WAM

Thanks TC, that's the link I was looking for.

Hello, I was just looking for some info on the crankbaits made by David Ryan. I believe he is around Truman Lake in Missouri and was wanting to check out some of his crankbaits I have heard about. Anybody know how to get in contact or a web-site would be appreciated. Thanks, Mike

Hello, That's quite a mess that you have on the graph. I don't recall seeing anything about where you had the puck mounted?? If you are using a through hull I have seen some images similar to that if there are air pockets in the epoxy used to seat the puck. Also the hull itself can cause some issues with resolution especially if it's a metal hull. Another posibility if it is mounted on your trolling motor is feedback from the motor although that doesn't seem to show up as much unless you are running your wiring through something else. Try to make sure you have a direct conection to your starting battery. If your model has GPS just make sure you have a switch in the circuit or it will cause a constant drain on your battery. If the transducer is mounted outside and you are getting images like that I would first check the settings. Sounds to me like you are really driving the puck hard with a setting close to 80 percent. I have played with many models of the Lowrance units. I personally have the 520C and love it. I know many of the top guides around here use lowrance and most don't drive their units sensitivity that hard. What you are really doing is sending double signals down to the bottom and it will burn the puck up much faster. The default setting from the factory to "slightly" higher is more than enough to sort out what is down below without causing extra wear and tear on your equipment. I only fish freshwater however. We typically fish for spotted bass and smallmouths and have no trouble locating them in 25-60ft of water. I'm not as good as others at picking them out when they are laying on the branches of flooded timber but they show up quite well when they come off the limbs after my drop shots! Similar to the crappie pic before. You can watch your bait and actually see the fish come up and take the bait. More like a video game than fishing! One other factor can be other graph interferance. Driving the puck harder also increases this. Any other graph in the boat will do it but depending on the water depth you can actually pick up signals from other boats in the area. I wasn't aware of this until I went with a local guru. I knew I would see intermittent clutter and trash on my unit and thought I had a setting wrong but in reality when I got within 50 yards of a marina or another boat is when I randomly got the feedback. I didn't know what was causing it until he pointed it out. I hope something in my rambling will help you out. Good Luck, W.A.M. Mike

I use a Faber-Castell artist pen. It uses Indian ink that is waterproof and permanent. I picked it up at a large hobby store chain. I got the small tip and it has held up really well as far as not getting clogged up or mashed down. I clear with Devcon and have not had any problems with running, I just write over the createx and then use the epoxy, no extra steps. Works great!!

Thanks Vodkaman, I love threads that make you think and open new doors. I have always wanted to learn more about hydrodynamics, I will look into some info on the vortexs. Funny, once you start building lures you do look at everything and think....wonder if I can make it catch a fish? Good luck with your new job. Check in once in awhile to make sure and keep us all on our toes.

Only thing I can add is this... I bought 2 tubes of it from wally world and started painting baits. I mixed the first batch together and before I got even close to having my second bait done it was set up. The brush was a rock and the bait was hosed. Of course I had been using up my old devcon so I thought perhaps it was a conflict with either old in my mixing container or reaction to some acetone left on the brush. I tried it again and again it set up solid in 5 minutes. I think they just mislabled the tube because I had some baits I had to get done and went with the second tube and it worked just fine. Just something to keep an eye out for. Good Luck!

Hey Guys, Don't know if anyone knows about this site but I found it while roaming around the other day. They seem to have lots of accessories for bait building. Thought it might help a few out. I think there was a thread a while back a guy was looking for jitterbug bills and I think they even have those! Have a look. http://www.mooreslures.com/ Good Luck to all. Mike

The "blade" for the split shot mold is actually used in the mold for making the split. I would get the Hot pot, I pour about everything with it now except crappie size jigs. I wouldn't use the propane stove. That's an accident waiting to happen and believe me you don't want hot lead flying everywhere. Just from experiance. Make sure to wear some leather gloves also just to protect your hands from spills, good tip from the lead flying everywhere problem. You can still get some "accidental" overflows while pouring. Try to pour over a hard surface. I just pour outside the house on the patio just to keep the fumes out of the house and if it drips it lands on the concrete. Easy to scrape off and reuse without torching something you don't want burned.

The easiest way i have found to make a good lip slot is using a band saw so you can lay the bait flat on the table and make sure it is a square cut. I also flip the bait over and just "brush" the blade against it again to make sure the cut is square. You can do it with a scroll saw but the blade flexes a little too much for me. Just decide what angle you want on the bait and make a pattern so you can get it as consistent as possible. That helps a lot. Good Luck, Mike

I was looking for something along the lines of the bills in the new lee sisson series. It is more of a white even though it's still not transparent. Not sure on the thickness. Any clues on that type of mycarta??