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Showing content with the highest reputation on 12/11/2017 in all areas

  1. I am guessing you don’t hear more about the banana style lures is that they don’t sell well in the US. Those baits look a bit funky and ‘old-fashioned’. They typically don’t have the better paint jobs that other baits have. I still use the Heddon Magnum Tadpolly and Clatter Tad (rattling model). They have a very strong thumping action, great for murky water. It comes through cover well because the belly hook is shielded by the curve of the lure. It backs out of most snags because the rear is bulbous and the whole back (top-side) of the lure has a smooth curve to it. The lip is part of the body which also reduces the chance of snagging. Once stopped, the bait floats up slightly away from the caster freeing itself. Unfortunately, it was discontinued. There are some banana style baits around like the Lindy River Rocker, Rapala Tail Dancer, Reef Runner, and Flatfish. I think the key to making one would be to weight the lure so it floats rear-end up at around a 45 degree angle. With the smooth slope of the back and weighted properly, it should back out of many snags.
    2 points
  2. One other thing you can do that works very well to eliminate your bubbles quickly as they surface to the top of your cooked plastic. Very quickly, make a couple passes over the top of all those bubbles with a propane torch. I keep one on my bench at all times with the piezo igniter so I can grab it with one hand and fire away. Makes quick work of those bubbles as they surface.
    1 point
  3. Plus "exotic" materials can come with their own set of issues. Years ago we were repairing some concrete pilings under a house, and the subcontractor was using some kind of carbon mesh. I asked him for some scrap to use as my swimbait hinges, and he sent me some, along with a handling regime that made me reconsider using it. Seems that inhaling any dust from it could cause real problems. I decided to stick with SST screw eyes and pins, and carefully disposed of the envelope and it's contents.
    1 point
  4. I'm spoiled. I always use BaitJunky's degassed plastisol. If you don't use degassed plastisol, and you heat in a microwave, you will have to degas it, so no moisture that might be trapped in the plastisol can expand to form bubbles when it's heated in a microwave. Otherwise you can expect to have bubbles to deal with. I am just a hobby pourer, so I go the degassed plastisol route and never have to worry about degassing myself, except after raw mushrooms.
    1 point
  5. I can see you have a full plate, and a demanding quality control person, so I understand why you would declice. I can only plead sloth and poverty. I'm too lazy to go to all that work, and too cheap to spend $700 for four ounces of paint.
    1 point
  6. I do like Debehr only with high temp tape. After painting I just pull the tape off the eye before curing in the oven. Keeping the paint off to begin with is easier than trying to take it off later.
    1 point
  7. Does it have to be kevlar mesh? I just used some nylon on some test swimbaits I did several years ago and found it worked just fine. The Nylon mesh was stuff I got at a fabric store, like the stuff used to make wedding dress veils, etc. It could handle the temperatures I was pouring at and was flexible, and strong. Kevlar seems like a tough one to find, and is probably overkill.
    1 point
  8. Also, mixing the plastisol very well, whipping it, is important to prevent settling, but then you need to let the worked in air work out before you heat and pour/shoot. I like to mix on one day and then heat/pour in a day or two after that. If I have mixed the plastisol in the last couple of weeks, I just tip the jug a few times and call it good before I heat. You can take a very very well mixed plastisol and degas it with a vacuum, if you have the set-up.
    1 point
  9. You might want to try to make your legs out of silicon or some type of rubber. Here is one I made up. Here's what it looks like in the water. http://hughescustombaits.com/frog.MOV
    1 point
  10. Couple of opinions: 1. What are you stirring with? I use a spoon or a butter knife to stir when using a microwave. Slow stirs and no whipping. 2. I use the long handled spoon to purposely put air bubbles in some of my baits. These bubbles give some bouncy which has its place during certain applications.
    1 point
  11. Its not uncommon. Just heat the plastic and let it set a little bit. They will all come to top. Reheat and shoot.
    1 point
  12. I still use this mod on occasion in deep water where I am trying to get a bait to suspend/sink and run deeper than normal. As better suspending and deep diving baits have come on the market in recent years, I use it less and less. I have also also drilled holes in the back (top) of crankbaits to add or remove rattles and replug the hole. I have heard people call it the crankbait ‘drill and fill’. Some crankbaits from the 70s-80s came with holes in the bodies and a small cylindrical sponge. You would soak the sponge in attractant and put the sponge in the hole in the lure.
    1 point
  13. I got the 2X one, and the coat looked pretty thick after two passes so I stopped. We'll have to see how durable it is.
    1 point
  14. As a kid I got in trouble more then once from trimming the dog lol created a great sea run cutthroat fly from that dog. Come December every year it got a trim never did find a good substitute. I miss that dog lol
    1 point
  15. Hit up Leonard at BaitJunkys, he does impeccable work
    1 point
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