[DSV]

here is one that im working on.

i was originally gonna do it in baby bass color (i traced a bass picture to get the shape) but now i think im gonna do it in a shad color, because there are some large gizzard shad in on of my favorite lakes.

anyway, heres the lure with weights and hardware installed and epoxied together.

next step is to test it out (i need hooks before i can do this) and then paint it.

the bait:



wide range of motion:

[RiverMan]

Just a suggestion, you might try bringing the sections closer together to hide the gap between them. Turn in the screw eye on one or both sides and you will still get plenty of flex in the lure. As it is now, the tapering you added to each side isn't doing you much good because the sides don't touch anyway. You could probably lose 30% of the flex you have and still get fantastic lure action.

good luck....

[DSV]

yeah i dont like the spacing in between them either.

its not adjustable because these arent screw eyes, theyre thru-wires.

i'd have to crack open the epoxy and then re-epoxy the lure, and im not gonna do that, i'll live with wide gaps.

next time i dont wanna do joints like this, it was such a pain in the but to make them this way and keep all the joints straight and not to far apart (although that didnt seem to work).

[mark poulson]

Making the joints easier to adjust is a major reason I went to screw eyes and hinge pins. Once I get the screw eyes adjusted to the gap I want, I remove one, and epoxy it back in, using the other as a depth gauge. That way, I can match what I had. When I used twist wires, I measured the amount the wire that stuck out with a tape measure, but I always wound up having to tweak the wires to get it right. Not so with the screw eyes.

[diemai]

@ DSV

You are very productice , indeed !

Obviously you have employed some kinda jig or form to shape your wire eyelets , since they look alike one for one .

If you are able to furnish such neat eyes , why not making at least the hinge eyes a lot smaller , I think you could even go down to about half of their present diameter .
This step would render the sections closer together about half way , too !

Also smaller eyes are less prone to deform under tension .

Greetz , diemai

[summitlures]

whoa! That is a nice swimbait! But , since I'm a noob at luremaking, how do you make the joints?

[mark poulson]

summitlures,
There are two basic types of hinges that I've used, with success.
Back to back screw eye/wire loops, and screw eye/wire loop with hinge pins.
Depending on your skill level, the material you use to build your lures, and what's available to you in terms of lure building supplies, both these types of hinges will work.
Rofish posted pictures of twist wire hinges used in Europe, and I'm sure there are lots of clever people out there with their own ideas.
And JRHopkins has his own unique hinge that works.
I now use the screw eye/hinge pin method, because it works for me. I can adjust the width of the joint by adjusting the depth the screw eye is inserted, with the finer threads making small adjustments easier, and the hinge pin of sst spinner bait wire, with one end bent to 90 degrees, gives me the ability to take my lures back apart for "service".
I'm still learning, so some of my past efforts now require tuneups, where previous paint schemes, gluing methods, or top coating efforts have failed, for one reason or another.
I don't sell my lures, so I have been able to learn as I go, without worrying about customer satisfaction.
Aside from my weekly fishing buddy, who I've given lures to, and who doesn't hesitate to make "constructive criticism" and request customer service, I'm the only one I have to please.
Correction. Me and the fish!

[DSV]

here is a pic of the bait with the foil on:



this is my messiest foil job ever i am not pleased. there are a lot of tiny wrinkles around the edges due to the contours of the lure. it doesnt look bad from a distance and i KNOW the fish wont mind, but its just the little things that bug me when i am inspecting the lure, you know?

[mark poulson]

Seal it well, and give 'em hell.
I know you'll catch fish with that lure. It looks great.

How did you do the foil? Is that a photo finish?
Next time, you might try putting a pearl silver undercoat on before you foil, so the edges of the foil blend into the paint and aren't as noticeable.

[carpholeo]

Do you have to back the foil with anything before you run it through the printer?