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[cool][#0000ff]Thanks to a tip from BFTer Waljustia, I was able to hit the NPS store for a great bargain on some clear crankbait blanks They are 2 1/4" long...just perfect for a lot of the fishing I do. I have had trouble finding any less than 3 1/2". Great shape and big wide bill. Should run about 10-12 feet on light line. Deeper with some weight, like my Carolina crank rig.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I buy a lot of unpainted crankbait bodies from Janns and Barlows, and always pay at least $1.50 apiece for the naked lures. NPS had these in packages of 6 for only $3.59. That's just under 60 cents apiece. Add hooks and split rings (after painting) and you have a great small crankbait for under a dollar.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Attaching pics of the blanks as well as some of my favorite color combos. Sorry about the quality of the pics. Took them with my scanner and it does not do a good job on color or detail.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Going to be trying them on Willard and other waters this week to see how they run...and how they catch fish. Experimenting with adding "dressed" hooks on the tails of some...including a dressed single hook for adding a bit of crawler.[/#0000ff]
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Man, Those turned out pretty!
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I picked up about 50 or so about 3 weeks or so. at that price you cant go wrong.
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Very nice Pat.
Question: Do those white glitter ones have a black back or is that just a shadow?
If they have a black back, I'll bet they would do good for wiper.
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[cool][#0000ff]The white ones in the pics are ALL WHITE...with diamond dust glitter. They really have a shadlike appearance. There are times when all white out produces dark back patterns. If you look closely at small shad, they really do not have DARK backs. It is usually anywhere from pale olive to light blue. But, a dark back on a white or silver body creates highly visible CONTRAST...a "trigger"...especially in low light or stained water. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]But, I also make them with black, dark blue, light blue, purple and red backs. The old Producer Lure color of chartreuse back over white or chrome is also effective at times. Depending upon water clarity, temperature and light conditions those wascally wipers sometimes will hit one color well and will ignore something close but not exactly the same. I know you have experienced that.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]As you can also see in the pics I add silver hologram prism tape to a lot of those lures. When it is bright and clear, the prism tape models "flash them in" from greater distances.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]This time of year, when the water is colder and the fish are slower, the fire tiger and chartreuse colors seem to get more hits than the shad look alikes.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]But, coincidentally, the all white patterns are sometimes the best for walleyes this early.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Always best to go with a whole arsenal. Like they say about raincoats..."Better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it."[/#0000ff]
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I haven't got any myself but one person I know did, he told me that when he fished them he could not get them to run right, let us know if you find the same...
But they sure look good...
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[cool][#0000ff]Running right is always the big issue. Some cheap lures run great and some expensive lures never do run right...even after you "tune them". Other times it is a matter of balancing the hook sizes, split rings, etc. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]And, there is sometimes a difference in how you fish them. When trolling, it is critical that the lures run true at various speeds. But, when cast and retrieved, it is sometimes okay to get some wierd action on them. Makes them look more like a wounded prey item.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]That is a big part of what I want to find out. I will post the results of my findings.[/#0000ff]
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As always TD they look great.
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I would like to hear how they do...
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You are the master Pat!! I'll take 5 of the pale perch! haha
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Is there any more there? I'd love to make a few dozen myself.
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[cool][#0000ff]As of last Saturday, they had two big boxes left. Some are six packs, at $3.50. Others are 4 packs at $2.50. Same lures. Slightly more per lure in the 4 pack.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I bought a BUNCH. Hoping they work as good as they look. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]With that shape, I am planning to add a short length of my painted body lure design to create an articulated (jointed) lure. It's got WALLEYE written all over it.[/#0000ff]
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[quote Weekend_Warrior]You are the master Pat!! I'll take 5 of the pale perch! haha[/quote]
[cool][#0000ff]I am anticipating that the "pale perch" will be a hot producer. As you recall, from your visit to my tackletorium, I have used that color on a wide variety of lures...and it has caught just about every species of fish in Utah over the past two years.[/#0000ff]
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As Tube mentioned most guys put the wrong hooks on a new blank. The line-tie split ring can also play a big part in how the lure runs. Bending the line-tie can work sometimes, but a guy can get just about any bait to run straight if he takes a little time to experiment with hooks, rings, and snaps.
The other thing to consider is fishing line. You would be suprised how much better a bait will run on 10lb test vs. 12lb. Then throw in flouro vs mono vs braid vs lead core and it is a whole different set of variables.
One thing is for sure when you find that special one that consistently catchs fish treasure it because they don't come a long very often.
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Hey Pat good job,
I paint alot of my own lures also and most of my lures and plugs are hand made, I think it is part of the fun of fishing is making something or painting your own lures and catching fish on them,
The A/C plugs I use are all hand made and hand painted
I do like that pale perch color
Again great job.
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"One thing is for sure when you find that special one that consistently catchs fish treasure it because they don't come a long very often"
[cool]. [#0000ff]Ain't it the truth? I have known serious (wacko) anglers who have bought their favorite model lures by the case and then worked through them to find the very few that work the best. Then they sell off the others at a discount...to guys who don't know the difference. They NEVER let anybody else use one of their finely tuned lures and if one gets snagged they dive in and retrieve it.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]By the way, I rigged some of those cranks with size 8 trebles and some with size 6. The lighter hooks made a noticeable difference in the wiggle.[/#0000ff]
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[cool][#0000ff]Thanks. A big part of the unique attractiveness of the pale perch pattern is the "highlight" coating of fine "Disco Yellow" glitter I apply over the colors. Those things just about glow in the water. It is a candle making glitter that has different light reflection properties over every different color. It usually comes out between chartreuse and gold.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]If you are interested, I would be glad to get together with you and paint up a couple of your creations in the pale perch color...so you can get down the basics. I guarantee that big browns love it...especially if perch is a popular menu item.[/#0000ff]
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What are you clear coating your lures with? I have a hard time getting epoxy to fill in over normal glitter w/o leaving fisheyes in the clear coat. I went to a auto diamond glitter that is absolutely awesome and super expensive, but will eat the paint right off the bait if I dont have a barrier coat between the paint and glitter coat.
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after seeing those classic pants you wore on a previous thread, i am not one bit suprised you use Disco Yellow as a color
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[cool][#0000ff]I use vinyl jig paints for all of the colors. I mix the glitter with clear jig paint...properly thinned. I make a light glitter mix for "highlighting" and then a double coat of a heavier mix to create a completely glittered coat...for silver, gold, blue, etc. I sometimes use a coat of translucent flecto paint (from Barlows) over silver or gold glitter. Makes a great sparkly color coat.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I put the eyes on after all the colors have been applied. Then, I coat the whole thing with a fairly thick application of clear gloss vinyl. That usually fills in the low spots and makes for a fairly smooth surface over which to put the epoxy coat(s). I use the two part lure making epoxy from Janns or Barlows, but any epoxy that is water resistant and makes a good hard coat will work. Some guys even use two coats of epoxy for extra depth and luster.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]By properly thinning and mixing my glitter applications, I usually do not have much problem with residual roughness. The pre-epoxy coat of plain clear gloss vinyl almost always finishes the lures off ready for the epoxy. And, it should be resistant to your super epoxy. I have never seen an epoxy that was that aggressive.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]By the way, I have probably tried just about every kind of glitter available on the market. I also use a lot of super glow powder for jigs and blade baits I use for ice fishing or night fishing. Use it on spinner blades too. I mix it in the clear gloss vinyl just like glitter and apply it over white or chartreuse base color. Stays lit up for hours.[/#0000ff]
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