danthefisherman Posted September 16, 2021 Report Share Posted September 16, 2021 (edited) Holding to my typical building routine, here are the early stages of a project that I've been slowly working on during my lunch breaks in the car. Like always, I'm getting way ahead of myself and the bait is nowhere near being fishable, but sharing my progress is a way of keeping myself motivated and accountable to push forward. I've been trying to build a bigger bluegill bait for a handful of years now, but I can never seem to get one just how I want it. Most of the time it's cosmetic issues with my initial draft not translating well into a three-dimensional form. The farthest I've gotten was with a four piece 7" swimmer, but I wasn't satisfied with how it looked, the soft fins were a pain to pour, and the body was too skinny. I've since attempted to build about 2-3 newer and more realistic versions, but I scrapped them all because I wasn't 100% happy with how they looked. Either the profiles were slightly off or the head designs/proportions/positions were wrong. Mid-June I finally drafted up another sketch that was good enough to compell me to try again. The plan is to make a 6" bait with a thicker body than the old four piece version. It so happens that this size perfectly fits the tail from a 5.5" crankdown gill that I make, so I'm already one step ahead. I've been really taking my time on the shape of the head and how it transitions into the body as that's where I normally mess up. Sizing of the gill plates and placement of the eyes are also critical for a realistic look. I opted for a smaller mouth than I initially drafted because I tend to oversize this feature more often than not. It's amazing how at this stage even the tiniest cut or pass of sandpaper can change the entire look of the bait. I'm really excited with how it is turning out so far but know from too much experience that one slip with the knife could ruin all that work. Regardless, I'm looking forward to sharing the outcome of my efforts with you all. Happy building SU! Dan Edited September 16, 2021 by danthefisherman azfisher, Big Epp, Jonnybass64 and 9 others 12 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JacksonF Posted September 16, 2021 Report Share Posted September 16, 2021 Looks killer Dan! Looking forward to seeing the final product! danthefisherman 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Morgan Y Posted November 1, 2021 Report Share Posted November 1, 2021 Dude your artistic prowess amazes me, you've got the magic hands. Killer looking bait, keep us posted. danthefisherman 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoCalBassBum Posted November 2, 2021 Report Share Posted November 2, 2021 I have not spent much time trying to making baits but your work makes me want to get out and give it hell. Inspirational to say the least. Great work. danthefisherman 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danthefisherman Posted November 2, 2021 Author Report Share Posted November 2, 2021 7 hours ago, SoCalBassBum said: I have not spent much time trying to making baits but your work makes me want to get out and give it hell. Inspirational to say the least. Great work. Words of encouragement like this are equally inspiring to me. Thank you, and I am honored to have you think so highly of my work. Happy building! SoCalBassBum 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Niki814 Posted November 6, 2021 Report Share Posted November 6, 2021 Lookin good as always Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danthefisherman Posted May 21, 2023 Author Report Share Posted May 21, 2023 Wow, I hadn’t realized how long I have been working on this bait…time flies! You can’t really tell from the photos, but the physical master looks 2x better now than from my last update. I have been slowly forming the body to be more conducive to the action that I want to achieve and to better match the natural profile of live bluegill caught out of my local waters. Here is one of the critical steps that will probably either make or break the bait: cutting the joint… I know, I should probably mold the master before cutting the joint…but silicone is so painfully expensive these days I’m banking on my past experience and hoping that I can nail the joint location and play first try! Big Epp, JustBassinAround916, bpm2000 and 3 others 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swimb8ting_TheSouth Posted May 21, 2023 Report Share Posted May 21, 2023 Bait looks amazing. I don't i could cut that precise with a hack saw lol danthefisherman 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danthefisherman Posted May 21, 2023 Author Report Share Posted May 21, 2023 4 hours ago, Swimb8ting_TheSouth said: Bait looks amazing. I don't i could cut that precise with a hack saw lol It takes a steady hand at first, but once you get the cut started it’s not so bad Swimb8ting_TheSouth 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Epp Posted May 22, 2023 Report Share Posted May 22, 2023 Looking great, Dan! danthefisherman 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Epp Posted May 27, 2023 Report Share Posted May 27, 2023 The gill and face detail on this are really nice! Do you mold the pieces seperately? danthefisherman 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danthefisherman Posted May 27, 2023 Author Report Share Posted May 27, 2023 3 hours ago, Big Epp said: The gill and face detail on this are really nice! Do you mold the pieces seperately? Yep! I make a separate mold for each segment. Depending on my hardware layout and orientation of the carved features, I will mold the segments at various angles to help promote venting and minimize air entrapment. Big Epp 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danthefisherman Posted June 13, 2023 Author Report Share Posted June 13, 2023 Had the joint nicely cut and the body sanded smooth…and now I’m chopping away at the master again haha. I went to the river to catch and observe a bunch of live specimens over the weekend and decided to thin the head down a bit and bring the fins in closer to the body. After I’m finally finished with the shaping and sanding I’ll probably add scales to top it off. MUST…BE...PERFECT!!! SumoNinja, Inkedup fishing, FishinGang916 and 2 others 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Epp Posted June 13, 2023 Report Share Posted June 13, 2023 Looking good! danthefisherman 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hoosier_Hawgz Posted June 13, 2023 Report Share Posted June 13, 2023 I’ve enjoyed looking through your previous build threads here the last few weeks and it’s been exciting to see the progression of this bait as well! It’s looking incredible! danthefisherman 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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