mark poulson Posted May 3, 2020 Report Share Posted May 3, 2020 I just put a couple of pictures of my latest bait attempt. It failed as a wake bait, but I really like it as a barely sub-surface bait with a lot of action and noise. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hillbilly voodoo Posted May 3, 2020 Report Share Posted May 3, 2020 You seem to really like your top water baits too bad you did not get the buoyancy you were looking for. But it sounds like it should still be a fish catcher Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark poulson Posted May 3, 2020 Author Report Share Posted May 3, 2020 1 hour ago, Hillbilly voodoo said: You seem to really like your top water baits too bad you did not get the buoyancy you were looking for. But it sounds like it should still be a fish catcher Guilty as charged. If they'll eat it, there's no more explosive strike than a big bass trying to kill a topwater lure. My heart just about jumps out of my chest every time, because it's so random. I hope this lure will get blasted, too, since it's only an inch below the surface on the retrieve, and it really active and loud. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobP Posted May 3, 2020 Report Share Posted May 3, 2020 That’s a nice paint job. Would it have worked to spec if made from balsa vs Azek? The first wake bait I tried was with basswood and it was hard to get the flotation I wanted with the additional props and shafts installed. Then I switched to balsa or paulownia, no problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark poulson Posted May 4, 2020 Author Report Share Posted May 4, 2020 (edited) 5 hours ago, BobP said: That’s a nice paint job. Would it have worked to spec if made from balsa vs Azek? The first wake bait I tried was with basswood and it was hard to get the flotation I wanted with the additional props and shafts installed. Then I switched to balsa or paulownia, no problem. It might have worked with balsa, but I don't think it would hold up. Even when I've strengthened balsa with super glue, I wouldn't trust it for a jointed bait. I guess I'm just chicken. It would break my heart to have a big bass destroy something I'd made and then swim off! Hahaha I'm going to make another, but leave it thicker so it's more buoyant. That works on the rat wakebaits I make with Azek. I just got carried away with trying to make this bait "sexy", and it came back to bite me. Edited May 4, 2020 by mark poulson Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swimb8s Posted May 4, 2020 Report Share Posted May 4, 2020 That will catch a lot of fish , nice details and paint . Have fun with that !! I like the drawing and the finished lure together Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Epp Posted May 4, 2020 Report Share Posted May 4, 2020 Great Idea Mark. There's not much in fishing that beats a topwater strike! And the uncertainty of it just makes it that much more exciting. I caught my first muskie (40") fishing a Storm Chug Bug for bass over a reef. At first I thought it was the biggest bass ever! What angle do you like for a wake bait? It looks like it's just about 5 degrees short of 90. Any advice here would be appreciated... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark poulson Posted May 4, 2020 Author Report Share Posted May 4, 2020 36 minutes ago, Big Epp said: Great Idea Mark. There's not much in fishing that beats a topwater strike! And the uncertainty of it just makes it that much more exciting. I caught my first muskie (40") fishing a Storm Chug Bug for bass over a reef. At first I thought it was the biggest bass ever! What angle do you like for a wake bait? It looks like it's just about 5 degrees short of 90. Any advice here would be appreciated... I just tried to cut the lip slot far enough from the nose that it had some material/strength, and then make the lip's tip line up with the nose of the bait. It wasn't scientific. I have made wake baits before, and found that it isn't that critical. On a fast retrieve, most wake baits go sub-surface, so I just went for close. The reason it doesn't wake isn't the lip angle so much as the fact that it sits too low in the water at rest. I made the bait so thin that there isn't enough buoyant material to overcome the amount of ballast I needed to keep it upright on the pause. The next one I make I'll keep it fatter, to try and overcome that, like I do with my rat wake baits. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
osutodd Posted May 4, 2020 Report Share Posted May 4, 2020 Have you ever thought about angling the bill backwards just a tiny bit to get a wakebait? It seems that might give it just a tiny bit of lift, and you could keep the same slim profile you want. Think of a Jitterbug lip. You wouldn't want to go that extreme, but it's angled backwards like that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark poulson Posted May 5, 2020 Author Report Share Posted May 5, 2020 8 hours ago, osutodd said: Have you ever thought about angling the bill backwards just a tiny bit to get a wakebait? It seems that might give it just a tiny bit of lift, and you could keep the same slim profile you want. Think of a Jitterbug lip. You wouldn't want to go that extreme, but it's angled backwards like that. I haven't, yet. I'll have to give it a try. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
