JD_mudbug

Could you use that lure body for a different lure type. That body with far less ballast and a lip would make a great 'Shellcracker' type bait. I have made a couple that size from cedar with ballast just in the front half. They weigh 1 to 3 ounces depending on size and ballast. They are so bouyant that they wake with the rod held up and they dive 2-3 with the rod tip down, making them very versatile.

Unfortunately, most of the props with a .092+ hole are big. https://www.ebay.com/itm/50pcs-Stainless-Steel-Prop-Blades-Propeller-Blades-DIY-Topwater-Fishing-Lures-/162710994902 I stumbled across these props from China. These are 1.02 inches long. The hole is .091, just a bit too small. You could expand the hole a hair with a small round file instead of having to drill. https://www.homedepot.com/p/Husky-Steel-Precision-File-Set-with-Storage-Case-6-Piece-707476H/207112197 I use this file set a lot. The round file to expand holes. The square file is great for finishing perfect lip slots for 1/8" lexan. The flat and wedge files are great for sanding in tight spaces.

I used these LPO props to make an amazon ripper type bait by putting a clockwise one in front of a counterclockwise one separated by a bearing washer. They will work with a .092 screw. Each prop takes up 1/4" of the screw so you have to account for that in choosing the screw length. The props are 2.5 inches tip to tip. https://www.lurepartsonline.com/Chopper-Prop 2.5 squarebill shown for scale.

Thanks Woodie. Do you know what grade the tig wire you are using is- 304, 308, 316, etc ? I can't find a supply in my area to check out and will most likely have to order it.

I have not tried tig rod yet. Based on what Eastman said, I am hoping it is softer than the LPO shaft wire. According to an old post, tig rod comes in varying hardness. I just need to locate a welding supply shop near me. http://www.tackleunderground.com/community/topic/9762-stainless-steel-wire/ I tried using the LPO .062 and it was brutal to shape. I was barely able to bend it into a safety pin loop for a trolling spinnerbait for pike. We have some big pike in the some of the waters I fish. I've had .040 wire ruined by 40" pike, bent and twisted so bad the wire broke when trying to fix it. I have not had a .040 wire break during a fight yet. For bass in the Northeast, .040 and .051 is strong enough. I have had .051 bent by pike, but I was able to bend it back without damage. Pike thrash a lot during the fight. They usually go crazy in the net. I use a rubber hook-proof net. If a part of the lure gets hung in the holes in the net, pike can can exert a lot of force on it.

I also use the .051 stainless wire for most of my lures like through-wired lures, whopper ploppers and globe prop lures. For line ties and hook hangers, I typically use LPO stainless .092 magnum screw eyes. On small lures (2.5 squarebill or smaller) , I use the stainless .072 screw eyes. I no longer use thinner diameter screw eyes or brass screw eyes as I have had those break. Occasionally, I use gate hardware screw eyes on large baits (2 oz and up) especially if I can find them in stainless. I find these in the draws in small hardware stores so I can just buy the screws. They typically come in a package with one screw eye and a second screw eye with a long latch hook attached. I don't want to waste money paying for the latch I will never use. The gate hardware screws come in sizes similar to size 206, 208, 210 and 212 screw eyes but the gate screws have a longer thread. I had to pound a nail in a wall stud so I could bend .062 wire around it. I knew that size wire was not for me. I will have to try finding some .062 tig rods. On some really big baits (5+ oz), I would like to use that size wire.

I have done a couple of things on that particular blank. For a fuller skirt, attach a size 2 split ring to the lure tail hanger; attach a size 3 split ring to the size 2 ring; put the the skirt on the size 2 ring with some needle nose pliers (slide it right past the size 3 ring); after the skirt is on, hold the bait head down so the skirt falls to the nose and put your hook on the size 3 ring. The skirt sits on the size 2 ring up against the lure body and is kept on by the larger size 3 ring. For thinner skirts, I just run a tab (or a tab and half tab) of skirt material through a treble hook eye; run the material half way through and fold down; slide a small piece of shrink tubing over and just past the hook eye; shrink the tubing with a heat gun; there will be enough room on the hook eye to attach it with a split ring. Probably best to use marine shrink tubing. But. I have not had any breakage on regular shrink tubing yet. The second method gives the skirt a lot of action as it swings freely with the hook. It does give a smaller profile than the first method as the second method is limited to the number of strands you can get through the treble hook eye.

http://www.tackleunderground.com/community/topic/33862-big-lure-holder/?tab=comments#comment-279044 My holder is sort of like Raven's holder. I use scrap wood and L brackets to make them. The eye bolt and swivel allow for manual rotation. Tighten the nut to prevent rotation. Add an eye screw on the side of the end to hang it vertically.

https://www.lurepartsonline.com/Creeper-Wing-Sets LPO has some. LPO calls them creeper wings.

Sorry, I didn't see that LPO was out. Get Bit Custom Baits is also out of stock. I have purchased a few of Predator's foiled 110s and they are good. Not a true silver plate, but very close and good action. I was able to put 10 in my cart without getting an 'out of stock'.

Also, LPO has a silver jerkbait similar to the 110. https://www.lurepartsonline.com/Agile-4-1-2-Flasher-Minnow_2?quantity=1&custcol13=8

Predatorbassbaits.com has a holographic foil 110.

I got the idea from that. I ordered a pack of Nose Jobs from TW to try. Shortly, after I received them I was in the hardware store in the picture hanging hardware aisle. Saw a big 3" diameter suction cup hanger and had deja vu.

I made my jitterbug type lure with the Murray cod type lip. I haven't figured out a good way to make uniform curves in lexan. I might just have to get some heavy gloves and bend heated lexan around a pipe. I did try a cupped lip on my bait by using a big suction cup hanger and carving it into a jitterbug shape. One of these things: I took off the metal hook, carved some off the top and bottom into jitterbug-lip shape with a razor knife, drilled a hole through the center and mounted it to the bait with an eye screw. This did give my bait some action. I get some action at the head of the lure. The action gets less going back. The tail section doesn't move at all. I think your on the right path with your lure size and one joint. I should have started there or even just a non-jointed one at first to get the lip size to body ratio correct.

I agree with DaBehr on the the colorado blades, especially the Hildebrandt colorados. That brand of colorado blade seems to thump the most. I also like the wide willow blade. It thumps a little bit less than a colorado but gives off more flash and casts a bit better. They are sometimes called mag willow, turtle back, cascade, or olympic blade. Terminator calls their version of it, the Oklahoma blade. Lure Parts Online sells them too. https://www.lurepartsonline.com/Lure-Making/Shop-By-Product-Category/Spinner-Blades-Spoons/Spinner-Blades/Wide-Willowleaf-Blades?page=1

You're welcome. The thanks really go to Dieter. The wings on Dieter's creeper are amazing. A lot of work went into those. I haven't seen him post anything recently. I find myself re-watching his old videos for motivation to make a new lure.

Mark, You're welcome, btw. I forgot to put that in the last post. I lurked on this site for a while before joining. I usually don't make multiples of a particular bait. So, I never felt 'expert' enough to contribute to the site. It's a good feeling when I can.

Nothing permanent. I used a fine black Sharpie to draw detail lines on the lighter color fins. You may have to go over the same line twice to get the ink to show. Sometimes certain ball point pens can write on it. Pens seem completely random as to whether they can put ink on the mat. The ink will last maybe an hour or two of casting. It wears off quick. I have let ink dry on a fin for over a week. When I touch it, it still wipes away. Touching it with your fingers will wipe off any ink. I have tried several paints they just wipe off. I tried standing on a window screen over the mat to impart the grid pattern. Got no results. I have thought heating a .040 or .051 stainless shaft wire with a plumbing torch to sear marks on it for detail lines. Haven't tried that yet. The mats have a high temp tolerance don't know if it will work.

I have an Arbogast musky jitterbug, the Jitterbug XL. I put it in a pan filled with water. It sits slightly nose down. The body is approximately a 1" diameter near the head. It does not start to narrow much until the last third of the body. It tapers down to around 3/8" at the end. It is 4 and 1/2" long. It does not feel like any weight is in the body. It might have a small belly or tail weight but I couldn't tell. It does have two trebles mounted mid-bait, one on each side which may negate the need for weight. It just looks like the wider body up front offsets the weight of the metal lip. I made a creeper type lure inspired by Dieter. It's like a bigger version of the Pompadour without the tail spinner. I bought the large creeper wings from LPO. Dieter's creeper is a work of art. He has some still shots in his video of the lure before it is painted showing the design: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9H3hQGIWwAg I have caught a couple of largemouth and 1 pike on my creeper so far, nothing big. It looks like a tiny person swimming. I have tried to make my own multi-section jitterbug type lure with a lexan lip, but it did not work. It only has a slight wobble when it sits close to flat. Still experimenting with different lip shapes and angles. I use a heat gun and sheet metal bending pliers to bend the lexan. I think my bait at 9" may be too long for a jitterburg type lip. I have also made a globe type lure. It's not really a paddler, more of a churner, sort of like a boat propellor, but it makes a heck of racket on surface. It's more of an old-school type lure, overlooked in the current whopper plopper era. It has a different action with the churning in the front 1/4 of the bait. My lure does work action-wise, but no fish yet. I used a piece of lexan to make blade/wing part. The original used metal. I thought the globe was much easier to make than a jittergbug type lure.

When I make my baits, they are usually one-offs. I needed a way to easily make fins of different shape, sizes and colors. It would be great I someone could figure out how to make details on those mats. Everything just wipes off them. I have thought of heating stiff wire to try to brand detail lines on them, but haven't tried it yet. Most of the baits I make are large baits - 6" to 12". The fins on the some these baits are close to 2" in height. I usually have a hook that overlaps the start of the tail fin, sometimes touching the slope of the bottom of the tail fin. Sometimes the bottom tip of the fin hangs below the level of tail hook. I was worried if I used a stiff material that a fish could not close its mouth and get the hook. I probably overthought it. I am using ST-35s, ST-36s, and KVD elite triple grips in sizes 1 to 3/0. Those hooks will probably hook anything. Having a fin that folds down can't hurt. On big baits, I find I get a lot of head shots with fish hooked on the front hook anyways. It's always impresses me when a 2 lb. bass attacks a 9" lure.

They were generic-type Chinese made. I bought one silicone baking mat at Dollar General. It was reddish-brown. It was thick, 3/16". Its was $4 and was 18 inch x 12 inch. That has been the thickest I have found. The rest of the mats I have I bought off random Ebay sellers, usually any where from $1.75 to $4 each.. There are alot of sellers- different sizes and colors, some have textures. Most are 1 mm thick. https://www.ebay.com/itm/Heat-Resistant-Silicone-Kitchen-Baking-Liner-Pad-Bakeware-Non-stick-Table-Mat/232812893544?hash=item3634bad568:m:mLK9IbwZTsBIHF6HL2bVEqA https://www.ebay.com/itm/Silicone-Pot-Holders-Non-Slip-Square-Mats-Trivet-Heat-Resistant-Select-Color/291672376880?hash=item43e9074630:m:mbbusx7R-1k9n2zjX8hF1bQ https://www.ebay.com/itm/Rectangle-Heat-Resistant-Mat-Silicone-Non-slip-Trivet-Pot-Pan-Holder-Pad-Kitchen/143452095807?hash=item216669453f:m:mIxHvPRINFEDpph1265Kbww https://www.ebay.com/itm/Silicone-Baking-Liner-Oven-Heat-Insulation-Pad-Bakeware-Non-stick-Pad-Table-Mat/253670401246?hash=item3b0fef24de:m:maJ3gBnPkR2oH6hWNQPU3Nw I have not tried any of the textured mats. I have been using the regular smooth mats (1 mm thick) for a few years. I haven't lost a fin yet. Even if I did, each mat will make a few dozen fins. I have one bait with maybe 20 fish on it and the fin is still in good shape. If I am not lazy I will make a template of the fin shape I want out of thin wood or hard plastic. Then I can just trace around the template with a razor knife to make a nice clean edge. I may even pre-punch the 2 holes in the fin with a metal tube. Most of the time, I just find a pen that will write on the mat, draw the fin and cut it out with scissors. It helps to keep the mat deep into the scissors. The ink wipes off with a paper towel. Then I just push the brads through the fin and use a razor knife to center the fin in the notch to make sure the brads went through. I use steel brads (usually sz 18 x 3/4") to pin the fin in the tail notch in the lure body. Cut the brads to length with side cutter pliers or mini-bolt cutters. I use a tooth pick or unfolded paper clip to put a tiny drop of super glue on the head of the brad where they sit in the hole in the lure body.

I use fins cut from silicone place-mats. Many colors available, give a nice sway on the retrieve, fold down when bit, durable, easy to make. The 'transparent' ones are a see-through cloudy whitish-gray color that will go with most baits. Sometimes I use fins cut from a flexible plastic container (milk jug, water gallon, margarine bucket) or plastic notebook cover. There are a couple of threads on it but I could only find one. http://www.tackleunderground.com/community/topic/34563-soft-tails-for-swimbait/?tab=comments#comment-284529

My several cents. If money is no object, buy a Water Wolf camera as that is essentially what you are making. Otherwise, there are a few things you could try. Wipe some spit or use some anti-fog spray for goggles on the polycarbonate just before you put the camera in. Try making a PVC body instead of wood. Wood expands and contracts and that is probably enough to allow a tiny bit of moisture in around the gaskets. Plus, there is probably some moisture in the wood itself. Maybe get rid of the hole for the on/off button. This would be a pain as you would have to install the camera (with it turned on) just prior to fishing. It does reduce one water penetration point. Could you make a recessed groove around the hole where the camera goes in? Then you could use an O-ring as a seal instead of a gasket. A compressed O-ring might make a better seal. For using with water in the cavity, take the poly carbonate off, drill a ring of holes in the polycarbonate where the gap between the outside edge of the camera housing and the cavity will be. This will allow the cavity to fill will water. Just don’t dill any holes that will be in front of lens. That may obscure the images. Make sure there is some line (weaker than the main line) in between the bucktail and the camera or you could lose the camera. If the bucktail is wired all the way to the camera, you could lose everything as the main line to the camera would break first. On a Water Wolf, I use a mono line from the camera to the lure that is weaker than my main braid line to the camera. I am willing to concede the loss of the lure over the camera.

http://www.tackleunderground.com/community/topic/34979-devcon-2-ton-problems/ I had one new tube that was bad. I think it had been sitting in the store for quite a while. I didn't notice it was slightly cloudy when I bought it. I had a second tube go bad because I left it in my car overnight in winter.

I believe the Mid Wee R was a 6 - 8' diver. It was supposed to fill the gap between the Wee R ( 4.5 - 6' ) and the Deep Wee R ( 8 - 10' ). I think it was only made for a year or two around 2002.