Fishwhittler

Title says it all. From front to back: KVD 1.0, Bandit 200, three of my own designs, and a KVD 2.5. Another view -

Some more custom builds and repaints: Tablerock Shad American Shad Chartreuse Shad Purple Craw Fluorescent Pink Craw Winter Craw Silver Bluegill More to come in a couple days.

Great work! The first and last baits are especially nice.

Very nice! I really like the third and sixth baits.

I think the Cards have a legitimate shot at the postseason this year. I'm not saying the NL Central is theirs to lose, but they could still win it and even if they don't there's the expanded postseason with two wild card slots open. Berkman and Beltran are both injury risks, but Berkman is somewhat less of one now that he'll be starting at 1B. The Cards have quite a few young guys that they could call up should the need arise, and Allen Craig will be available to replace either Berkman or Beltran if necessary. Craig hasn't got Berkman's bat, but between Craig and Beltran there really isn't much to choose from. Actually I'd take Craig over Beltran if I could only have one, as Craig is still getting better while Beltran is on the decline. If Berkman stays healthy, I think he's got every chance of hitting like he did last year. He was injured in 2010, and if you look at his career stats 2011 was merely a return to his normal production. As for Holliday being a big risk to get injured, I just don't see that. 2011 was an abnormal season in that he appeared in the fewest games he's played since 2005, which was his second year. Even with his injuries last year, he still hit .296 with 22 homers and 75 RBI, and that's a pretty darn good record for only playing 124 games. Matt Holliday is really not a liability in terms of durability, especially since it's not likely that any more moths will fly into his ears. I think the Yankees have a good shot at taking the AL east again. The Tigers are pretty much the only major league team in the AL central, and in the AL West the Rangers and Angels will likely go down to the wire. I pick the Rangers to win the division, but the Angels are not going to be easy to take out. The runner-up in the West will have to compete with the Red Sox and the Rays for one of the two wild cards. BTW, Miguel Cabrera at 3B isn't going to be pretty. He's not as agile as he needs to be to play third base, and his bad defense will have a negative effect on his overall value. The Tigers might just as well have moved Prince Fielder to 3B for all the good he'd do defensively. In the NL: I'll say the Phillies have at least one more division title in them. The Cardinals can win the Central if they stay healthy, and I pick the Diamondbacks to win the NL West . The wild cards should be contested between the Reds, Braves, Marlins, and Giants, and while I think the Reds and Marlins are the most likely wild cards, the Braves and Giants are very serious threats as well. It'll be interesting to see how the new wild card format works out. Supposedly it will make every season a fight to the finish between the two wild cards in each league, but on the downside it also means that potentially the fifth-best team in one of the leagues could win the World Series.

Thanks guys! I use poster board to make my stencils. It's not the ideal material, but it does the job and it's cheap.

Here's a batch of repaints I just finished up: Aurora Black Bandit 200 Creek Craw KVD 1.5 Tablerock Shad KVD 1.5 and 2.5 Tomato Shad KVD 1.0 Also, here's a "Flaming Fish" keychain I was asked to do for my uncle. I just about went cross-eyed cutting out the stencil.

Stellar baits there, as always! My favorite is #3. Super-detailed paint patterns look cool, but I've yet to see a fish that does a scale count before biting a lure.

The largest cranks I intend to throw with this rod are about 3/8 ounce, so that shouldn't be an issue. I'm also planning on using this rod to double as a worm rod, so a lot of the time it will be used with baits closer to 1/4 ounce. Aside from not being able to handle baits larger than 3/8 ounce, what's your opinion of that blank in general? Thanks for the tips! I'm still not sure if I'll use micro guides or not, but the locking wrap is definitely something I'll have to try. Ben

Thanks guys! Big M, no secret about how I did the lines: they're drawn on with a gel pen.

Here's a couple of my attempts at copying some of the Bomber craw patterns. I wasn't able to use a matte topcoat like Bomber uses, but in the water they'll look the same anyway. Sunrise Craw Moss Back Craw

Thanks! I've got some 1/4" clear vinyl tubing that should work, so I'll give that a try. I think I may end up sticking with standard guides for this build. I've only built two rods prior to this, and I think I'd like a bit more experience before I tangle with micro guides.

Awesome is the word to describe those baits. #1, #2, #4 and #8 would be killer around here.

Hey guys, I'm looking to build a graphite crankbait rod with micro guides, but I've never used micro guides before and I don't know how many to use or how to space them. I'd really appreciate if anyone can help me out with this. Here are the specs of the blank I'll be using: Rainshadow RX7 CB66M Graphite Crankbait rod blank Length: 6'6" Action: M Power: M Line Wgt: 8-14 Lure Wgt: 1/4 - 5/8 Butt: 0.390 Tip: 5.0 The guides I'm planning on using are size 4 Forecast BMKL Mini Guides. Thanks in advance! Ben

Nice work! Those photo-finished shad baits look killer.

Thanks guys!

Mix of shallow and medium-shallow divers. Mad Purple Craw Spring Craw Fleeing Pumpkin Craw

I don't; I repaint the originals.

Thanks guys! I use stencils that I make out of heavy paper. Here's a pic of the stencil I used for the craw patterns: I built all of these by hand except the second one, which is a KVD 1.5. I've been painting a bunch of KVD cranks lately, but I generally stay away from painting lure blanks. JIGFISHERMAN, you've given me an idea for a craw color using the same basic design as my orange/blue craw: replace the orange with black, use white for the craw marks and around the eye, and I think the result will be "stellar", if you'll pardon a terrible pun. Thanks for the name suggestions! I'm currently leaning toward "Sunset Craw" or "Horizon Craw", as I think both are good descriptions of the color. Ben

Very impressive!

Here are the rest: Baby Bass Natural Light Bluegill ? Craw - I have no clue what to call this one, so I'm open to suggestions Let me know what you think! Ben

I've been at it again, and I finally got this batch finished up. Included are a mix of shallow, medium, and deep-running PVC baits along with a couple repaints. Copper Perch Tomato Shad version 2 Gizzard Shad Purple Craw Natural Bluegill Photo Bluegill Red/Chartreuse Craw Walleye Bream I'm running out of room here...

Corey, airbrushes are available in single and double action, and three different paint-feed variations: siphon-feed, side-feed, and gravity-feed. Of these, double-action brushes give better control, and gravity-feed brushes are the simplest to clean and waste the least paint. Iwata airbrushes are very popular with lure painters, the Revolution and Eclipse series in particular. I have an Eclipse HP-CS (courtesy of Whittler1), and it's a very good airbrush. I've also had good results with the Master G22 double-action airbrush. It's a starter/intermediate-level airbrush, and while it doesn't atomize the paint quite as well as my Iwata Eclipse, it does the job well and is a very good starter brush. I mainly use my G22 for spraying glitter now, but it's a very good airbrush for the price. You can find it in a kit with an air hose, regulator and compressor on Amazon for $90 including shipping. I used that kit all last year, and I still use the compressor with my Eclipse.

I actually did manage to kill the original catfish; it didn't last much longer than the time it took me to fillet it and cut off the head. On the other hand, this thread has been far more resilient than any catfish ever was.

If you want to start repainting lures, swimbaits aren't what I would recommend for a first attempt. The painting itself isn't much different than one-piece baits, but top-coating is considerably more difficult with jointed baits. If you post a question, there are any number of guys that can help right here on this forum. Plus, there's boatloads of info in the archives. As for what you need to paint lures: Airbrush/air hose/compressor - I would recommend a double-action gravity-feed airbrush; it will use far less paint than a siphon-feed brush. I started with a Master G22 airbrush/compressor combo, but a lot of guys like the Iwata Revolution or Eclipse series. I now have an Iwata Eclipse (thanks to Whittler1), and suffice to say, if you can afford to shell out the extra bucks for an Iwata, do it. Paint - Createx and Plaid paints work well, are non-toxic, and don't cost an arm and a leg. Hairdryer - for heat-setting the paint; just about any hairdryer will work. Masking tape - for covering bills while painting. Topcoat - the best paint job in the world isn't going to hold up long without a good topcoat. I personally like Envirotex Lite epoxy, but a moisture-cure urethane such as Dick Nite's may be a better choice if you're just starting out, as you can just dip-and-hang lures when using urethane topcoat. Scale mesh - not strictly necessary, but it does allow you to create cool effects. That should help you get started. Look at other guy's work to get ideas for paint patterns, but the best way to learn is to sit down and start painting. Let me know if you have any questions. Ben