Stringjam

Like pre-spawn warm? As soon as the water gets into the mid-high 40's, I'll be throwing Pointer 100's and suspending / slow float flatsided cranks. If the water is dingy I'll definitely have a jig on.

Yup.....sign up at TackleUnderground and spend the next year or two reading. ;D

The Poe's 400's are great baits, but they won't dive 20'. I usually use them down to about 16' max. Of all the baits mentioned so far, there are only a few that will do what the poster requested, in my experience. There's a big difference between baits designed to run mid-teens and those designed to break 20'. Rapala DT-20 Lucky Craft CB-20 3/4 Hot Lips Mann's 30+ I'll add the Poe's Competition Cedars 4500LR to the list of REAL 20' divers. Of all the baits listed, it gets to 20' with the least amount of resistance - - but I only use this bait for ledges.....it's pretty much a suspender and you get into cover with it, it's going to take some finesse to get it back. The Rapala DT-20 is the best all-around 20' deep diver I've used.

Tadpoles.

That depends on what you're starting with. I use a primer on the baits I make because I need a sandable "surfacer" to get a nice, smooth surface to start painting on. The raw material doesn't provide a smooth enough surface to immediately start color basecoating on. You use a primer/surfacer under these conditions because they have a high "solids" content that quickly builds up on the material, and is also sandable - - as opposed to your regular paint, which lays down very thinly and can only be sanded very delicately. If you're repainting, that smooth surface is usually already there (factory finish), you don't really need primer. I've never had to prime any of the repaints I've done. Just scuffed and cleaned the existing finish, and took off with my color basecoats. What you might find is that a primer gets coverage much faster than your solid color basecoats.....a lot of guys see enough advantage in this to use a primer just for that reason - - quickly getting a solid color base. Adhesion promoter is a different animal. You'll hear references to Bulldog Adhesion Promoter a lot. This was designed to help automotive paints adhere to flexible plastic parts (like bumpers). If you do choose to lay this down, it should be your FIRST coat. It's designed for providing grip to plastic, and that's what it should be sprayed on. Spray it VERY THINLY. The times I've used it, I've actually sprayed it on the lure and immediately wiped the lure off. Do not apply it in multiple coats.....THIN!! Then you need to get your paint down shortly after it dries....there is a window for it to work, and after that window, it may actually prove to have the opposite effect it was intended for. The use of Bulldog is widely talked about in custom auto-paint forums - - it appears to be a decent product as long as it is applied correctly. I've done lures with it and without it, and haven't had problems either way. I think it's more important to make sure the lure is properly prepped and clean of all oils than it is to use Bulldog or adhesion promoters. It's an added step and expense that I usually don't mess with anymore.

What exactly are you using, fourbizz? I've been using a SEM Flexible Primer/Surfacer - which is a high-solids 1-part primer (aerosol can) designed for adhering to automotive plastics. I've wanted to try one of the epoxy primers but I can't ever find it in 1-part aerosol.

That "review?" Ya know, the one that didn't even include Rapala DT's? I love Tackle Tour, and I think those guys do a great job evaluating gear in reviews, but come on...that review was more like a short, small test that evaluated a handful of popular crankbaits. The only REAL way to find out which of those cranks is best is to fish them.... a lot....and form your own opinions about who makes the best deep crank for you. DD22's don't dive 20 feet.....you CAN get them there but there's no need to mess with it when you can get the proper crank to start with. If you want a 20' diver get a Rapala DT-20 and be done with it. If you want to hit 20' and give yourself carpel tunnel, get a 3/4 HotLips or a Mann's 30+.......I'll take the Rapala any day.

I think a better question would be, how do they compare against the Gamakatsu EWG's, the hook they appear to be VERY similar to. KVD: Gamakatsu:

Looks great FW. What technique are you using to bend your Lexan? I've heard hair straighteners work really well so I was thinking of giving that a go.

Killer, Marty. Those foiled baits are throwing some serious flash! Those should be great in clear water.

Right now I'm using .040 stainless wire.....although I think I'm going to find some finer diameter wire for the smaller cranks. The .040 is just a little much.

The BIG one - - - in a gizzard shadish pattern.....because there are some big gizzards 'round here. The little one.

Killer set of cranks, Marty. Is that a new deep crank design? That faded dolphin is spot-on my vintage Poe's.....I love that color.

This was a combination of natural light and a ballast-style halogen ceiling light I had laying in the garage. The white background is a sheet of computer printer paper. Only the best around here! ;D (I'm using a meat fork for an airbrush holder...)

No.....I've sold real, vintage TN Killer's on eBay and never got squat for them.

What's the difference? (I'm not being sarcastic, I would just like to know why you prefer it. )

Those are murder! I love the black craw!

Gambler Hibdon Flipping Tube - - not sure if they discontinued this. Has incredible tentacle action - better than any other flipping tube I've used. Hula-Grubs (yeah, old school....I still love them). As much as I love jigs, I find the hula-grubs come through sticky sloppy crap better - and give you the same skirty, short, bulky vibe. One of my favorite soft plastic baits in life. I also remember when these were component-baits (aka Bobby Garland Spider Jigs). When I'm flipping clear water I also like whip out a straight-tailed worm. Lastly, I haven't used this bait long, but I really like it so far. XPS Crack Craw - those claws are really heavy, which make for an interesting action when you pop it around. I plan on using it a lot more this year.

Like McB said.....U.S. rods are not rated by line strength. I'm not sure why that spec is even on some rods. There should be a lure weight rating on the blank....I don't think I've ever seen any reputable U.S. rods without it.

I would recommend a gravity feed - - siphon feed w/jars is usually used by guys with multiple brushes doing production painting. You'll be able to change colors much faster and be able to use very small paint quantities (even a few drops) with a gravity feed.

Yes - - I tested them for about 5 hours. I brought my Lexan, super-glue and tin snips to make different lips and mods on-the-fly. Lots of experimenting. Lip size has a critical effect on how a lure behaves - more than (in my observations) lip shape. I brought both rounded lips and square lips and interchanged them in the same baits - - the difference is not terribly pronounced on my baits between the two. A small line-tie movement has a much bigger impact on the action, as does lip angle - and changing the relationship between lip angle and line-tie position. You can create different types of the same action with this: a tight action with a high frequency wiggle vs. a tight action with a quick roll. Lip size is critical....pushing the size of the lip starts to destabilize the bait - this was REALLY apparent on the deep crank. The difference between tame and jackhammer is very small. Also apparent on the shallow cranks, as pushing the lip size makes the bait start to "struggle." The short-round is a really cool little bait - and hunts (for guys into that kind of thing) quite a bit. I think hunting is a bit overrated, but I'll take it. I think the bait struggling against the size of the big square lip could one of the factors. Cutting down the lip tames the lure a bit......I prefer the action of the bigger lip.

I as able to test this bait out today. After some modification, I was very happy with the end result. Since the DT-16 is the standard of this class (IMO), I had it at hand to compare. They're about dead even on max casting distance, but the DT is a little more consistent in flight, mine will cartwheel at times, which hurts the distance. I'll have to figure that one out. They both dig hard and fast......I was killing the mid-teens with it (as does a DT). I think I was maxing out in the 18' range, which I was a little surprised at. It's right where I want it. A slightly larger model should easily be able to bust 20'. The action is tight and lively....a little snappier than the DT, and slightly more buoyant (although DT's seem to vary somewhat in this department). Mine has more tail movement. More experimenting to do!

Awesome! I love your little baits! Beautiful finish work as well.

Very nice, Dave. I've never heard of a blacknose shiner. I like!

Sorry, these pictures suck.....I hate when I run out of natural light.