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Topwater Caranx Ignobilis: Giant Trevally (GT) => Tackle & Techniques => Topic started by: Angus Hulme on September 08, 2009, 12:52:57 PM
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Hi fellas,
Just thought I'd post a couple of pics of my latest efforts at making GT poppers and stickbaits. These are mostly for use on future Whitsunday trips, and having tested the lures action last weekend in the Broadwater, I now feel quite confident they will get bites.
However, I am still learning about various production methods and finishing systems, so if you have any comments or suggestions, fire away. In fact, I even managed to inadvertently make the blue fusilier coloured stickbait (with the yellow tail) into a sinking stickbait, which means it can be worked through all levels of the water column. ;D Didn't mean to make it a sinker, but I added so many coats of epoxy and integrated heaps of lead, that it now slowly wafts and sinks when left at rest.
Most of you will recognize what most of the designs are based on, but there are a couple there that are somewhat unique, and all of them are more erratic and hard to control in the water than any professional lures I've seen or used, and this is mostly due to my inexact production methods! :D
Cheers
Angus
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Nice handy work there Angus... Especially like the flash factor in your lures!
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Awesome work Angus, they look great, where abouts did you get the through wire ?? Welding rod isn't it, what gauge ??
Cheers Anthony
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hi angus
i m really interrested by how you finish your poppers
i've got all these to finish ;D
(http://nsm02.casimages.com/img/2009/09/05//090905092808280714387699.jpg) (http://www.casimages.com)
(http://nsm02.casimages.com/img/2009/09/05//090905092808280714387700.jpg) (http://www.casimages.com)
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Awesome work Angus, those are beaut mate!!!
Now lets see some more pics of them hangin outta fish's gobs!!!
Love the way you've managed to get all that great flash finish to them...
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Jese...Angus...
Gotta say they keep getting better & better.
Top work mate
Pete
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;D
Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery .
Jon . ;)
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Thanks for the feedback boys.
Jon, indeed it is. ;) The thing is, any feature of a new lure design has pretty much been done before already, so the question I constantly find myself asking is "where does imitation end, and innovation begin"? :-\
Andre, the dilemma of my life is that I don't get enough chances to actually fish with my lures in GT water! :-\ But regarding the holographic finish, I found a sign writer supplier who stocks holographic adhesive in a range of patterns. The problem is that I had to cut out the shape of each individual panel of adhesive, and affix it piece-by-piece. So yep, very time consuming! Lucky it's a hobby though.
Laurent, man those poppers look great! Nice deep cup faces for big blooping spray. The GT's will love that. Regarding the finish, what specifically did you want to know? A basic rundown for you: my lures have 2 coats of West Systems epoxy as a wood sealer, then an primer undercoat of paint, 2 coats of colour, holographic finish, then 2 clear protective coats to seal the paint and holographic adhesive. My system needs some refinement, because the lures tend to get easily damaged being cast into the brick edge of my swimming pool! :D
Anthony, yep, the wire is stainless welding rod....I think it's 316 grade in 1.4 or 1.6mm thickness. Most welding suppliers should have the sort of stuff required for these sorts of lures.
Cheers
Angus
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Excellent stuff. Need a Fiji testing session. Whadya say Mr. Morris??
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Nice work Angus. Sent you an email ;)
I have been using 316 1.7mm filler rod however I think it will be under gunned against 20kg plus fish. Guess i'll find out :o
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They look the goods, I've got a lathe in the shed and am going to play around with making a few. One question I would like to ask is what sort of timber do you start with and what size?
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interesting you should ask that Craig......I still haven't worked out what's the best timber, myself :D People have told me hoop pine is good, but my problem is that I get off cuts of timber from a variety of sources, and I rarely even know what the timber is that I'm receiving. I have used a yellow hardwood called yellow ash (I think?!), and it seems good for stickbaits, tight grained and heavy in the water, so there's not excessive floatation. Also, lures made with this wood tend to cast well too. Sorry mate, but all I can really offer here is to suggest you start with whatever timber you can get your hands on, and you'll soon figure out what's going to work, and what won't.
Cheers
Angus
PS. Warwick, I'll swing you an email very shortly mate
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Hi Angus,
"Andre, the dilemma of my life is that I don't get enough chances to actually fish with my lures in GT water!"
Mate I feel and understand your pain, to assist with your dilemma I am willing to accept some of your poppers and get them smashed up by our local GT population. Always happy to help a fellow GT Warrior..... ;)
Nice work mate - love em.....
8)
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nice try Pete. Take a ticket and get in line! :D
Obviously, I need to try them for myself on my November Whitsunday trip, after that, who knows where my lures will end up. Even my brother is trying to pilfer some for a trip he's doing in 2 weeks. I said to him he could only have some of last years stock. ;)
Thanks for the comments though mate.
Cheers
Angus
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Hi Angus your lures look great,
What is the brand of clear coat you have used? Is it 2 part?
regards Ben
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G'day Ben, thanks mate....the clear coat I use is a 2 part gloss resin, called Aristocrat. I must warn though: it's not designed for marine conditions, and I'd bet my house that the makers never intended for their product to be GT resistant! ;)
If I was going to sell my lures, I would try to source something more suitable for marine conditions, but I figure that fish don't give a hoot what the finish is like, so there's no point me getting too wound up about it. I have sealed the base timber well, so the final clear finish is largely for aesthetic value, IMO.
Hope that helps
Cheers
Angus
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good work mate,soon every one that are able to make there own poppers will start making them,we have made atleast 40-50 poppers on a friends lathe,some are bigger than I-Cups...some have fish tails and all work great,wiring is a hundred percent..
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how do you go about twisting the wire?
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Neale, bear in mind that I am just pottering in my little workshop under my house and don't own any specialized tools. Basically, I just use a a bench vice, pliers and some large drill bits. Put a drill bit into the vice, and bend the wire around the drill bit until it's almost a circle. Then I put the loop into the vice, and use the pliers to twist the tag end around the main wire a number of times. Then cut the tag off with a hacksaw. Crude but effective. Take some practice to get it looking reasonably neat, but that's part of the fun.
Cheers
Angus
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Thanks Angus,
Aristocrat is the same brand of clear I have used also, I ve only made a handful of poppers for an upcoming trip and the Aristocrat has turned out well. As for the wire, I used 1.6mm 316 stainless tig filler, same kind of way you desribed, a drill in the vice and hold the end of the wire with vice grips to do the twists. One thing I did try was to cut a slot into the drill thats used to form the loop around, this lets you place a swivel in the slot and twist the wire with the swivel inside the loop. I can post a pic if anyone wants.
Cheers Ben
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That'd be good thanks :)
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One thing I did try was to cut a slot into the drill thats used to form the loop around, this lets you place a swivel in the slot and twist the wire with the swivel inside the loop. I can post a pic if anyone wants.
That sounds like a great little trick Ben, I would also be keen to see some pics if you can manage it.
Cheers
Angus
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If you form the loop then place the swivel into the loop before your final twists it seems to be a bit easier.
Cheers Ben
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super work Ben, simple yet highly effective. How'd you cut the slot in the drill bit?
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Angus,
I just used a 1mm thick disc on the angle grinder, you can get them at most hardware shops. I call em wafer discs. Its actually an old screwdriver I used to form the loop around, anything round is good I'd reckon.
Cheers Ben