MattyIce

I know Jeremy is really busy and I think Grant mainly runs the CS stuff. Both great guys! If you live in the Bay Area you can stop by and I can put the next size larger diameter eye screw in for you.

Ya this happens with the joints on some baits. As underground builders we do not have the access to commercial products and I have had this happen before. About 10 of my baits had an issue with the epoxy that was used to glue the hinge pin in and as a result failed. I was able to trace it back to a bad tube of devcon that was used over a few weeks for those baits. Glad it was rectified for you! I have heard Andrew is a stand up guy and this goes to prove it!!!

It's all about balance. Majority of times I fish shallow waters like the delta and Clearlake so I don't want a moderate sink rate I want it slow. I shaved off a little of the rear weight and added lead to the nose until I achieved a slight nose down fall. This of course with owner 2/0 upgrades. I forget the weight but mine came in at 181 gr I think. That bait is on the bottom of berryessa so I can't confirm. I have another new 250 I can play with on my days off if u guys want. I just haven't had the urge since some of the custom glides out there are better imho.

Devcon 30 min will yellow over time from exposure to UV(5 min is really bad and quick to yellow). Plus you have to turn any epoxy for at least 20-30 mins until it starts to setup or you will be screwed lol. There are uv stable epoxies like flexcoat that are good but cost a little more. All in all epoxy is a good start and fairly easy for what you get. I started with and still use epoxy on rare occasions. Superglue is quick and easy but doesn't last with continued water exposure(ever get it on your hands? if you wash your dishes watch it just start flaking off!). Plus it is harder to apply nice fluid coats. I haven't tried nail polish but heard its clunky and also doesn't tend to last long. Be careful with any oil based sealer. They can be good but if you ever intend to paint the bait in the future you will have compatibility issues. I personally use auto clears, MCU's or concrete sealers after touching up/prepping the bare wood spots. all have their advantages and disadvantages. You have to try them and find what you like. I tend to go back to auto clears more times than not though. Hope this helps feel free to pm me with questions!

Yes but then again 10 years ago a Hud was considered a giant bait and tackle had to be beefed up to throw it. I doubt anything over a hud is necessary but could it be the key to catching that 25+ pound giant thats lurking out there? Will a giant bait catch a fish that a hud size bait will not entice? I think its food for thought!

Ya Jimmy is good peoples! We have talked about baits many times and he has a few of mine. I know a few of the big bait guys up there throw giant baits. So we have one for 16 inches.

Sup Guys! Just wondering whats your opinion on big baits. Is their such a thing as too big (Insert Joke here)? I know there are some big baits out right now. Whats the biggest you have thrown and what was it? How big of a bait would you be willing to throw? This can be glide or multi segmented baits and the target is Bass.

I think I know what you mean by head throw. And you fish faster than the 2nd video? Your a savage!!! My feelings are; The Deps 250 has a tighter action and will do almost a 180 on a "kill". It doesn't "Glide" as much per say. My bait on a kill will "Glide" off to the side more of a 90* - 110* angle. It has a huge wide sweeping side to side action. The "Head Throw" would be attributed to the tighter more violent side to side action on a Deps. This is because of many factors that I'm not going to get into but brings up a good point. What action catches more fish and is more sought after? I can tighten up the action and make the adjustments but the prototype i had like that weighed a little over 9oz. I thought it was a little too heavy myself and I liked the wide glide of the bait in the videos. I have never held a Hinkle, Kincannon or Hiroshima but I guess I just kind of figured they were more of a subtle wide glide type of bait. I could be way off but i didn't think they had a lot of head throw....Again I don't have any of these baits i was just assuming from what i could find online. And i know what they say when people assume! I appreciate the comments and I hope that more people will speak up on this... Help me out here fellas!!!

Speadbead, Thanks for your comments and insight. You have given me some ideas i really have to think about. Im in a rut since i fish the delta and clearlake mostly and I do not need a higher sink rate. Plus if I need it to fall a little faster I just put a clamshell on the hook. Thats my redneck adjustable weight system! LOL!!! haha I appreciate the kind comments! That pattern is my hitch. Those baits are not cleared in that picture yet and don't have the tail they look better now that they are completed.

Ya the tail is junk...I had a short strike and it got the tail and took it right off. But that said its easy enough to put a worm in its place. It has good action and for the money i think can't be beat!

Thank you for giving some great feedback! I am going to counter a few things so we can hopefully get more discussion on this but i really appreciate you giving your insight! Mickey is my idol and I'm sure he has done lots of research. His baits are my inspiration and i hope to one day have a tenth of his talent. That said a door hinge works on a glide bait I have a few prototypes that I still use with one. The problem is a door style hinge isn't as effective...that the gap and fluidity of the joint makes a difference in how prominent the glide action will be. You can make the bait have a tighter S action by tightening the gap or make it more pronounced by widening it. Thus, with traditional styles you can fine tune the baits but a door hinge you cannot so I'm sure this was a factor in Mickey's decision process. Its just not as effective IMHO Thats part of my question. I think fisherman want some of these things like the door hinge joint and scales. even if it would drive costs up and make an inferior bait. Personally I do not like the Deps 250. I think it sinks way to fast and the action or side to side movement is not that good. Im trying to improve upon it. Bill Siemantel (Big Bass Zone, p 217) speaks of “fall rate†in discussing swimbaits that drop the through the water column more slowly, and as he puts it, “The longer it takes for a swimbait to the hit the bottom in a given water depth, the slower you can retrieve the lure without fouling or snagging it.†This was my mindset when designing my bait. Please counter what i have said or give opinions... Banter is always good as long as its constructive! Also is there a way to edit the title of this topic?

No. I don't know if you had a chance to watch the vids i linked. In the second you can see even on a fast retrieve it stays sub surface. It will rise a little if you use a faster retrieve on long casts that you let sink but if you fish these like Butch they stay down. Wow good call. I never saw pizz had that bait. I will tell my buddy that coined it the beast he was too slow lol!

The OB was made to dive slightly under water where a slammer was not. They are actually 2 very different baits. If you have the mid size version try cranking it down to 3-4 feet and hold on!

Soo sad i missed this but Mickey is a sick painter why is he shipping his baits out? Time constraints? Baitwerks is amazing tho!!! Have admired his work for many years now!

Sup Guys, Looking for feed back good and bad. Help me make this bait better!!! I was asked to make a glide bait that is big REALLY BIG for some of my buddies that fish nor cal. The one i have made has gone through about 8 months of R+D. I have not made the final prototype yet but the ones i have made so far are caching nice fish at clear lake and the delta. The problem is i have such a small sample size i need your help to perfect this bait. I have molded and altered this bait 4 times. The vids are the first one I made straight from the last/4th mold. I have made some slight alterations for the 5th and final but I thought i would ask for your help before I do it. What do you want in a big glide bait? I would love feed back on what you think a big glide bait should do and what you feel are KEY fish attracting factors. Do I need scales and fins? would you prefer a door hinge style bait like mickey? Any and all opinions welcomed. My bait is 12 inches long. It weighs slightly under 8.5 oz Sink rate is about 1 foot every 5 seconds with slight nose down http://vid306.photobucket.com/albums/nn266/vvakiravv/lures/FDA44E23-A6E6-4F8A-B57B-AB1443FF307A.mp4 http://vid306.photobucket.com/albums/nn266/vvakiravv/lures/87A90055-3E08-4A1F-A2E6-6615F03AFDC1.mp4