wavewalker1945 Posted December 15, 2012 Report Share Posted December 15, 2012 i see some guys putting weights the lenth of the lure. swim baits, wood . or does it matter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CedarLakeMusky Posted December 15, 2012 Report Share Posted December 15, 2012 I don't think it matters. Where you put the weights could differ depending on the shape and size of a lure. What it really gets done to is putting the weights in the right spot to get the best action out of a certain lure. Alot of trial and error. When you change a weight location only make one change at a time and keep notes. Eventually you will find what works best. CLM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wavewalker1945 Posted December 15, 2012 Author Report Share Posted December 15, 2012 yep your right about that . there only be one thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RayburnGuy Posted December 15, 2012 Report Share Posted December 15, 2012 Ballast position changes from one style of lure to another. On topwater walking baits some people like to make the tail of the bait sit a little lower in the water to make it walk easier. On the subsurface glider lures I build I like them to sit level while sinking. On deep cranks I like to put the majority of the ballast toward the front of the lure to help give it a head down attitude. Like CLM said it really depends on the shape and size of the lure plus what how your wanting the lure to act. For most of us that requires a lot of trial and error as well as a lot of testing. Ben Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark poulson Posted December 16, 2012 Report Share Posted December 16, 2012 I've found, for me, any shallow running crank wiggles (X's) the most if I use a weighted hook hanger in the belly. Splitting the ballast to just before and just behind the belly hanger also works. When I make a deep diver, like Ben, I like it to hang down pretty steeply to get it diving right away. Try using a lure that you like as a model. That's how I started making cranks. Float it and see how it sits in the water, and add spit shots or egg sinkers to the front treble's tines until your lure floats the same. That's a pretty good starting point. Depending on what kind of sealer, paint, and top coat you use, you'll probably find you have to adjust the ballast for any added or lost buoyancy from the paint scheme, but that all depends on how you finish your lures. Smaller lures are MUCH more sensitive to slight weight changes and positions, so start with a good sized lure to make the learning curve a little flatter at first. You'll have plenty of time to drive yourself nuts with small stuff later, once you've gotten a good handle on the building process. And use the search feature here. Most topics have been covered numerous times, and each time something new or different is usually learned. Good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RayburnGuy Posted December 16, 2012 Report Share Posted December 16, 2012 You might also want to look up old posts talking about the "Archimedes principle" or "dunk test". It explains how to calculate the amount of ballast for a given lure. Ben Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vodkaman Posted December 16, 2012 Report Share Posted December 16, 2012 The direction of the loading of the ballast is not important. The last lure I worked on, the ballast was loaded from the rear, lengthways and it worked very well. This thread inspired me to finally post the video of the construction. I have started a thread for it. Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wavewalker1945 Posted December 16, 2012 Author Report Share Posted December 16, 2012 kool. thanks all . who said you cant learn something knew . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
