Custom painted crankbaits?

[fishermantony]

I have ordered some custom painted crankbaits that I am very exited about trying.  It's actually a bait I have never caught a fish with, but from it's reputation and it's action I'm convinced I will have much success with it, especially with these custom painted baits.  In your experience/opinion what kind of advantage have custom painted baits given you?

[DRhodes]

I'm anxious to see what this topic brings, as I have fished several custom painted lures, and can say from my expierence i have had no change from customs to box store lures.

[Shad_Master]

The biggest experience I have had wth custom painted crank baits is that I am less appealing to the bait monkey for a while afterwards

[whittler]

As a confirmed crankbait user for a lot of years it has always been my opinion that color is at the bottom of the list of things I look for in a crankbait.

I personally make most of the crankbaits that I use and do a lot of repaints but if you were to look in my tackle you would be amazed to find 90% of my baits can be covered in a very few basic colors. If I have black, white and something either green or brown  I'm good to go. Don't get me wrong I do have a lot of other custom makers/painter cranks and they are beautiful but the baits I use the most look more like they need paint.

If you send the "Worlds Best Painter" a bait that you cannot buy a fish on I'll bet it will not catch any more with the most beautifully and highly detailed paint job. Select a crankbait by action, depth, size and type of cover your fishing, you will put more fish in the boat than any $15 paint combo.

[Steven Ladner]

I custom paint baits myself as well. I honestly doubt they play much of a role in getting a fish to bite. One thing they have given me and others is an incredible amount of confidence. 

[SkilletSizeBass.]

I've got a pretty good selection going of custom made cranks and imported, mostly from Japan. I think more than actually catching fish on them I just enjoy collecting. ;D Something to pass on the the grandkids.

[Grey Wolf]

I have ordered some custom painted crankbaits that I am very exited about trying. It's actually a bait I have never caught a fish with, but from it's reputation and it's action I'm convinced I will have much success with it, especially with these custom painted baits. In your experience/opinion what kind of advantage have custom painted baits given you?

None.

[DRhodes]

I've got a pretty good selection going of custom made cranks and imported, mostly from Japan. I think more than actually catching fish on them I just enjoy collecting. ;D Something to pass on the the grandkids.

Not only passing them down, its a good conversation piece when you have your fishing buddies looking at your lures.

[fishermantony]

Kind of surprised by the responses.  Won't be much of a conversation piece for me if they don't catch any fish.  So a bait that is painted to more closely resemble forage doesn't give the fish any reactionary instinct to strike a bait over a bait that doesn't resemble any forage?  Or a bait that better blends with the hues of the fishes natural surroundings doesn't make it more appealing to them either? Maybe like MarcDavid said, they will just give me more confidence, although I don't know how much confidence I'll have in them after this thread.  Very interesting guys, thanks for the replies! 

[LILWVBASSER]

Does anyone have any pics of lures they have made?

[Steven Ladner]

Hardbaits are typically moving through the water quite quickly and wobble during the retrieve. Then you throw in factors such as water clarity on top of that. An extremely detailed bait isn't going to make much of a difference in most situations.

I honestly believe it's all about confidence. When I tie on a bait painted to match the forage in the water I'm fishing, I do it for myself more than the fish. Several anglers tell me the success they had with the custom paints, but I just think they fished better and had their line in the water more with them.

LILWVBASSER, check out our tacklemaking section: 

http://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_forums/YaBB.pl?board=Tacklemaking

[Siebert Outdoors]

IMO custom made baits give you something that a store bought bait doesnt.  The ability to be precise in a certain style or technique.  Baits you buy at a store do not give you a specific use bait.  You can not have a production bait fill very many specific bait needs.  Mostly because those baits do not exist except in the custom market.

[BobP]

I love fishing crankbaits so build them as a hobby and trade them with friends.  I fish customs about 50% of the time; 90% of the time when I throw a wood bait.  Customs are all about throwing something different - either different performance or different paint scheme.  Different gets bit.  There are some really good big company wood cranks available now, most notably the Rapala's DT series.  You can build or buy a custom bait that performs on the edge of stability and catches fish when factory baits won't.  The factory has to build baits that are stable; custom and hobby builders are more willing to "push the envelope".  If you're talking about repaints of commercial baits, that also can be a big plus if you are one of those who feels the lure color pattern is a critical feature.  It will give you much more confidence in fishing the bait and if nothing else, that confidence will put more fish in the boat. 

[ChiCityBasser]

I've had some custom painted baits that have worked very well for me. I've had both factory lures custom painted and builders lures in colors not available from the factories and good results on both. Other factors play in as well but they work well for me at any given time.

I don't purchase as many now cause my spare box is so full but when I do loose a couple I grab a couple of the customs and hit the water.

[fishermantony]

I've had some custom painted baits that have worked very well for me. I've had both factory lures custom painted and builders lures in colors not available from the factories and good results on both. Other factors play in as well but they work well for me at any given time.

I don't purchase as many now cause my spare box is so full but when I do loose a couple I grab a couple of the customs and hit the water.

Thanks for the input. I'm from Elmwood Park originally. If I ever come back around we should do some fishing.