jigmeister Posted February 8, 2005 Report Share Posted February 8, 2005 I just finshed testing an AC type plug a made and it swims great with no ballast weight . (just have to paint it now) I finally got the round preshaped wooden bodies I ordered that I have to lay out and cut and was wondering if ballast weight will be required since this one will have a lexan diving lip on it? Thanks-Jigmeister Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
out2llunge Posted February 8, 2005 Report Share Posted February 8, 2005 Round baits generally do not need ballast because they always sit in the water (with hooks attached) the right way. Flat sided baits on the other hand will want to lay on their side and as such require ballast. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom S Posted February 9, 2005 Report Share Posted February 9, 2005 The baits I make need weight to get the speed I want out of them.I had to play around a lot to find out how much weight to add.What I do for my muskie baits is drill a 38" diameter hole in the belly of the bait about 34" deep.I take 38" brass rod and cut it up into different length pieces in 18" increments.Then I can test the baits too see how much weight is needed.I use electrical tape to hold the weight in while testing.I keep adding weight until the bait runs at the speed I want. Tom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
out2llunge Posted February 9, 2005 Report Share Posted February 9, 2005 Tom, are your baits round (cigar shaped)? I've never had to add ballast to my baits like that. Parrywinkle style baits for sure, but not cigar shaped baits. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom S Posted February 9, 2005 Report Share Posted February 9, 2005 Lunge,my baits are like mini Parrywinkles(shad shape) 7" long.My shallow divers with a steep lip angle are the ones that need more weight.They are pretty erratic and wander a bit.The deep divers that run straight and stable need very little weight,but those one dont catch fish like the erratic ones that are on the edge of blowing out. Tom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
out2llunge Posted February 9, 2005 Report Share Posted February 9, 2005 Agreed. That style of bait would defintely require some ballast. Mine do too. What kind of speed are you getting from them? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom S Posted February 10, 2005 Report Share Posted February 10, 2005 My deeper versions will go 6+ with no trolling weight,but the shallows need 2to 3 oz. trolling weight to go 5+,they will blow out at 5 without weight. Tom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
musky1 Posted February 10, 2005 Report Share Posted February 10, 2005 Tom You said your shallow runners have a steep lip angle? Have you tried different angles on your shallow runner? Maybe you wouldn't need as much lead. Jim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom S Posted February 10, 2005 Report Share Posted February 10, 2005 Jim, I first started out by making the lip angles at 35 deg. and increased 10 deg. all the way up 65deg. to see what I like best.65 is a pain,hard to keep right side up,and 55 deg. is the most erratic,and the ones the fish like the most,but those can be tempermental too.At 45 deg. or less I dont get the "wander" action,they just come in straight.Still trying to get that perfect action.I want a bait that runs 2 feet down,will wander 1 foot off center and will run 5mph+,oh ya and I want a tight wiggle too.Thats what I want for Christmas! I may not be able to do that with this body style? Tom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
