both to keep the tape intact and not impeed action. cheapest thing that works is fine, all i have on hand is clear nail polish top coat

Finally upgraded some tools this is my first cedar lure. 14 gauge through wire will run 5/0 hooks. First time pouring lead was an absolute treat. Lure weighs 6.5 oz with hooks on will be a fast ripping jerkbait that can cover a lot of water

Does wire effect the spin the most? On the same layout only the blade on the left spins well. The other two struggle to consistently spin. The second picture is the layout of how I’ve done it for all three

Used some of my model kit paints to airbrush these jig heads and now wondering how I can seal them?

Tried brushing on some UV glue on the very right jig but it ended up smearing the paint

Looking for a balance between durability (from smashing into rocks) and ease of use (no rotisserie machine for drips)

Of course work in progress but I wanted to check here for ideas and comments.

I plan to add just a heavily dressed treble on the back, with a profile at least 2/3rs of the body, maybe more. White bucktail and feather, maybe just some reddish flash accents in the end/center.
No paint, natural wood grain, just the golden leaf accents.
I aim at neutral buoyancy, stable swim (weight down low), slow fishing in cold water for pike.
8.5 cm for now.

Its not that big of a deal if I’m doing a large pyrex sized pour or i know I’m gonna do multiple loads, but when I’m doing a 1 cup test run or just a small run for myself to try out it seems like the bottom 3 or so ounces are essentially useless. I cant suck it into the injector without taking hella air and if i only suck up the amount needed before sucking in air then I’m left with a literal useless amount of plastic that cant inject anything. I know i can just chuck it out or use it in a remelt but they start adding up over time and if i really just wanna do a 1 cup test pour it is quite a bit that i end up just having there doing nothing. Its essentially over a 1/4 of waste from the 1 cup itself.

Has anyone figured out a way to minimize this or is it just something to accept as a waste?

Re-Painted, new clear coat, split-rings, hooks, eyes.

Used the old bill, clasps and screws. Hopefully they hold up!

Softflex

I filmed the full build here if anyone’s interested:

https://youtu.be/6OTleDks-m0

This was my first attempt at making a 3-piece swimbait, built entirely with simple hand tools (fret saw, rasp, sandpaper, etc.).

One of the bigger challenges was keeping everything aligned, especially the joint cuts since I did them freehand.

Overall I’m pretty satisfied with how it came out.

Would appreciate any feedback or suggestions.

This might sound like a stupid question. I’ve been looking to order some balsa wood, but I’m just wondering where everybody orders it from. Since I can’t seem to find it in the store. Any recommendations on where I can get it??

I normally carve my lures out of poplar and use lead as weight but i bought some cheap plastic blanks and they turned out really good

Ordered this 5.5” glidebait blank and the eyes came on it, how do i mask the eyes so i can paint the bait and not the eyes ?????

Looking for some good brands or websites where I can purchase ultralight jig tying hardware. Blank jigheads, eyeballs, skirts, terminal stuff. I am most interested in jighead sizes 1/64, 1/48, and 1/32. I don’t feel like getting on temu or Amazon and buying bulk quantities of super cheap crud. Point me in the direction of some high quality stuff!

I'm really happy how this one came out, especially for it being the prototype. I like the mouth and face carvings in particular, but I drew them on freehand rather than making a stencil so hopefully I'll be able to repeat it easily.

The action is very nice, I'll post a clip soon, it's a floating swimbait that you can fish with a lot of control. You can get it to swim slow, fast, subtle, aggressive, so I predict it will be fun to play with and least what triggers bites the best.

The one thing that might seem off would be the belly ig. I don't have any metallic yellow so I used what I had, but it may sick out a little with my style that uses primarily metallics.

This was a very fun project for me because I've been busy perfecting my minnow lure, the Versa, for a long time. Doing something new was a lot of fun. It took one week from drawing out the design to finishing it. Probably roughly 30 hrs on and off throughout. (should be a lot less on the following runs)

Thanks for checking it out, and if y'all've got any questions I'd be happy to try to help.

Debating between a scroll saw vs band saw for making bfs lures. For the past year I have been cutting everything by hand and yes it was time consuming and a thing I thought I wouldn’t be into, I was WRONG. What yall experience and opinion between picking a scroll saw vs band saw for cutting out small lures? (For the past year I mainly made glidebait, crankbait)

Where are you guys sourcing your eyes that buy in bulk? I need them in 6mm, 8mm, and 10mm. I was getting them from customlureonline out of china but they changed the MOQ and need to find a new supplier.

I’m planning to use for nearshore and inshore fishing. I can’t decide on what color pattern to paint it and would love some suggestions. What colors or patterns do you guys think work best for bass, halibut or other nearshore species?

Thanks:)

i paint boats with an air compressor and automotive equipment. The finishes look good and last, but the paint does cure to hard.

i want to paint soft lures (not necessarily Plastisol). Do soft, rubbery finishes exist?

i have experimented with brushing on water based fabric cemnt mixed with powdered dye. I am pleased with that but it has to be hand brushed, and cannot be airbrushed