Secondshiftlures Posted May 11, 2022 Report Share Posted May 11, 2022 Like most of you, I can't stay focused on a project so in addition to the rat wakes I am dialing in I am giving a shad profile a shot. I started our with some 1.75 square basswood and cut the profile for 2 of them at once. I am trying a single piece and jointed design with everything else pretty close to the same. So far I have only tested the single piece. It didn't swim like I hoped. At really slow speed it will wake and the tail will kick like I want but at a more realistic speed it looses the tail action and just rolls back and forth. It seems like I got the bib pretty square because cranking it down will go straight and kick out to either side. But mostly it just goes straight with some body roll. I am going to try and move the tow point to see what that does. I don't think it will give me what I want but figured it would be good to see what that does before anything else. Once I see what that's like I am going to shorten the bib to see what that does. I think it actually needs to be wider to get the ass end to kick around more though. I am planning on testing the jointed version tomorrow. I put lead in the single piece already but I am going to wait on this one to see if it will work without it. I am sure I will end up putting some amount. Any advice and feedback is welcome! Inkedup fishing, Mason, Seahaecker and 2 others 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
azsouth Posted May 12, 2022 Report Share Posted May 12, 2022 I would move the lip forward, if you are going for a true wake and not a wake and crank. Mitchduh, Secondshiftlures and danthefisherman 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danthefisherman Posted May 12, 2022 Report Share Posted May 12, 2022 (edited) Those are looking nice! I’m with Stuart on this one regarding the lip. Also a fixed lexan tail like the one on the right will impede movement in the tail section. I would make a wide tail slot and pin the tail if you’re going to stick with lexan…this will give the bait a nice clack to it as a bonus to freeing up the swim. Edited May 12, 2022 by danthefisherman Secondshiftlures and Big Epp 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Secondshiftlures Posted May 13, 2022 Author Report Share Posted May 13, 2022 Caught this guy on about the fourth cast with the jointed version. It swam pretty good but I didn't do a good enough job installing the bib. 2 casts after this fish it came out. It was swimming pretty good but there is room for improvement. Action is tight and violent. I think pinning the tail like Dan suggested will help. On the next one I will probably try moving the bib forward and make the angle less aggressive. Overall I am feeling pretty good about how it is going. Rogervang, Inkedup fishing and willlliw 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
morgantm16 Posted May 13, 2022 Report Share Posted May 13, 2022 You may do this already, but on the portion of the bill that is glued into the bait, try drilling a small hole or two in it. Get your epoxy, super glue, whatever you use down in the holes before you insert it in the slot. Especially on a tight fitting bill, you squeeze the majority of your glue out. A hole or two gives your glue somewhere to go to ensure you're not just pushing it out of the slot. I scuff the portion that will be inside the bait too. Just really gives you more grab power with the glue. Hopefully that'll prevent it popping out again. Gotta love the instant gratification of catching a fish so quick on a new lure. Big Epp, Secondshiftlures and Inkedup fishing 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Inkedup fishing Posted May 13, 2022 Report Share Posted May 13, 2022 The profile of the bait looks good. I def agree that you should scuff up the bill and drill a hole and or cut grooves. On the baits I make 1 use thick super glue. make grooves in the bill slot not humongous one just anough for glue to have something to hold. Lather that bill and bill slot up and push it in. I never had a bill pop out or break doing it that way. Big Epp 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seahaecker Posted May 15, 2022 Report Share Posted May 15, 2022 On 5/11/2022 at 6:40 PM, Secondshiftlures said: Like most of you, I can't stay focused on a project so in addition to the rat wakes I am dialing in I am giving a shad profile a shot. I started our with some 1.75 square basswood and cut the profile for 2 of them at once. I am trying a single piece and jointed design with everything else pretty close to the same. So far I have only tested the single piece. It didn't swim like I hoped. At really slow speed it will wake and the tail will kick like I want but at a more realistic speed it looses the tail action and just rolls back and forth. It seems like I got the bib pretty square because cranking it down will go straight and kick out to either side. But mostly it just goes straight with some body roll. I am going to try and move the tow point to see what that does. I don't think it will give me what I want but figured it would be good to see what that does before anything else. Once I see what that's like I am going to shorten the bib to see what that does. I think it actually needs to be wider to get the ass end to kick around more though. I am planning on testing the jointed version tomorrow. I put lead in the single piece already but I am going to wait on this one to see if it will work without it. I am sure I will end up putting some amount. Any advice and feedback is welcome! That joint one is awesome looking good work man! Secondshiftlures 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Epp Posted May 16, 2022 Report Share Posted May 16, 2022 This is looking great! I appreciate all the insight shared so far, and I'm learning a lot. Secondshiftlures 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Secondshiftlures Posted May 17, 2022 Author Report Share Posted May 17, 2022 I went for a swim after work on Friday to try and get my original bib back but wasn't able to find it in the muck even knowing right where it is. I was able to get another bib made Saturday morning. I think the issue with the first one was I simply didn't put very much CA glue. When I put these in I start out with a very small amount so that I can look it over closely and make sure I like the alignment. I don't think that I went back and filled it in the rest of the way. I do scuff the surface up before gluing them. I actually milled the thickness on these because the PC my work donated is larger than my table saw kerf. So there should have been plenty of purchase. I tested out my new bib today and got more positive feedback. I have never caught much at this creek where I am testing. It's pretty small waters and heavily pressured. I never have much luck especially on bigger stuff. This fish beats my biggest in this area by at least a pound. I am going to call this lure done for now. I'll get the airbrush out here before too long. I have a bunch of lures that are ready for paint. I am going to get 2 more of these started with some slight adjustments. I am not sure if I want to keep working on the single piece or if I should saw it in half... PXL_20220516_173122538~3.mp4 Jim137a, Seahaecker and Mason 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
azsouth Posted May 17, 2022 Report Share Posted May 17, 2022 If your tail was movable, the tail section would have more movement. Jinxd12, Secondshiftlures and danthefisherman 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Secondshiftlures Posted May 23, 2022 Author Report Share Posted May 23, 2022 I stayed busy this weekend in the garage and made good progress on my wake projects. I got a rat ready for testing, cut the single piece in half and got 4 more ready to carve. The creek near my work where I have been testing these is full of rio grande cichlids so I am going to give that shape a go. I tested the shad I cut in half and it swims great. I am going to put a dress a treble hook on it for a tail. For the shads I am taking y'all's advice by moving the bib forward and making the tail jointed. Jim137a and Mason 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Epp Posted May 24, 2022 Report Share Posted May 24, 2022 Great idea to use a cichlid pattern. Not many of them survive here in the midwest, but they have some crazy color patterns! Secondshiftlures 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Secondshiftlures Posted June 1, 2022 Author Report Share Posted June 1, 2022 I tested the next iteration today. I moved the bib forward and changed the angle/shape/size some. Also the tail is now jointed as a few of you suggested. Right now it doesn't swim as good as I think it could but definitely is fish worthy. It seems like it is fighting itself and could be more fluid. I am going to tighten up the main joint and move some weight around. PXL_20220531_173236585~2.mp4 Jim137a 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jinxd12 Posted June 1, 2022 Report Share Posted June 1, 2022 (edited) No weight in the rear, use a soft material for the tail. That’s the 2 biggest things I had to work on to get mine to wake. Then adjusted the line tie, maybe turn the line tie horizontal to let the head shake a bit if it wants to rather than keep it from rolling with it vertical. Not professional advice, just tricks I’ve learned over that last few months. Also don’t modify multiple things at a time, because it’s harder to figure out what actually caused the good or bad changes! Edited June 1, 2022 by Jinxd12 Secondshiftlures 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
azsouth Posted June 1, 2022 Report Share Posted June 1, 2022 Remove the tail and swim it without, you should notice a lot more action, I believe the tail is killing the action.....My .02 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.