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I saw those on you tube also. Good question what comes first the chicken or the egg in our case the fisherman or the fish, nothing ventured nothing gained. A lure compared to a flat metal plate, just don't know smaller area I will see, might be a waste of paint but if it does what I want then I will be satisfied if they catch both the fisherman and the fish then success I think. I will post some pictures when done still working on the master to test, then a mold and start painting. I move so fast a snail just past me. Wayne

So... Before I get right to it, a wee bit of an update: I've been met with encouraging success in selling my lures. So far I've done two runs of lures (10 in total), and of those, 7 have sold. In fairly short order, I might add. Some within minutes of listing online, and several were custom pattern requests that turned out absolutely gorgeous. One was so beautiful I was sad to see it go. Then life has gotten in the way (house hunting, demands of my day job, etc), so I haven't sold anything in a couple weeks. But, I've still been working some behind the scenes. I have a batch of 10 that's ready for their seal coat epoxy, which leads me to my question: One of the lures, I have spent HOURS upon HOURS of time, very carefully hand-laying foil scales onto. To cover ~6" of an 8" lure, moving approximately 1/8" at a time, including cutting out all the foil, it's quite a time-consuming endeavor. I'm not sure that I'd do it again, but I suppose it depends on what it fetches when I list it online for auction. In any event, my question is: When you guys foil a lure (this is my first one), do you paint directly on the foil, or do you do an epoxy coat first, then paint on top of the epoxy, then topcoat? I can't decide which route I want to go with it, so I'm looking for advice from more experienced builders, and pros/cons of each option (or if there's some other option I've not thought of?). Given the amount of time I already have in this lure, I'd hate to "wing it" and screw up what is shaping up to be quite the work of art. Thanks!

I’ve done scales out of foil as well. And other types of foil with pattern and smooth. Usually I epoxy over the foil to ensure the top/bottom is completely smooth. Helps hide any seems. if you want a thin “seal” over the foil that won’t be as think as epoxy I have sprayed/airbrushed a few very thin coats of polycrylic (cut with 1/3 water) That stuff is great. I’m no expert. Just letting you know what I’ve tried. I have painted right over foil, but it doesn’t seem to adhere great. sometimes I’ll paint a layer at an angle against the scales, then wipe off the paint to try to “highlight” the edges of the scales. Here is an example of one that I tried. I’m not exactly sure how you are going yours, but I wasn’t too concerned with preserving the texture to the touch. Just for a visual effect.

Depending on the type of resin used, he could also be looking at amine blush. This is common with many types of marine-grade resins used in ship building/repair. Since I don't recall that he specified what resin he was using, I wouldn't rule this out. Some of the West Systems stuff will do this - however, it's not a big deal. It comes off with soap and water. Google "amine blush" for more info.

I've also been thinking about using the candy colors on some baits, but with everything else going on in life right now, I'm thinking that will be a next winter project. I have watched a number of YouTube videos about the candy colors, and if memory serves, they do recommend specific base colors under the candies to get the effect that they advertise. In at least one of the videos, they shot two different base colors on two different pieces to compare the outcomes. It appears to be a fairly straightforward process in terms of actually shooting the color, though (again, if memory serves) they recommend many, many thin layers to achieve the effect. Fewer, thicker layers of paint will not do near as well. The results certainly are sharp, and I think that a candy green or candy purple or even a candle apple red musky lure would certainly catch fishermen, if not fish. Please do keep us posted on your findings, I'll be watching this topic closely. Best of luck, I'm sure you'll do fine!