Been making stickbaits and poppers

Slowly poorly but with great intentions

May even get good some day (Once I graduate from whittling with a knife)

 

Gotta buy some more split rings and treble hooks

 

Re the hooks

 

http://www.trademe.co.nz/Sports/Fishing/Salt-water/Hooks/auction-377026781.htm - http://www.trademe.co.nz/Sports/Fishing/Salt-water/Hooks/auction-377026781.htm

 

Is the above worthwhile?

 

What is the relationship between hook size and lure size? Yes I am tryng different combinations, But i you can shed light, provide opinion that wil be welcome..

 

I am more into the R&D stage with what I am making so want to keep my costs down initially

Also as I seem to lose lures regularly longevity isnt a high concern just yet

 

Re split Rings

http://www.trademe.co.nz/Sports/Fishing/Salt-water/Other/auction-376739084.htm - http://www.trademe.co.nz/Sports/Fishing/Salt-water/Other/auction-376739084.htm

 

Again: as an intial entry point. How poor a choice will these be?

 

 

Cheers for your answers..

 

 

 

@CA:

The 60lb one is confusing

That is rated above my line (8 and 15 Kg equivalent) Can you explain that one please CA?

Not being snarky: Genuine interest.

 

As regarding the insta rust.Oooops. I guess ya gets what ya pay for. I do have a jar that used hooks get placed in apon return . Then sprayed with a quick blast of Innox.

Would that not assist. But if that initial chioce is flawed then I take your advice.

Mainly I was trying to get cheap and cheerful to start with as I lose so many lures and I am mainly just wanting these for test.

 

@Legacy: Cheers for the indicators. Its all going into my notebook (And head).

 

Understood. I took your word at face value. Just wanted a clarification to better understand the why nots. You are generous in your sharing of your experience!!

 

Yep. I can post a pic. As long as you promise to laugh silently

I may wander down to see Mole at Hamills and see what he can sell me

 

 

 

 

 

You will shudder when I show you my work.

It is clumsy, primitive and poorly executed.

I guess this is a result of having two left hands , Poor hand to eye coordination and no experience working in this realm.

Re Keeping costs down. I am using old broomsticks (complete with Bora) Old wood offcuts, file handles, Galvanised wire from bunnings, Hot glue, Putty, Spray Paint and my wifes old nail polish.

I Have used wire braid and polyethylene tubes with lolly wrappers

 

One thing I do have tho is a passion and a halfway intelligent mind.

I have been, as previously stated and am continuing to pore through online sites and videos trying to get an accelerated understanding of this process.

 

 

Appreciate the insight captured in this paragraph

 

As you build more lures you will also need to take into account the hooks mass and position on the lure and how this will affect the lure's action, hooks help keep the centre of gravity below the centre of buoyancy of the lure also, this helps create righting moments as the lure body spills the waters forces pushing on it so it doesn't roll out. Your lures will have limits, you need to find it and ease it back a tad.

 

 

 

 

             I prefer the gammies(better quality finish) and stronger i reckon but both are bloody good.I wouldnt use any other trebs.

Still working on getting some pix posted.

I have been a little waylaid with painting the new renovations at home

I did find time late this morning to start a new shad bodied fella.

Funnily enough, The existing stickbaits I have made all seem very small all of a sudden compared to him.

Hands are aching after all the whittling...Must buy some power tools

Knife and sandpaper are slow and d a n g e r o u s

 

 

 

 

Id always want to change them out on my stickbaits / poppers.....

I understand the philosophical Catch and release based argument.

I will happily entertain that one after I better understand the impact on hydrodynamics and drag that a treble vs a Dble or single (or combination thereof) has on a lure.

 

I am interested in why you would always change them out Cal25? Especially if it isnt Catch and release based

 

or 2, when catching a stray KY on one...having trebles flaling around can be nasty....seen one go through my mates hand at Lottin... 

 I have always used the biggest hooks I could get away with that did not pull my lure too far under the water.  Of course this is really only important with poppers.  It does really require having a range of sizes to experiment with on your lures.  For me, I find it easier when a lure at rest floats around 45 degrees down from the surface.  It does not require a huge pull to pop.  If the tail hook is too heavy, the lure may dive instead of pop.  This is mainly true with casting from a boat.  It is a whole different thing landbased  from even a slight elevation.   As RAL said, it takes time to figure out.  

I personally use cheap hooks for testing lures... About 2g difference in weight from the Mustad to a Owner... and not as sharp!

Whilst on the hook subject...Any one familiar with these  http://redfishone.com/?page_id=28# - http://redfishone.com/?page_id=28#

Redfish One tournament hooks...

Currently I am making the plugs, giving them a quick paint to seal em

Wiring and rigging them and seeing how they float, swim,sink,  etc

I have been experimenting with smaller scale objects and scaling them up

I have had some success with pencil type swimmers.

Trying larger sizes currently

Hence why the questions at the front.

 

I am developing an idea of the interplay between material mass/Buoyancy (Neg and Pos) how the pacement and size of belly hooks impact that, How the convexity of the front shape impacts the movement, How the mid rear underneathcurve creates a pivot for swimming action. Blah blah blah

 

I have been trying hardset single hooks in the belly position as a hard keel as well. Interesting. Not good whn the hook bluntens, But provides a good stabilizing influence when combined with an oversized rear treble.

 

I will create a couple of new unpainted blanks and post at some stage. Essentially just a sample of my more favoured (and likely to be made again) shapes and ask for some criticism/feedbak. But also to see what combinations you (or anyone) might choose to use if they were forced to use these lumpsofwood.

 

I wish I had some better tools and a better eye, But i am happy with what I am making (just not the time it takes necessarily)

 

 

 

 

I am on a shoestring budget , Prior to deciding I will pursue this seriously, could I repurpose some wood stain I used for a fence at home?

 

If I soak the lures in that (maybe diluted with turps) would that protect the wood in a similar fashion?

 

 

That pencil is pretty much full length

The white one swims amazingly tho.

 

I got some Mustad Trebs from Pete Lamb on the weekend 2's or 3's, Cant rememebr now, But they seem to be the right size

Advice still sought tho...

 

Cheers

 

Also: These are going to be targeting KY now and maybe kingis next season

No big far cough exotic game fush just yet (Until I can learn to cast a few KM's that is)

Mean 

Looks like some wicked lures there JPG, Don't know about fence stain but you could try it. I use an epoxy to seal the wood as it is a process I can now rely on. 

I mentioned it tho as I read that  (On resenes site) the old image of soaking cricket bats in linseed was a myth.

That it promoted mold growth and some other bad thing

That is how they were pimping the use of fence stain

So I put 2 and 2 to gether and thought

That this miht be a cheap way forward.

Soak in dilute stain

dry lure

paint lure

seal lure

lose lure

repeat...

 

Also ; The plywood lure may stay unpainted. love the layers.. 

 

 

I am getting close to glassing the above blanks

Getting em painted, Getting em foiled etc

when i do this I intend to pour some glass down the eyelets into the through wire hole's to increase the durability and reduce water penetration.

I figure that the viscosity of the liquid added to rotation will keep the bulk of the liquid in the interior until it gels and hardens

Regarding the outside of the lure: I anticipate "painting" the resin onto the out side and rotating again til it hardens...

I have planned to use a paintbrush to do this.. It seems to be the way to go and I dont see a better alternative webwide.

Aside from ensuring I have combed out any loose bristles, could you offer any further advice for me to consider?

 

Appreciate your time

 

 

 

 

 

I have a couple of blanks I have used for practice and am happy to use these to practice the process

JPG, your on the right track... To get more service life you will need to seal the timber as well as you can to prevent water getting in and swelling/splitting the lure...Wooden lures will split/crack get water logged over time, best you can do is slow it down. Some woods naturally don't need sealing but it won't hurt especially in the salt.

Few ways you can do this- 

1. 60/40 mix of Boiled linseed oil and mineral turpentine, submerge the lure body for a 1/2 hour or so, then hang up to dry (2-3 days) *

*WARNING... Boiled linseed oil and cotton do not mix! Spontaneous Combustion can and does occur when cotton rags are left with oil on them, chuck them in a bucket with water...Same with paper towels just incase.

2. Some guys thin down the same epoxy they use for their final coats...With the idea being the thinned mixture is absorbed into the pores of the timber, some builders warm their lure body's before coating so as it cools it also draws the thinned mixture of epoxy in...

3. Use a product made for sealing timber, there are a few 2-pot resins out there made for timber, same deal applies to above. 

As for applying a paint brush is all you need, just drip it off the down the wire hole etc...Multiple coats if needed...Brush strokes in epoxy's or resins disappear as it self levels. The more you do the better you get.

Try and stay away from 2-pak clears or paints also, most of us don't have the necessary gear needed to ensure your own safety.

No more advice until we see some lures!!  

 

Thank you

 

 

I apologise for not mentioning it previously: I relented and bought some BLO and have had the lure bodies soaking in a 50/50 mix with turps.

I have seen the posts that advise about the cotton rag issue and have avoided it . 

Have left them in the mix for a day or two

Pulled them out and left to dry.

I have sanded them, Then applied a couple of coats of white spray paint to allow either an application of Aluminium tape or paint as the tape wont adhere to the oily surface.

 

I have been painting em with various paints, sadly a cheap n cheerful process here.

Have been experimenting by pinching some water paints from my son and point brushing spots, letting them dry to a gel state and then repeating with a new colour. Once the dappled result is dry I then apply a paint I got from Bunnings that has a faint sheen  and a fine powder of shiny reflective material in it. The end result when dry is a sheen that goes between the direct colour and a violet blue metallic reflection..

The approach above is the best I can do to get a graded and faded effect .

I cannot spend too much on spray cans so I am forced to find an alternate way of getting the effect I need. I am moving closer, But also acknowledge the finish is more for the fisherman and not the fish!

 

I will post some fotes (cellfonefotes sorry) in the hope that I qualify for more advice

 

Thanks for the sharing

 

 

Just looking at the bait in the photo, you could probably step up in hook size... It will give a little more exposure around the belly, It would however affect the sinking of the lure but not by much.

Solid effort, my first few attempts weren't even close to that!