"Customizing" cheap lures

[Fred Allen]

Just picked up a bunch of these at Walmart on sale for 2.00 each. Got doubles of some to try and customize for something to do while I wait for the water to melt in the lakes. I put glitter on it then used clear to seal it. Think it will work? its very sparkling. I am working on another one too and will show it when im done.

 

 

[Fred Allen]

This is the first one I did. I was not going to show it because it came out terrible. I tested an idea to make a lure with glowing wrist watch lume on it somehow. I filed cuts into the side of the lure and filled it with lume then cleared over it. Also put glitter o the under side. Came out terrible because I didnt know how much to paint it with the white and I put it on too thick and took forever to dry but was not really dry because when I started handling it I left finger prints. Just a mess but I think the lume idea worked good and I will try another and take my time and do thin coats of paint. 

 

 

[Fishes in trees]

I think that the $2 Walmart cranks are good for you to practice on, build up your skill at hard bait painting, etc.    At the end of the day the $2 Walmart cranks are $2 cranks for a reason.  Mold quality is poor.  They are often poorly weighted and difficult to tune.  They often don't dive straight.  Heck, they often don't dive in a manner that is predictable.   The quality of plastic isn't the best and many of them are "brittle" and will crack & leak when you bounce them off a rock or tree.  Higher quality hard plastic baits, Timber Tigers, Lucky Crafts & similar quality baits will (in my experiences ) bounce off rocks & trees, and you have to smack them pretty good to make them crack.   Not lately, but I can recall past seasons when I was more or less down & out and bought some Walmart cranks because they were, in the opinion I had then, "just as good".   My opinion now is that they weren't and I was wasting time throwing a lower quality square bill, and more especially a lower quality jerk bait.

 

Maybe it is just me, but I think there is a significant difference in bites & fish landed, using quality jerk baits (Vision 110 - Lucky Craft Pointers -  Excalibur EE Shads - Rapala Husky Jerks, to name a few).   My fishing time is too valuable to throw hard baits that are of inferior quality.

To review - I think that learning to paint and trying new painting patterns is a great use for the $2 Walmart cranks.  When you decide to get serious about hard bait painting, find some quality hard baits on close out or purchase unpainted hard bait blanks from the different tackle outlets that offer them.

 

I really like the idea of the glow in the dark spots on a square bill.   Perhaps they would be more effective on a deeper diver, but who knows?  Keep painting and posting your products.

I'm very interested to see future results.   You might be the next Tim Hughes, who knows.?

[roadwarrior]

You can put lipstick on a pig, but it's still a pig.

[813basstard]

If you get around some fish that dropped acid, that glow in the dark one is money!

[Fred Allen]

Here is one that came out better. I left the paint jo alone this time because these colors work good around here anyway. 

 

 

[Jigfishn10]

23 minutes ago, Fred Allen said:

For the waters in Roswell?

[Fred Allen]

I got the glowing perfectly now. I did a KVD 1.5 too. One glittered cheap one as well. This is addicting and fun way to pass the days until fishing.

 

 

[Jonas Staggs]

On 2/8/2021 at 8:05 PM, Fred Allen said:

Just picked up a bunch of these at Walmart on sale for 2.00 each. Got doubles of some to try and customize for something to do while I wait for the water to melt in the lakes. I put glitter on it then used clear to seal it. Think it will work? its very sparkling. I am working on another one too and will show it when im done.

 

 

 

 

What is "clear" to paint it. I know it's a clear coat, but what product are you using?

 

 

[Fred Allen]

6 hours ago, Jonas Staggs said:

 

 

What is "clear" to paint it. I know it's a clear coat, but what product are you using?

 

 

Its is Rustoleum gloss clear color paint from the can. I do 3-4 coats while letting it dry between and I will see how it holds up when I use the lures.

[Fred Allen]

Put some eyes on them with sharpie marker. 

 

 

[Fred Allen]

Made a super Ned with my new glow recipe. I now make my glow paint with the watch lume powder mixed with JB ClearWeld. I dont know how it will hold up fishing but it seems like its strong. I tested it on a sinker and threw it on the sidewalk and it stayed on the sinker.  

 

I do it by painting the jig head white because white behind the lume makes it brighter. Then I mix up the glow powder with the JB weld and coat it on with a toothpick. Then you have to hold it and orient it around until 5 minutes when its dry enough not to run.  

 

I also stuck a coffee bean in the tail of the Ned worm. 

Did a chatter as well. 

Wish I could try these out already!