BobP

Not too sure how long superglue will last as a topcoat since it’s not very impact resistant. As for your unique color scheme, anytime we humans think we know what’s best for colors, bass will show us we’re pretty stupid. If it catches fish, it’s right. You might try clear nail polish as a quick and good clearcoat on repaired spots.

There are several good clearcoats. Slow cure epoxies like Devcon Two Ton (and others), moisture cured urethanes (MCU) like KBS, and uv cured polyurethanes. Of all of these, the MCUs are easiest to use - just dip and hang the lure to cure hard. KBS Diamond coat MCU is the most popular brand and is sold at the KBS site and by many online auto parts sites. 5 miutenepoxy cures too fast to level out properly, will turn brown fairly quickly, and is water resistant versus waterproof.

I have a Vexus aluminum 1880 bought 2 years ago with a 115 hp Merc four stroke (it can take up to a 135 hp motor). All welded, bass boat hull and top designed. Good storage, 9 hole rod locker. Came with Humminbird sonars, 24v trolling motor, 6” jack plate. Will run 50 mph gps with one person and a moderate load. Forest Wood started Vexus after he sold a Ranger to Bass Pro Shops. To my mind, Vexus is what Ranger was before its sale, in terms of quality. I paid 34 k for the boat.

Personally, I don’t consider any single component auto urethane to be strong enough, plus I think catalyzed 2 part auto urethanes, which are strong enough, Are too darned dangerous to use without extensive protective equipment and excellent ventilation. I recommend using one of three options: slow cure epoxy, moisture cured urethane like KBS or Dick Nite, or UV cured polyester resin like Alumi-UV or Chinese alternatives from Amazon. Of these, KBS Diamond Coat may be the most cost effective and easiest to use, as you simply brush it on and hang the lure to cure/dry.

I undercoat with Devcon 2 Ton epoxy. Thick enough to cover any small nibs, etc. strengthens and waterproofs the lure.

I bought a Vexus AVX 1880 a year ago and like it a lot. It’s about 19 ft long, has a pad bottom and a 115 hp 4 stroke Merc that pushes it to 50 mph lightly loaded. Vexus is a company started by Forrest Wood of Ranger fame after he sold a Ranger a few years ago. I bought the Vexus aluminum boat because I wanted a boat that was easier to push around in my driveway and easier to tow. I can’t say it rides easier in rough water than my previous 19 ft fiberglass boat with a 150 hp Merc 2 stroke but its not bad at all and I appreciate the fuel economy of the 4 stroke Merc.

We all see the chaos among the big lure companies. If one comes out with a new unique lure, they have only a few months to sell it before every other big lure company markets a very similar copy. “Alabama” umbrella rigs, “Chatterbait” bladed jigs are notable examples. I’ve heard of a few garage bait makers receiving cease and desist letters from a bait’s original designer/maker. But frankly, it’s pretty rare. If you’re the designer/maker, it’s like playing wack-a-mole to police your bait design: a losing proposition. And if you really want to defend your patent or copyright, be prepared to pay lawyers big bucks to do it. That’s a bad cost-benefit equation for most companies, so it’s very rarely happening. So if you’re a garage maker selling knockoffs, chances are very good that you can do that with impunity. Just don’t confuse “what you can get away with” with what is honorable and legal.

Green florist’s wire. Strong, easy to tie/bend, lasts forever. I put it on wire baits beside the collar as soon as I buy them because I know the plastic collars will eventually rot and break.

I see nondifference among water based paints regarding durability or adhesion. It will only last only as long as it’s covered with waterproof clearcoat and as long as water doesn't penetrate into it and make it expand, causing the finish to lift off the crankbait. And I think it’s a good idea to heat dry them immediately after shooting them. Note i say dry, not set. You can set Createx on a T-shirt with 325 degree heat, a heat level that will ruin a crankbait paint job. Less heat, say from a hair dryer, just dries the paint quickly. I use Createx as a base palette of colors, augmented with a lot of acrylic latex taxidermy paints for special effects. All of them are airbrush paints with small pigment particles that work through a brush without constant clogging, which can drive you nuts with cheap hobby paint sometimes.

Reel manufacturers build higher ratio reels because gear design and precision manufacturing let them. The gear set of a 2000 Shimano Curado is archaic compared to the same reel a decade later. I think the design of a larger main gear with smaller precision cut teeth is the basic change that allows reels to maintain a reasonable level of cranking power at higher ratios. Build it and they (the few who actually need it and the horde of yahoos who don’t) will come. As far as rod length goes, I grew up with 6 1/2 and 7 ft rods, maxing out at 7 1/2 ft for flipping. I can usually build a rod of those lengths that will balance with no tip heaviness, so I’m sticking with them. They are inherently more accurate than longer rods and that’s important to me.

Most of us fish in water that contains grit of some kind. It attaches itself to your line and you retrieve it into your reel where it slings off into your levelwind. You want your levelwind lubricated but IMHO, not with grease that attracts grit. I use bearing oil on mine, a drop on each end to get the bearings and one in the middle. Fewer problems and less wear.

Don’t bother. There is no aerosol finish that you can shoot on a lure that is anywhere as tough as the factory finish. Most will begin to peel off quickly. Some will even ruin the factory finish. The ones that work require equipment, skill and/or money to apply and are not for the casual user. Also, any way you change a crankbait, even just adding a coating, changes how the bait works. Maybe it gets better. Most changes hurt a bait’s action though. Just tie the bait on and HOPE so many bass bite it that it looks messed up. Then keep throwing it until its action stops catching bass or you lose it. Nothing is foreve4.

No doubt KBS is the easiest topcoat. Brush a heavy coat onto the lure and simply hang it to drip dry and cure. The tricky thing about KBS or other moisture cured urethanes is not use, it’s storing it so it won’t “go off” and begin hardening. Do a search on tackleunderground.com for discussions about storage.

You must put the tag end through the leader loop in the same direction as you first started, when finishing the knot. Otherwise, you will have just created a wrap, not an actual knot and it will come undone quickly. I leave a little tag end 1/16” in the braid but cut the leader as short as possible.

I use Kickn’ Bass scent on a lot of plastics. It has a fish oil base to which a garlic, anis, or crawfish scent has been added. I like it for two reasons. First, the scent is very strong. Second, it lubricates a Senko good enough that it will slide up onto the line above the hook instead of balling up on the hook and getting torn.

The best repairs use internal and external sleeves to fix a break and it’s a pretty finacky repair. If Dobyns offers a replacement for $75 or less, I’d choose that alternative.

I think it’s counterproductive to have spool knock so on the reels that allow a completely loose cast control, I adjust so it’s entirely free but has little if any side to side movement.

old used Wiggle Warts are usually pricey. If I didn’t have the equipment and skill to airbrush them, I’d send them to a pro painter. They do great work and use great finishes that allow your old Warts to look and act like new. And it’s not all that expensive. But if you’re too cheap to do that, just put some new trebles on them and fish them. They will catch bass just as well as they did when new.

If you’re new to reel cleaning, the most important thing is to able to get the reel back together will all the parts in the right sequence and the right orientation. This is not easy to do without experience. You have your reel diagram that came with the reel. If not, go to the manufacturer’s website and download one. Good idea is to take pics with your phone as you dismantle the reel, and lay the parts out in the order they come off the reel. i use Yellow Rocket Fuel oil and Superlube grease. Bottom line, any automotive grease and any light oil will do. But Only use a special drag grease for drag parts. I like Shimano Ace2 Drag Grease, but there are others that work also. Clean parts anyway that makes sense to you. I soak oily/greasy metal parts in naphtha to clean them. I soak bearings in aerosol starting fluid (ether) to clean them. It’s fast to use solvents and you don’t have to wait for parts to dry. Grease most parts except ball bearings and the levelwind worm gear. Just a very light smear of grease is good. If a piece does not rub against another surface, it needs no lubrication. I put one drop of oil in each side of bearings, and each side and the center of the worm gear. A 10mm wrench and small flat head and Phillips head screwdrivers will take apart 99% of all reels.

Yes, Envirotex is a good lure epoxy but it is a decoupage epoxy which is different in application procedures from glue type epoxies like Devcon Two Ton, etc. it is thinner viscosity so may require multiple coats. it also requires longer rotation after application to avoid sags. It is also more sensitive to any grease or oil on the lure, which can cause fisheyes. Having used most types of epoxy through the years, I like Devcon on wood baits and might use Envirotex for plastic lures, if I didn't already prefer a moisture cured urethane for those. The truth is that most brands and types of slow cure epoxies work just fine on lures. You just have to pick one, learn how to use it, and stick with it.

You have to cast or pitch worms and jigs so a MH rod with some flexibility in the tip section is favored. A flipping rod is usually longer, heavy power and usually has a stiffer tip section.

Suggest you get a regular clearcoat and add dye to tint it.

Most experienced builders would say yeah, but there are better options including a coat of epoxy, a couple of coats of runny superglue, etc. As well as waterproofing the balsa it’s a good idea to add strength and hardness to the wood because crankbaits live in a hostile environment.

My buddy was raised on spinning, me on baitcasting. When he started using a baitcaster, I noticed one or two big differences he had a hard time adjusting. Baitcasting wants a more compact and controlled casting stroke. Flailing away with abandon and accelerating the rod too hard is a recipe for disaster. You need to feel the rod flex and let it do its work. Once you have the basic stroke down, add more power as long as you keep it in control. Side arm casting is easier to control if space permits. Using a reel that is adjusted properly solves a lot of problems. Don’t think you are fixing a backlash problem by cranking down the cast control and brakes to max, that only results in frustration and 10 ft casts, not fewer backlashes.

Most baitcasters have the slot for the levelwind facing forward and as you reel in line, dirt and grit can be thrown onto the worm gear. Grease will collect grit faster than a light oil. I use the same oil that I use on the bearings and apply it as often; one drop on each end and one in the center of the worm gear. Never had a problem doing this and have never had to replace a pawl or worm gear.