Thad

How are you putting on this automotive clear coat? I have an airbrush but not a air gun to apply a clear coat.

So your saying automotive clear coat is better than devcon 2 ton for plastics? From what I'm reading on the net devcon is the preferred method by most. Automotive clear coat would be much easier if so.

Thanks for the tips.

I get how to do scales but I would like to see how some of you guys get your craw patterns. Thanks

What do you guys recommend for a very durable, glossy clear coat to apply after airbrushing with automotive paints?

I really need help with getting the right size air compressor. Thanks

I want to start airbrushing and have talked to a few people I was told to get the Iwata Eclipse HP-CS found here http://www.iwata-medea.com/products/airbrush/eclipse/hpcs_info.jsp. I assume this would be a great airbrush for lures. Here is what else I know I need: Air Compressor: Don't know which to get. I know I want Iwata everything. Will the Silver Jet work with its PSI of 10-18 or do I need more pressure for automotive paint. Hose: Don't know which one. Paints: Will be using mostly automotive paint so I know I need their thinner and cleaner. Any recommendations for the above or anything I left out for the basics will be appreciated. Thanks

Actually no, I'm going to Radford. My gf is going to tech though and that's why I live closer to tech.

Thanks, sounds good.

What kind of dremel tool should I get for making lures? One thing to consider is right now I don't have a power drill and I need something to drill a whole in lead with the diameter of 3/32". Will a dremel be fine for that task? Thanks

Thanks for the help Sam. Its as if the fishing gods are looking after me though. Today my dad (almost 60) got promoted which means he gets to make his schedule. This is great now because he has always wanted to fish more tournaments and now he can. So now I don't have to start alone and either does my wallet. Too late for the girlfriend. We've been dating for over 3 years and I she wants me to do what I want and she understands. But the great thing is she will be going to dental school in a couple years and guess where, Richmond! So that means I will be moving to Richmond for about four years. So looks like i have a plan at least. After school we are wanting to move to Lake Norman. Love the lake for recreation but not for fishing. At least I will be within a couple hours from all the good SC lakes. Thank again.

Well I leave Thursday to move into my apartment in Blacksburg. The New River has always been a place my dad and I have fished and I can't wait to be able to fish it when ever I want now. The picture on the left is from there earlier this year. Caught it on a Gulp Alive Shad. Did really well with Yum's Houdini worm about a month ago there also. My dad has fished a 3" Berkley Power Grub ever since I can remember and he has caught some really nice ones there. Two of which are on the wall now.

Spending the past week "babysitting" my grandfather really got me thinking. Life is WAY too short to not do what you want. I'm 21 and I'll be attending my 3rd college this year and I'm majoring in advertising. I have loved fishing ever since I can remember and I also can't remember a time when tournament fishing didn't fascinate me. Competition is what I live for, I went to my first school to play football before getting hurt. I have fished in a few local tournaments and my fathers annual 12 to 15 boat work tournaments. They have been running for 7 years now and we have won 6 of them. My only club tournament this year was with an old high school friend in which we won and I caught biggest fish. I know all of this is small and means nothing when it comes to "real" tournament fishing. I have looked into BASS's Weekend Series and Federation Clubs and FLW's BFL. I only have my dad's Crestliner with a 90 on it so Co-Angling is my only option right now. For you older guys, if you were starting over now what would you do in my situation?

I'm looking for a spinnerbait hook with the widest gape and deepest throat. Thanks

That's exactly what I had planned on doing. Any tips on what to use? I was just going to use some thick paper clips. Or is there something that would work better?

What am I doing wrong with the curing process? I heat the jig with a grill lighter, swish it around in the paint, let it cool, and then hang it upside down in a 350 oven for 20 min. When I took it out some paint had dripped onto the pan I put underneath it and the jig had a hump at the end of it from the paint dripping. I'm guessing there was too much paint on the jig when I put it in there. How do I fix this next time?

That is a very nice idea. That will get costly after awhile, but that is on the right track.

Those things have a rounded point on them don't they? I'm looking for something longer and flat. The ends would be perfect on the picture above but they are just too flexible, they bend and don't hold their straight shape. I need a piece like that but stronger.

I'm looking for a small flat piece of metal pretty much like the ends of a head fastener. Any ideas what I could use. I tried to cut the pieces out of some metal sheets but they ended up with rounded edges and bended up too bad. I also tried the ends of the fasteners but they are to limber. Here is a pic of a fastener to get an idea:

Thanks, I'll check it out.

Does anyone know where I can get a custom mold made like a Do-It mold? I know Do-It sells blanks at their site but I don't know where to get the blanks crafted.

When I went to Emory and Henry College near there we would go to the banks close to where the river comes into the lake and catch some smallmouths there. Nothing like New River but they're some in there.

Thanks for the reply, I was just curious at what bait fish is in the river. I am working on some swimming jigs and wonder about color patterns.

First off I'd like to say hey to everyone, new here. Anyway, I fish New River a few times a year in VA. I live about an hour and half away right now. But next year I will be moving to the Blacksburg area and plan to fish it a lot. My father is who started taking me there when I was young and the only thing he ever fished there were Berkley 3 inch grubs in black or brown and a buck tail in brown and orange. So basically we just imitated craws there because we kept the grubs on the bottom just like the jigs. My main question is to those that know about it, what is the forage of the smallmouths besides crawdads there?