Starting to paint crankbaits

[SkeeterDuke15]

started painting some old crankbaits today...im going to start buying blank ones and painting them myself as its cheaper and i really enjoy doing it. but as a trial to doing so i repainted these two old baits to see if i could actually do it...still need eyes but i think they came out pretty good so i ordered some new blanks and will paint some more! these two are basically rootbeer colored as its my favorite and seemed pretty simple to start with. i will upload the new batch when i get them done, but as of now let me know how they look!

 

[foodfisher]

Re: Starting to paint crankbaits

A mesh stretched over the body makes good looking scales.

 

[jigngrub]

Re: Starting to paint crankbaits

Be very careful with that stuff!

... tackle crafting can be highly addictive!... and you might even have to endure a family intervention.

 

[Fishin Magician]

Re: Starting to paint crankbaits

Be very careful with that stuff!

.. tackle crafting can be highly addictive!... and you might even have to endure a family intervention.[/Q

I was out fishin with my neighbor last night ....I told him he was full of it when he said his box was worth 5k.....I laughed and said you should put a life jacket on that junk.....we caught nothing.............
probly should have keep my mouth shut .............huh.

 

[JEBar]

Re: Starting to paint crankbaits

as of now let me know how they look!

very nice indeed .... looking forward to seeing the finished product

Jim

 

[SkeeterDuke15]

Re: Starting to paint crankbaits

thanks for all the input.. as of right now ive done a few experimental colors but this is prob my favorite one. these are just painted with spraypaint and a few clear coats to help protect them. im looking into an airbrush for some more in the future....

also in my next batch ill order eyes to finish these off.

 

[sschefer]

Re: Starting to paint crankbaits

Nice work - What do you figure the materials will cost you start to finish if you build them from blanks?

 

[SkeeterDuke15]

Re: Starting to paint crankbaits

id say about $2-3 each, beats $5-6 any day and i can pretty much paint them my fav colors...not the prettiest paint jobs but they will work excellent for me ha

 

[mommicked]

Re: Starting to paint crankbaits

A good friend started painting baits years ago. He now makes his own completely custom carved, wooden crank, rattling and topwater baits. He is a Bass fishing fanatic and his baits catch fish. He cuts the rough bodies out of Cedar and other wood boards w a jigsaw and a pattern that cuts 2 baits at once belly/back belly/back wasting very little wood and then hand shapes them w a sander before rigging, adding circuitboard or clear lips, realistic taxidermy eyes sometimes, and airbrushing and sealing them. He has set up a homeaide, small painting "box" in his garage w an exhaust fan to draw the fumes outside. I've seen him apply copper and gold foil from the hobbyshop also and it looks good. He is found of putting tiny, blue or purple glitter or powder? on the sides and back of baits ( He says the Bass love the glitter ) and he uses the aforementioned mesh to make scale patterns w different sizes, shapes sometimes. I believe he seals them w 3 coats of epoxy? The thick clearcoat is tough. Messin w baits can be a great hobby and rewarding when you catch a big one on your customized bait.

 

[sschefer]

Re: Starting to paint crankbaits

id say about $2-3 each, beats $5-6 any day and i can pretty much paint them my fav colors...not the prettiest paint jobs but they will work excellent for me ha

That's quite a bit of savings. I may have to look into it myself. I sure lose enough crankbaits to make it worthwhile. Sounds like it might make a good fun winter hobby to learn.

 

[SkeeterDuke15]

Re: Starting to paint crankbaits

Here is one i did lastnight... mix between rootbeer and baby bass i guess.

 

[SkeeterDuke15]

Re: Starting to paint crankbaits

That's quite a bit of savings. I may have to look into it myself. I sure lose enough crankbaits to make it worthwhile. Sounds like it might make a good fun winter hobby to learn.

yea i've found the blanks for around $1.50, hooks and split rings for each bait is around $.50, and i had a bunch of spray paint, so painting them was practically free, but if i did just the root beer color i could make prob 30+ baits using one can of each color spray paint. so the cost of the paint is minimal..... i would love to get an airbrush to make them look really good, but that is a little bit more of an investment that im willing to make right now.

 

[JEBar]

Re: Starting to paint crankbaits

Here is one i did lastnight... mix between rootbeer and baby bass i guess. View attachment 167976

have you had a chance to use any of your plugs .... just wondering how they performed .... with the bill shown, how deep do they run

Jim

 

[fishrdan]

Re: Starting to paint crankbaits

Those lures look good Skeeter, where are you buying your supplies? I have a couple suppliers I can share if you are interested.

I make my own lures too, though they are wood and finishing them is a bit different than plastic, I'm using all waterbased finishes. An air brush will make things more detailed, but I think you are doing a great job with rattle cans.

 

[SkeeterDuke15]

Re: Starting to paint crankbaits

thanks for the input! JEBar these will run down to 10' and yes i used them last night (without any luck) but after a few min of tuning them they ran great! fishrdan i buy my blanks from Dakotalakestackle.com or Predatorbassbaits.com. split rings from dakota, but i think i can get my trebles just as cheap from walmart. i practiced a little more over the weekend with the same comb design and came up with these...

there is a little overspray with spray paint, but i see that im learning how to control it a little better.. cant wait to see what i can do with my next batch!

 

[sschefer]

Re: Starting to paint crankbaits

Skeeter, have a look at the new Mustad KVD Elite trebles. Nice!.. I know a lot of guys will just hang them on and go but you really need to drag them and re-tune. I ran a few in the pool yesterday afternoon and after a few tweaks had them running like I wanted them to.

 

[SkeeterDuke15]

Re: Starting to paint crankbaits

i definitely will, and yea it took just a few tweaks to get them running good.. looking forward to this weekend and will hopefully post some baits in the mouths of giant bass ha

 

[JEBar]

Re: Starting to paint crankbaits

looking forward to this weekend and will hopefully post some baits in the mouths of giant bass ha

I really hope that proves to be the case and look forward to the pictures .... what was required in tuning your plugs

Jim

 

[SkeeterDuke15]

Re: Starting to paint crankbaits

directional to the bait coming at you from a long cast....if the plug runs or rolls to the left bend the eyelet on the bill Slightly and i mean very slightly to the right (holding the plug so the bill is pointing at you), opposite if it runs or rolls to the right, you bend it left.... its more of trial and error, but only takes a min or two. does that make sense?

 

[Jlawsen]

Re: Starting to paint crankbaits

This may sound silly to a lot of you seasoned crank bait users but I see time and time again where guys will use a snap swivel and totally mess up the way the baits swim. Go directly to the split ring with a Palomar knot (mono). Another thing I see all the time is guys hooking up or snagging and then just throwing the bait back out. The most common words after that are "Well the bites off now or this things not working anymore". Usually all you need to do is flip it out about 15', drag it back, tweak it if needed and then get back on the bite.