# painted some lures for erie



## Big Joshy (Apr 26, 2004)

dull flashing gold erie dearies are really good on erie so I got some gold paint to try to turn some bright chartruse and white dearies into fish catchers. When I was at the store I noticed some puprle metalic paint, so I decided to make some purple and gold lures. Since those are two hot erie colors. The purple paint was krylon X metals. its shiny and translucent so it worked perfect.

I did some purple bladebaits, with various gold accents or gold from the blade left showing. A thundersick, a frenzy rattler, and various shades of purple and gold dearies. Im real happy with how they turned out so far. I stll have to epoxy the thundersick. 

The blades on the Erie Dearies were silver, if I put on the gold first It covered the flash completely. If I put on the purple x metals paint it wouldn't loose its flashyness, it would just flash purple. For that reason I think this paint would be great for redoing spoons that loose their paint.

An EPOXY question for the experts. I read online that if you heat the surface you want to epoxy you dont have to use a thinning agent. This worked for me but it caused to epoxy to begin to cure really fast. Any suggestions as to how to get around this. I read that some thining agents weaken the epoxy?


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## vc1111 (Apr 13, 2004)

Nice work. I like the purples and gold together.

That's the beauty of this stuff; you can tailor the baits to the waters you fish and that adds an element of anticipation to your next trip to the water.

You might consider using envirotex for the smaller baits and the metal baits because it can be difficult to apply regular expoxy thin enough on a small bait. It has a tendency to go on thick and only thick, which is okay on larger baits. On smaller baits it can affect the action of the bait and will sometimes deaden the action to a point where the bait simply won't run right.

Envirotex is a 2 part mixture and its also a form of expoxy but it goes on in much thinner layers, allows a lot of working time so you can do a number of baits with one batch that you've mixed up. It is a bit softer when cured and it will tend to allow a bit more expansion for metal baits, which are prone to expansion and contraction in the sun. 

I think it would work much much better for the baits you've posted and the finish is provides lights up the colors you've painted every bit as much as the other epoxys out there.

I've tried the heavier stuff on metal spoons and it cracks and separated from the spoon as soon as the metal expands a couple of times. 

Hope that helps.


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## eyesman_01 (Jan 4, 2007)

I've got a mold for those dearie heads in 3/8 and 5/8 if you need any more. I've also got molds for a minnow head weight forward up to 3/4 too.


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## Big Joshy (Apr 26, 2004)

Eyesman when you say minnow head weight forward. do you mean like the old tom's lure. I know my dads (Lundys) favorite weight forward is an old beat up gold toms lure with green tape on the blade. Those things are hard to find though.


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## Hook N Book (Apr 7, 2004)

Big Joshy said:


> Eyesman when you say minnow head weight forward. do you mean like the old tom's lure. I know my dads (Lundys) favorite weight forward is an old beat up gold toms lure with green tape on the blade. Those things are hard to find though.


Well thanks for that tidbit, Joshy...!


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## DaleM (Apr 5, 2004)

Hook N Book said:


> Well thanks for that tidbit, Joshy...!


We love inside information!! Rodney, make sure we pass this along next week.


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## eyesman_01 (Jan 4, 2007)

Big Joshy said:


> Eyesman when you say minnow head weight forward. do you mean like the old tom's lure. I know my dads (Lundys) favorite weight forward is an old beat up gold toms lure with green tape on the blade. Those things are hard to find though.


Don't know about the old tom's lure, but here is one of the minnow heads I painted gold.


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## eyesman_01 (Jan 4, 2007)

Here's some of my dearie heads.


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## Big Joshy (Apr 26, 2004)

hey I see you use colorado blades instead of french style. Do you think they are better? Im sure you would get more thump, but you sacrafice speed.


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## eyesman_01 (Jan 4, 2007)

Never really thought about it. I've always had colorados on hand, so that's what I put on 'em. Besides, then no one could say I'm trying to pass them off as original dearies.

Actually, I've never really used weight forwards. Figured I'd try them out this year. Any tips on how, where, and when? Is the speed or thump more important? Actually, I've even thought about trying a few with the inline (can't remember proper name at the moment) blades. I'll have a bunch of the ones shown above (both styles) at the outing next week if you want a closer look.

Is that one similar to the old tom's lure? I tried searching for a pic on the net last night but couldn't find one to know.


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## Lundy (Apr 5, 2004)

Eyesman,

I like that gold one with the Colorado, except if it were mine I would find some way to let the shiny gold blade tarnish and get dull. 

Last year there was a definite preference for dull gold lures when I was casting for the eyes. I have a couple hundred weight forwards left over from the good old days on Erie that I put back in service last year with the spike in the population of eyes. It was a bunch of fun catching them in huge numbers casting again.

Blade preference? I had days and times the Colorado blades produced better and just the opposite other times. The single most consistent variable all year was the dull gold. There were days it didn't matter at all. One particular late June evening near Vermilion I just kept changing lures to see what I couldn't catch them on. I even caught two on Purple hair jigs during this wall to wall feeding frenzy.

I try to let the fish tell me what they want to eat versus me trying to force them to eat what I think they should eat. I don't think the fish and I always read the same books or expert advice that's available.

If anyone has any old Big Jons, or Shimmy Shads, any body color, must be gold blades I would gladly purchase them from you.


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## fishingguy (Jan 5, 2006)

eyesman, if your gonna be using those, your going to need to learn the "swing" or as some call it, the west sister shuffle. Get on the back corner of the boat, cast the weight forward out on about a 90% angle to the drift. Let it sink with bail open. Count it down, anywhere from 5 to 15 count. Close the bail and reel slowly until the lure starts to turn back to the boat. Stop reeling and pull the lure slowly and drop it back, repeat a few times until the lure has straightened out. The fish will almost always hit on the turn. The lure changes direction and you supply the action and there you go. You must be a line watcher for this, where it enters the water. Keep your eye on the line and you will see it twitch or jump a bit, set the hook. For all of the old timers, did I explain this well enough?


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## Lundy (Apr 5, 2004)

fishingguy said:


> eye on the line and you will see it twitch or jump a bit, set the hook. For all of the old timers, did I explain this well enough?


Who you calling old? 

Everything is as I would explain it except for the line watching. For me it is all feel, no line watching. You can easily determine by blade spin resistance current direction, "the swing" minimum speed needed for your retrieve.

Many, many times the best swing is not always off of the back corner of the boat, based upon current and drift speed and direction it can be anywhere even the front of the boat. It's easy to find however just by casting and feeling what your lure is doing. Just try casting several different angles from your drift, you'll find certain angles that allow you to work your lure through the "swing" (lure change of direction) while maintaining good blade spin, with minimal reeling. Other angles will require you to reel must faster to maintain blade spin through the "swing"

You can certainly catch walleye casting without "playing the swing". This "swing" is nothing more than your lure making a change in direction and speed that can some days be the key to trigger more hits.

The hit itself can be anywhere from violent to just feeling dead weight or your blade just stops turning and everywhere in between. I fish with fireline and catch many fish that all I feel is a change in the lure resistance, like the blade stopping.


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## vc1111 (Apr 13, 2004)

> There were days it didn't matter at all. One particular late June evening near Vermilion I just kept changing lures to see what I couldn't catch them on. I even caught two on Purple hair jigs during this wall to wall feeding frenzy.


Man, its still nasty outside but you've got me looking forward to getting out there.

I've never tried the Erie dearie baits in the Conneaut/Ashtabule region. Do they work up there?

Eyesman, you do great work. Did you pour all those too?


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## eyesman_01 (Jan 4, 2007)

vc1111 said:


> Eyesman, you do great work. Did you pour all those too?



Yep. I do a lot of lead work... jigs, including bucktails, spinners, buzzbaits, weights and sinkers (inlines, snap weights etc), etc. I also pour some soft plastics. I try a lot of different items hoping they will help me catch more walleye. Some have, some haven't. 

Just wish I could find a small market for them to fund my fishing passion. I have both a Retail license (had an online bait business) and an excise tax #(manufacturer). I figure if I don't start showing a profit soon they'll drop me. All I've done is put money into it with so sales. I'm not looking to make it big, like I said, but enough to fund my Erie trips and such. Been laid off since January and things are getting tight. Scraping up enough money to make it to the Turtle Creek Outing, but will be looking for a new job as soon as I get back. The way business looks, I doubt I'll be getting my old position (Tool & Die Apprentice) back.


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## TIGGER (Jan 17, 2006)

Nice baits! I love the purples. Killers on the big waters of Erie


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