[DSV]

im leaving this one the way it is. i like it how it is.

and i didnt use screw eyes, i used twisted ss wire, so im not really sure how to get that out.

also, my dad gave me a pretty good suggestion (very good for someone who doesnt even make tackle!)

he suggested that i taper the rear end of the front piece so that it is the thinnest part of the bait. right now, everything is the same thickness, but he thinks that by tapering the front piece right in front of the joint, the water will strike the joint more, making the tail piece move. seems very reasonable to me!

[DSV]

here is the painted bait. i am going to put epoxy on it in a few minutes.

[carpholeo]

I think it will do the opposite,and freeze the tail piece. like someone already said , make it a 3 piece.

[DSV]

well i put the epoxy on and everything was going fine until about halfway through the tail piece and then i dropped the bait on my arm! now i have a bunch of epoxy on my arm that won't come off, and the finish is kind of rough on one side of the bait. i did my best to smooth it out, but it is still a little bit rough.

[mark poulson]

Originally Posted by DSV

well i put the epoxy on and everything was going fine until about halfway through the tail piece and then i dropped the bait on my arm! now i have a bunch of epoxy on my arm that won't come off, and the finish is kind of rough on one side of the bait. i did my best to smooth it out, but it is still a little bit rough.

Been there, done that.
Let the epoxy set and cure on both the lure and your arm.
Then lightly sand the rough epoxy, to smooth it, but not enough to go through into the paint, and recoat.
The stuff on your arm will come off by itself due to the oils and sweat in your skin. Or you can peel it, and all the hair under it off. Ouch!
Weighting a two piece lure so it swims is tricky.
I weight the rear of the front section, which I make longer than the rear section, in a 3/2 ratio. The rear weighting makes the head unstable, because the back of the head wants to keep moving straight while the front moves to one side or the other as water passes over it. I only weight the front of the rear section, or not at all if it's a floater.
I haven't had good success with two piece lures except as twitch baits.
The Giron doesn't have a radical swimming action. It just kind of sways from side to side.
And the Shell Cracker, a two piece surface lure by Black Dog, the same guy who invented the Lunker Punker, also swims with a very gentle action, and is more of a twitch bait.
I toyed with the idea of reversing the angle on the joints, so the V of the rear section would catch the water and start the rear wiggling, but I moved on into three and four piece lures instead.
They are much easier get to swim.
If you like the lure, but want more action, you might try adding a bill.
A wake bait bill might give it more action. The water trapped by the shallow bill takes turns dumping off one side and then the other, causing the head to shake, and wiggling the tail.
But if you like the action as it is, recoat it and go fishing!

[DSV]

the epoxy on my arm is dry to the touch now. it should wear off soon.

i just checked on the lure and after it had been hanging a few minutes, the roughness kinda smoothed itself out. now there are just a few ripples in the finish.

as long as the epoxy still covers the eitire lure (so no water gets in) i am fine with it. ripply clear coat really doesnt bother me as long as its functional

[jamie]

Iknow all about dropping swimbaits

[diemai]

Sorry about that little mess happened , but the fish won't care !

Talking about two section baits I've thought , that this one might be of interest :

It is a small bait , that must have come out well over fifteen years ago over here in Europe .
The lure is named "Jack Rapid" and made in Denmark .

So far I only knew it by a pic and the describtion in the English book "Encyclopaedia Of Lures" , copyrighted in 1993(check pic of text) .

Last year I was lucky enough to finally find one at a fleamarket and , no question , I have bought it !

Its action is never as pronounced like a three section lure , its frequency of "S"-moves is lower as well .

It seems to have no added weights , it only balances itself by the density of its material and the weight of the belly hook .

Greetz , diemai

[mark poulson]

Interesting. I see it has a metal hinge pin. I wonder what kind of plastic it is made from?
I have some older Bass Pro Shop jointed two piece minnow lures that swim well. They are 6" long, thin, floaters, with a shallow diving bill. They go down about 3' on the retrieve.

[captsully18]

Like Mark said, the first section should be longest section and weight should be as far to the rear of that section as you can get it. It will also help to get a swimming action if you put the line tie farther up on the top of the bait.

David