JD_mudbug

I once got a bad pack of Gami Superline hooks. The points would bend over on the first fish. Even fishing with a wimpy spinning rod those hooks would bend over. I believe any hook manufacturer can get a bad batch of wire on occasion that can cause a run of bad hooks. Tactical Bassin has talked about it before. Start at 17:30 if you don't want to watch the whole video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=91EnJ0dGRXg&t=221s

I think the vintage schemes will work as well as the new ones except in a few situations. I think the action plus overall color scheme is more important in most situations than the detail. I paint some of the baits I make all white or all black. Sometimes I will add just a bit of red, orange or chartreuse to the throat. Those baits catch plenty of fish. Now if you are fishing in clear water using a jerkbait with pauses, I think the new realistic schemes will help as the fish can get a good look at the bait.

Marvel Cinematic Universe and also Moisture Cured Urethane. A one part clear coat like KBS and Dick Nite's.

I used to get to meet a lot of people in the industry. Over the past 20 plus years, I have met less and less people as the internet has taken over. Most of the local tackle shops disappeared in my area. There was less contact with the manufacturers because everything was switching to online and through large stores. A lot of people I knew have retired or went to different fields as the industry consolidated with mergers. I still work 3-5 regional fishing expos early in the year before ice out. The regional shows of today are nothing compared to the shows of the 80s and even the 90s. Back then all the manufacturers went all out to generate sales because they had to. My first fish caught on a lure was on the Mud-bug in the 70s when I was around 7. It has a square aluminum lip with rounded lobes on the leading edge and a bulbous butt. It sits close to a 45 degree angle in the water the lip down because of the reverse design. It is a hard wobbling squarebill that deflects well. If you stop the bait or pause it when it gets wedged on something on the bottom, it will float up going slightly away from you due to way it sits in the water. The backwards float often triggers hits and allows you to back out of some snags. The Seein's Believin' crawfish paint schemes still hold up against todays lures. Back in the 80s, it came in at least 7 sizes ranging from single treble flyrod/ultralight size to a trench digging 1-1/4 oz striper size. Fortunately, I was able to get a stockpile of discontinued baits from the various Ebsco (Pradco) brands that were sitting in a warehouse at the end the 90s . It's interesting fishing old baits like the Mud-bugs, Heddon Clatter Tapollys, Heddon Rivers Runts, and Creek Chub Wiggle Fish along with the modern stuff. I would love to see these lures comeback with updated hardware like the Jitterbug 2.0.

How bout this current one by Hynes Bay Outdoor Products. https://hookremover.com/ https://www.texassaltwaterfishingmagazine.com/fishing/hynes-bay-outdoor-products-swallowed-fishhook-remover

Just saw this post. I am not sure if the one of following hook removers are what you are thinking of. Hopefully, the pics in the links will be of help. Once you find the actual name, it should be easier to track one down. I know I had one of them at some point but can't find it. Rainbow's Shoot Out Hook Remover https://www.ebay.ca/itm/255783290966?hash=item3b8ddf4856:g:ExcAAOSwWfVjTtWb&amdata=enc%3AAQAIAAAA8K2cVIMPDre8SLkdNaaR46%2FYqi4OELNvp4hLbtFLZCduB521f2iyPqp5pFN8UyWLFDyuiLLCPZUgBoYbfI1XeAeNN6X68fInmN4hA0%2ByhXMaDc%2FuamNk2U0vl08EdBtfWLCvdZ5p8ETbScHFEr3IvllWqUf7Rdmc%2BSMKmhcr0rFWKrhhsEAqPJKGH%2BwzWyUn1emJGBqDeQAsEiny8HCNBn4Cuhb65gRquaNbVWgjx7GatD4XoJv0RfKqmB4NwO3nv3aJwOc71qbjY%2FVUELGzsZw2vmhhb3pEPobIrSpSC9ew%2Bvz4JsxDOJeLmIgS6J9MXQ%3D%3D|tkp%3ABFBMusGLpPth Hank Shawhan's Out-O-Matic Hook Remover https://www.etsy.com/listing/1417749691/vintage-hank-shawhans-out-o-matic-fish Double X Tackle Shoot Out Hook Remover https://www.ebay.com/p/1901029931

On the belly hook, you can try a T-type Treble like an Owner ST-35, KVD triple grip or other EWG treble where the points are slightly tipped in to reduce hook damage. You can make your own T trebles with pliers but be careful. Some hooks like Owner ST-36 are too stiff and snap when bent. If you are not careful, you could hook yourself or take a hook shard to the eye.

The old lipped jigs worked. There were several around 20-25 years ago. When the Chatterbait came on the scene in 2003 and became the hot bait, the other styles with the molded in blade lost popularity. Some baits are discontinued because the company has more profitable baits, the bait isn't as popular as a 'new' bait and sales drop, or a component becomes too expensive. Sometimes a corporate merger causes a reduction in a brand's product line. Sometimes it has nothing to do with how well a bait works. The Arbogast Mudbug is one of my favorite crankbaits. Works as good now as it did in the 80s. Other baits, like the modern square bills, became more popular, sales declined, there were numerous mergers, and it was discontinued. The Stanley lipped jig had a too stiff weed guard and a poor hook by today's standard. I don't think they even need a weed guard. You miss a lot of fish on it. Berkley made one called the Blade Dancer. It didn't have a skirt and had a grub-tail minnow designed for it. There was the Wobblehead that was typically fished with a Creme Scoundrel or other straight worm. They also could have benefitted from a better hook. The ones made now with the better hooks of today can be very effective. I have been using this one and really like it: https://www.rockyledgetackle.com/products/swimbait-jig I use a slow to medium steady retrieve. They have a certain range of retrieve speed where the action is great. I watch the jig coming in to find it. I use a trailer that has little resistance like a grub, half a trick worm, split tail spinnerbait trailer, or ribbon-tail worm with the head cutoff. Paddletails and craws have too much action on their own and can kill the action of the jig. It doesn't vibrate like a Chatterbait. It come in with a side to side sashay. They seem to work better in clearer water or less windy days when you need a more subdued presentation than a true vibrating bladed jig. I also think I have had good luck with them in pressured waters because everyone else is throwing a Chatterbait. I like them because they have very little retrieve pressure and the molded in blade helps them scoots over objects. They're great to fish if you hands are sore at the end of long day or multi-day trip.

Stanley Jigs also made some for a brief period probably around 20 years ago. They used a Colorado blade with a hole drilled in the wider end of the blade for a line tie. The skirt rotted away years ago. At the New England Fishing Expo 2 months ago, I bought some nice looking lipped jigs from Rocky Ledge Tackle out of New Hampshire.

I struggled with the regular skinz when they first came out. I had better luck with the ProSkinz and foil skinz which came out later. The skinz are not durable without a clear coat protecting them. Hook rash, impacts, and toothy fish can easily damage an unprotected skin. There is one video where epoxy is put on the body before the Jigskin. Then the skin is put on on with a heat gun or using a turkey baster to apply boiling water carefully. The epoxy cures and creates a bond between the skin and lure body. I would still put a topcoat clear on it. At 3:00 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x8LBi1H7gTc

I don't know about the vinyl paper. You could try water slide decal paper. I have used JigSkinz wraps. There are several youtube videos on them. They come in a variety of patterns. I like the foil ones in particular. You put the bait in the wrap which is a tube, hold with forceps/vicegrips, and dunk in boiling water (see below about using a heat gun to pre-shrink the head area before dunking) or you could try it with heat gun alone. They are essentially shrink tubing with lure patterns on the outside. D2T sticks well to them. It may take a couple of tries to get the hang of it. Use a sharp Xacto knife or razor blade to do any trimming. They run from $2 to $3.50. Price depends on size. They go up to 9" in length. https://www.lurepartsonline.com/Foil-JigSkinz https://www.lurepartsonline.com/JigSkinz-Real-Life-Series?quantity=1&custcol12=241 https://barlowstackle.com/lure-paint-lure-eyes-and-lure-adhesive-tape/jigskinz-proskinz/ Below is an old post on them. https://www.tackleunderground.com/community/topic/34295-wraps-skins-for-big-swimbaits/ From the link above: I have used the Jig Skinz Pro and the foil Jig Skinz on 6-12" Slammer type baits and other big jointed baits. I have done about a dozen so far. I do apply D2T for a clear coat after the skin is put on. On jointed baits with V cut joints, I have found it best to use a skin a 1-2 inches longer than the bait. I cut the skin into sections with each skin section slightly longer than each section of the bait. I make each skin section slightly longer than the bait section in case it shifts a bit when it shrinks. You can trim any extra with a razor knife after shrinking. I do the back (tail) section first. This way you can tuck that piece of the skin inside of the V cut of the section in front of the one you are covering . This way you can get coverage right up to the joint. Then, I work forward putting on a section of the skin one at a time. If you can, install the diving lip after the skin. Cutting a hole in the skin for the lip can be tough on a large bait. I cut the lip slot in the bait before skinning. You can cut out the skin covering the lip slot with an small razor knife. Skinz don't shrink completely even around the circumference of the bait. Sometimes it can be really noticeable at the eyes which can distort. Before dipping the front section of the skin, I have been hitting the the back (top) with a heat gun. This way only the top part of the skin will shrink reducing the chances the eyes will distort. After heating the back (top), I let it cool for a minute before dipping in the water. On a real big bait, I have used a couple of inches from the end of one skin to do the tail section of the bait. Then, I finish the bait with a full skin of the same color. You can use the remainder of the first skin on a smaller bait.

You may want to try lurebuild.com. They have some Xrap type blanks as well as some other salt water blanks. Their stock is low right now. Xrap type, slightly longer than a size 14 at 6”, 1.33 oz. Currently out of stock. https://lurebuild.com/ols/products/6-flash-minnow-160 Deep X rap blank in between a size 12 and 14 at 5”, 1 oz https://lurebuild.com/ols/products/update-pdt2 Reel Power Handles has 5 packs of unpainted clear Sebile Stick Shad KOs. 182mm, 3.75 oz. Lipless, but more of a jerkbait IMO. https://reelpowerhandles.com/products/1067_303855255075_31440_1ced1?_pos=4&_sid=d35f38983&_ss=r Painted 4 pack: https://reelpowerhandles.com/products/1067_312076953538_31440_1ced1?_pos=1&_sid=e978be5aa&_ss=r I don’t know where you are located or if you know anyone near Shreveport Louisiana. Bacon’s Tackle Shop has a bunch of big boxes of Rat-L-Traps. 1000s of bulk Traps. They are actual Rat-L-Traps in varying states of being finished from unpainted, to base coated, to foiled, to fully painted and cleared. They have no hooks and were being sold $2 each or 3 for $5. But, you will have to comb through the boxes for the magnum traps.

You're welcome. I just wanted to make sure it wasn't a typo. You don't see many .5 size blanks out there. You may want to check with Cedar Run if Fishhead doesn't have them. Cedar Run still has the regular depth .5. They might be able to get the deep one.

.5 or 1.5? Could post a pic? Length and weight would be useful too. It might help someone find it. Dinger is now fishheadcustomlures.com. They have a 1.5 DD in clear and holographic. https://fishheadcustomlures.com/1-5-dd/ https://fishheadcustomlures.com/1-5-dd-1-knocker-holographic/

Yup. I think the Hinkle Shad weighs around 5.5oz. That blank is smaller, but it is one of the closer ones I have seen to a Hinkle Shad. The blank weighs 3.9 oz for floating and 4.1 for slow sink. The shape is close too. As you go up in size, there tends to be less of a variety of blanks. I have not bought that particular blank yet. I bought 6 of Alternative Lures other blanks to have some stuff to paint while I reorganized my shop area. The Crucian Carp blank is very heavy. I forget the weight on that. I have not tested any of them yet. I lost my primary winter bait testing water when the door on the spillway failed and that section of river drained. It was one of the few spots that doesn't freeze over. The lakes look like they will open in a week. The Hinkle Trout is 11" and 9.5 oz. I don't recall see any blank close to that profile with that size.

You didn't specify if you are looking for the Hinkle Shad or Trout. Alternativelures.com has a blank like the Hinkle Shad called the Alternative 7" shad. Currently, it is sold out. https://www.alternativelures.com/product-page/alternative-7-shad I have not see many blanks that are the size of the Hinkle Trout.

How about a VMC 731 black nickel jig hook, 60 degree, wide gap, light wire. The 4/0 is .047" wire diameter. The 3/0 is .043. https://barlowstackle.com/VMC-7321-BN-Jig-Hooks-P3788/ https://www.jannsnetcraft.com/vmc-7321bn-jig-hooks-black-nickel Or Gamakatsu 2014 jig hook, 60 degree, light wire, wide gap. The 4/0 is .048" wire diameter. The 3/0 is .044. https://barlowstackle.com/Gamakatsu-2014-EWG-Jig-Hook-P418/ https://www.jannsnetcraft.com/830154 Sometimes the Gamakatsu 2014 is listed as regular wire but it is thinner than .052" I don't think there is anything wrong with bending hooks to fit your needs. I frequently do it to a wide gap hook with cork screw to fit short chubby soft plastics. I prefer not to. When you already have a supply that is close to what you need, my cheapness prevails. I can usually find a hook to fit a particular need. You have to comb through a hook manufacturer's websites to find a particular hook and the gauge info. Paper catalogs are nice when you find a company that still uses them. Always keep track of the model number when you find what you like.

I have formed or bent 1/8” and .093” Lexan to make curved crank bait lips, jitterbug type lips, and prop blades for globe type lures. I have not tried a headbanger type scoop which is more complex. I don’t see why it couldn’t be done to at least make the face of the scoop. I make simple curved objects by pressing Lexan heated with a heat gun around a pipe or other curved or round object. I sometimes use a second curved object to use as my pressing object. I wear heat resistant gloves and use sheet metal bending vice grips to hold the Lexan while heating and to position it before I bend it or press it between my curved objects. I don’t do a lot of Lexan bending. The tough part for me is heating the Lexan enough to bend it without causing bubbles to form from too much heat. Tiny bubbles don’t seem to weaken the Lexan. But, I do try to get pieces with no bubbles where the hardware will be. When using a heat gun, it can tough to get the Lexan to a bendable temperature without overheating it. It would be tough to get the complex curves on the back side of a rocker-head by using heated Lexan without making a weak spot in it somewhere. Maybe you could just make the scoop part, drill a hole through for a wire with loop on one end, once to wire is slid through you could bend another loop. You would have a Lexan scoop with a loop on each side. You could attach a split ring and hook on the back side. You could use a keel weighted swim bait hook for more weight. It would be a bigger version of a Paycheck Nose Job scoop.

Those drop shot clips look too tightly wrapped to get on a jig blade. If I am not using a snap, I use Mustad Fastach Clips size 2 (3/4" long). They have enough room to get on the blade. I will bump the clip up to a size 3 on 3/4 oz and 1 oz bladed jigs. I recommend using painters tape down the sides of both faces of the blade until to you get used to putting them on. The tape will prevent scratching the finish on the blade. I use needle nose pliers to put them on. It doesn't take long to get the hang of it.

I am no expert but lead melts at around 621 F. PVC will melt anywhere from 180 F to 500 F depending on the formula. Flexible stuff like shower curtains have a lower melting point. Rigid stuff like boards and pipe have higher melting points. Molten lead will be hotter than the toughest PVC's melting point. So, I would not pour molten lead into it. I have seen molten lead poured to seal a joint between a cast iron pipe and a CPVC pipe. CPVC is specialized for higher temps and the plumber knew what he was doing. PVC trim boards can warp on hot sunny days. So I highly doubt trim boards would fare well against molten lead. Trim boards are perfectly fine for lure bodies given the size of even the biggest lures. I just wouldn't use molten lead. I no longer pour lead. I use 1/8" diameter or 1/4" diameter solid coil sinker lead for ballast. I used to use cylindrical lead finesse sinkers but I can no longer get those due my state's lead ban. https://www.basspro.com/shop/en/bass-pro-shops-xps-finesse-weights 1/4" diameter lead: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003OCAFEC/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 1/8" diameter lead: https://www.amazon.com/Bullet-Weights-1-Pound-Fishing-8-Inch/dp/B00CMR7EX0/ref=pd_rhf_d_ee_s_gccp_rtpb_sccl_2_3/143-4076970-1543140?pd_rd_w=vngFW&content-id=amzn1.sym.df3d5bde-1953-4d58-8d9a-9d2bb11a39c6&pf_rd_p=df3d5bde-1953-4d58-8d9a-9d2bb11a39c6&pf_rd_r=A2BVHPNDVVAG7XZMHPFQ&pd_rd_wg=MGVUc&pd_rd_r=ad49f5a2-3fe8-4e62-91e3-f90b3a6b1605&pd_rd_i=B00CMR7EX0&psc=1 To put ballast in PVC trim board or wood, I drill a hole with a 5/32" or 9/32" bit depending on the diameter size of the ballast weight I am using. If I can't find those bits, I will use 1/8' or 1/4" and run the drill in and out a few times to widen the hole slightly. I coat the inside of the hole with superglue or epoxy using a cheap brush (30 pack brushes for $2 in Walmart craft section). I slide a 1/8" or 1/4" diameter length cut off from the coil lead into the hole. After the glue/epoxy dries, I seal the hole with the usual stuff like super glue and baking soda, epoxy, or Bondo. I have also used wood and plastic plugs if I am not lazy. I have used discs cut from the handle of a cheap salad spoon to plug ballast holes in PVC boards.

I have a glide bait made by Duel which is fairly blocky at the shoulders, where the sides of the body meet the top. So, I don't think that abruptness is killing the glide. It can cause a thin area in your clear coat so I round the shoulders on the baits I make. Those baits do have a taper as Mark described, thinner at the head, getting thicker as you get to the joint, and narrowing to the tail. As for the depth a glide should run, on the surface or below, that depends on the depth you want to fish. I have surface gliders, slow sinking gliders and some faster sinking glides I can fish deep. As long as the sections sink at close to the same rate and the joint has a decent range of motion, it can work. I have some glides with minimum ballast in both section. Each section floats. The ballast is just to keep the bait upright while it glides on the surface. The V-joint in your pic is very pointed with only a slight gap between the sections. It may not have enough range of motion. I would keep the back section point the same and widen the angle of the V at the back of front section. I have seen people do this to mass-produced glide baits to increase the glide. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sU9ebyGd90A When I cut a V-joint I am usually doing the reverse of that, but yours is already made. After I cut a V-joint, I make the back section more pointy than V in front of it by hitting the sides of the point on the back section with a belt sander. You can also try keeping the parallel gap and just make it wider by having longer screws come out of the front section to see if there is any difference. I would take one of your cast bodies and taper the head more. Do the same to the tail end on the back section and test again. You might be able to save a lot of detail work and use it as a new master. You could re-carve the gill plate and the small amount of the detail work you sand off. I do use a snap on large glides over 7”. I don’t use a split ring with the snap. I seem to get better action on big glides with a snap as opposed to direct tie. I find it easier to get a big glide to do a 180 degree flip with a snap. I would try that bait directly tied and with a snap to see if it makes a difference. If all else fails, put a lip on it. Some my best lures are failed glides that got turned into large jointed crank baits. I wouldn't scrap a mold until I tried all options with it, either with a lip or trying 2 joints to make it a 3-section swimmer.

You may want to try a floor wax midcoat before a final topcoat. The floor wax does help chrome spray paints keep their shine better. I don't know why it wouldn't work with a chrome powder paint. See the post linked below and the Engineered Angler's past videos on Youtube where he tries different chrome paints, mid coats and topcoats. The links to videos are also in the post linked below. https://www.tackleunderground.com/community/topic/38203-chrome-paint/#comment-312630

I have used plastisol, feathers, paint brush bristles, silicone mats, flexible plastic cut from various containers and notebook covers, even a thin flat belt from a small piece of machinery. I like tails that will flex and compress some if the bait is bit from behind.

I only make normal bass size lures when I can't find a blank that will fit the need. As there are of wide variety of normal size blank lures, I mostly make larger lures. I have used stainless nails for years. I got a big box of them cheap years ago. I use the stainless rods and shaft wire to have a range of diameters for pins. The Lowe's Kobalt 8" bolt cutters are decent and run $15. They make a good hook cutter too. If those can't cut a rod/nail, I go with a vice and hack saw. When using bolt cutters, I turn my head the other way and listen for how many ricochets I get around the shop. Using a sock or rag to cover the rod when cutting is a good idea. Sometimes my laziness gets the better of me and I just cut them without doing that. Safety glasses are always a good idea too.

I use the LPO .092" stainless screw eyes or make my own screw eyes from stainless lock/safety wire from Malin or US Wire purchased on Amazon. If there will be 2 screw eyes or the bait is under 2 oz, I go will with .051" twist wire. If it will be a heavier bait with one twist screw eye, I go with .062" twist wire eye. https://www.lurepartsonline.com/-092-Magnum-Screw-Eyes On small baits if I am using the LPO screws, I use the .072" stainless screw eyes and the 1.5mm rods, .062" shaft wire, or cut section of a nail for the pins. Those 2 mm stainless rods are very hard. I use a hack saw and vice to cut them to length. I file the ends smooth before installing them in the bait. Using a Dremel on these can be very dangerous. Cut off disks have a tendency to explode on those rods.