topwatersniper Posted December 2, 2015 Author Report Share Posted December 2, 2015 No changes in performance or durability, because of it's simplicity. I've had some hits and misses, misses mostly because of the fishes angle of attack. If they jump out out of the water to crash down on it, misses are likely...however if they just slurp it in from below, hookups are 95%. I did have a 26" pike come completely out of the water from 3 feet away from the lure, come crashing down on it and landed it. Glad my dad was there to see it too...it was unreal!!! :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark poulson Posted December 2, 2015 Report Share Posted December 2, 2015 I understand your using unsealed wooden lures. With no paint to protect, it will take a long time for wood to absorb enough water to really affect it's performance. As long as you use waterproof glue to attach your hardware and line tie, it will continue to work for a long time, at least until the expansion and contraction caused by the wet/dry cycling between fishing trips finally causes surface cracks. Anyone who has been on a lake has seen how long it takes tree trunks to get waterlogged enough to actually sink. But how do you protect against termites? ;O) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
topwatersniper Posted December 2, 2015 Author Report Share Posted December 2, 2015 Flattering for you to think I put that much thought in to it, however, the truth is that I made it and took it with me on a family row boat outing to chain o lakes in northeast indiana on September 29th to test the action. After casting a plastic topwater lure by Rebel a dozen times and getting no hits, I decided to see how the homemade lure looked in the water. I caught a keeper largemouth on the second cast, then another a few casts later. So I figured if it works, why change it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RayburnGuy Posted December 2, 2015 Report Share Posted December 2, 2015 The following is from an article in Bassmaster of an interview done with Doug Hannon about "Lures That Attract and Trigger". Talking about "Attracting Qualities" under the heading "Unnatural Noises" Hannon had this to say......... "Many lures have built-in rattles; some chatter loudly when retrieved at high speed. Sound is greatly magnified under water, but lacks direction- as any diver can attest, it seems to come from everywhere. Bass often move out of hiding when they hear a noisy lure, but they are unable to pinpoint its location without actually seeing it." I'll let you guys decide how to use, or not use, this insight. Ben Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheHammer Posted December 3, 2015 Report Share Posted December 3, 2015 (edited) Here are my thoughts...As a resin/plastic lure manufacturer. You may think I am impartial and I am in a way. Simply because I have been doing this for awhile and I have had experiences not only making/building, but also using various types of baits for over 25 years. My most heavily targeted species are muskies, and we all know they can do a number on baits with their gnarly teeth! Lets talk about the materials.... WOOD: Wood is found in many different densities depending on types and wood is fairly easy to mold, cut, sand and shape. Buoyancy of some woods certainly can give a bait more action and erratic movements under or on top of the water. All really good qualities of wood. Here are, however, what I find to be the disadvantages of wood...You cannot control God's creation and even if you're dealing with the same type of wood, you can NEVER control densities. Therefore, as a manufacturer, it is difficult to maintain consistency without hand selecting or weighing out each piece which can get very tedious. Also to be considered is durability....wood is generally softer and not as durable and less "repairable" good for the maker, not so good for the buyer. Wood also needs thoroughly sealed....though I have seen every process of sealing wood under the sun, it will never truly be sealed, no matter what anyone tells ya. Especially in the moisture environment they will be susceptible to. Every wooden bait I have ever actually put to use, has split or cracked due to expansion. Wood waterlogs and once that happens, the lure, especially a crankbait usually never runs the same. PLASTICS: I used to be a die hard wood guy trust me. I moved to resin because of allergic reactions to cedar I was using. Based on my experiences as both a builder and avid muskie fisherman; I will NEVER look back. First, a common misconception of plastics is that you get what you get weight wise and its usually never as buoyant as wood. Wrong! With today's research and technologies, resins allow you to control the weights you want without compromising strength (pretty much). Its pretty cool being a chemist and lure maker the same! LOL Total CONSISTENCY within micrograms and as a manufacturer, I love that control! You don't have to seal resin/plastic...you can pretty much paint right on it and go. Teeth marks or punctures will never compromise the action or buoyancy of a resin bait. It will never waterlog.....Can wood type buoyancy be acquired? Absolutely. IMO Resins have any quality woods have and MORE. In my mind the comparisons are like that of the use of carbon arrows today as apposed to aluminum. Some folks just have a tougher time with change.... Back in the day, plastic lures just did not have the "action" wood lures had and I totally appreciate that because I'm all about erratic thumping action when it comes to muskie fishing. My baits are made from solid resin material and I have yet to see any wooden bait manufactured that I can truly say thumps or has more/better action. Are there good wooden baits out there? Hell yes there are! And I respect all of them and know they catch fish, but there are folks out there who actually still believe that wood is somehow more effective and that is simply untrue these days. Hope this helps... Edited December 3, 2015 by TheHammer 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark poulson Posted December 3, 2015 Report Share Posted December 3, 2015 But can you get a resin splinter up under your fingernail? Gotcha! Hahaha Seriously, thank you for the informative write-up. As a carpenter and wood lover, I too moved away from wood to a plastic, PVC Decking and Trimboard, for my lure building. Having a material that is totally waterproof lets me concentrate on lure making, rather that lure protecting. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vodkaman Posted December 3, 2015 Report Share Posted December 3, 2015 Hammer - great write-up, got me excited about resin. I gave resin and micro-balloons a fair old shake when I was in Malaysia, but I just could get the density down to where I wanted it. About the lowest density that I achieved was SG=0.65 and this had to be injected as it was so thick with MB's. The problem is probably that we are using products that have been developed for a larger market than the fishing lure industry, and so we are kind of taking their left overs. The general applications are not interested in lightness or buoyancy, they want maximum strength and durability. You are a chemist and a lure builder. You have discovered how to formulate the resin to OUR needs, so well done for that. I don't suppose you would like to tell us how to do it Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishon-son Posted December 3, 2015 Report Share Posted December 3, 2015 ive fished a 3/4 wood dowel rod added hooks and out fish my son over and over..no paint nothing ...just a pice of wood we even casted next to each other and the bass hit my bait first most of the time...he keeps my bait in his box to show his friends when there out.....it works it really dose....try it....a better paint job sells the bait but I don't really think its needed to catch a fish...fish are fish they don't think like people they think like fish..most of the time a bass hits its prey to see if he/she likes it if not out it goes and he/she moves on...there instinctive hunters for food and will hit most things moving in front of them..looks mostly don't matter to it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheHammer Posted December 3, 2015 Report Share Posted December 3, 2015 (edited) It is all really about experimentation Dave...and all about what you want to achieve...You can even get to a "foamy" type consistency that would be much like balsa wood, but stronger; IMO still requiring a through wire construction. I personally use SS screw eyes so I want my material buoyant yet strong enough to hold those eye screws tightly. Another nice thing about the resin is that you can unscrew those 1 1/2" screw eyes in and out a hundred times, and there is minimal wear unlike there would be in wood. When you screw into it, it creates its own threads per say. Paul Edited December 3, 2015 by TheHammer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark poulson Posted December 3, 2015 Report Share Posted December 3, 2015 Doesn't Larry Dahlberg's company, Alumilite, make foamed resin for lure making? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vodkaman Posted December 3, 2015 Report Share Posted December 3, 2015 Paul - you have certainly sparked my interest. A few ideas have arisen and they need exploring. Thanks. Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
topwatersniper Posted December 3, 2015 Author Report Share Posted December 3, 2015 Amen fishon son! Granted, I need an entire fishing season to gather more data on my simplistic lures effectiveness, but it seems to me sometimes we are trying to kill a mouse With polycarbonate sniper rifle when a simple mouse trap works fine...a ridiculous analogy for sure, but the point being, are you in this field to make an aesthetic, durable lure...or catch fish? The reason I started this thread was because I made a simple wooden lure last September and in less than 35 hours total fishing time caught 50+ bass and 3 pike. Furthermore, I'm looking at that lure in my garage right now and it shows no sign of deterioration. Even if it should crack eventually, I can make one in 15 minutes for about 50 cents. Those fish were caught in everything from a big natural lake to heavily pressured city pond. If anyone else has anecdotal evidence I would love to hear about it.I'll get of my cheap soapbox now :-) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ravenlures Posted December 4, 2015 Report Share Posted December 4, 2015 Thanks Hammer your input was great!!! I just started using or making resin baits, I make a 7.5" musky bait. The master for the mold is 1.8 ounces of cedar with a few coats of sealer on, the resin with micro balloons is 1.9 ounces without any sealer and will save me time on the steps in the making and sanding just to get it ready to paint. So in the long run its up to you wood vrs resin, I am turning towards resin for time and consistency reasons. So far the ones tested are OK I'm HAPPY! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyonline Posted December 6, 2015 Report Share Posted December 6, 2015 Something not often considered in this kind of discussion is the confidence of the user. Some people swear by spinnerbaits, I swear at them and have never caught a fish on one. If you have confidence in the lure then you'll fish it longer, harder, better, whatever than just a run of the mill lure and that goes for plastic, wood, fly etc. Personally I don't have a lot of experience with solid plastic lures, but have plenty with wood and hollow plastic lures and I'd have to say that the timber ones are much more resilient than plastic and have wrecked plenty of plastic ones but very few timber. And I fish them HARD, if they're not smashing into rocks or timber on the cast or retrieve I'm not getting it close enough. I have a number of timber lures that have been stripped of a lot of the paint over the years and still swim fine. Dave I've considered playing around with rotomolding plastic lures in the mold to get the low density but strength of the plastic. Steve 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aulrich Posted December 14, 2015 Report Share Posted December 14, 2015 Would ballast be used if yes molded in or added after. Would you ever pour different densities of resins to act as ballast Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JRammit Posted December 14, 2015 Report Share Posted December 14, 2015 Would ballast be used if yes molded in or added after. Would you ever pour different densities of resins to act as ballast If you already know where you want your ballast, you can mold it in, or make locator marks on the master so youll know where to drill after Ive found its a 2 way street... The more you mold in, the less you have to do after.... But, once its built into the mold, its permanent.. No way to adjust after if its wrong Heres a thread on your second question.. http://www.tackleunderground.com/community/topic/29789-does-casting-resin-bond-with-resin-already-casted/?fromsearch=1 Looks like the answer is yes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
