Fishwhittler

Here are my latest cranks. A sinking super-deep diver and a shallow diver. The deep diver wasn't supposed to sink, but that may help because no casting distance will be lost getting it down to its maximum depth. Three potbellied cranks; two narrow and one fat. I call the color on the fat one "fire leopard". Some 2 1/2" divers... ...And my first holo crank. Ben

A few days ago I was testing some new baits that I made and they were leaving an oily slick on the water. I had forgotten that I had coated the hook hangers with oil to prevent rust (I was using rebar wire) and the oil was coming off in the water. :

I have a couple of questions. 1. Does anyone know about the spray guns that snap onto the top of rattle cans? Are they worth buying, or is it best to just stick with plain spray paint? 2. What is a good single-part clear topcoat (if such a thing exists)? Currently I am using "spar urethane". I can't be sure until I use it fishing, but it seems a little soft for a bass' teeth. Is clear vinyl from barlowstackle.com or plasti-dip a good option? Thanks, Ben

Here's a few new cranks I just finished. They're not very good, but I'm getting better. Since taking this pic I've sanded off the runs on the crappie, so it no longer has those blobs of paint on the tail. Three more. The shallow diver on the right originally had a green back, but I sprayed on a little too much silver! The one in the middle has a fin on it's belly, but you can't see it from this angle. Here you can see the fin (sorry about the bad lighting). I messed up the silver on this one, too, but the glitter partly masks that. Ben

barlowstackle.com,Jannsnetcraft.com,predatorbassbaits.com, and lurepartsonline.com all sell unpainted cranks in different sizes and styles Ben

Here's a couple more. Total length (bill and body) is 6 1/2"for the purple crank and 5 1/2" for the white one. A couple close-ups of the purple lure above... This pic's kinda blurry, but you can see the basecoat on this one. And this one brings out the glitter. I haven't tested either of them, but the purple one will probably dive at least 20ft+ (the bill is 3 1/4" long), and my guess for the white one is about half of that.

Yea I basically copied it. I added a few things like the fins on the sides. Fishwhittler

1 Spinning (Shakespeare Tiger combo) and 1 spincast (Diawa Silvercast) on a rod that I made. I have a low budget. Fishwhittler

wouldn't have known if you didn't say Thats the only problem with making your own lures; You know where the mistakes are even if no one else does Fishwhittler

That middle left one is COOL! How thick is the wood that you use for your fat divers? Fishwhittler

Thanks idlov2fish! The hook hangers and hinges are 1/2" shank (3/4" total length) screw eyes. Those were the last ones that I had, and I'm not going to use them anymore. They work great, don't get me wrong, but the twisted wire hook hangers are cheaper and work just as well. Fishwhittler

Thanks everybody! I haven't had a chance to test its action yet (or whether or not it catches fish). I did weight its belly, but it wasn't heavy enough and it floated on its side. Thanks about the bloodjob! It's actually covering up a mistake I made.

Here it is! Actually, this is just a worm that I was playing with. ;D ;D ;D Here's the swimbait. For size reference... ...And a close-up of the head (this pic isn't very good).

Thanks guys! I'll probably end up holding off on the airbrush for the time being until I can afford to buy an Iwata or a Badger. Fishwhittler

Does anybody here use a Paasche airbrush? They cost less than Badger and Iwata, but if the quality is no good, I don't want to waste money on an airbrush that's not going to last very long. :-/ Also, is the TC-20 compressor sold by tcpglobal.com any good? Thanks, Fishwhittler

1. George Perry's fish was definitely a very large fish. 2. It is impossible to definitely judge the size of the fish based on the picture. 3. George Perry's fish COULD have been 22 lbs. Just my two cents worth. Fishwhittler

I specialize in unique fishing lures. The copper/black back baitfish has a very rolling action. I don't know about the green one because I haven't tested it yet. The swimbait's going to be double-jointed, but I'm waiting for my epoxy to get here to cut the joints. I'll try to post pics of it as soon as it's finished.

Here are a few new lures. For reference, the body of the green baitfish with the red and white dots is 4 1/4" long. Some close-ups... And a swimbait in the works. This one is 6" long.

Maybe that was why the fish was only 13" long. ;D As for the bill shape, it has no purpose at all, I just wanted something a little different.

What do you guys think of these? The big one on the right is about 4 1/2" long including the bill. Total fish count from one day of fishing with the beetly bug (no it's not supposed to be beetle bug) is one 13" largemouth :.

I want some lilly pads! ;D

I think I'll split the difference and go with 3/32" thickness. Thanks all! Fishwhittler

Thanks guys! What thickness of lexan would you recommend?

You're probably right. I had better just stick with lexan or metal. Thanks, Fishwhittler

What about if you melt a strip of metal with the line tie on it into the bill perpendicular to the plexiglass?