danthefisherman Posted January 12, 2017 Report Share Posted January 12, 2017 As many of you already know, I have been working hard to make and perfect my very first handcrafted glide bait...and what a journey it's been! In reality I only actually started working on the project the beginning of July of last year, but it feels like forever since that day. There have been many, many bumps in the road and I am already working on carving my third attempted master of the bait.I think one of the coolest aspects of the process has been being able to share it with all of you guys and receive input on how to improve and encouragement to keep going. Starting out I knew that it would be a difficult task, but I never imagined how many unforeseen obstacles I would encounter. Cost of materials and availability of proper tools was a huge one, and I had to learn how to be creative in planning and executing various steps of the process in order to make the most of what I had. I've enjoyed how many of you have been willing to get involved in helping decide the best course of action and brainstorming creative ideas to employ, and I can say that with this most-recent carve I have read and reread all of your comments and taken them into consideration. Now it is my hope that everything I have learned will reflect clearly in my work, and I have begun to see this as more of a group effort than a personal project. Yes, I am the one who has to make the decisions and actually get my hands dirty lol, but I find much of my inspiration here on SU and can't thank you guys enough for backing me up in this!I wanted to share the whole process from the beginning with you guys because although it can be extremely difficult and frustrating at times trying to form and dial your own baits, it's not impossible with the right amount of patience and perseverance. Aspiring bait-makers may not always get to see all the "downs" in the makings of all these awesome, custom baits we are privileged to enjoy and thus giving up may seem like the best option when they encounter unexpected problems. Let me just say from my limited experience that no one bait...even one of the most renowned...is perfect and that its maker had to put in loads of work and tears to get it the way it is. There are always obstacles to overcome in bait-making, and you don't need fancy tools to tell you that. So get out there and push yourself a little! Make the most of what you have and you'll be surprised by what can result from it!Sorry for the spiel...back to the bait hahaFirst carve - http://swimbaitunderground.com/forums/index.php?/topic/32168-its-a-keeper/?hl=keeperSecond carve - http://swimbaitunderground.com/forums/index.php?/topic/34126-new-8-glide-project/My newest carve is currently just short of 8.75" in length and will be a one-piece master with fully incorporated fins and detailing. After reading through all of your comments and looking at my prior attempts, I decided to make the body thicker, rounder, and longer while flaring the gills and angling the fins more at the same time. I also opted for a change in the head design in hopes of providing a slightly more realistic presentation to bass viewing the bait from bellow and/or above. This master is being carved in one piece so that I will have the ability to experiment with different joint styles and positions - something I lacked with my previous master.I started working on this one the beginning October of last year. Classes made it difficult to get much momentum going but with winter break I was able to make some headway and finally have something to show. Sorry this will be a tad pic heavy. I think I am getting close to the point where I can start sanding everything down and proceed to detailing...but that might just be me being optimistic lol. Enjoy! trav, Garrett, mjkeat and 12 others 15 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kirschnerck1 Posted January 12, 2017 Report Share Posted January 12, 2017 Looking good man can't wait to see the finished product danthefisherman 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkH024 Posted January 12, 2017 Report Share Posted January 12, 2017 Keep up the hard work my man, impressed at what you're doing with the basics. Excellent work. Get yourself some powertools brother. A jig saw and dremel would be a great start. danthefisherman 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishinpunk Posted January 12, 2017 Report Share Posted January 12, 2017 Looking good man! Words of wisdom from a youthful mind, your encouragement is definitely received. Keep it up! danthefisherman 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danthefisherman Posted January 13, 2017 Author Report Share Posted January 13, 2017 Thanks guys! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
floridaswimb8er Posted January 13, 2017 Report Share Posted January 13, 2017 nice job so far danthefisherman 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
surfk9 Posted January 13, 2017 Report Share Posted January 13, 2017 Dan your ability & tenacity are an inspiration to those of us that are contemplating carving....I've been making baits for close to 10 years haven't attempted a carving as yet (not sure Iv'e got the 3D mindset )...following your exploits I'm getting close to "well hell lets try this".. keep up the great work & continue to keep us posted...You've done great work with the basic's as Mark mentioned... danthefisherman and Lakeshark 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PHX Posted January 13, 2017 Report Share Posted January 13, 2017 Keep up the good work. Looks like its going to be sick! danthefisherman 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rogervang Posted January 14, 2017 Report Share Posted January 14, 2017 That looks really good. Keep at it, your going somewhere with this. Don't kow where, but somewhere good. Im not going to tell you to keep all of us posted because I already know you are haha. Great work. danthefisherman 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R8R Posted January 14, 2017 Report Share Posted January 14, 2017 Looks good Dan danthefisherman 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tuco Posted January 15, 2017 Report Share Posted January 15, 2017 Thats a lot of work, hope it swims good and will catch a big fish. danthefisherman 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danthefisherman Posted May 5, 2017 Author Report Share Posted May 5, 2017 It's been a long time since the start in October of last year, but I've come a long way! I thought that having already completed my last version of the "glide" would speed up carving this master a bit but boy was I wrong.Mucho things in life kept calling for my attention, so I was only able to work on the bait sporadically whenever I could squeeze in a few hours. Plus, I kept finding different things that I wanted to change and couldn't content myself with making an exact copy of my previous version like I had planned beforehand haha. It's hard having to pick up and drop your work so often, but finally after all this time things are actually starting to look pretty good! Here's a few pics of my progress...slow and steady wins the race (sometimes)!No wood filler no glue... just a block of wood, a knife, sandpaper, and loads of dedication. Ipleadthefish2, WABASSER and fishinpunk 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danthefisherman Posted May 5, 2017 Author Report Share Posted May 5, 2017 Oops...blurry photos went out of order. Bear with me! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mountainryan Posted May 5, 2017 Report Share Posted May 5, 2017 Trying to imagine carving scales makes me nauseous. Very pretty bait! danthefisherman 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danthefisherman Posted May 5, 2017 Author Report Share Posted May 5, 2017 Trying to imagine carving scales makes me nauseous. Very pretty bait! Me too haha...thanks Ryan! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.