mark poulson Posted April 9, 2015 Report Share Posted April 9, 2015 So, I was wondering if a spybait could be made in a bluegill size and pattern, so I made one. I figure subtle doesn't only have to be for shad baits and minnows. I just posted it in the Hardbaits Gallery. I won't get to fish it for several weeks (boooo) but I test swam it, and it performs. Now all I need is for the bass to appreciate it's performance! Hahaha 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JRammit Posted April 10, 2015 Report Share Posted April 10, 2015 Spy bait??... Thats a new one on me... Thought all prop baits were topwater...... Had to look it up, interesting! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark poulson Posted April 10, 2015 Author Report Share Posted April 10, 2015 JR, They work. The hooks on the store bought models are very small, #6 and #8 trebles, and a good fish can bend them, if you don't play it or try to swing it. But suspended fish do eat them, or swipe at them and get stuck on the round bend trebles. And they are great for fish busting shad. After a striper messed up one I had bought, I made a couple of my own, with a little heavier hardware, I put #4 trebles on them. So far, the biggest bass I have caught on one is 7lbs. I had just caught a striper busting shad on a shallow ledge, and that fish bent out the #8 treble hooks on my Duo Realis spybait, so I picked up the rod with my homemade bait on it, and that 7lb bass ate it fast and hard on the next cast. The #4 treble hook went all the way through her lower lip. I'm sure she would have bent out the smaller hooks on the other bait, and gotten off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RayburnGuy Posted April 10, 2015 Report Share Posted April 10, 2015 Congrats on your success with the spy baits Mark. We're going to have to start calling you "The Fish Ninja". Ben 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vodkaman Posted April 10, 2015 Report Share Posted April 10, 2015 Lure engineering at it's finest Dave 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark poulson Posted April 10, 2015 Author Report Share Posted April 10, 2015 (edited) Hahaha. You guys are funny! My luck, the lure will sneak right past the bass, unseen and uneaten! Edited April 10, 2015 by mark poulson 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cougarftd Posted April 10, 2015 Report Share Posted April 10, 2015 Really nice 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark poulson Posted April 10, 2015 Author Report Share Posted April 10, 2015 (edited) This is the first spybait I made: http://www.tackleunderground.com/community/gallery/image/13886-20141217-070125-resized/ Edited April 10, 2015 by mark poulson Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JBlaze Posted April 11, 2015 Report Share Posted April 11, 2015 Mark, here is one that you may want to try making it has lots of quiver on the fall and really flashes as it wobbles. I purchased one in the pearlene color but have not tried it yet. John http://www.redemptionoutdoors.com/depth-charge/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark poulson Posted April 12, 2015 Author Report Share Posted April 12, 2015 John, I liked that bait so much I made one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scrubs Posted June 16, 2015 Report Share Posted June 16, 2015 I was surprised to see the. sink rate on the Duo so I looked back at yours. I was under the impression that spybaits were slow sinkers but I guess not. Do you think this technique is adaptable to shallower water and a slower sink? bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark poulson Posted June 17, 2015 Author Report Share Posted June 17, 2015 (edited) Bill, I caught a 4lb bass in four feet of water on the bluegill, inside a tire reef at Lake Perris. I'll try and attach a photo. It may be a little overexposed, because of my grin! It isn't really that fast a sink, and the moment you begin cranking you can control how deep it goes on the retrieve. Plus, it shimmies slowly from side to side on the fall, so that is an attractant, too. I had it on 12lb fluoro, on a med. heavy cranking rod, and I was able to keep it up pretty easily on a med. retrieve. I think the props create a lot of water resistance, so once you start the retrieve, unless you are really slow rolling them, spybaits in general swim horizontal and don't sink. But I'm sure you could make one with an even slower fall, so you could retrieve it over shallow stuff at a slower speed. Edited June 17, 2015 by mark poulson Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scrubs Posted June 17, 2015 Report Share Posted June 17, 2015 Nice fish Mark! Thanks for the reply. I wonder if the weight helps keep it at a steady depth but I guess I'll need to experiment. bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nathan Posted June 17, 2015 Report Share Posted June 17, 2015 Nice Mark..It's always nice when your plan comes together!..Nathan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark poulson Posted June 17, 2015 Author Report Share Posted June 17, 2015 Thanks Nate. I was fishing on my friend Walt's new 21' Ranger, and he had a new, top of the line GoPro attached to his console windshield, so he got the whole thing on tape, and sent it, and the photo, to me. I actually looked like I knew what I was doing! Every so often, I just have to watch it again, and again, and again. Hahaha Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vodkaman Posted June 17, 2015 Report Share Posted June 17, 2015 Awesome catch. Momma likes bluegills then. With a prop, there is nothing to drive the bait up or down. Possibly a reversed angle lip at the rear might be worth experimenting with to drive the bait down. It might even introduce a little tail wag to go with the prop action. Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RayburnGuy Posted June 17, 2015 Report Share Posted June 17, 2015 Way to go Mark. Doesn't get any better than catching one on something you made. Ben 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobP Posted June 17, 2015 Report Share Posted June 17, 2015 Nice going in upsizing a spybait Mark. They are a relatively new style of bait from Japan and I'm sure the idea will be expanded upon going forward but as it stands now, a spybait is a fairly small but heavy sinking crankbait with small props on both ends. It is designed to be fished on very light line, 4-6lb fluoro and the standard retrieve is to let it sink to the desired depth and then use a slow steady retrieve back to the boat. The small props and some body roll give it its attraction and it really isn't designed to be worked like a jerkbait or a glide bait - it's a minimum action shad style bait designed to attract neutral or suspended bass. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scrubs Posted June 17, 2015 Report Share Posted June 17, 2015 (edited) Been doing a little googling on spybaits / screwbaits (old name). One site said they were originally made from plastic minnow baits with the lip removed. Wire hook hangars were pulled and screweyes added for the props. Brought up a lot of balsa handmade cranks also but the prices. Saw some bass website were guys were talking about how this is nothing new, major US lure companies were doing this around 1900 -1910 but chunkier. Also saw a youtube video on using them from shore in shallow rocky areas which is what I'm going to do. May try this too but smaller, should be more snag resistant. http://www.ebay.com/itm/181701698806?_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT bill Edited June 17, 2015 by scrubs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark poulson Posted June 17, 2015 Author Report Share Posted June 17, 2015 Been doing a little googling on spybaits / screwbaits (old name). One site said they were originally made from plastic minnow baits with the lip removed. Wire hook hangars were pulled and screweyes added for the props. Brought up a lot of balsa handmade cranks also but the prices. Saw some bass website were guys were talking about how this is nothing new, major US lure companies were doing this around 1900 -1910 but chunkier. Also saw a youtube video on using them from shore in shallow rocky areas which is what I'm going to do. May try this too but smaller, should be more snag resistant. http://www.ebay.com/itm/181701698806?_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT bill I'm sure that will catch fish, but the spybait is supposed to be really subtle, to represent a baitfish just swimming along slowly, with no idea it's in danger. The props on the Dou Realis spybaits turn at any speed, even a crawl. I think the underspin would have to be fished faster to get the blade to turn. My own spybaits have props from Barlows that turn freely, but not as freely as the Duo props, which are super small and light. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scrubs Posted June 18, 2015 Report Share Posted June 18, 2015 Thanks for the help Mark. You're probably right about the underspin. Ordered a Duo Realis 80 off ebay just now. bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JRammit Posted June 18, 2015 Report Share Posted June 18, 2015 This is interesting Mark... When i think of fishing slow, i only think of soft baits.... But your glamour shot is proof that hard baits can be finessed as well.... Nice catch btw!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JBlaze Posted June 18, 2015 Report Share Posted June 18, 2015 Nice catch Mark. Good looking bait too. John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark poulson Posted June 18, 2015 Author Report Share Posted June 18, 2015 Thanks guys. It was an easy build. Aside from deciding what shape to make it, the hardest, and most fun, part was figuring out that 1/3 of the ballast had to be above the centerline to get the bait to wobble from side to side on the fall, just like the Duo baits do. Because it's taller, it wobbles more slowly, but it does wobble. Kinda like me walking! Hahaha Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
