Any "REAL" custom crank bait makers left?

[Vodkaman]

Mark - next time, make the lip a tad longer, and trim the lip to get the hunt. This way you can get every lure to hunt regardless of the ballast location.

Lip length, eye position, ballast location, all effect the hunter balance. BUT, the easiest to adjust after the build is the lip length.

Experiment.

Dave

[mark poulson]

9 hours ago, Vodkaman said:

Mark - next time, make the lip a tad longer, and trim the lip to get the hunt. This way you can get every lure to hunt regardless of the ballast location.

Lip length, eye position, ballast location, all effect the hunter balance. BUT, the easiest to adjust after the build is the lip length.

Experiment.

Dave

Will do.  Thanks.

[Tarheelfishing88]

Vodkaman, I've used your lip method successfully a number of times, and so far it's the most consistent way I've used to create a hunting action that is both controllable and reproducible. 

Mark, I'd be interested in seeing the results of your technique in conjunction with Vodkaman's.  It may result in a more erratic hunting action where the frequency and periods of the hunting action would be even less consistent.  Currently I vary my retrieve speeds around the ideal speed that a specific crankbait hunts to achieve the most erratic action, but by combining these two methods you may no longer need to.  The question is, will this additional variable to increase instability cause times where the bait blows out due to reaching the hunting transition too quickly?  I definitely think it'd be a worthwhile experiment. 

Edited February 25, 2019 by Tarheelfishing88

[Vodkaman]

Apologies Tally, the subject has wandered. I suggest that a new topic be opened if people want to talk about hunting. I opened one yesterday, so I will go there now and add a reply to Tarheelfishing88.

Dave

[Bassfisher1]

I am addicted and at this point maybe border-line crazy. Jeff, whether you know it or not, you have contributed to some of my madness/success. When I first started, you gave me some valuable advise that I have built on. Thank You.

This is my think tank and is where I spend most of my nights. One day I will become the best crankbait maker in the world

[Hillbilly voodoo]

When it comes to hard baits first on is carved from wood with what ever tools I think will get the job done. Bandsaw and a rasp are my main shaping tools. Then they are molded and resin poured from then on because it’s the only way I have luck replicating my lures

Call me whatever you please but I just make lures that catch fish. I come up with an idea and try it. Lake trout and pike are they main species I build for

[Chuck Young]

I enjoy conceiving, designing, carving and painting new baits. I have worked with balsa, Basswood (I have a tree in my front yard), birch and cedar. Eventually, I will branch out into this area and get a bandsaw, mini lathe, belt sander, etc. 

For now, I have decided to focus mainly on painting. 

 

[Bigpigbaits]

I still make all my own baits hand carved hand painted i even make the eyes the bills and the through wire all by hand.

[JRammit]

Line thru cranks have been my thing for years now... pro: ive never lost one (snagged several, they always float back to me)... con: some design limitations (thru hole and ballast fight for space)

Looking forward to getting back in the shop and carving out some smaller white bass sized, trolling cranks... not sure if ill try to stick to the line thru design or go traditional

[Bigpigbaits]

I have never had issues with a through wire and ballast weight fightung for space but then again i do make mine a bit differant then others. As i channel cut a spot for my through wire. Then put un the ballast weight after the through wire has been installed works good for me on all size wood baits. Its alot.of extra work and money for the epoxy fills bit the quality and hold cant be matched.

[JRammit]

7 hours ago, Bigpigbaits said:

I have never had issues with a through wire and ballast weight fightung for space but then again i do make mine a bit differant then others. As i channel cut a spot for my through wire. Then put un the ballast weight after the through wire has been installed works good for me on all size wood baits. Its alot.of extra work and money for the epoxy fills bit the quality and hold cant be matched.

Mine are line thru, not thru wire.. if you look closely, the hook is not attatched to the bait.... its a great set up for cranking thick timber

[Vodkaman]

JR - I remember our many discussions on the subject. Nailed it, you did good

Dave

[whitaker201]

Bassfisher1 you make some nice looking baits!

Slick design JRammit!

[Tally]

On 2/25/2019 at 2:23 PM, Vodkaman said:

Apologies Tally, the subject has wandered. I suggest that a new topic be opened if people want to talk about hunting. I opened one yesterday, so I will go there now and add a reply to Tarheelfishing88.

Dave

hey.... I have no problem with a thread going in different directions..... I might learn something...... retaining is a different story lol

[Chonch12]

Came across this post and wanted to say I am 30 and just got into custom lure building. I will say Marling Baits on YouTube is the main reason. I will have a ton of time this winter and have started acquiring tools. I will say FB Marketplace and LetGo has been incredible in getting the more expensive tools super cheap. I am going to make a post with everything I have so far to see if i am missing anything. I made my first one quickly this weekend eyeballing it to see how the tools work. Its so satisfying. I didn't even put the hooks on yet, can't even imagine catching my first fish on a homemade lure.

Just wanted to say I love this forum for all of the tips. look forward to having a very enjoyable hobby this winter to really learn and make something that I can be proud of, from the design to the painting. 

[KennyP]

Came across and article on balsa cranks and this thread immediately came to mind.

https://www.outdoorlife.com/secret-world-custom-balsa-wood-crankbaits/

 

[Vodkaman]

I could have posted this in either of the current monster threads on the go:
Why does everyone paint now?
Any "REAL" custom crank bait makers left?

I chose the latter because it seemed more appropriate for bait designers.

KennyP posted a very good balsa crank post above, romantically covering some of the rich history of quality lure builders of Tennessee. In fact, it was such romantic articles written on TU that really sparked my interest, particularly in the field of hunting lures. I loved the article and read through it a couple of times to soak it in.

I do question some of the romantic notions.

Basically we are screwed when all the old master builders pass away into lure history - I believe there is a younger breed of lure designers already alive and kicking out good quality fish magnets. The young breed has the advantage of time because much time is saved with the knowledge of quality bait building techniques available online with sites such as this.

Yes of course, building solid quality baits is only a part of the art, but still an important part and the rapid knowledge available will save years of learning, time better spent on producing designs that work.

The article hints that once the lure masters die off, the secrets of how to make a lure hunt will be buried with them. This also is simply not true. The fact is that the masters could only build hunters with a 20% success rate at best. The reason for this is that they did not understand the fluid dynamics of what causes a lure to hunt. The new breed of lure designers already has this information available online.

Quality lure building is not just about hunters, this is just a small element of the skills required. But, I do feel that the future of quality bait design is safe for at least another generation or two.

I give the impression that I hate plastic lures, actually this is not true. I simply hate were plastic lures are at this time. Classic lures are digitized to get the correct body shape. The shape is then converted internally to facilitate injection techniques. The problems are many with this process, the biggest problem of all is that the people doing this internal design have no idea about lures, they are engineering technicians.

All lure builders know that rarely does a new design work on the first attempt. We tweak the design parameters until we get it perfect. The problem for the plastic industry, not that they care, is that the injection tooling costs many thousands. The tools will have to be scrapped and redesigned for the tweaks required to improve the lure performance, just like we do in our man caves.

What I hate about the plastic lure industry is that they neither have the lure knowledge nor the desire to do the work necessary, or spend the money necessary to achieve what the master balsa builders achieve in their garage.

Some may believe that producing a plastic that performs as good as a classic balsa is just not possible. Well I believe that it is most definitely possible. All it takes is a team; a master lure builder, a design engineer who understands both worlds, and a LOT of money and patience.

If you decide to put such a team together, don’t take it to China, use local injection. The China injection teams will obtain lures and try to copy, but they will be unsuccessful as they will not have the knowledge to tune their designs nor the patience. Also, keeping manufacture local, you will have better control over quality.

Yes, the blanks will cost a lot more, I am guessing $10 a piece, but tooling costs have to be recovered. You want a plastic lure that performs like a master, this is what it will take.

 Dave

 

[Hillbilly voodoo]

Innovation in the big companies is definitely lacking and all about pumping out tackle geared towards catching fishermen 

I don’t think the art of lure making is fading as the old builders die and there is definitely innovation in small builder. The way lures are created is changing and builders are adapting to different methods. This has opened possibilities beyond carving wooden baits. I think we may see some interesting things in the future 

There will always be those who strive to create its part of human nature 

 

 

[Vodkaman]

Well said @Hillbilly voodoo

Dave

[Vodkaman]

I had hoped that a lure manufacturer might have contacted me, for my experience between the fields of lure design and production techniques. I contacted a company in the distant past but no reply.

Now I fear it is too late. My PV cancer is getting to grips with me, and I accept that my days are numbered. However, I still have some work to do. Enthusiasm is however lacking, as well as funds. Exploring the possibilities of plastic manufacture is not cheap. My wife needs my funds more than you do!

Dave

Edited February 6, 2020 by Vodkaman

[Hillbilly voodoo]

5 minutes ago, Vodkaman said:

I had hoped that a lure manufacturer might have contacted me, for my experience between the fields of lure design and production techniques. I contacted a company in the distant past but no reply.

Now I fear it is too late. My PV cancer is getting to grips with me, and I accept that my days are numbered. However, I still have some work to do. Enthusiasm is however lacking, as well as funds. Exploring the possibilities of plastic manufacture is not cheap. My wife needs my funds more than you do!

Dave

Dave

I don’t have the answers but I wish you the best.I only know you from your posts here but you clearly enjoy the art of creation.

 

[KennyP]

15 hours ago, Vodkaman said:

Basically we are screwed when all the old master builders pass away into lure history - I believe there is a younger breed of lure designers already alive and kicking out good quality fish magnets. The young breed has the advantage of time because much time is saved with the knowledge of quality bait building techniques available online with sites such as this.

Dave

This was the first thing that came to mind when I read the article.  Realizing all these old timers were trying to make a living and were no way going to give up trade secrets, I wondered where this craft-art-hobby would be today without places like TU.  I am sure individuals here have their secrets but I am amazed at times the information that is given up freely by individuals that probably spent years themselves looking for the answers.  So thanks to all for the wealth of knowledge shared.

kenny