Big Epp
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Posts posted by Big Epp
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Dang, this was a great (old) read! Very timely too, as I've sort of been feeling stalled out and adrift as a baitmaker.
I made my first wood lure with my grandpa when I was about 8, 26 years ago. It was a simple, bass-o-reno style lure. He showed me how to shape it and some basic carving techniques. I still have it, though it is now very retired, as my grandpa died a few years back.
I dabbled very ccasionally with making this or that but started to make lures more intentionally 3 years ago. I found TU early on and it was and continues to be very helpful. At the time my goal was to make my own stuff so I didn't have to pay the painful prices at the store.
My first lures were all turned on a lathe and left unpainted. I put some eyes on them with markers or nail polish and sealed them with oil modified urethane gym floor sealer. The next bunch were square bill cranks. I made the profile with a protractor and played a bit with weight to get the action right.
I was working as a school guidance counselor at the time, and every now and then I'd take a kid to the woodshop and help him make a lure. That was a neat experience.
Now I'm sort of muddling along. I want to sell enough to advance the hobby and keep buying the various supplies, but I've got to figure out the tax stuff still. I started making bass jigs this past spring, which has been great too.
Over the past three years I've gotten to the point where (other than soft plastics) most of the lures I use are home made. Just last night I was fishing with one of my clients (I'm a mental health counselor) and we both caught some white bass and bluegill on inline spinners we made. We made his together in my office and I had made mine previously. He also caught a largemouth, and commented on how neat it was to catch fish on a homemade lure!
One day at a time...
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2 hours ago, alsworms said:
I found a guy at one of our local tackle shops that is going to be putting some on the wall this week. He said he's making a small run and setting a couple aside for me. We'll see how it goes!
I love it when we can find good local connections!
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This guy on etsy has a Squarebill called "Sunrise" that looks pretty similar:
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Dude, this thing looks crazy! I'm no manufacturer, but if you need a tester...
Best of luck to you!
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I got one of these done with the lip in the original position (it was already cut). I did change the line tie location. Overall it swam well. It was more consistent when the line angle was parallel to the surface of the water. When I held the rod at a high angle it seemed like the lure was fighting the angle.
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Also don't inhale the fumes deeply while smoking a cigar! (or maybe just don't inhale it at all? Your call on the cigar, although it seems risky to me).
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2 hours ago, Flaswimbaiter said:
Is that hardener waterproof? I would like to get away from using superglue, but it test my baits in water before painting them.
It appears to be (and I think it ways it is). I'll often fill a canning jar with it, quickly dip my lures, and then test them that way before putting anything else on it.
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Hey! There's a lot of people who will put a layer of epoxy down over the wood to seal everything and create a smooth surface for painting on. I often will use a coat of minwax wood hardener for a similar function. It seals the wood and creates a hard surface. After applying the hardener I'll sand it again to get a smooth base.
I think there's some added value with using an epoxy base coat for muskie lures, as it creates some added protection from fish teeth. That's not something I need to consider most of the time, as I'm targeting bass primarily.
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My dryer vent detaches easily from the inside. I have some extra dryer vent material that I run from my spray booth to the dryer vent with a small vent fan to pull the air.
Someone gave me a hobby spray station that has a filter and fan included, which is really neat.
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I mixed some hobby glitter into ETex Light and it worked fine. It was courser glitter, so it took another two coats to get a smooth finish, but everything set up well and looked great.
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Oh that terrible moment when I take a batch of jigs out of the oven and realize, "shoot! I forgot to clear the eyes!"
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Thanks guys! I figured I was getting too much paint on, but not sure what to do differently.
I'll try one of those racks. My toaster oven is a pain to use for jigs, and that would be really helpful.
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I found out a guy I went to high school owns a sandblasting and powder place. I got a bunch of samples of various colors. My problem is the paint seems to be dripping off the top of my jig heads.
I usually use a heat gun, but today I used a lighter. I rotated the jigs in the flame for about 5 seconds before dipping them in the paint. I moved them to a toaster oven when they had cooled and baked them at about 300 for about 20 minutes. Any ideas?
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On 7/20/2022 at 7:30 AM, Flaswimbaiter said:
It’s good that you changed the lip angle if you wake a wake.
The last "wake" i made dives about 4-6 feet...
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I very much appreciate the variety of perspectives on this site, as well as the wealth and diversity of experience! I generally take a very unscientific approach to all this, so I try to glean what I can when I can. That's a very good point about the shock absorber too. I was sort of thinking of tossing this with piece of rebar and 65lb braid, so I'd better take some of those stress limits pretty seriously...
The first bunch will all have the lip in the original position, as they are already cut, and then I'll adjust as needed.
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Kinda feels like I'm showing you my underwear here...but this is what I'm thinking. How would you work lip location to avoid interfering with the front hook?
I saw a video from he engineered angler where he figured angling the front and rear line tie and hook hanger helps with overall strength.
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Thanks guys!
Redwood is incredibly boyouant, so I'll definitely be adding quite a bit of lead. I like the idea of using a hardwood instead. I wouldn't need nearly as much lead, and the stronger wood would certainly reduce the risk of lure failure.
I traced my pattern and altered the lip location. Let me know what you think.
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Hey all!
I'm working on a small swimbait/wakebait. It's maybe 3" long and my blanks are about 3/4-1" thick. I'm going to use the pin style joint where the connection comes out of the back end and is pinned into holes in the front end.
What size drill bit would you use to make the joint holes? I've got some made of redwood and some made with PVC.
Do you have any concerns with the strength of this style of joint? Any concerns with it splitting or tearing out?
I've only done one lure with this style joint, so I'm very new to this process... thanks!
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There is some really inspirational stuff on here. I'm very often challenged by the quality put out by some on here! All Eyes posts stuff that just blows me away!
Knitting isn't so bad, especially on those 100+ degree days...
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Hillbilly, I think many of us are at least a little strange...
I had one of those when I was a kid (before my folks trusted me with a knife) and it was my favorite tool! I loved how I could shape wood with it. Seeing it on here, maybe I'll pick some up for my kids (and me) to work with.
Great start! Keep us updated as you progress with this lure.
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Good call @mark poulson! Here it is sealed, with hooks and hangers dry-fit, and ready for the test tank.
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Okay, so I was out in my shop earlier and couldn't come up with something productive. Despite the many unfinished projects I couldn't find something to do so I started working on this...the combination wrench popper!
As it is I figure I'll put the line tie in the tool face, with a belly hook at about 2 ½ inches and a tail hook. I'm thinking of putting lead for ballast and action in the locations designated by the drill bits.
Before I start tinkering on this, what are your thoughts? Especially on lead placement, what would you change?
Thanks for the feedback!
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Looks great, and catches fish, that's a win!
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Anyone use a stinger hook at night to help with hookups? I stopped using one during the day because I find it to be un-needed most of the time, but maybe at night it would be helpful?
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Looking for new airbrush
in Hard Baits
Posted
I talked with an auto detailing teacher before getting my first airbrush, and his recommendation was the Iwata Eclipse HP-BS. I'd imagine if there's a different style Eclipse for your preferences it would be just fine as well. He said that is the best way to go.