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Crank Baits Not Swimming Correctly

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Hey guys, new here. I am having problems with my lures not swimming straight and not having a nice wiggle. I have been doing a lot of testing and can't figure out if it is the shape of the bills, angle of bills, position of line tie etc. the type of bills that I use are circuit board from Jann's netcraft, and my lures are carved from poplar and I do not weight them.

I have been making lures for about 3 years now and I'm starting to get into it where I want all my lures to perform great and can make them all the same but can't find the right lip angle, line tie position, and ballast placement, I can send pictures of the lures if needed, please help

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Pictures would definitely help.. Along with a more specific description of what is happening with the lure(s)

This part is the most fun (imo) but also the most frustrating... Its a trial and error process, but you can save yourself some error by getting your angles and measurements from a store bought crankbait to begin with

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I have had the same issues with a bait I'm making now. However I got mine corrected. It's one or more of what you have stated.

Weight/ballast of some amount is a must most of the time. Hooks are part of the equation also. The ballast must keep the bait running true for most baits. There are other techniques to make baits do what you want them to do ("hunting").

Shape of the bait, height and length ratios can or not give you fits with action. I just learnt about this. Mine is made from poplar, it is 8" long but took quite a bit of ballast, it surprised me.

Mine has a 40° lip angle, with a "radar" shape and 1.25" from the body. The dive is at 8-9' with a nice calm waggle. I have another that has a wobble (shoulders has a left to right sway) and a slight waggle. The body's are different sizes.

I'm telling you all of this to show how any of these characteristics are involved in designing a bait. Like JR it's fun sometimes...grrr. JR is right in this case pictures would help and size references.

Dale

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The baits are 3 11/16" long and just under 1/2" wide, like I said no ballast and I use 3 different lips the top lures are 3/4" long with a slightly rounded end, those lips I put at a bout a 40 degree angle and the middle lures have a 1 1/16" lip that's rounded and I mount that at a 20 degree angle, the bottom lures have a 1 1/2" lip that is slightly rounded also at a 20 degree angle. The line tie is also close to the lips.

The problem I'm having is as the lures swim the have very slight side to side action but they always vear to one side and don't retrieve straight to you, also as they go through the the water occasionally the lip just drags to one side and the lure has absolutely no action.

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First of all, I like you paint work.

I don't know the depth that you are looking for. I have a bait that dives to 25'+. The lip is at 5° down from the X Line. I had trouble with another prototype that the lip was to long, like Nathan stated. All my ballast is forward. The tail actually sets out the water. Great action, very quick and down to depth. Runs tail up to. :)

Where to place the ballast? My best answer is to get a aquarium and place lead in different locations. See what you like. I have a pool to test shallower running baits and I can watch everything action they do. FYI, chemicals don't seem to hurt the clear coat. :) A bath tub can show some action, but it's limited.

I guess like us all you will need to experiment. BUT keep the info about the bait for future baits.

Hope this helps,

Dale

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You got a lot going on here... 3 different lips at 2 different angles..... Someone really smart once told me, only change one variable at a time... Other wise youll never know which change made it better or worse

If you're buying your lips pre-made, id suggest making your own.. Gives you more flexibility with your designs

Line tie location and lip length go hand in hand.. If youre line tie is on the nose of the bait, the only adjustment you have is lip length...... What you would do is, start with a lip too long and trim it back in tiny incriments until you get what you want

Ballast will help with stability, but if the tow point (line tie) and lip length dont get along, you and the lure wont either

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I use either G10 circuit board or polycarbonate (aka Lexan) for lips. They work equally well. Make a template of the lip you want to use, trace it on the sheet of lip matetial and cut it out with either a pair of metal snips or a band or scroll saw. Use A dremel with a sanding cylinder to take the shape down to the exact line of the lip after cutting it out. I like Wiss M3 straight cut compound snips, less than $15 at Home Depot but I only use 1/32" G10 or 1/16" Lexan, both of which are pretty thin but fone for bass baits. With a little practice, you can do a batch of 6-8 lips in less than half an hour.

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The lips you have differ by 5/16"-7/16".. Thats like 5-7 miles in terms of crankbait tuning... Ive found sometimes shaving off the thickness of a fingernail to have a significant difference in performance

I use lexan, looks "cleaner" than circuit board imo... Just Google "lexan sheet", several suppliers, think i pay $4-$6 for a 12"x12"x1/16" sheet

For shaping, Bob P has it.... My templates are made from card stock, i trace onto blue painters tape (thanks Mark P), cut out and tape to the lexan (protective film removed).. Cut lexan w snips or band saw, then grind down to the tape edge w sanding drum

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When I started I put lips on some baits that was way to long and wide. You can use saws to do heavy cutting, I use a belt sander to do moderate work, then a file to touch up. The sander I use lighter grit on thinner material and turn down the rpm.

As far as buying the board I will guarantee that Mark's supplier is a pretty good place.

Take care,

Dale

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