Hughesy

If you have a bait that has water in it and you don't know where the leak is, take a hair dryer and heat up the bait. This forces the water out and then you can see where the leak is. Then, its just a matter of clear coating.

The other problem with the FLW and some other circuits is, if your not a sponsor of the tournament you will not get any recognition. John is not allowed to wear our logo in flw practice or competition because we are not sponsors. That yanks!!!!!

Wow Skeet you've been hard at it. That must of took some time and effort on your part to get all of that done. Very good information. Thanks for sharing that with us. I love it when you you guys get down to the nitty gritty. I also know what your saying about the pros not giving credit to the custom guys. Thats why it is very important to give your baits to the right people. John Sappington won the FLW Championship $250,000 with some help from our baits and he gave us credit http://www.flwoutdoors.com/ezineArticle.cfm?strObjectID=A5169FB7-17EA-46EE-BB5180D193A40165 Tommy Martin and George Cochran both stated they were using our baits in last years Classic http://espn.go.com/outdoors/bassmaster/s/b_fea_2003_TG_lures4.html So ya see. Give em to the right people and they'll take care of ya. Again great information Skeeter. Keep up the great work.

Now thats one awesome Bluegill!!!!!!!!!!!! It doesn't get any better than that!!!!

Thanks to all of you guys!! But Jeff deserves a big bunch of credit for H&T's success. I come up with an idea. Shoot it to Jeff. And he designs the whole thing, builds the protos, and does all of the munfacturing. I couldn't do it without him. I couldn't have picked a better partner. To tell you the truth, I've had that magazine since it came out and must have looked at it 30 different time while sitting on the throne. I never once looked at that article. Don't ask me why. I would just thumb through it and skipped right over it. When I saw Pauls post, I ran into the john, dug it out of the mag rack and found the article. Couldn't believe it. Thanks again Guys.

I've done it both ways and it didn't make a difference either way.

Paulie, First out of the shoot I think you need to get a regulator for your compressor. You cannot regulate the pressure with a VL. You can only regulate the flow rate of air with it. I run 20 to 40 psi depending on what I shooting and what kind of paint I'm using. It will make a difference on your splatter and overspray. Viscosity of paint will also cause splatter and overspray. This is just something that you have to play with until you get it shooting just right. The trick is to get it thin enough to make a smooth feathered edge but not too thin to where it won't cover good. Water base paint are the hardest to do this with. I believe that water base paints have larger pigments in them which makes the splatter more visible. Try straining your paint thru a very fine filter. That will improve it also.A clean tip on the old airbrush is a must to prevent splatter.

Siscoe, On baits that are some what rounded, I take the plastic and actually bend it in a round tube shape. The plastic has some memory. Then it is just a matter of placing all or you fingers in the right position to hold everything tight against the bait. They don't always turn out perfect but once you figure out where the problem is, you will know to apply more pressure to that imperfect spot. One quick tip on shooting stencils. It is far better to shoot one time with a lot of paint than to shoot several times with a light flow of paint. The more air you shoot at a stencil the better chance of it getting up under the stencil and causing unclean lines. Try to make your paint thick so it covers in one shot.

Now you're gettin it. See, play around with stuff like air pressure, thinning paints, different paints, stencils, ect. It will pay off. Great job Coley. Next thing you know, me and Skeeter will be asking you question!

We use both kinds. There are certain colors available in one and not the other so what ever the bait calls for is the one we use. As far as brand names, I couldn't begin to list all of them but 2 of the top are: waterbase-Createx and lacquer-Dick Nite.

Kiwi, I use a plastic sheet you get in the quilting department at Wally World. Its basicly the same thing you're using. I think they use it for some kind of stenciling on quilts and such. The thing I like about it is, let it set overnight and the dried paint pops right off.

I'm with Skeeter on this one. Nothing take the place of time on the brush. I too use VLs and H models. They just seem more durable and easier to clean. Yes, the new JL Series is hand painted one at a time. Gets kinda routine after 2 or 3 hundred of them the same color over and over . Keep at it and you will develop certain techniques for different effects you want to achieve. I've been doing it so long I think I have forgotten some. There's a lot of talent out there so try to come up with stuff that hasn't been done before. I know it might be hard to believe, but over 15 years ago we came out with the purple and chartreuse color and through that one paint scheme our company took off. Now most of the major manufacturers use it. I've just been blessed enough to have a lot of the big boys (Larry Nixion, George Cochran, Stacey King, Tommy Martian, Randy Blauket, Brent Chapman, ect.) us my stuff and win lots of money with them. If you take your time and put quality stuff out, the biggies will come. I'll help ya any way I can so, Practice, practice, practice! I also agree with you Coley, Skeeter does a great job.

Don't know how Skeeter does it but we clean our eyes with a dremel tool using a small wire wheel.

Blackjack is dead right. The brass or copper is used by a lot of the top wood bait builders. It was also used in the early Bagleys Balsa Baits. They were really the ones to start this hunting craze. The brass or copper is strong enough for everyday wear and tear but, soft enough to flex allowing the bait to have a better chance to hunt. Jeff and I have used it in all of our balsa baits. No Problems.

Thanks Guys, Red, those are just plain old bodies. I take a trans pearl and shoot it lightly and then shoot the flourescent paint. Kinda gives it a candy apple look. Captbob, yes we use a lot of lacquer. We also use some enamel and acrylics.

Hey Guys, I just posted some new paint designs I'm going to use as some of my stock colors that I offer. Thought you might want to take a look. They are called "The JL Series" and are about half down the page. Pictures arn't the best, but they're free. http://www.hughescustombaits.com/page1.htm

Most everybody uses 1 of 3 clear coats. Flex coat, Devcon 2 ton expoxy, or envirotex. All 3 are brushed on and then put on a rotating wheel.

I find it on ebay once in a while. Nylon netting.

Skeeter, You might be able to get away with it if you shoot a very dry shoot and don't let the lacquer get to wet if you know what I mean.

Dave, You might try the oval split rings like they use on Lucky craft stuff. The only thing I can think is the snap is helping to keep the bait centered on the line tie. You could also try tying a loop knot to the line tie.

Its gotta be the paint jobs. Anybody can add a suspend strip and make them go deeper. As you know, they made suspending warts also.

Very nice! Very Nice! Did you paint the red with a brush or stencil?

Hi guys, We got to get the word out on this alright. This is one awesome site. The design and layout is incredible. The only problem is, its pretty lonely around here right now. I'm sure that will change soon. Great to be part of the Mod Squad with ya, and I know we will all do are best to make this site everything it can and should be. Geez red-g8r, easy on the tokens will ya. 963 of those bad boys.(HA!)