whittler

If your mission was to make something different, you have accomplished just that. Unique design and bold colors.

In the tacklemaking section a week or so ago it was discussed how to silence baits but I thought it should be posted again here. When altering baits in any way it is a good idea to know exactly how it is made inside and about the only way to do that is autopsy a few baits. Have sectioned a bunch of baits and it can save you some problems if you know how its weighted, how its weighted(closed chambers or open chambers and if the rattles are used as an intergal part of the weight system. Int the picture, 1/2oz. Rattle trap you can see what your dealing with and how to modify it. The best way I have found is to drill a 1/16" hole in the top rear section and using a syringe, fill the rear section with mineral oil. This kills the sound plus adds a little weight. The mineral oil in some baits does not completely silence the rattles but changes them to a very low noise. With a 1/16" hole a drop of epoxy on a toothpick seals the hole.

I apologize for the confusion fishwhittler, its Capt. Hooks not Dr. Hooks

1. Use epoxy for your hardware. 2. McMaster Carr sells Lexan, also check your local glass shops sometimes they have scrap pieces which you can get real cheap or for free. 3. Dr. Hooks

For your first I would say you did pretty good, you will get better with every bait you make. Don't get caught up in the paint and finish, get the action right first and it will save a lot of frustration.

Gliders are mostly used for Musky/Pike fishing. They are worked in a walk-the-dog fashion, most all are sinkers and will WTD under the surface. Their action is dependent on the fisherman. Swimbaits, can be made to wake on the surface or swim underwater. Most swimbaits have a swimming motion more like a bait fish with the head steady and most of swiming motion is in the rear 2/3 of the bait. Most of this style baits will have 3 or more sections and do not require a lip to have great action. The broomhandle type swimbaits, Slammers, will require a lip for their action in most cases. If you have a tackle shop that handles Musky baits go look at a Mouldy's Hawg Wobbler, This is a broomhandle type swimmer at a third the price of a Slammer, and they are great bass catchers.

If you are having no trouble with screw eyes then thats what I would use. Have tried a whole lot of hinge types and twisted stainless steel is what I use most of the time. Screw eyes and twisted wire will work the same but with the twisted wire you can make them as heavy or light as you like, in any length and they are much less expensive than buying .092 stainless eyes. I also have a very quick method to twist them if you decide to go that way.

Dave, HE was the customer not the seller. You are dealing, quite likely with a man's livelyhood and business. Statements like those are better left unsaid until you do have some experience.

Dave, if you will check, before postingyou will find the problem was not with eyes he sold but with eyes he was buying. The baits sold on that site are pretty good quality and work well, for the price, they are not however Lucky Craft.

Great looking bait there Marty, just kind of says bass.

Good read there Ken, pretty much nailed it. The problem with most new builders that I see is they want to build a lot of different baits before they make one that works well. Most always ask the question, whats the fastest way or whats the best in paint or materials, that question can only be answered with experience, trial and error. What works for me may not work with you. If the new builders would just say what tools they have to start it would be a big help in answering their questions.

If you can do that quality of paint with rattle cans, you will go nuts with an airbrush. Great looking bait, even for an ole Hoosier.

It would be tough to get them all centered. What I would probably do is drill a 1/4" hole right behind the line tie, remove the balls and drop in 3 or 4 1/4" lead balls. The 1/4" balls would lay inline on the bottom of the bait and a couple drops of epoxy would hold them in place. You might also just fill the cavity part way with epoxy and get the same result, more than one way this could be done.

This is a rattletrap but not all of them are quite the same. You can see where the holes can be drilled and where glue can be added but realize that if you can't get them centered your lure will be out of balance. The front 3 balls are lead and they do not move, the rear has 27 1/8" steel balls that are loose in the rear chamber. The only sure way to know exactly what your dealing with inside a bait is to look inside.

To silence a bait seems simple enough but keeping the balance is not. If you just put in a glue then you must be sure that the rattles are centered inside the bait while the glue sets or the balance will be upset. One way to quiet them down is to add a small amount of mineral oil inside the bait, does'nt totally silence them on all baits but it does quiet them down and does not upset the balance, since it will tend to self level. If the weights are just balls they can be removed, weighed and the same weight of epoxy used to replace them. What type bait is it? I have a lot of baits that I have cut apart and if its one that I have I can get you a picture of the inside.

Some great looking baits there Marty, especially like those last two.

Dang, those are some fine looking baits, Marty. Especially like that first flatside, killer color.

I would recommend a good quality airbrush to start. You will do better work from the start without the headaches of a poor airbrush. I have an Iwata HP-C and an HP-CS, both are gravity feed, easy to clean and maintain. If you google PS900 air brush you will find an airbrush with the same features as the Iwatas and Badgers at a much lower price. They are great brushes for the money. If you go with a PS900 get both needles, .02mm and .03mm. The larger needle will be needed to shoot pearls and metallic paints. You will also need a compressor and a good pressure regulator, plus air filter/moisture trap.

Many early baits were in fact shaped on a lathe and there are several baits still made that way today. Some baits that come to mind are the Heddon Lucky 13 and the Pike Minnow. Modern swim baits like the Slammer, which are just expensive copys of the old Mouldys Hawg Wobbler, are lathe turned. If you have a lathe then give it a shot. With the addition of a lip and some belly weight there is no reason you cannot make a good crankbait with a lathe.

I like the color, like the style, just a great looking bait.

Guys, Matt personally answers any questions about his baits right here on BR and a couple other forums. Any baitmaker that publicly adresses any concerns about the use or quality of his products certainly makes a quality bait and is someone you can feel confident in buying from.

It looks good to me, nice work.

Airbrushing is one of those things that no matter how much you read about it or listen to the advice of others, you just have to do it. Practice and experimentition with different paints and pressures and you will soon develope your own style. There are several very good painters on this site and I'll bet that no two of us paint in exactlly the same manner, each has their own style, what works for me might be totally wrong for someone else.

Man you have been busy, some fine craftsmanship there Marty.

Although I love to look at and collect beautiful and detailed baits I do not think it makes much diference at all to the fish. Vibration signature and action are what I depend on with size being a consideration in some situations. Have always felt that if I have black, white and either a green or brown color I do not feel undergunned. My father who was partially color blind, he could not really tell shades of colors, said he always selected baits (in tough conditions) by selecting the ones with the most teeth marks. Since I also make and paint baits, the advice I give is to send those baits for repaint that you already know catch bass and have them painted in your confidence colors rather than a new untested bait. If you were to buy 4 new baits, same make/model and color, one of them will catch more fish than the other three. The fisherman may not be able to detect the difference but the bass sure can.