BIG M

here is a new batch of ul's

stren superbraid 14/4 or 20/6 with a med. action rod. I perfer the rod to give not my line.

Use the same tactics that the lake articles are talking about. All will work in a farm pond or small lake, you may want to down size the baits a little ( I like to), but jigs, spinner baits, cranks, and plastics all work for me in the ponds I fish. I haven't tried a drop shot rig yet.

I use minwax polyurathane to seal my baits, 3 dips with a lite sanding with 400 grit in between each. You will get a smooth surface for the primer and paint. As Whittler said Devcon 2ton and 5min are different, 2ton will give you about 8 min. before it starts to cure, 5min starts curing in 3 min. 2ton is for your topcoat and you will need to turn the bait to get a smooth even finish. Whittler, 2ton will yellow but not because of uv rays. Devcon has a low tolerance to heat if you lures are exposed to heat of about 120 degrees are higher it will cook that epoxy and turn the bait yellow. Don't ever use Devcon to put golf clubs together, it won't hold.

mustad, short shank, round bend, on all my crankbaits

BPS fast-lock snaps, size #1 and #2. I use these on every bait I make and there is no change in the action of the bait. I would advise to stay away from oval split rings.

I make a topwater patterned after a Sammy, and I like the weight in the last 1/3 of the bait to keep the nose higher in the water. I find the walking action is easier to produce that way. You can use BPS finess weights if you don't pour your own. Trail and error is really the only way to determine the right amount of weight to use on your particular lure. Once you get 1 bait perfected the rest will come easier.

parts list: balsa wood (from hobby store), xacto wood carving knive and blades (hobby store), devcon 5min and 2ton epoxy (walmart), lip material (circut board and/or polycarbonate) this is going to be harder to find, weights 1/4oz finess (sport store), wire 20ga (lowes). When you get your supplies, I will walk thru the rest. It has taken me 5 years to get to this point and I'm still learning.

K, you better have one heck of an evacuation system when you start spraying those lacquer based paints. I use water based acrylics, my personal favorite brand is Smith paints, but Com-art, Aqua-flow, Golden, Createx and any of the taxidermy paints will work. I use Devcon 2ton epoxy or a water based 1 part clear as my clear coat.

kb, drill a couple of 1/16" holes in the back of the lip, fill with epoxy and these holes give the epoxy another anchor point besides the wire. No way does the lip come out with the nose of the bait coming apart.

John, first what are you fishing for? If bass, I would suggest starting with balsa wood. it is the easiest wood to carve and finish, and by far the most forgiving when it comes to weighting. I would stay away from the hardwoods until you get more experience making baits. you can use a coping saw to cut out your blanks. Make sure to cut the lip slot first before you carve the lure. What material are you going to use for the lip? I would suggest you buy a good xacto wood carving knive and some straight blades(the sharper the knife the better). You will need balsa at least 1/2 inch thick and 2 inches wide. That will get you started on flat sided cranks. This stuff can be found at a hobby store. Bass pro finess weights 1/4oz size, drill a 1/4 hole for your belly weight, then cut the weights to get the desired bait weight. Tell me size of the lure you want to make and I will be able to tell you how much weight to put in it to get a good balance. I don't use the screw eyes with my baits, I use 20ga steel wire from Lowe's and twist my hook hangers with pliers and a nail. I feel these hold better than screw eyes. Here is the #1 rule you must follow, line tie, belly weight, and tail hook hanger MUST all be in the exact center of you bait or it will not run right. You got alot of steps ahead of you, this pic is what you end up with prior to painting.

Micro-munch used to have some great trailers for their line of 1/16oz jigs. By the way the micro-munch jig is one great little bait for light tackle.

Nice tip for the lipless baits. Removing hooks should not affect the action of a bait. Here's a tip for cranks if you have problems with them catching grass and hanging up. Remove one hook point from the belly hook, now the double hook should ride closer to the body of crank.

Another vote for the D-barb tool, that is one handy little piece of equipment to have in the tackle bag.

Thanks guys for the warm welcome. Whittler, I was just reading about the bait swap and I will have my name in the next one.

I'm curious as to why anyone would want to remove the rear hooks to begin with. I can see removing the belly hook due to hang up problems, but I can't see a functional purpose for removing the rear. Please give me some insite.

I don't use the rule of light and dark colors for clear and dirty water. This color has worked well in both conditions.

If you ever break down and fish with a custom made balsa crank, all those bandits, normans, and verious plastic cranks will fill a bucket in the garage. Nothing and I mean nothing runs like a properly made handcrafted balsa bait (worth every penny). Get a plug knocker, I haven't lost a crankbait in two years.

this one here (made by me)

I'm new to the forum and just wanted to say hello. I always enjoy meeting other folks that have the same addictions as me. Here are a couple of ultralight cranks I made out of balsa.