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eastman03

Mega Flaptail build

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@bigblue2   You had asked about the lure I posted with 4 eyes, I figured I would start a new topic, so I wouldn't hijack that one.  I have a few ideas I need to bounce off the group as well.

 

This is my take on a 'flaptail' lure for muskies, I will have to get better photos of the finished lure.  Several versions have been around for many years, and I've made a few of my own small versions of this one.  The long wire out the back will get an eye on it, and then a swivel with a large single blade.  So it is a top water lure with a blade out the back.  

So how this monstrosity came to be was when I was turning the lures on my lathe, and I realized that my previous version of the flap tail could almost accommodate my go pro hero camera.  And being a fan of taking lures to the extreme, or combining features of lures, I figured i'd make an even larger flap tail! And instead of a single blade behind the lure, I will drag behind an entire bucktail!!  I've gone mad with ideas in our long Canadian winters haha.  The added benefit of the size would allow me to create a pocket in the back to install my gopro camera inside the lure.  lol  I could capture a muskie strike from inside the fishes mouth.   The prototype worked, no fish yet on this particular one.  I had some issues with the lense fogging up after a few casts.  So I will be tweaking the idea, the weighting of the lure and angle of the camera.  

There are two pics of the lure in it's building stage.  As  you can see I ended up screwing a polycarbonate cover on the back of the lure body to keep the camera in.  The hole on the top of the lure is for pressing the record button on the camera.  The camera is completely water proof and is able to work under water.  Either way I figured I would try to prevent water from entering the cavity.  So I put a gasket between the polycarbonate and the wood.  Then I glued a rubber gasket that was stretchy enough to still hit the record button on the top hole.  Which I also covered with a plastic plug.   However, my problem was still getting moisture in behind the polycarbonate, and fogging everything up.   

How should I go about securing the camera in, but avoiding this problem.  I don't mind if the camera is exposed completely underwater, but it needs to be secure some how in the lure obviously. 

The last pic is the lure on the epoxy drying wheel.

 

 

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My several cents. If money is no object, buy a Water Wolf camera as that is essentially what you are making.

Otherwise, there are a few things you could try.

Wipe some spit or use some anti-fog spray for goggles on the polycarbonate just before you put the camera in.

Try making a PVC body instead of wood. Wood expands and contracts and that is probably enough to allow a tiny bit of moisture in around the gaskets.  Plus, there is probably some moisture in the wood itself.

Maybe get rid of the hole for the on/off button. This would be a pain as you would have to install the camera (with it turned on) just prior to fishing. It does reduce one water penetration point.

Could you make a recessed groove around the hole where the camera goes in?  Then you could use an O-ring as a seal instead of a gasket.  A compressed O-ring might make a better seal.   

For using with water in the cavity, take the poly carbonate off, drill a ring of holes in the polycarbonate where the gap between the outside edge of the camera housing and the cavity will be. This will allow the cavity to fill will water.  Just don’t dill any holes that will be in front of lens. That may obscure the images.

Make sure there is some line (weaker than the main line) in between the bucktail and the camera or you could lose the camera.  If the bucktail is wired all the way to the camera, you could lose everything as the main line to the camera would break first. On a Water Wolf, I use a mono line from the camera to the lure that is weaker than my main braid line to the camera. I am willing to concede the loss of the lure over the camera.

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nice set up! you don't have to go any more tech than what you have.... you have a couple of options.

1. use a moisture absorber product, be careful most of these product create heat when absorbing moisture.. the more moisture the more heat.

2. hand warmers, use a hand warmer inside with your camera.. can't remember exacts but I think it is around 88 deg f for no fog on lexan/plexiglass.

I would personally go with the moisture absorber if you know that you don't and will not have a leak.

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Thanks for the tips guys.  I think i'm going to try what you suggested kinda @JD_mudbug and cut a hole in the polycarbonate so the lense can see through, but the edges will still hold it in.  That would be a simple solution to the fogging problem seeing as the camera has no problem being submerged.  

I do own a Spydro camera (very similar to a waterwolf camera).  And I have some really cool footage of muskies striking my crankbaits! (and also missing them).  But I wanted to make a lure that I can cast without an awkward camera attached to the leader, something that I can actually fish, and potentially get a muskie to hit the camera itself!  It's just a side project I'm slowly working on for fun.  

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