Line Tie Position

[archeryrob]

OK, here is a D Bait I have made for a few years. It works nice, but it only runs 3' to 4' and when chasing stripers in the spring I would do better, if I could run it deeper. I know about the line tie on the dive blade, but don't feeel confident putting one there. Once big fish and just get the dive blade back.

 

If I moved the line tie on a few to the Red or Blue line, how much would it affect action and diving? The lure has great wobble, but I would like to make some that run deeper.

Edited May 19, 2015 by archeryrob

[benton B]

You will end up with a bait that doesn't work.   Those line tie positions will work for lipless baits but not on a lipped bait.  You need to move the line tie to the lip to get a little more depth.   I would start by placing the line tie 1/8 of inch from the nose.

[Vodkaman]

My analogy for depth is firing a cannon; if the barrel angle is too shallow, the ball falls short. Too steep an angle and again, the ball falls short. There is an optimal angle for maximum distance.

It is the same with achieving lure depth. The angle that I am talking about is NOT the lip angle, but the attitude of the bait when it is swimming. As in the analogy; too shallow a swim angle or too steep and the maximum possible depth will not be achieved.

There are three adjusters that all control this angle; body length, lip length and eye position.

You have decided to go with eye position, but I am sure that you would sooner keep the eye where it is. Moving the eye back is the same as increasing the length of the lip. BUT, are you sure that you are not already on the wrong side of the optimum angle. It may be that the lip is too long already and the eye needs to move forward or the lip shortened.

I am not saying that this is the case, but you last statement of the great wobble makes me suspect that you are already swimming at too steep an angle. When a lure swims too steep, more lip is presented as it gets towards vertical and therefore generates more energy, more wobble and more thump.

The simple test is to swim the lure in the bath tub and note the angle that the bait swims; is it very nose down or swimming shallow.

If very nose down, as I suspect, it may be just needs a millimeter or two trimming off the length of the lip to get more depth.

If it swims very flat, then move the eye back or lengthen the lip.

The blue looks too much. If the lip passes the vertical, the bait becomes unstable. Another sign that the lip is too long; does the bait hunt or tend to hunt with a slight increase in speed. Hunting occurs when the lip just touches the vertical.

Dave

[Nathan]

I'm with Vodkaman...Looking at your set up..I'm surprised your only getting 3-4 ft out of this bait.I build a bait with a similar bill/ tow point and get 6-8ft out of mine...Also, have you considered approaching this from a different way...What about building a slow sinking version of your bait?...Nathan

[mark poulson]

You can see if a slow sink will work by adding a split shot or two a foot in front of the bait, so you don't affect it's performance, just it's running depth.

[JRammit]

This is great stuff!... Thanks for posting rob!

Before i joined here, all i knew about crank baits was: long lip=deep, short lip=shallow...... Here Vodkaman tells us that shortening your lip may give you more depth, and he could be correct

I often use to wonder why nobody made a crank bait with an inerchangable lip, instead of buying several, cover each depth with one bait.... But i now realize that a working crank bait is a finely tuned machine!.. Every aspect of it compliments another

If i were in your shoes, i would relish the oppertunity to build another bait for the depth you seek, and enjoy taking on the challenge of getting it to perform like your earlier successful model!

But this is coming from a guy who has yet to get one right, so he KNOWS how much work it is!!!!

[archeryrob]

 does the bait hunt or tend to hunt with a slight increase in speed. Hunting occurs when the lip just touches the vertical.

Dave

I am not eactly sure what you mean, by this. Dive out to the side, as in roll over like a miss tuned lure?

 

My first thought was to wire the lip like a diving walleye baits do, but I think I might want to pin the dive blade and I'm only using acrlyic and I am not sure it can handle that strain.

Edited May 20, 2015 by archeryrob

[Vodkaman]

ArcheryBob - hunting is when the lure darts from side to side, in a zigzag motion. I actually design my lures to do this, as I think the change of direction encourages fish to bite. The bait isn't necessarily rolling over, just swimming erratically.

 

The lip does look a bit on the short side (in to the body), but that is a separate issue.

 

Dave