thesheriff1 Posted January 19, 2018 Report Share Posted January 19, 2018 (edited) Hey guys - Hoping I can get some help here... Tried a couple of new muskie lures I made and they run a bit off. They seem to want to "tip" on their side when I increase speed on the retrieve, and end up almost blowing out of the water. I didn't put any ballast weight in these, and the line tie is in the middle of the lip. If I added some ballast weight and put the line tie closer to the body of the lure would this help out? Maybe a slightly longer lip? I know this isn't a great amount of info to go off of, but I'm going to start some more and experiment. The above is what I thought would help the problem, am I on the right track?? Thanks **I have some slow motion videos, but they are on my phone. Is it possible to upload a video to this post?? Edited January 19, 2018 by thesheriff1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hughesy Posted January 19, 2018 Report Share Posted January 19, 2018 If you're going to make changes, just do one at a time. I would start with the ballast. If that doesn't correct the problem I would make sure the line tie and the lip are centered. If it tracks true its more than likely a ballast problem. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anglinarcher Posted January 19, 2018 Report Share Posted January 19, 2018 I agree with Hughesy, one thing at a time and start with the ballast. You cannot directly upload a video to this site. You need to save it in something like Google Drive or microsoft cloud, then set the video link setting on THAT video to share. You can then get a link to post and we can all see it. This is what I have started to do on other sites. The tried and true method is to post it on YouTube, but that creates other issues I don't like to deal with. Posting pics of the lip and line time might also help, but do the ballast first. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hillbilly voodoo Posted January 19, 2018 Report Share Posted January 19, 2018 Another vote for ballast most of my designs it’s a must and I find a little heavier in the front fits my needs hang some weight on your hooks to start your test How does it sit when put in a bucket of water? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thesheriff1 Posted January 19, 2018 Author Report Share Posted January 19, 2018 Here are the baits in question. The lip and line tie all look to be right on the center line, along with the hook hangers. They didn't run as well as expected, but I am still a newbie in this hobby. Hillbilly - It sits in the water nicely, the front 1/3 of the bait is just below the water and the other 2/3 the back is just out of the water. It also appears to be sitting upright as it should. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hillbilly voodoo Posted January 19, 2018 Report Share Posted January 19, 2018 Betting on ballast and if it takes too much weight a less aggressive lip I am no pro and figured out all I know from trail and error. That said the issue you are experiencing I fix by weight or creating less water resistance Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hillbilly voodoo Posted January 19, 2018 Report Share Posted January 19, 2018 If your not happy with the action of a smaller lip a steeper angle is need. But this effects the depth it will dive to This is why when I make a new design it is never finished without perfecting action. I find I need to mess around with a lot before I am happy Hope a builder who relies more on intelligence then being stubborn to get this right can have a fast fix for you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thesheriff1 Posted January 19, 2018 Author Report Share Posted January 19, 2018 The baits are about 12"OAL, with the body being about 9.5" and they weight 6-7oz The grey one did run a bit better that the gold/blue. I purposely put different hooks on them to see how it affected action, the hooks on the grey lure are a bit heavier too. So I'm optimistic about the ballast being the issue Thanks for the replies guys - this site is awesome! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hillbilly voodoo Posted January 19, 2018 Report Share Posted January 19, 2018 Looking at your disscription of how it floats I would want the opposite old saying head down A up is the way I like it lol Often I only have 1/8 above water and front sunk Try it and see how it goes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anglinarcher Posted January 19, 2018 Report Share Posted January 19, 2018 Pretty sure ballast will do it, but next we can work on the lip/line tie. Almost positive the ballast will fix that. Ballast between the first and 2nd hook on that design, slightly more toward the first hook. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark poulson Posted January 20, 2018 Report Share Posted January 20, 2018 I use egg sinkers and split shot, pinched onto my trebles, to determine how much ballast my lures need. I like my divers to hand down head first, with a steeper angle on the deeper divers. My maximum angle of hand down is 45 degrees+-. Like Anglinarcher said, I think the ballast point should be somewhere between the front and middle belly hangers, so I would add ballast to both of those hooks until I got the angle I wanted, and then weigh that ballast and add it between those two spots. I think right below your gill lines would be the best location, but, since you have two identical lures, you can try different locations to see which one works best for you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woodieb8 Posted January 22, 2018 Report Share Posted January 22, 2018 what are the lures made of ..7 ounces?. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thesheriff1 Posted January 22, 2018 Author Report Share Posted January 22, 2018 They are made from Mahogany, I was able to find a bunch of 1 1/4" scraps for free from a local business. I have the ballast's added, so hopefully I can try them out tonight or tomorrow and let you guys know how they worked! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
