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froggerbass

Swimbait Help

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I could really use some help/input on some swimbaits I've been working on. I've got about 8 baits that i've been working on for a few months now. I have finally gotten to where I'm very happy with the shapes and sizes, got the pin hinges installed, got ballast weights put in. The two problems I'm having boil down to 1st: the 4 piece baits I've made have really solid action as long as they are fished slow, any speed to the retrieve and they turn and they blow out. The second problem on the two piece baits I've made, actually only one the baits has this problem, is that instead of a clean level slaloming action like the other 2 piece baits I've made, this one wants to come straight up and nose out of the water with any pull. I used mahogany on all of these baits and they all sit around 2.2 oz. +-.2.  It seems like I'm pretty close to getting them where I want them, but after a couple adjustment and trial tests I'm at an impass. I thought that if i added more weight to the head that might get me headed in the right direction, but after trying that today, it didn't seem to make much difference. 

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

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How long and wide is the slalom bait. 2.2 oz seems light compared to the bait I make. I use poplar. at 9 in long, I get a good action at around 100 grams. If I get much under 100 grams, the baits will sit right in the water but will bust the surface with any type of forward pull. My bait pre ballast is right around 50g. Hope it helps

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Froggerbass, Squirrel will have a tough job predicting the weight when the paint job you use, the hook types and quantities you use, even the clear coat type and thickness you use, are all variables.  I hope he can provide you some ideas, but for myself, I could not.

 

I have a swimbait that is a Sine-Wave (Slalom) swim bait, and it is finicky.  It is so much more then total weight, it is about balance top to bottom, front to back, even subtle differences in the profile at the head that presents itself to the water.

 

In fact, it is even more interesting that the balance is more important then the total weight.  My baits vary a lot in total weight, depending on airbrush verses printable decal verses metal foil finish, and it simply does not matter as long as the balance point is correct.  If I get the balance point wrong, my lure jumps to the surface.  If I get it right, I can put it behind a downrigger and drag it at 3 to 5 MPH and it swims like a wild bandit.  My preferred bait is a two piece, 4-1/8", and in my design, the bigger I make it, the more joints, the more forgiving it is.

 

Good luck on your design, but IMHO, it will take more then just total weight.  Balance is probably your problem, and using natural wood means each lure MAY need to be balanced separately.

 

Good luck my friend, there are a lot of people on the site that can help you out.

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10.4 thank you for the info. what you said is pretty much what i was thinking, but with so little experience i wasn't sure. i'm sure there are tolerance levels in the relationship between balance and weight, but apparently i'm well outside of that range. what really got me is that i made three completely different designs and the first two work absolutely perfectly and this third one, by far the one i like most is the one throwing out a stinker. i have added some more weight to the head and taken some away from the tail and i will give it another test soon.

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Just looking at the lures, I see that the bottom or third one is more robust, fatter, perhaps more buoyant......

 

If the bait is working when used very slow, but it rises on a pull or when speeding it up, check to see if the bait is rolling over on it's side then coming to the top.  A video of the action would help.

 

I suspect, but cannot know for sure, that it is not just more weight to the head, but keeping the weight as low as possible with that shape (almost a pot belly?).  Something to think about at least.

 

Like the third bait for sure, but all look like fish catchers.

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i forgot to post earlier, the width on each of the 3 is almost exactly 9/16 of an inch

 

"If the bait is working when used very slow, but it rises on a pull or when speeding it up, check to see if the bait is rolling over on it's side then coming to the top.  A video of the action would help." i will def check this out, i think you may be onto something.

 

i changed the way i added weight to the 4 piece and that 2 piece on these. instead of adding weight from the outside of the bait by drilling upward into it, i drilled from the middle of the joint all the way up to the head and added weight in there. i figured it would not only get the weight close to the line tie like some have suggested, but also redistribute some weight to the head instead of just adding a bunch of weight. i'll post when i get some results.

Edited by froggerbass
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I found with my swim baits that a V profile, with the back being 13/16", tapering down to 5/8" at the belly, allows my baits to stay upright even when burned on a fast retrieve.  It holds true from the floaters to the deep divers.

By making the belly less buoyant that way, I am able to add less ballast and still get the action I want.

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yeah, those top two in the pic are that way, i've got them angled at 7 degrees, that's probably a really big part of the reason they worked so well with so little adjustment. that third bait, the one giving all the trouble is the same on top and bottom, but with alot of ballast weight in the bottom, now at the front of the bait as well.

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i'm making these baits to fill very specific needs that i have for my home lake, and as far as i know i'm not copying or ripping off anyone. i do however, find it interesting how the roman made negotiator has  such as solid slalom action with its particular design.

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