jt_ncbassman Posted July 29, 2013 Report Share Posted July 29, 2013 Just wondering if any of yall have ever fished balsa crankbaits inshore and particularly in the sound. I will be heading down to Hatterass next Sunday, and I realize I don't have the proper equipment to build larger (6"+) glide style baits to be thrown for big bluefish/cobia. But I do have some high quality dense 1/4" thick balsa wood. So I have been trying to cook up some 3" flatsides for sea trout/weakfish/puppy drum/flounder in the Pamlico sound. My first prototype came out pretty well. It's got a typical flatside crankbait body, but with an even more "pronounced" curved tail. The tail almost drops down below the belly weight, HOPEFULLY this will make the fish think "shrimp" when they see it scooting across the bottom. I knew I wanted a tight, natural wiggle but I don't want the bait to dive deep, so I stuck a little thumbnail Micarta lip on the nose, parralell to the bait. Im really excited about painting them, because I can throw "natural" out the window.... I'm thinking I can finally use some of that bright red and pink paint that's been collecting dust. I know those sea trout have some vicious teeth, and my baits probably wont last past 3-4 trout. If anybody wants to share some opinions on how to make a good crankbait for the sound, I would certainly appreciate it. Thanks. JT Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vodkaman Posted July 29, 2013 Report Share Posted July 29, 2013 Yes, the teeth are going to be a big problem. A top quality, hard base will help; I would be sealing generously with CA glue followed by an epoxy coat. Paint and a softer topcoat as epoxy will be too brittle. Make plenty of lures and take a tube of CA glue with you, to seal any teeth damage. Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobP Posted July 29, 2013 Report Share Posted July 29, 2013 (edited) I don't think the trout will tear them up too much but if there are bluefish around (and there usually are), watch out! An epoxy clearcoat is probably the best thing to use on inshore baits. Get the 30 minute glue variety like Devcon Two Ton, rod guide epoxy like Flexcoat, or similar. Quick cure 5 minute epoxies are not suitable. Do a search on epoxy in this forum and you'll get thousands of posts on how to apply it, cure it, etc. Like Dave recommends, sealing the raw balsa with super glue or epoxy before painting will help fortify and waterproof the bait. Good luck and good fishing! Edited July 29, 2013 by BobP Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jt_ncbassman Posted July 29, 2013 Author Report Share Posted July 29, 2013 Thanks for the input guys. It seems I am going about this the right way. I was also wondering about my D2T topcoat for inshore, because the bass I have caught have definitely scratched and gouged it pretty deep, and I have 2 baits with hairline cracks from hitting laydown logs on the cast. Problem is.... I probably can't get my hands on any other topcoat before next sunday... so I guess Im stuck with D2T. My normal sealing process for balsa baits is brushing a light coat of BSi finish cure to penetrate, then a generous coat of D2T. The BSi seems to really harden the balsa pretty well. I guess this trip will be a great experiment to see how that process holds up compared to CA before Epoxy. I just finished thruwiring a couple more baits just like the prototype, and I will coat these with CA before the Devcon. I've also taking some flatbaits that I made a few months ago out of light balsa, sealed with Devcon/ paint/ finished with Devcon. I'm gonna fish those suckers until there's nothing left but wire and lead. Bob, I'm hoping the bluefish will be mostly outside the inlets when I get there. I may have to find a spot closer to the rivers if the blues are too thick around the inlets. I can just imagine the damage those little chopper blues could do to a piece of balsa. But you're right, the smaller sea trout should just scratch and gouge the baits a little bit. I would be more worried about the Red Drum with their "crusher" plates in the back of their mouths. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Krash7172 Posted August 5, 2013 Report Share Posted August 5, 2013 LOL. I am heading to Hatteras the same day for family vacation. Plan to fish a couple days. I am targeting blues to see how my lures (not balsa) hold up! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joetheplumber Posted August 6, 2013 Report Share Posted August 6, 2013 Small world...I spent all weekend fishing in Swan Quarter for specks. Hopefully there's as many where you're headed as we found sat and sun. Not sure about the balsa you are using for your build but I can tell you etex holds up pretty good on specks and reds. I use the Rapala Twitchin Rap and have several repaints that have caught over 200 trout each and are still kicking. I will say that the Rapala balsa lure have some kinda plastic coating on the balsa wood that helps to make the lure stronger. Not sure what it is but if you find out let me know. Good luck with the speck fishing..............Joe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jt_ncbassman Posted August 13, 2013 Author Report Share Posted August 13, 2013 I fiured there would be a few Carolina coasters here. I feel like the pamlico sound is something like a "mecca " for serious fisherman. The trip was great. Some trout and flounder, but the real treat was a 25 inch redfish. All caught on my flat sides. They really liked it when I dug it down in the vegetation and ripped it out. I wish I could have covered more water but I was fishing from a kayak and the wind started picking up pretty bad. The baits held up pretty well. The circuit board lips got a little sandblasted from digging in the sound and surf. But the d2t topcoats were never penetrated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
