BIG M

Looking good, glad to see you finally made it back.

If you installed the line tie with epoxy then all you have to do is heat the wire with a lighter. Approx 20-30 sec and let it sit another 20-30 sec and repeat. The line tie should just pull right out, don't forget that wire is hot.

Maltese what are you using to paint you baits with? what brand of paint? what are you using for a clear coat? Post some pics and I can help you improve the finish on you baits.

If you have to move the line tie forward don't get carried away. Just past the hump on the back of the bait, right where the flat lip starts.

good looking bait, I made some floating trap copies a couple of years ago. 1 thing I see is that you line tie may be too far back towards the tail. If it does not swim then move the line tie forward to where the flat nose starts. You want the bait to have a more nose down postion in the water.

Great looking re-paints, are you using flex coat for the clear.

There's nothing really special or hidden in the orginal Tapp. Most of the copies on the market are exact. If you have an orginal, then what you see is all there is to the bait. It's very easy to copy and still get the same tight wiggle. That's the basic action you are going to get from a flat sided bait with a straight lip. You can very the style and width of lip to change the action a little. It is a great design that has caught boat loads of fish over the years.

here are a few more just finished

Jimzee, the flex coat is kickin. No yellow tint on these bad boys now. NEKvt, you PM me with any questions on building and I'll help you out.

I hope everybody's not tired of looking at these.

very nice looking bait. When you catch fish on it then you will be hooked.

That's no M-flat you see there. Look at the bottom bait and the bait you are talking about. Those are both the same pattern. It's a flatsided wobbler and I don't what kind of action it has yet. The clear was not dry enough to test today.

I paint the simple patterns for myself also. I have always felt that bait action is more important than color.

Some more flatsides and a couple of wobblers. Stringjam, I think you will be very interested in the last two baits.

Thanks for the kind words fellas. I do try to build each and every bait to be the best bait ever made. LBH, that's an old creek chub and I've never fished with one. My guess is it has a darter type of action.

Here are some examples of simple color pattens.

Here are some sexy shad patterns with some holographic glitter.

I've been using the high build, no matter because you'll have to do 2 coats. I've been adding the second coat approx 10-12 hrs after the first coat. I've got the lite also to clear suspending plastic baits.

Thanks John, no breaks anytime soon. I'm just getting warmed up for the fall push. That bottom bait is a really nice cover banging crank. It has a wide wobble and runs 4-6 feet deep.

Here are a couple of repaints and some new flat sided baits.

GMAN, I have not been fishing enough to give the jigs a workout. I waiting on some cooler weather next month and maybe I can start fishing again. How's the big wake baits working out?

I never use a split ring on crank, duo-lock snaps for me.

LBH, I've found that 78 degrees is the best angle for lips in the wake baits I build. Don't forget about line tie placement, that is a big factor in performance. The close to the lip, the more head action from the bait.

Thanks guys, this is a fun little bait to fish.

Trying some new color patterns on wobbler style baits.