Mags

I've had more than my share of problems with Dick Nite, which is why I don't use it anymore. When I was using it I found that spraying the paint first with Krylon Workable Fixative cured most of the problems I had. Dick Nite is super hard, but super fussy stuff. Too much work for me.

I may just buy a few as it has got my curiosity after the Red Eye. The Red Eye Shad is a superbly designed bait. The 1/2 and the 3/4 do exactly as advertised. Interestingly the 1/4 ounce doesn't shimmy on the falls like the 1/2 and the 3/4. I know the 6XD was a long time in the development stage. I know several guys that worked on designing it and they didn't just rush it on to the market. Just looking at the bait it just doesn't look like it will go that deep. The bill isn't long enough. I'll give you a report. I'm fishing Thursday through Saturday and will buy one and try it. Steve

Anyone tried these yet? They have them in stock at Academy. Looking at the bill on the bait I have a hard time believing it will hit 18 feet, which is what it is advertised to do. The body appears longer than the bill, almost like a Bagley B3 body length. The bill is wider than the body. Perhaps it is weighted to reach these depths?

There's an article on the Amistad Tackle website www.amistadtackle.com on fishing the spoons (articles section) and some links in their blog. Generally anytime the fish are on structure it can work.

Dipping the bait seems to be the best method. You also should heat set your paint before dipping. Store it in an airtight container and use Bloxygen to keep it fresh. If you brush it make sure you heat set with a dryer and you might also use some Krylon Workable Fixative (spray can) on the paint before using the Dick Nite. You shouldn't spin baits with this product as the top will skim over and the stuff underneath will keep moving causing wrinkles. Hang it to dry. I personally had nothing but frustration with my quart of Dick Nite. I brushed and didn't dip. Without the Krylon Fixative I often got brush streaks in my paint. Apparently the Dick Nite softened the paint enough to pick up the brush marks, using a flux brush. I also had a hell of a time keeping it from setting up in the can even though I used Bloxygen (snake gas (is there really anything in there?)) and only removed what I needed for the job at hand. I also had trouble with bubbling as the product got older (never figured out why on this one) and then I finally couldn't get it to stop curing in the can. What I have left (about a pint) is set up in a mason jar. I does leave a rock hard clear coat when it sets up which is superior to auto clear, but for ease of use I thought it was very inconsistent and finicky to use. Auto clear and two ton epoxy are much more consistent in my opinion, althoughbthe potential health hazards of the auto clear leave somthing to be desired. My two cents worth.

Primer is a completely different product than paint. It gives the paint somthing to bite and it sticks like glue to the surface. I tried just using a white base coat and then shooting my colors. This was on some spoons I was painting. The results were disasterous. The paint just basically peeled away from the spoon after a little use. This was after a very high quality clear top coat. I have also noticed that on my cranks that I shoot with primer when they get nicked the primer coat still is there, tough as nails. I vote for using primer. I also use Krylon, but wouldn't mind another alternative if someone has a recommendation. My thought is if you have to spray the bait white anyways why not use the product that is made for "priming".

I've used Coast Airbrush for Createx and Tamiya. Steve

Sounds like a great idea.

A paint booth of some kind would move a lot of the overspray away from you. I am in the process of making one like the one on www.fishcarver.com. A small one would work, but why not a bigger one for all your work.

I think I'll get a suit and head sock in addition to the respirator. I did some research on isocyanates and they are extremely dangerous. Lots of cases of people having bad reactions to them or even dying from overexposure.

Any recommendations for spraying auto clear coat safely, other than a $600 air supplied respirator. I wear a respirator and keep it off my skin (gloves, long sleeve shirt etc.), but what else can be done? I also shoot at low pressure. I've only recently starting using auto clear, but this post is making me wonder if anyone except a body shop can truly spray it safely.

My shop is uninsulated and unheated also. I use one or two small forced air space heaters pointed right at my painting station. It keeps it warm at the painting area, but doesn't heat the whole shop. I like 60 degrees and above for painting. Below 60 degrees and I have to use the heaters.

If you want somthing similar to the poly flake you are using you may be able to order it from the same company that makes the poly you are currently using. I have found this flake by searching the net, as my store doesn't carry the blue either. The Waasco irridecent blue works well when sprayed over a dark color. If you spray it over a pearl it won't show up well. The flake is tiny. The other place you might try is Paint with Pearl. They have a store on Ebay. They have all kinds of powdered pearl flakes. You can mix it with your paint, a clear paint, or clear coat for an irridecent effect. The large flake they sell may be similar to the Poly Flake brand.

Sweet little bait. The kill spot on your avatar is a give away. I wasn't able to pull up the November issue of the magazine. Please email me when you get a chance. Steve

Yes, it was a cool little bait. I have seen that bait before, but I can't put my finger on it. It actually may have been Ott Defoe who was throwing it. There is nothing about the crank on the FLW page. He was throwing it in little current breaks. No, I don't have any Wee Baits. I have a few D-baits, but I don't throw them that much. I don't throw many cranks on a spinning rod like the Tennessee guys do a lot. I need to break out the spinning rod cranking stick and the flat sides more often. It looks like it works pretty well. Where do you buy your Wee baits? I wouldn't mind having a few foiled ones.

Did anyone recognize the small crank that Jonathon Newton was throwing at the Stren Series Championship at Pickwick? The tourney was on FLW Outdoors last weekend. It was a small foiled flatsided crank, but I wasn't able to ID it. It looked like possibly a Wee Bait. He was throwing it on a spinning rod. It was a cool little crank and the fish sure seemed to like it.

Thanks. I'll probably just use the heaviest R-bend I can find. I think I found some .040 the other day while I was looking. I don't want to get into bending my own.

Anyone know where I can get some R-bend .045 spinnerbait forms? All I can find are the twisted wire ones. I want to build a compact big spinnerbait like this one http://www.revengebaits.com/products/display/?id=128 but don't want to pay $9 each. Where I want to slow roll them I may loose a few!! I can make a water putty mold and get close enough for my use. Revenge does make a sweet big spinnerbait. Steve

Use a pair of hemostats to hold the jig by the eye while coating and then put them in the crack, releasing the hemostat when it is it there. Or as an alternative hook each one on a pair of hemostats and stick the end of the hemostat in the crack. I do this on baits that don't have big bills, like jerkbaits. I've used this system down to a number 1 hook. Anyone got a supplier for cheap hemostats? I need a few more. Steve

Take 1/2 inch board type insulation and cut it in circles. Make all the circles the same size. Then compress the circles together on a spindle. I have a plywood circle on each end to compress and hold the insulation circles. Use a nail through the spindle on each end of the circles up against the plywood, my spindle is made of galvanized electical conduit, to hold it all together. The little spaces between the insulation will hold the hooks snugly without any movement. I also push crankbait bills into the insulation. It works well when I want to spin them. My circles are approximately 18 inches in diameter and I can do a couple hundred jigs at one time if I carefully load them. I can probably spin 20-30 big cranks at one time. The only down side is I have to turn the motor off for a few seconds as I load, but no big deal. A buddy of mine built this and I inherited it. This is redneck engineering at its finest! Steve (Amistad Tackle)

I painted one in a ghost bluegill pattern and just put it in a bucket of water yesterday. Used light paint and spayed a light clear coat. Used number 6 round bend Gammies and super small split rings. I think they are a number 1 spit ring. I still couldn't get it to suspend although the water I have is in the 70's. It slowly sank, which may be alright. Same problem(?) I've had with the Janns Pointer 100 knock offs.

Thanks for the info. Steve

I'll give that a try. Ours has one split ring and I have heard some guys say that the sound of the blade hitting the head is what triggers the strike. I'd say that bait makes plenty of noise and vibration using a split ring. It does have a wicked action. If anything the bait has to much action at some times versus a spinnerbait.

He may be doing somthing else. I'm sure it's top secret until they release it for sale. The bait in the picture hadn't been fished. In any case I'd like to see a chatterbait that doesn't snag so much. Wishful thinking on my part.

Just an update. What was posted on BassFan is that he was using a shorter shank hook to reduce snags. I have always used a short shank hook on the bait we produce. The regular Chatterbait does have a long hook. It still snags a lot around wood:mad: , although I usually add a trailer hook. Maybe I could get by without it around wood. Anyone have any experience throwing this without a trailer hook? I does seem like when I catch one on this bait it is a good one and it is completely down the fishes mouth. Steve