The "I lost my PB" Wake Bait

[DoomDiver]

First the (very few) build photos:

I've never made a wake bait before this one so I figured I would keep the shape relatively safe. I don't have a lathe so creating something cylindrical/symmetrical in the style of an MS Slammer or a typical rat was out for me so I opted for more or less a minnow style wake with flatter sides and a rounded back and belly.

Jump ahead to the paint job, black is always a good early morning, late evening color for top water but plain black is pretty boring. Inspired by SolarFall's black tormentor bass I thought the steel blue and black with a red eye was going to be really nice looking and the reality is the color probably doesn't matter except the belly (in my opinion). 

The finished product. My epoxy has gone bad so I'm ordering some new bottles but the clear coat came out with plenty of imperfections. It doesn't matter this time as it's for my own use but I'll probably be sanding it down and applying one more coat to clear it up if possible. I also had to file the bill down as it had a tendency to roll the bait too much and wasn't quite straight when retrieved. Filing the bill cleared up the issues but I really scratched it up in the process so I sanded the entire thing and gave it a frosted look. It isn't half bad honestly. 

 

Now onto the story...

I took the bait out for it's maiden voyage after some testing and tweaking. I was really happy with the way it looked in the water and the paint job I achieved. The clickity clack the wood makes and the bubbling it does actually sounds really good.

Just to preface this; I live up in the north (Wisconsin) so the lake I fish doesn't really produce trophy bass. I've never seen anything over 6lbs there and I've never caught anything over 5. I've also had terrible luck this summer on top water but I forced myself to throw the lure this Sunday night for the few hours before dark. I don't have a boat so I put on my waders and went for a walk. I spent maybe the first 45 minutes just walking and casting without even a look at the bait from a fish but I finally stumbled upon a spot that had some water that was significantly warmer than what I was fishing before. First couple of casts and a monster pike blows up on the surface. Completely missed the bait (I swear those things are blind) but I was excited something was interested in my lure. A few more casts later and a small bass mouths the lure but misses the hooks. I walk off to let the spot cool down (got a few more blow ups but nothing connects) and come back to the spot I had the small bass bite. First cast next to some weeds/algae and about two feet of retrieving the lure and this black hole just opens up behind my lure and it disappears. I set the hook big and felt the fish pull hard. I'm fighting the fish for a couple seconds and then it breaches the surface. Easily my PB bass shakes her head, body completely out of the water, as the hooks dislodge and the lure goes flying. 

I've never been more excited about losing a fish in my life. 6 blow ups and one big fish on the line all in about an hour and a half. 

Sorry for the wall of text but I'm stoked on this one. Can't wait to get back out there and try again.

[azsouth]

nice bait, Wake baits are amazing, keep throwing them 

[Rogervang]

Nice look bait brother! That is why we wake bait. Not the throwing off the hook haha but the action and adrenaline rush. 

[DoomDiver]

2 minutes ago, Rogervang said:

Nice look bait brother! That is why we wake bait. Not the throwing off the hook haha but the action and adrenaline rush. 

It's very exciting. I've thrown buzzer style frogs in years past and had good luck with them but first time with the wake and I'm hooked! Hopefully the fish will be next time too.

[chefchris]

That’s awesome man. Sucks the fish came off but the whole process is great. 

Sometimes the rod has a lot to do with losing fish. I use a rod with a softer tip, which allows the fish to set up on it and tends to pin  Better 

The colors on that bait are sick 

when you do epoxy do you use a mini torch to remove the bubbles on the bait? 

[DoomDiver]

1 hour ago, chefchris said:

That’s awesome man. Sucks the fish came off but the whole process is great. 

Sometimes the rod has a lot to do with losing fish. I use a rod with a softer tip, which allows the fish to set up on it and tends to pin  Better 

The colors on that bait are sick 

when you do epoxy do you use a mini torch to remove the bubbles on the bait? 

Thanks! It happens! It's tough to get the rod down low when you're nearly chest deep in the water. I actually threw this on a much softer rod for that reason but my drag was probably much too tight fishing around heavy cover. If i let her run instead I bet she wouldn't have jumped.

 

Yes I have a little butane torch I pop the bubbles with but some years ago when my process wasn't refined yet I think I dipped the syringe from part B into the container of part A so part A is now cloudy instead of clear and has some chunks in it. Makes for a good wood sealer though so it isn't a complete waste. 

[wtrwsel]

Well done on the build. The Steel Blue/ Black Coloration is a good one.

[Noreaster603]

that wake looks money, sucks to lose a biggin but like you said they wanted what you were offering. I am sure you will stick some nice fish with that.

[DoomDiver]

Just a thought, but would it be more beneficial to float larger hooks? I'm currently running #2 VMC trebles but I could probably put on some #1s without issue.

[azsouth]

good point! I have found that changing out rings and hooks can have a tremendous effect on the baits action, the kicker is that you have to spend time on each bait with each set up...… which becomes time consuming! A few baits I have dialed in are crazy good others ( most of them ) are still in the works.

[DoomDiver]

A cancelled flight home put me on my first wakebait fish! it's no monster but going to the pond with my dad is always a good time. It can only go up from here.