BIG M

Really, I don't own a rod that can handle more than 3/8oz cranks. I fish with spinning gear and the light cranks are the baits I throw. I have a nice crankin rod but I suck so bad with a bait caster I refuse to use it. That bait was a skills test, I wanted to see if I could make it work.

Mattman, you are correct it is a small swim bait. But you should have seen the looks I got when testing at a city pond. Since it was the first try, I did not want to waste time on a tail and the bait not work. I thought about cutting a piece of 1/32 polycarbonate and putting that in the tail. I can still do that without too much trouble, but I don't own a rod stout enough to throw that thing.

Not a better person to deal with, G-man will do you right. His jigs are good too.

Thanks guys, the bat lure is for his construction company logo. Hookem, those baits are in the 3/8oz range. Wickey, if you want a wake bait, set the lip angle at 78 degrees

here are a few more cranks. The bottom bait is gag gift for my brother in-law.

Here is my first big swim bait. 6.25 inches long and 1.75 oz made from balsa wood. It sits high in the water and you can just crawl it across the surface.

Thanks for the nice words. String, that bait is a LC clone with some small changes. It runs approx 10-12 feet deep. I like that one better than the tap style baits. AJ, some guys fish and I build baits (fish once in a while). PM me when you are ready.

Fellas I'm rolling now, more misc. cranks and a 4 inch waker. More on the drying wheel.

Thanks guys String, I just paint with no plans and that's how they come out. That blue one has a silver base over the whold body. Trying to hit a blueback herring on that bait. Wicky, those are tools that are made to catch fish. You would insult the bait by leaving it at home.

Some new baits I just finished

thanks for all of the very nice responses. Sexy shad after dark was a total mistake that has turned out to be very good

Those are all test baits and 2 out 3 running perfect isn't bad. I was not dissappointed because the bottom bait caught a 3+ and 5 on testing day. The dark sexy caught 7 small fish. As long as you can learn something from a mistake then all is good.

Here a neat little Fatty 1.75 long, weighes 3/8 and runs 4 feet with a nasty action. Got a deep running version to test this weekend.

these are 3.25 long and the weight falls just shy of 3/16oz on the top and bottom baits. The middle bait does not work so it's going to the failure can.

Your an artist right, then get away from that photo finish stuff. It won't draw any more strikes than your own version of a bluegill. Get you a good Iwata brush and some wildlife colors, let that artist skill come out in some original Wickyman creations. You'll be more pleased with the finished product.

Sometimes Dixie art is a pain in the butt. You might want to e-mail Iwata and see if there is a hold up on their end in shipping out stock.

I don't see a problem with the photo finish part of the bait. You need to get the foil edges a little closer together and better paint on the belly and back. Did you paint the back and belly after the first coat of clear? A little trick brush some white primer on the back and belly before you do the first coat of clear. I need to dig up my first bait (looks like crap) caught 47 bass that spring. Your next bait will be better.

Wickyman don't be so hard on yourself there. You need to post a pic so we can help you figure out what went wrong. Now photo finish is a royal pain and I don't do it for that very reason. Painting, foiling, and photo finish takes practice. I'm far from a rookie at building baits and I still end throwing some in the trash because I screwed up. It's just part of the game. Now let's see a pic.

Sorry for the late reply here. You can use devcon 2ton epoxy to give those baits a good clear coat. Make sure it's 2ton not the 5min stuff. You will need to rotate the bait slowly for about 15-20 min while the epoxy cues, then hang to fully cure for 24hrs. This is the only product I use on my baits. Feel free to PM me if you need some help.

Looking good, I see big improvements with your skills in every batch.

Texas, Are your baits already painted and cleared? If so you are going to make the finish look not so good. You also run the risk of getting water to the wood. If the baits are unfinished then I like to drill a 1/4" hole behind my balast approx in the center of the body. Trim down a glass worm rattle (pointed end) with a cut off wheel and insert. It makes a really nice click.

I use both methods exactly like Harshman. You want to make sure the base colors are good and dry before pressing the net to the bait. Shoot the paint in several light coats or it will run under the net.

Dick Nite's lure coat is going to be the toughest spray coat you can use. I don't use this on my baits but a lot of very good builders do. It's a 1 part moisture cure urathane. Go to tackleunderground to get all the info on this product.

I'm not sure of the exact process he uses, but I would just sand it lightly with 320 grit, prime, and paint. You are going to loose a little scale detail but not much.

Basspro, wasn't trying to be short there. Lucky Craft does have a Sexy Shad pattern but it's alot different than the other baits on the market. They use grey on the back with a dark grey to black scale pattern, yellow lateral line, and brunt orange on the belly. Not a hard pattern to paint. Try sending an PM to Dampeoples he can usually hook you up.