Aiden James Lures

I am going to make a duplicate just to see if it will "hunt" like this one. Does anyone understand what makes a crank hunt left to right in addition to a wobble?

A crazy day of testing and mods! Three trips to the pond, 7 little bass, and a huge hawk! SO, I initially put the line tie at the top of the beveled bill portion and it blew out right away. It wouldn't even try to swim. I then moved the line tie to the exact center of the oval that makes the bill, and it swam with a medium wobble and hunted side to side (2 feet in each direction) but wouldn't dive more than a couple of feet. So I added another 1/16 weight in the nose, so it now sinks at a VERY SLOW rate (1 foot every 5 seconds). On the third test the lure worked surprisingly well with many different presentations. 1. I started with a slow steady retrieve and it would hunt and swim at 5ft without blowing out. I got two fish like this. 2. Then I worked it like a suspending jerkbait in the 5-10 foot range, and picked up a couple more. 3. Since it sinks so slowly, I was able to work it like a dying fish in the top 6” of water with quick snaps of the line. This method only landed one small bass, but a huge hawk ambushed my lure out of nowhere and tried to fly away with it! Luckily it didn't get hooked and I was able to yank it free. I've been fishing this pond, almost daily, for years and have seen lots of hawks but never had one try to hit my lure. 4. I cast it to the middle of the pond and waited for a good minute and then started a slow retrieve along the bottom. I could feel some ticks from rocks or sticks all the way back, so I know it was hunting the bottom! This should work well when the water temp drops. As you can see from the pics, I need more practice painting fish! It is much different that painting mice and rats! I love that the bait “hunts” left to right, but I’m not sure why. Does anyone know? Is it on the verge or blowing out or off balance or not symmetric? Thanks for your help, everyone! I will post videos soon.

I knew you would have answers! I am trying to make a hybrid lipless that acts more like a billed crankbait. The only floating lure with a wide wobble and deep dive that comes to mind is a kwikfish. Mine is shaped nothing like that, but I was hoping that with a big beveled nose and thinner body, I could get a new type of lipless crankbait. I think I will start with the line tie just above the half-way spot on the bill and see what happens. Thanks again, John

It is French Oak to be specific and full of wine, so I did do a float test and I had to add 3/16 more lead on the belly to get it to almost suspend(barely float) with hooks and rings. It is hollowed out for the ss ball rattles. All of my topwater stuff is made from Poplar.

I am surrounded by the wine industry, literally, so I just get the old barrels, empty, unfortunately. I wish I could afford a barrel of Napa Valley Wine!

So do you think it should go right in the middle of the bill like a standard crankbait or higher up like a lipless? Thanks for chiming in, John

Hey Crankbait experts, I want this thing to suspend or barely float, and dive to 10+ feet on retrieve. Do you guys think that's possible? Where should I put the line tie? FYI, I've placed three weights in the belly and hollowed it out with rattling SS balls. It also still smells like wine. Do you think that smell will bleed through the paint and epoxy clear? Maybe fish like the smell of wine?

Kirkland(Costco) Baby wipes! I've tried everything from solvents, to comet, dish soap, to mechanic's soap, and one day I grabbed a wipe and it made the epoxy disappear from my hands. I've also tried other brands of baby wipes and they don't work at all. Not sure what's in them that works so well. Anybody know? Kinda scary that I used these on my kids' parts!

Send me your lures and I will send you product photos in exchange. Any takers?? Check out my latest pics in the HB gallery, and send me a PM. http://www.tackleunderground.com/community/gallery/image/9808-muck-the-mouse-2/ http://www.tackleunderground.com/community/media/gallery/album_8/gallery_26043_8_871789.jpg

A better wood filler??? I've started collecting the sawdust from the CNC machine and mixing into a Medium Viscosity CA like Bob Smiths INSTA-CURE+. It seems to be odor free and dry harder and faster than bondo with good sanding results. They also sell two very thick CA's for big gaps and an accelerator. Anyone ever tried these? http://www.bsi-inc.com/Pages/hobby/ca.html John

I haven't been satisfied with the expensive weedless trebles out there, so I make my own from SS Music Wire, Thread and Super Glue for only $.05 a hook. I made some with wire and solder, but the thread and glue seems to be plenty strong and waterproof. Let me know if you want to make your own, and I will post more details and better pics. here's the SS wire I use. http://www.drillspot...XE90_Music_Wire John Aiden James Lures http://AJLures.com

I didn't, but I wouldn't want it any thinner. It dipped perfectly at its factory thickness. I understand that the dry time is determined by thickness, so I could add a thinner and a hardener. If I am going to mess around with all that for each batch, I would be better off with a two part system. I want to be able to open the lid, dip my lures, and close the lid. That is probably asking too much, but I will continue my search. John

It was still not even dry to the touch this morning. I will not be using this product. There was also a high solvent/VOC content. I only dipped one lure with it, and when I turned my gas dryer on this morning, I smelled that peculiar 'burning VOC' smell. So I am still on the hunt for a dipable, low VOC, clear, durable, flexible, fast drying finish. John

So I dipped an old lure right into the can with nothing added and here are my findings so far: It dipped beautifully and didn't run or seem too thick. However, it wasn't crystal clear, and it wasn't odor free, as advertised. I can still taste the VOC's. I will let you know how it dries and cures. John

Santa showed up! I'll try it tonight, and let you know what happens.