Big Epp

Ha! Right you are Dave. I'm working on a bunch of rats right now as well as a yellow bass wake bait. This old thread was just the ticket!

I think @Outlaw4 has a good point about the weight. Keeping the weight down in the lure close to the belly might help keep it from rolling over and help it swim more upright. Generally speaking, keeping the lure sitting level can be really helpful. I've made some that sat nose up or down and still swam fine, but level is generally the way to go.

Both are really cool! I always enjoy seeing the stuff people come up with. It's always challenging and inspiring. Great work, and good luck when it does come around!

Feelin itchy now that you finished that death walker?

Do you pour your baits in 2 parts, or pour 1 bait and then cut it?

I do like using hardwoods for glide baits though, explicitly because it takes so much less lead to balance it. I tried making a couple subsurface gliders out of redwood (which is crazy boyouant) and it took something like 10lbs of lead to get them to slow sink...

I also like using cedar, and also redwood. Part of that is I have an ample supply from various construction projects over the past couple years... The part about cedar that i find can make it tough to carve is the very different density of the hard and soft growth rings. I have mostly red cedar. There is variation from piece to piece in this too. Overall though it is easy to saw and shape, it's pretty strong and durable, and it is very boyant. Another plus is how nice the shop smells when the dust settles! (I use a respirator to keep the dust from settling in my lungs). Overall though I take a very utilitarian approach, and use whatever I have handy. As other have mentioned, each type of wood has its own characteristics and quirks, and I find it fun navigating that variability. I've used oak, pine(s of all sorts), pvc, basswood, maple, cedar, redwood, etc...

I was a guy on YouTube who uses modeling clay to make masters for molds. I wonder if this would work similarly? Seems like a neat product.

Great points! My pot was only half full (or a little less). I only had 1 extra pound of lead, so I'll need to pick up some more lead and maybe pick a warmer day to pour. It's been pretty cold here (20s and 30s). Do the molds also lose heat quickly? I noticed I had much better luck this time, but the middle cavity (1/4oz) poured well while the end cavity (3/8oz) did not do great. I figured this is because of how cold it was, that the ends of the mold were cooling faster than the middle. I placed all my hooks on top of a toasterover and they (as well as the pins) were hot to touch.

Alright, I preheated my mold (do-it poison tail) on the lead pot as it melted the lead, did several empty pours, had the lead pot set at 7/8, put in the hooks, hit the base of the mold with a heat gun, and got good looking jig tops. When I took the hooks out and poured again I got great fill. Should I try heating the hooks more?

Ha! I definitely did NOT catch that detail... Thanks for the tip though!

@21xdc and @Kasilofchrisn, you both shared some really helpful info, and i appreciate your experience and willingness to share. Please take this with a grain of salt, coming from someone who has a lee pot and a mold inventory that puts BOTH of yours to shame (literally 2 from Do-It), I don't think we need to spend too much time figuring out who has the biggest lead pot on this thread

I really appreciate all the information on this thread! I've been having the same problem Mark mentioned, and it's been really frustrating, so this is really helpful!

Dude, that does look sick! I could see that profile being a great muskie bait or big bass swimbait! I'm going to try my hand with resin soon. How are you doing on finding the balance with micro baloons and resin? I saw the engineered angler uses 10% micro baloons.

Nice bunch of lures! I've used an MCU with very good success as well. By the look of it, you are after striper?

That's a clever idea! I'm not sure of an answer for you, but at the outset it seems doable. I wonder if they have a customer service department that could provide a solid answer.

1) Don't be afraid to try new things. 2) Slow down and work on a quality finish. 3) Don't be in a hurry to sell, build and improve quality first! 4) Test lures before painting them. Merry Christmas and thanks to everyone for all the insight you have shared!!!!!