, so you don't have to work as hard to get it up and walking. Think of big walking baits as surface gliders. I've never tried to make a walking wake bait, but if I did, I'd probably cup the face of the lure, rather than add a bill, to get the surface commotion. Think of how a Gunfish is shaped. I think that would work. Edited October 12, 2012 by mark poulson 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stretcher66 Posted October 12, 2012 Author Report Share Posted October 12, 2012 (edited) wow i think you really hit on what i am trying to accomplish. more of the way a slammer would act but i don't really want to do the cylinder type bait. i have started on my shape and will post a pic soon. Coincidental, the slammer is made in the same town that i live in. But i have never met the man who makes them, Alot of big bass are caught on those baits at Santa Margarita Lake where i mostly fish, I just have not tryed one myself, And I thank everyone for the input , this is my first try at making a lure (except for pouring saltwater jigs) so i hope i have the knaack for it. Edited October 12, 2012 by stretcher66 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
