JD_mudbug

I believe that is incorrect on the masking tape. The 'day' number of the tape indicates the amount of days the tape can supposedly stay on a surface with a 'clean' removal, as long as it is not exposed to sunlight or heat. I use 60 day tape which is very low tack. The lower the 'day' number, the higher the tack, the higher the chance of peeling off the underlying paint. The 60 day tape will have less tack than the 14 day tape. Typical blue painters tape is 14 day tape, relatively high tack. "Scotch 60-Day Ultimate Paint Edge Masking Tape 2480S is a thin, strong, smooth, flat back paper tape that provides straight, sharp paint lines with a low paint ridge, indoors or outdoors. A strong acrylic adhesive holds on contact to most surfaces, yet peels away smoothly and cleanly without residue and fogging, even after 60 days in the sun or temperature exposure of up to 200°F." Scotch Blue Painter's Tape is among the top selling painter's tape in the U.S. for a reason-it's the original blue tape that both pros and DIY painters have loved for more than 25 years. It can be used on a variety of surfaces: walls, trim, glass and metal, and it removes cleanly for up to 14 days and will not cause surface damage within that period, even if it's exposed to direct sunlight."

I have used thin rolls of masking tape on some joints. Grainger sells 3M making tape that is only 1/8 inch wide. A 60 yards roll is $2.12 to $3.35 depending on the tape's thickness. I just wrap the tape around the joint a few times. It's also great for adding perch stripes and other details to a bait if you don't have stencils. https://www.grainger.com/category/masking-tapes/tapes/adhesives-sealants-and-tape/ecatalog/N-85cZ1z0fgu0?okey=1%2F8"+masking+tape&mkey=Masking+Tapes+1%2F8"+Tape+Width+&NLSCM=4&EndecaKeyword=Masking+Tapes&searchBar=true&searchRedirect=1%2F8"+masking+tape&sst=subset

I got a milky result once using a spray can clear when I was spraying the lures outside when the humidity was high. I sprayed 2 more coats on the lures in my basement with a dehumidifier running and the baits cleared up. You could just barely make out the original milky-ness. Maybe the clear had water vapor trapped in it and heating the lure caused the water vapor to off gas?

I have used silicone place mats bought off ebay and a cooking/rolling mat found at a discount store. I found some place mats under $3 each. You get a couple of dozens fins out of 1 mat. They come in a lot of colors. Cut the fin out with scissors or a razor knife for crisper edges. Started using them last year on a half dozen baits. Not a single one has ripped. Flexible and durable and give off a nice tail flap. I recommend pre-punching a hole before putting the pin in in. The mats are stretchy and it can be tough to get the pin to go through them.

I have bought 10 mm and 12 mm eyes from Mountain View Flies in Pennsylvania. They do not have 13 mm. The 12mm fits nicely in the hole made by a 1/2 inch forstner bit. The packages are small so probably not the best place for a large bulk order. http://stores.ebay.com/Mountainview-Flies-and-Supplies?_trksid=p2047675.l2563

The Storm Arashi Square Bill and Deep Diver have a self tuning line tie. They usually are $9. But, they are frequently on sale for less. I have some of the squarebills and divers. All of the ones I own run true. After a few years of moderate use, I have not needed to tune one. They have good action. In my experience, they don't catch more fish than other lures with the typical fixed line tie. I seem to catch more fish on a standard 2.5 sqaurebill than the Arashi squarebill. I assume the line tie has a hole in the end inside the bait. A horizontal pin passes through that hole so the line tie can freely move side to side so it will find the center when in motion. The hole in the lip is a bit wider than the line tie allowing it to move.

I would also guess that they are a hobbyist creations for all the reasons Anglingarcher stated. The BB9 looks like an attempt to recreate the Paw Paw Wotta Frog. The body shape is similar, but the hardware doesn't match up. The Wotta usually has metal diving lip and hooks on the leg ends. The Wotta also has different hardware to connect the legs. As for the BB7/BB9 , the BB might be initials and the numbers might be the maker's 7th and 9th frog attempts/models. Maybe the decedent's initials were BB? If the decedent had a last name that began with a B, the maker could be a relative. If the sale was at a residence, you could find the former owner's name at the registry of deeds/town tax assessor.

I have used Minwax Wood Hardener as a sealer after reading about it in another post . It works good as a sealer. It will last in the can indefinitely. It is thin and can get into small openings. It is easy to apply just by dipping. I use water bottles with the top cut off or empty Crystal Light tube packages. You can also just brush it on. The longer you leave the lure in the hardener, the deeper it penetrates into the wood. The downside is it if you leave the lure over night in the hardener, it will take a few days to off gas. It does not work as a top coat.

I used Helmsman Spar Urethane on a few baits in the past before switching to 2 part epoxy. The Spar's durability seemed better than other urethanes. The bait will smell for while which will fade away after a few uses. As MG said, it will amber/yellow over time. I also used it on the supports and decking for my 14' jon boat. I have used the boat for over a decade.

Heddon got a patent for their G-finish in the mid 80s. It may still be active. Other companies would have to find a work around, which may not be possible. There are numerous steps to making the finish. On a large scale, I don't think it would be expensive due to automation. I think the problem is mostly the durability. Heddon still makes the Zara Spook in G-Finish shad for $7-8. I always thought it was a cool effect. If you are in a Bass Pro Shop or other tackle shop, you can't notice the finish while the lure sits on rack. You have to pick the lure up and rotate it to see the effect. From what I have heard, the process is something like the following: lure is painted a thin clear is applied a thin layer of metallic dust is vacuum applied a clear tack coat is applied micronized transparent spheres are applied to the tack coat several coats of a uv-sensitive clear are applied to seal in the tiny spheres a final clear is then applied. From Heddon ... an effect which is similar to the iridescence or guanine effect from natural fish scales characterizes the lure finish. The reflected light seems to emanate from a source located at a depth within or below the surface of the coating. As the lure is turned, the color of the reflected light changes -- that is, the wavelength absorption characteristics of the coatings appear to be such that in one angulation or orientation of the lure in the incident light, the reflected light will appear, for example, to be a pale yellowish or yellowish off-white in color, and in another angulation or orientation, the reflected light will appear to be silver or white. The lure thus has a surprising similarity to some natural bait species.

Guanine finish is G-Finish. The G stands for guanine. Guanine is a compound found in DNA and RNA. A crystalline form of Guanine is found in fish scales. It gives fish scales a flashy iridescence. G-finish is an attempt to mimck the flash given off by a darting fish,

That Duplicolor looks great. I had thought G-finish came out in the 70s. It was apparently introduced by Heddon in the mid-80s on the Zara spook, torpedo, and tadpolly. Later, it was used on other baits and brands. The guy I know couldn't recall anything about the paint or clear coat used.

The closest I have come to the G-finish was by using Folk Art hologram glitter . The glitter is very fine and suspended in a white liquid glue. I paint the bait, let it dry thouroughly, brush the glitter on the bait, let dry, then clear coat. The glue is supposed to dry clear. It dries with a slight cloudiness. It works well on white, pearl or similar colored baits where the milky cloudiness doesn’t show up. On a white bait, the hologram glitter shows well through a D2T clear coat. I think the G-finish on the lures from the 80s and earlier was better looking and more durable. I have some old baits that still look good. The G-finish on the newer baits is hit or miss. The newer G-finish tends to chip and flake off much easier than the old ones. I think the Heddon Original Spook in G-finish shad is the best looking example of G-finish that is sold today. Unfortunately, pictures do not do the finish justice. I ran into a person who worked for Heddon and later Ebsco-Pradco. He said, that even before some the Pradco brands (Heddon, Arbogast, Cordell, Rebel. Smithwick) were under the same corporate umbrella, the companies would let other companies copy their paint schemes if the other company did the same for them. The first G-Finish bait I saw was a Heddon Tadpolly I bought in the 70s.

Below are some pics. It is used by Cordell, Heddon, Rebel and some of the other Pradco / Lurenet.com brands. On older lures from the 60s-80s, the packages had a silver reflective dot on them with a big G and ‘guanine finish’ written on it. Lurenet still sells some lures with that finish. The finish is tough to see in the pics. It gives off sort of an iridescent glowing reflection when in light. It is supposed to mimmick the flash given off by fish scales. It's a cool effect. I have had a lot of luck on the G-finish spooks.

I agree with Anglingarcher. I like a hook in the tail section. I also like 2 hooks. 3 hook baits are a pain to deal with and seem to do way more damage to fish. When I make a bait like that, I put one hook near the first joint at the 5 inch mark. Sometimes the front hook screw is at the back of the head section at 5-1/2. Sometimes, I put the front hook eye screw at the front of the middle section at 4-1/2. I try to line it up so the hook points will not be near the joint between the sections. I put the tail hook eye screw near the 1-3/4 mark so the hook is near the tail fin. I can’t tell what the tail fin is made of on your bait. I personally do not like a hard tail fin. I think it interferes with hookups. If the tail fin is a hard fin, I would probably move the tail hook placement up a bit. You can use a piece of tape or thin rubber bands to hold the screw with the ring and hook attached to the bottom of the bait. Drop it in a bucket of water to see how it falls. I use a soft tail fin. You can make soft fins out of paint brush of other hair type fibers, flexible plastic form things like margarine/food containers, or using tails from other soft plastic baits like a Fin-S fish. This summer, I starting using silicone placemats bought of eBay for fins. They are cheap, easy to cut, come in a lot of different colors. I found some placemats that were 15 inches by ten inches for $2.50 each. So far, they have worked well. I have not had one rip yet and they have great action. Hooks that tangle drive me crazy as much as when the front hook catches on the bill. It’s nice now that most companies make short shank trebles.

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.

I made a big lure holder out of scrap wood and cheap L brackets. There is a description and picture of it in the post titled 'big lure holder'. http://www.tackleunderground.com/community/topic/33862-big-lure-holder/?tab=comments#comment-279044 Works well for me on jointed baits too. To cover the joint, I wrap a rubber band or 1/8 inch or 1/4 inch wide painters tape from Grainger.

Owner has a hook that is close to a right angle T. The hook is the ST-35. It's a short shank and comes in sizes 1, 2, 4, and 6 so far.

I ordered several different types of blanks (glide baits, rats, swim baits, cranks) from Avid, around 2 months ago. I received them quickly. I only ordered items that were in stock. The blanks were very good quality. Avid is one of the few places I have been able to find larger blanks.

Hi FishCandy, When you click on the link, it's says - Google. 404. The requested URL is not found on this server. Jim

You're welcome. I knew I had seen them somewhere in the past couple of days.

How about these? Stinson 5/8. Pricey. https://www.etsy.com/listing/487208791/real-eyes-realistic-3d-lure-eyes-58-64 I was just looking for snake/slit pupil type eyes and finally found what I was looking for. After seeing your post, I am trying to remember the sites I was on where I came across chrome eyes.

I don't know if this will help. LPO has 3D chrome eyes that are 1/2", not quite 5/8". http://www.lurepartsonline.com/Online-Store/Lure-Eyes_10/3D-Chrome-Eyes.html

I prefer snaps in most cases just for the convenience of being able to change lures quickly. I find it difficult to tie knots in cold weather. I also don't like the possibility of the line slipping into the gap of a split ring where the ring is a single layer. I only use snaps that have a rounded end at the lure line tie so the lure can move freely. The snaps I use also have a hook bend at the end of the clasping part so it won’t be pulled open. If I am targeting larger species like pike or striper, I will use a snap like the Decoy Egg Snap. I have yet to see one of those fail.

I agree with a dremel and a sander. Making a lexan diving bill is so much easier with a sander.