Hello, everybody. This is my first "new topic" on this board and I'm looking forward to sharing some ideas with you.

I am 57 years old and like all of you, I enjoy building baits. I build mostly musky baits.

I build primarily based upon the fishing in my local area and I concentrate on trying to build a "better bait" for our local waters.

I spend a lot of time experimenting with certain aspects of building, especially the eyes and the diving lip. I have had some interesting successes with the diving lips and I'd like to spend some time in the future writing about that to share what I've learned.

Skippy was kind enough to invite me to stop in and talk a bit about building. I thought about that a bit and decided that rather than explain how to build a specific bait, I'd like to spend some time showing how to "dress up" any bait. To do that, I'm going to explain what works for me as far as adding a little detail in the way of gills and fins on a given bait.

In addition to adding some 'pop' to the look of a bait, I am convinced that at times the addition of gill plates can trigger strikes. The fins are pretty much window dressing but that is part of the fun for me. I build every single bait for my own pleasure even though they may wind up being sold to the small group of guys that regularly buy from me. I steadfastly refuse to take "orders" for a given pattern so that each time I sit down I can do something new or whatever I find to be fun or experimental at that moment.

I build baits slowly. In my opinion, after you build so many baits, you should have enough to fish with and more than enough to have shared a few with friends here and there. After that, why not slow down and enjoy each bait for its unique experience? Go ahead and push the limits a little bit each time and do not be afraid to fail. Failure is okay with me. I have a bait now and then that does not work out for one reason or another and I simply toss it and move on. On the other hand, I have 'discovered' a lot of new (to me) things and tricks along the way.

So lets talk a bit here...

I know many builders prefer water base paints. I do not. I use them, I enjoy them, I LOVE the color palette offered by Createx, for example, but I prefer oil-based paints. Why? Well, I thought you'd never ask! :affraid: The oil-based paints dry much faster without flashing. They tend to have less of a propensity toward runs and I believe that they offer a small edge as to toughness when exposed to water.

Most of all, I like the ability to play with the pearls. The pearls are available in paint and also in the form of powder, which is mixed with automotive clear." I really love and hate pearls. I love them because I think they are the most beautiful thing you can shoot through an airbrush. I hate them because they can be a bit unruly until you learn how to use them and they also tend to show even the most flea-speck of a flaw in your work. However, when all goes well, the results are deeply satisfying.

The downside? The fumes, which must be controlled by way of the appropriate paint booth and a quality respirator. Both require an investment...the booth requires a time and money investment and a qualilty respirator will probably set you back about 50 bucks or so. To me its been well worth it.

Moving on...

I'm going to spend some time explaining an easy way to make and use stencils. Once you see how this is done, you'll be able to use the same techniques to make a variety of stencils for your work. Good airbrushing is good use of stencils. Much of the "professional" work you see the big time airbrush artists knock out involves heavy use of stencils.

I will be coming back to this thread over the course of the next week or two or more and I'll be posting pictures of some of the stuff I like to do with stencils.

I'm hoping to really reach out the younger guys out there. Skip tells me that we have some teenage artists aboard and I'm really going to try to make a difference for them. I think they are lucky to be getting started so young...not because they will get better faster, but because they'll have a hobby that they can enjoy for an entire lifetime. I think that is some cool stuff. In fact, this is the only one of the many, many hobbies I've tried that I have never grown tired of.

Here's a shot of a modified walleye pattern I've been working on...

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And here's a few more which required the use of stencils to achieve what looks like the "hard' stuff as far as details...actually the stencils do most of the work for you...
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After you look these over, you begin to notice similarites in the shape of the gills and fins. Thats where we're going to start...how to make the stencil and how to hold it on the bait so you can control where the paint goes.

I'll be back...

Very sweet. awesome work. it looks like you could dangle a worm in front of them and they would bite.

to say you have gotten our attention would be an understatement, :shock: those things are incredible :affraid:

O my god!!! They are so sick looking you have some of the best work i have ever seen.Thanks mine look like **** now Keep up the good work you are the man :you da man: :you da man: :you da man:

Unbelievable This is going be good, thanks

awesome, IMHO one of the all time greats, is holding class, big fan of your work :you da man: :you da man:

Etch :.......:

In order to see what you might be trying to achieve I suggest you look at real fish.

As an example, do a google search for "list of wisconsin fishes." You'll find a website that will show you actual photos of a variety of freshwater fish. I'm sure you could find a similar site with photos of real saltwater fish also.

Examine the photos. Note the shape of the fins and gills and study the proportions and the placement of the eye on the head of the fish. Of course photos also put you in touch with the colors you might try to achieve, but sometimes having the color NOT match too closely to the real bait fish can actually trigger strikes too. Firetiger is an example of a pattern that probably gets strikes because it cause the bait to stand out from other bait fish. You might also experiment with colors that are strikingly different than the real thing, but the shape of the gills and the placement of the eye will almost always get you moving toward a bait that is satisfying to look at and often VERY productive when fishing.

As you look at the pictures, look at a SMALL section of the fish at a time...examine the colors. You can often mix a litte of this color with that color to achieve a more realistic look to the lure.

Mixing colors is something you should immediately begin trying. Do not get into the habit of using only the colors right out of the bottle you purchased.

Example: Try mixing a few drops of black with yellow...you will be pleasantly surprised at the awesome olive green color you can achieve. Mix a little bit of black with white to get a gray color. Gray is often a more 'natural' color found on bait fish.

I spend a lot of time looking at the pictures, especially for the baitfish that muskies prefer, which would be gizzard shad and threadfin shad. I'm actually working on a gizzard shad right now and will be testing it on the muskies in the next few weeks. If it works, I'm going to add it to my product line for sale (and to my tacklebox! )

You might also gather your own photographs while you are fishing. Bring a digital camera and take close up pictures of the fish you might want to reproduce on a lure.

I often print the pictures and take them into the paint shop. It may take me a long time to capture the shape and details I'm trying to achieve on a lure. Sometimes I never really get it down the way I'd like to, but the pictures surely get me closer than trying to do it from memory.

Again, the pearl powders and paint colors help achieve the irridescent sheen often seen in a variety of bait fish that "sport" fish or predator fish often prefer to eat.

As we go along, I'm going to share some ideas as to how to enhance the effects of pearl paints.

Gotta go. I'm fishing this morning. I'll be back later today to write more and hopefully post some pictures of the things I've outlined so far.

What do you need to have ready to get started? It would be nice if you had a lure ready to paint...something just primered all white is all you're going to need. Any lure will do. Actually you can practice on a piece of white PVC pipe if you do not have a lure ready to paint. The PVC pipe is round and it will be good practice for working with stencils.

Also if you have some of those clear plastic sleeves that people store photographs in you'll be able to try making stencils right away. You can get them at Walmart or any of those types of stores.

NOTE:

As we go along, please do not be offended if I write a lot about the basics here. I know that some of this will be too easy for the veteran builders here.

Remember, I'm mostly trying to help the younger and less experienced builders. A lot of what we do as builders is new to them. We often presume that everyone knows the basics and that is often not true.

So anyway, bear with me, because I really want to help these younger guys on this forum most of all.

First I want to thank you for sharing your talent with us, looking at your work is a very humbling experience to say the least. I await in anticipation to your next post :shock: :study:

This should be good, I look forward to discussing eyes with you.