whittler

On my UL rod I wouldn't use anything else, 2/6 Suffix braid .005 thick. There is a learning curve when switching to braid but with the quality of some of the braided lines out there today I would hate to do without it. Have used the super braids with and without long time and I find no difference in fish catching, so I have not used a leader at all for a while, plus as with any line it is one less knot.

Must be an age thing, forgot to mention, here are a couple links that might help you. The first is to a luremaking site that has free downloads of full scale lip patterns, just print, stick on your Lexan and cut. http://www.luremaking.com/catalogue/download_tips.htm This link is for a muskie shop that handles components for bait making. While your there take a look at the Mouldy's Hawg Callers, their action is nearly identical to the slammer, easy to modify and at half the price. http://www.muskyshop.com/modules/web/index.php/id/1

I do not know of any precut lips that are like the slammer but lips are easy to make from lexan sheet. DO NOT use plexiglass, stuff breaks far to easy especially in water below 50deg. I can send you some Lexan to make a few lips with in 1/16" and 1/8" or you can go to a local glass shop and they will usually give you their scrap pieces or at least sell them for a really good price. Keep in mind that if you find Lexan real cheap that it is most likley not true Lexan, don't think you can break the real Lexan under any fishing condition.

Thad, you can use a stencil or if you have a fine tip on your airbrush you can paint them in by hand. Cut your stencil from a plastic milk bottle, cheap and if you make a mistake just make another, the clear plastic I like a best because you can tell exactly where you are on the bait. When freehanding with the air brush I will often pencil in the lines very lightly then follow them with the brush.

Jason, looking good. When using Devcon 2T for a top coat do not thin it, instead mix enough do do a section at a time and your problem will be solved. If you will sand the surface lightly with about 400 sandpaper, just enough to give the surface a little tooth, then recoat it is really going to smooth it out and make those colors pop.

Marty has the right advice on painting sacles. When you go to Walmart instesd of paying $1.50 for a minnow net go to the fabrics dept. and get a square yard of veil material for the same price. The veil also comes in several sizes, plus some of the lace can also give you some very different finishes.

Instesd of a lot of guesswork, try some various styles and see which gives you the desired action. If you will cut the lip solt to the material you plan on using then simply make several lips and test them. If the lips are a little loose just put a small piece of tape on it and put it in place, make sure you have sealed the wood first. When you go out to test take a file and a sanding block so that you can alter the lips while on the water. What a bait looks like in a bathtub is not the same as on the water where a cast is possible. Once you have settled on a style and shape you like then you can remove it and use it for your pattern to make as many as you like. Line tie placement can also have a dramatic effect on action, so give your self some alternatives there too.

Outstanding, as always Marty.

Bassboy, start with a plan, like BigM stated pick a bait you like and get a pattern. As you check various bass sites tacklemaking sections you will see some very good bait makers work and you will find a few who are mediocre at best, duplicate the work and take the advice of the better makers. Word of CATUION it has been my experience that the makers putting out the most advice know the least and have the least experience, again look closley at their work. Most of the good baitmakers will help you if you ask, I would reccomend you PM those whose work you like. Check the featured articles on this site, there are several crank making tutorials. As you progress you will make a ton of mistakes, and turn out some junk but learn from your mistakes and do not discouraged, the best make their share too. One last thing don't try to make evreything you see, stick with one style until it right then go to the next.

The broom handle makers could also sue for patent infringement if they came with lips and hooks. If you will check with any shop that has musky baits and look at Mouldy's Hawg Caller you will see a much earlier version of the MS Slammer and at less than half the price. Very slight changes will avoid patten infringments, plus the knock off artists will probably have your version on the market before you do.

A question, you said that after putting in 4 quarts of oil that the dipstick showed full, so the question is why did you not stop there and see what the problem was? Did the truck run ok before the oil change?

Man those look good Marty. Have you had a chance to try the little cranks yet?

I copied this a few months ago, well worth the read. Taken from an anonymous poster on indystar.com: "Human beings only have two ways to deal with one another: reason and force. If you want me to do something for you, you have a choice of either convincing me via argument, or compelling me to do your bidding under threat of force. Every human interaction falls into one of those two categories, without exception. Reason or force, that's it. In a truly moral and civilized society, people exclusively interact through persuasion. Force has no place as a valid method of social interaction and the only thing that removes force from the menu is the personal firearm, as paradoxical as it may sound to some. When I carry a gun, you cannot deal with me by force. You have to use reason and try to persuade me, because I have a way to negate your threat or employment of force. The gun is the only personal weapon that puts a 100-pound woman on equal footing with a 220-pound mugger, a 75-year-old retiree on equal footing with a 19-year-old gang banger, and a single gay guy on equal footing with carload of drunken guys with baseball bats. The gun removes the disparity in physical strength, size, or numbers between a potential attacker and a defender. There are plenty of people who consider the gun as the source of bad force equations. These are the people who think that we'd be more civilized if all guns were removed from society, because a firearm makes it easier for an armed mugger to do his job. That, of course, is only true if the mugger's potential victims are mostly disarmed either by choice or by legislative fiat it has no validity when most of a mugger's potential marks are armed. People who argue for the banning of arms ask for automatic rule by the young, the strong, and the many, and that's the exact opposite of a civilized society. A mugger even an armed one can only make a successful living in a society where the state has granted him a force monopoly. Then there's the argument that the gun makes confrontations lethal that otherwise would only result in injury. This argument is fallacious in several ways. Without guns involved, confrontations are won by the physically superior party inflicting overwhelming injury on the loser. People who think that fists, bats, sticks, or stones don't constitute lethal force watch too much TV, where people take beatings and come out of it with a bloody lip, at worst. The fact that the gun makes lethal force easier works solely in favor of the weaker defender, not the stronger attacker. If both are armed, the field is level. The gun is the only weapon that's as lethal in the hands of octogenarians it is in the hands of a weight lifter. It simply wouldn't work as well as force equalizer if it weren't both lethal and easily employable. When I carry a gun, I don't do so because I'm looking for a fight, but because I'm looking to be left alone. The gun at my side means that I cannot be forced, only persuaded. I don't carry it because I'm afraid, but because it enables me to be unafraid. It doesn't limit the actions of those who would interact with me through reason, only the actions of those who would do so by force. It removes force from the equationand that's why carrying a gun is a civilized act."

You cannot patent a color. Did you ever see anyone change colors on a car, truck or boat?

I would indeed seal them, anytime water comes in contact with bare wood it is absorbed causing further damage. Paint peeling will get worse and rot will cause hardware to loosen. With a plastic bait this is not a problem but with wood it needs to be repaired.

On custom vans of the 60's and 70's, this was done quite often. Google up custom automotive paintjobs or water spot painting and you should see a lot of examples.