Jump to content

Bite-Sized Gill


danthefisherman
 Share

Recommended Posts

10 hours ago, danthefisherman said:

Build update: Made my first pour and "glide" prototype and was pretty underwhelmed with the action as expected. The bait has enough mass to be able to add lots of ballast and make it stable, but it just isn't the right shape to allow an orientation to get it to glide on a steady retrieve. I'll continue messing around with it though and maybe make a few twitch gills to fish in and around cover.

Moving on, here's my first attempt at a wake version. I made this lil crash dummy sporting a makeshift tail cut from scrap plastic. It moves a lot of water in the bathtub. Will be testing it tomorrow at the river to see how good it is at waking at different speeds and deflecting off of shallow cover.

20200728_191315-01.thumb.jpeg.5537c6136c4794ff27c2d6b3a8999976.jpeg

Dude, doesnt even need paint! Just put them up bare bones! Progress is sick. Awesome work.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

56 minutes ago, Rogervang said:

Send me a blank and I'll tune you one ;-) a wake also. Hahaha that's a rad little bait you got there. It's full of details. 

As the bait evolves I'm thinking, "Hey this is starting to look like Roger's little wake!" Glad it has approval from the wake bait master :P

Will see if I can get some swim footage today

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well, unfortunately I didn't get any swim footage today because this bass decided to crush my prototype so hard that it blew the lip and tail out before I got anything on video :D

I was paddling my way out to the main river and decided to toss my bait around a bit up shallow. It was a bit finicky at times and I think I could use a bit more ballast to make it sit a little lower in the water, but it does move a lot of water and has a wide kick. The lip orientation does make it dive about one foot on a faster retrieve, so that will need to be adjusted for the wake version eventually. I was just casually tossing it around to get a feel for it and got smoked right next to the boat as I was reeling up to make another cast. My heart skipped a beat when I saw the fish come up and smash it. One of the coolest swimbait eats I've had so far!

20200729_090344-01.thumb.jpeg.619aefc6f9c5cdd0d1b7041ca08d5a37.jpeg

IMG_1219-01.thumb.jpeg.078d50b221b4b4480e430532373c6e26.jpeg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Whipped up a few more protos today so I'll be ready for next time (all complete with the lucky crash dummy insignia of course haha). Testing different lip angles, resin ratios, hook sizes, ballast placement, ...the whole dealio. The crankdown in the middle swims money in the tub. Hoping I can get her to dive down to 5 feet or so on a long cast.

IMG_20200730_220725_148.thumb.jpg.1ba533d74b9783c91675c9f06c557cc3.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Dumped one on the crankdown prototype yesterday. With the way these fish are crushing it I just get so startled and lose my cool. Should have kept my rod down until I had the net ready. Water was high and murky so I couldn't determine exactly how deep the bait was running, but it was getting some good depth and has a great thumping kick. Gaining lots if confidence in this bait especially in low visibility situations where water displacement and presence is important.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My brother Dave laid a quick first paint job on one of the wake prototypes that I gave him...now I want it back :D

20200805_181613-01.thumb.jpeg.a1724343b66cc1f4ec48d98534be7371.jpeg

I've been having issues with all my wakes wanting to dive subsurface. Making the lip closer to a vertical position helps but then I lose some of the hard kicking thump produced by a slanted lip. I'm trying to find a good ballance between having the bait stay higher in the water column and still retaining the same action as the crankdown.

Currently working on the master for my crankdown version and should have a mold for it finalized soon.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

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.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
 Share

×
×
  • Create New...