Big Epp
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Posts posted by Big Epp
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I'd never heard of a "Huddleston" tail. Learned something new! Thanks @mark poulson
Also, I tub tested it without the boot, and it still had no action (predictably), so I added a lexan lip to it, and now it swims great!
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Check this out! Somebody makes a boot-tailed hard-bait:
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Thanks for all the input! I've cut off the boot for this one. I'll tub test it as is and see what happens, and if I'm not happy with the action I'll add a lip and test again. There's 1/8oz of weight in the tail section, which may over-stabilize it and prevent it from having much action. Hopefully by Monday I'll have some progress on this!
@mark poulson "wind sock" is exactly what I was thinking the problem might be.
@Hillbilly voodoo I'd love to see the one's you tried, as there's got to be a way to make this work.
@Vodkaman Thanks for the math! That was a very precise way to break this down, and while I'm not particularly mathematically inclined it definitely communicated the point.
Thanks all! This thread has been really helpful so far, and I appreciate all the different approaches and perspectives!
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Good catch @Hillbilly voodoo! I didn't have a hook on it when I tested it, but I wondered if that might happen. Also, I'm glad you mentioned the lexan tail boot... I was going to try that.
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Thanks @Vodkaman, when it didn't work, my first thought was, "there must be something wrong with the vortices." This is not something I would have thought about, except for having read some of your previous posts.
I'll keep working on this, and will post updates as to progress made.
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I'm working on this jointed lure. I don't know if it'd be called a swim-bait, a wake-bait, or what exactly, but it didn't work. I'm wondering what you think the problem is. I have two ideas:
1) the flat cut front side of the joint is too wide, and therefore blocks the water from pushing against the second section.
2) the tail piece is catching water evenly, causing it to stabilize the second piece instead of causing it to move back and forth.
I cut the end off the tail, but have not tub tested it again yet.
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Makes sense. Have you had much success making crankbaits that don't need lead? I'm sort of on a crank bait kick at the moment, and the first one without lead just flipped over and planed on the surface.
The coil looks like a great way to go though, especially without a lead pot.
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@Hillbilly voodoo Where do you get a coil of lead such as that?
Just googled it...https://www.outdoorproshop.com/Bullet-Weights-1lb-Lead-Coil-p/bullet-weights-lead-coil.htm
Any other ideas?
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@CoreyH I hear you on the airbrush! It seems like people can get some REALLY nice looking finished with them. Just looking through the photo gallery on here blows my mind!
I'm on a very tight budget, and haven't been able to afford an airbrush, compressor, etc, so I've been using rattle cans. I've been able to get some pretty good looking paint jobs with it, though they are much more abstract than some. Impressionistic as opposed to realistic. For now though, I'm happy with it. I'm trying to make the hobby pay for itself, so it's slow going...
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You guys figure Oak would work well for this?
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Cool find @eastman03! I think I'm going to try and replicate the Victory Bomber lure they show in that article. Maybe the Plunker too. It looks like both of those lures could be turned on a lathe pretty easily.
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Thanks Mark! I've never fished with either, though I've used jerk baits like the Suik. I'm working on a handful of glide baits and swim-baits right now, but because I've never owned any before I'm just sort of making it up and going off pictures.
My wife recently asked if I could make her a bluegill bait, so I'll probably put together something similar to the one you made for that. What do you do for the tail?
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Looks great Mark. Question: why do people sometimes put the line-tie horizontal on swim-baits and gliders?
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14 hours ago, Vodkaman said:
Eastman03 - Welcome to the world of Archimedes
Dave
I have kids in my school complaining all the time about how they'll never use math in real life...
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Sounds pretty sweet Mark. I'd love to see a picture. How do you balance the weight?
I'm working on 8" smallmouth bass shaped baits I hope to throw for Muskie this year. They are made of poplar, but the one I've weighted took around 3oz. of lead! Like you, I'm a little concerned about throwing it around all day, not to mention if I have any tackle heavy enough to toss it...
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I love the ductape idea @eastman03 and @mark poulson! I'll have to try that.
I use my vise to hold lures for sanding with a long strip off a belt sander. It helps me get better rounded edges and helps me rough out the shapes before finish sanding. I really like how the paper strips help shape the wood and even the curves. I've been using two pieces of wood 3/8x1x6 to hold blanks in the jaws. They aren't attached to the vise at all, so sometimes it gets annoying to try and tighten things down.
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I've noticed people use different diameter wires and different types of wire. What size and type of wire do you use for which applications? It would be really helpful to have a guide of sorts.
I've been using .032" (.9mm) type 316 stainless steel wire for all my baits thus far (it's all I've got right now). But I know it's not sturdy enough for a muskie bait. Also, it's too stiff to twist with a drill, I have to twist my line ties and hook hangers by hand. Most of the baits I've made are smaller and designed for bass and panfish, but I'm starting to make some swimbaits and heavier stuff, so I know I need to scale up my wire to match.
What wire do you prefer to use for different types of baits/fish?
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3 hours ago, Hillbilly voodoo said:
Not always practical but definitely fun
I have recovered a few lure from trees well salmon fishing in northern BC with a 12gauge. I think I wasted about 5 rounds shooting a branch one day
That is awesome! Definitely fits the "hillbilly" label too... The important thing though, is that we both got our lures back!
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One time I snagged my hottest crankbait in about 8' or 10' of water up north (meaning western Ontario). I wasn't about to let it go, so I jumped in, followed my line down to it, and pulled it loose. It was snagged on a submerged, high-voltage electric cable. Of course the cable insulation was thick enough the hook didn't penetrate it, but it sure made me think twice before unhooking the bait!
Otherwise, I used to frequent the fishing hot-spots with snorkel gear and find the stuff other's lost.
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Minwax has a wood hardener/sealer. The lid is too small for dipping, but if you poured it out into a glass jar it would probably work. I brush it on. There are a lot of people seal balsa with thin superglue by running the applicator over the bait.
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I had a plopper-like lure called an Awaker a while back. It's designed for big pike and muskie, and makes a TON of commotion on the surface. I was throwing it over a drop-off, and something fairly large came up and really smacked it. Sadly, it was the first time I had used that particular reel, and I had the drag set wrong, so I got nothing on the hookset. It sure was an exciting strike though! Pike and muskie are a blast to fish for. Where I used to (and hopefully will again) go in western Ontario (south of Lake of the Woods on Clearwater Lake), there are both species. I definitely have caught many more pike than muskie. There's a reason they call muskie the fish of 1,000 casts! It's been 7 or 8 years since I've caught either though.
This big crawler idea would probably draw some pretty explosive strikes.
Mark, you definitely have inspired me to try and make my own plopper, though I don't think I have the wire for a muskie-sized bait. I've got .032 stainless wire. Let me know if you think it could handle a bigger fish.
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I prefer a forstener bit for such holes. Like you mentioned, the "standard" bit wanders a lot, and a small spade bit goes too deep in the center. I know a guy who uses a dremel sanding drum to do the eyes, but that wouldn't work for lead holes.
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You can get by pretty well with a utility knife (disposable razor blades), although they are uncomfortable to carve with and don't afford me excellent control...just don't slip! Several years ago I got a Mora Knife (before they became Morakniv), it was pretty cheap online back then, and they are still pretty affordable.
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Paint jobs look great. I don't use an air brush, so I expect some imperfections.
Screw eye vs through wire
in Hard Baits
Posted
I've got an old bass-o-reno style bait I made with my grandpa many years ago. It's probably 2 inches long and was made using screw eyes. They eyes weren't epoxied in, and may not even have been super-glued in. I haven't fished with it a ton, as my grandpa is gone now so it's got more sentimental value than anything else, but there was one day my buddies were really smashing small northern pike on poppers. I didn't have any in my box, but figured out if I looped the wire around the front hook, the lure fished just like a popper (not how I would handle the situation now, but that's beside the point). I caught 23 pike that day, most between 1 and 3 pounds. No issues with the screw eyes at all.