Loganodum38 Posted January 5, 2018 Report Share Posted January 5, 2018 So ive been wanting to get into bait making for over a year, just want to go ahead and give credit to Marling baits for helping me through this and inspiring me. well i wanted to start with a glide but everything i hear is that glides are VERY tricky for a first time bait. so i changed my mind and figured id do a rat bait......well more of a possum and an XL possum at that. i started thinking and right now ive decided on 10 inches (without tail) and most people ive seen use an 8 inch worm as a tail so figure 16 inches total. to my knowledge thats the biggest rat made, at least the biggest i could find on the internet. i thought about making a multi jointed no lip rat, then i changed my mind again to single joint with a lip. if anyone knows where to buy lips let me know i couldnt find them anywhere. dont have any picture yet but when i do i will post them. if anyone has any ideas as to mods to do before i finish or on the next one or paint suggestions or if anyone would want one let me know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
porkmeatballs Posted January 5, 2018 Report Share Posted January 5, 2018 A lot of guys cut their own lips out of lexan. This is a good idea if you want a unique lip that gives your rat a certain action. You can play around with different shapes and lengths until you find one that you like. If you don't want to go through all the trouble, I believe lure parts online has a variety of lips. Rogervang and surfk9 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angryjohn Posted January 5, 2018 Report Share Posted January 5, 2018 Lean and acrylic are all strong but you may also consider polycarbonate. If you plan on target fishing you may cosine a dual pin mount so they can be changed out. This will help in tuning if you want to go bigger smaller or change the angle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waynem Posted January 5, 2018 Report Share Posted January 5, 2018 Lexan is the tradename for polycarbonate made by GE/Sabic. There are others out there but Lexan is the most common. The most common tradename you see for acrylic is Plexiglass. You can be pretty sure that all polycarbonate is going to be tough. Pure acrylic is fairly brittle but there are many grades that have impact modifiers added to make it a lot tougher. If you are using acrylic for lips just make sure it is an impact grade. Rollie and Helens Musky Shop is another source for lips- even more styles than LPO carries. danthefisherman, Lakeshark and Angryjohn 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loganodum38 Posted January 6, 2018 Author Report Share Posted January 6, 2018 little more progress, finished with the band saw and belt sander now i think i am going to hand sand to get a more smooth finish and take the dremmel and add some detail (ears, nose, feet etc) ive watched and read about people weighing the bait, im just not that experienced with it and if anyone has any advice im all ears, especially on things such as hook placement and where i need to cut for the joint. Also dont want to come off as someone who asks questions without searching first, i have put alot of time into searching but any extra information helps. porkmeatballs 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loganodum38 Posted January 6, 2018 Author Report Share Posted January 6, 2018 thanks for all the lip information, i think im going to go with a precut lexan since its my first build and too keep it simple, i was looking on LPO and for it being a 10 inch rat im assuming it will need a big bill, someone correct me if im wrong. anyways i saw on LPO the biggest size was (1 3/4" x 1 1/4"), is that too big or small, on all the rats ive fished so far has had a square bill so thats what i looked into. again thanks for all the input i appreciate it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lakeshark Posted January 7, 2018 Report Share Posted January 7, 2018 You’re going to want to cut your own bill for that size of a rat. Buy a sheet of lexan at your local hardware store, use a saw or the Drexel to cut out the bill shape and then sand everything to spec and get it smooth. Use super glue or epoxy to install the bill. You’ll find that cutting the bill slot and joint on the baits with the profile still square will help keep everything straight. Having a crooked bill will totally F*ck the swim up. You’ll need to add weight to the bait most likely. Somewhere in the front section. The rear may or may not need weight. There is no exact science as to where you should cut the joint or add hardware. Luckily hardware can be moved relatively easily if you put it in the wrong spot. You get one chance with the joint. I’d say slightly behind the center point. Rago baits made an absolutely giant rat. Pretty sure it was around 12†at the body lol. I could be wrong though. Donald from ds attack rats made a giant one recently too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lakeshark Posted January 7, 2018 Report Share Posted January 7, 2018 Another piece of advice I have, when starting out bait making, is to strive for perfection. You won’t achieve it, but it will put you much closer to the end result you are hoping for. Don’t get too attached to your first bait either. You’ll probably just want to make a better version right away anyways. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loganodum38 Posted January 7, 2018 Author Report Share Posted January 7, 2018 The joint really had me thinking, I know you say slightly behind center but from me looking at large rat baits like the cl8 possum it seems like that joint is like 75-25 cut, further back the. I would think....kinda has me a little scared to chop it up lol. Took the Dremel and added ears, eyes, nose, rear hips and front shoulders and tomorrows project will be figuring out feet...still puzzled on that but will gets pics up soon. Thanks for the input on the lip again Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lakeshark Posted January 7, 2018 Report Share Posted January 7, 2018 I don’t have a percentage to tell you where to place the joint. I’m basically saying behind center and the rest is up to you. You should cut the joint and bill before you add all the detail. That’s where sh*t can get hairy and you can ruin a bait. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigSlant Posted January 8, 2018 Report Share Posted January 8, 2018 Reckless Rodents has a 3pc rat thats way over 10" Lakeshark 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danthefisherman Posted January 8, 2018 Report Share Posted January 8, 2018 Plenty of giant rats out there, but sounds like a cool bait nonetheless...let's see some pics! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loganodum38 Posted January 8, 2018 Author Report Share Posted January 8, 2018 thanks everyone for ruining my dream of having the biggest rat , ill post pics when you can see more of a change, right now im doing little things that mean a lot to me that other people probably wont care about, i thought about doing a very simple profile like a lot of rats out there but i really wanted to challenge myself. nothing wrong with simple baits, a lot of times they catch more fish than detailed baits, just wanted to make it a project for myself. danthefisherman 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rod Bendhard Posted February 10, 2018 Report Share Posted February 10, 2018 Let's battle haha Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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