# Blade Bait without a mold



## All Eyes

After making jigging spoons for so long, I thought I'd try my hand at making blade baits. This is made without a mold using the same 3/8" copper tubing that I make my spoons with. It's lead filled and weighs just shy of 1/2oz. at 1-7/8" long. I have no idea how it will work yet, but it looks like with some trial and error I should be able to make some that at least look pretty cool.


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## cadman

Very nicely done from scratch. From past experience, this is what I've found out about copper. I have made some blade blanks for the blade mold I have in copper. The copper finished blade bait has more vibration than brass, plated steel or stainless steel because copper is lighter. The only problem I did find was that I used soft copper and it had a tendency to bend easily and get nicked up, which then lost its ability to vibrate after repetitive use. So then I went to full hard copper. It then helped tremendously, but copper is still soft. Painting the copper blades with candy powder paints, polishing or sanding the blade gave some really nice visual effects. One last thing I found that really works well. 6061 T6 alloy aluminum. Aluminum is very light and this alloy is very hard. I had the profile cut on a laser, because you can not cut this aluminum with tin snips without distorting the shape. The vibration was very impressive Good luck on your design and let me know how it works.


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## All Eyes

Thanks for the info Cadman. Great stuff!
Being a big fan of blades I've always wanted to try making some from scratch just to see if it could be done. I will be trying a few more and playing around with brass as well. There are already some things I want to change on this first one. For instance, the hole in the tail needs to be moved down so it doesn't allow the hook to swing above the lure on the drop. 
Here is a general idea as to how I went about making this first one. I used a block of hard nylon in a vice to make the lead cavity impresion. So I guess I did use a "mold" just not in the traditional sense. It would be easier to just go out and buy some Vibees, but I like messing around with stuff. I'm already thinking about a rattle blade???


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## All Eyes

My 2nd attempt has the hook holes more where I wanted them. This one is about 3/8oz. I am planning on rigging them with double frog hooks but don't have any on hand. That way there is no split ring. They don't work too well on blade baits.


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## All Eyes

My 3rd try weighs about 1/4 oz. and looks a bit more like a blade bait. I'm not sure how the action is going to be on these with the front hook so far forward??? If nothing else I'm hoping for some kind of kick or thump thump on the retrieve and a nice fast flutter on the drop.


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## cadman

Very nice craftsmanship. How long doe it take you to make one from start to finish?


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## All Eyes

Thanks Cadman! The last one took me probably 20-30 min. from start to finish.


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## cadman

I just find it very fascinating that someone can make the entire bait from scratch. It's very impressive that you have the patience to do that. I have patience but I like everything perfect and that is my down fall. I'm my own worst critic. When you get chance I would like to see some painted up.


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## All Eyes

Here are a couple that I shot a bit of red on. I have made a dozen or so of these now all with slight differences in shapes and weights. Hopefully it will give me some idea as to what works better than the other.


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## All Eyes

Another one.


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## smalliediehard

nice!!!!! keep up the great work. i just recently started making my own bladebaits,tried them my last trip out last fall and they seemed to do great,they outfished nitros,vibes,and sonars. i showed my dad some of spoons you made and it wasnt much longer after he was going to the hardware store getting copper piping haha. your baits look great!


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## sonar

ALL EYES,you're not gonna have but one problem! The ice to get on & try 'em out! Go get 'em!!!! Those look like they will be "REAL tasty"! -----sonar.......


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## All Eyes

Thanks! It's been fun experimenting with them. Here is permanent marker paint job on my latest one.


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## sonar

cadman said:


> Very nicely done from scratch. From past experience, this is what I've found out about copper. I have made some blade blanks for the blade mold I have in copper. The copper finished blade bait has more vibration than brass, plated steel or stainless steel because copper is lighter. The only problem I did find was that I used soft copper and it had a tendency to bend easily and get nicked up, which then lost its ability to vibrate after repetitive use. So then I went to full hard copper. It then helped tremendously, but copper is still soft. Painting the copper blades with candy powder paints, polishing or sanding the blade gave some really nice visual effects. One last thing I found that really works well. 6061 T6 alloy aluminum. Aluminum is very light and this alloy is very hard. I had the profile cut on a laser, because you can not cut this aluminum with tin snips without distorting the shape. The vibration was very impressive Good luck on your design and let me know how it works.


 COM'ON! YOU HAVE A LASER???? HOW DO I COMPETE ? NEXT YOU WILL TELL US YOU HAVE AN AIR BOAT!LOL !! just re-read the lines,and picked that one out.PLS. ,Take no offense of my comments! How'bout that All Eyes guy ? He's really going to town isn't he?I think he will do just fine!! Later!-------sonar........


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## cadman

All Eyes said:


> Thanks! It's been fun experimenting with them. Here is permanent marker paint job on my latest one.


The colors look really good.



sonar said:


> COM'ON! YOU HAVE A LASER???? HOW DO I COMPETE ? NEXT YOU WILL TELL US YOU HAVE AN AIR BOAT!LOL !! just re-read the lines,and picked that one out.PLS. ,Take no offense of my comments! How'bout that All Eyes guy ? He's really going to town isn't he?I think he will do just fine!! Later!-------sonar........


I wish I had a laser you know what I can do if I had one. The company I work for has a laser. It will cut steel, aluminum, stainless steel, brass and copper. I am a sheet metal programmer and designer, so I can draw up my own profiles, program the part and then have one of my friends cut the part for me on our laser. Having access to a laser gives me all kind of company perks, that carry over into my fishing world.


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## sonar

All our blessings! I believe GOD was a fisherman!! I,too am able to do some "special aps." at work , at least for about another year or so........ then I'm on my own,well, me & the Mrs. then look out! anything might happen! But you are right those colors on All Eyes stuff,on that copper base are very candy colored , and blend together quite well! good job!!!! -----sonar.....


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## All Eyes

All a bit different than the other. I should get a good idea as to what works best action-wise when I get around to "field testing" these.


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## mirrocraft mike

Alleyes
You stick to manufacturing/design and let a qualified field tester try them out (like myself).. 
Nice work...


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## All Eyes

Thanks Mike and you got a deal ! All you have to do is learn me them Atwood Ninja Giant Saugeye catchin skills and you can be my official field tester. 
(qualifying saugeye must be at least 9 inches long)
I'll even throw in one of my top secret new lure designs that's guaranteed to catch white bass and/or snag bottom within seconds.


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## mirrocraft mike

I was ready to go to work for ya ..Until YOU HAD TO GO THERE
(qualifying saugeye must be 9 inches long)..

Look I'm a very hard worker.. Big and better is not everything.
I'm a very dependable,consistent catching 9 inch saugeye guy.
References available upon request .
Please reconsider my offer.


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## All Eyes

Mike, if you are serious about consistantly catching 9" saugeye on Atwood, I'm afraid you may be over qualified. I have all but given up down there (at least until late May) 
Don't wanna brag, but after Mothers Day last year I developed a strategy that broke the 10 inch Atwood saugeye mark twice! If I hit an even foot, he's going on the wall.


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## st.slippy

Those are really looking good. I think you should find your time and efforts were well spent.


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## All Eyes

Here are some that I powder coated, painted and cleared. A bit crude yet, but I am still learning the whole powder coat thing.


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## cadman

All Eyes said:


> Here are some that I powder coated, painted and cleared. A bit crude yet, but I am still learning the whole powder coat thing.


Very nice. What I found works really well, since we're so limited with what we can do with powder paint is to use electrical vinyl tape and pin striping tape. You can make kill spots, lateral lines, gills and even perch stripes. All you need is a good master and an exacto knife and cut it out. Once on, you can clear coat it and it will look beautiful. Just some food for thought.


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## All Eyes

Excellent tip! I will give it a try. Pretty new at paints and coatings yet and really appreciate the help and any info you have. Obviously you have done this a time or two.  Your finishes look great! 
I started powder coating some of my spoons last year and found that I only liked it on the rattle spoons I was making due to the thickness it was adding. The rattle spoons are more rounded and so it didn't matter to me. (see pic)
I like my jigging spoons to be very thin so they cut through the water and fall faster. Even after compensating with more weight I wasn't satisfied with the action. Now with a better heat source I have learned to apply powder paint very thin so I thought I'd try it on my blades. 
Again, Thanks for your help.


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## All Eyes

Here are my latest blades and spoons that I powder coated thanks to some tips from Cadman.


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## mirrocraft mike

Man Those look great !!!!!


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## cadman

All Eyes,
I am looking at your pic in your post #25 and then the batch you just made in post #26 and I can see the difference. In post #25 if you look at the orange on the belly it looks rough, in post #26 the powder looks smoother and glossier on all your blade baits. Definitely a big difference. I'm sure you can see the difference and are very pleased.


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## All Eyes

mirrocraft mike said:


> Man Those look great !!!!!


Thanks Mike. We gotta go try em out.


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## All Eyes

cadman said:


> All Eyes,
> I am looking at your pic in your post #25 and then the batch you just made in post #26 and I can see the difference. In post #25 if you look at the orange on the belly it looks rough, in post #26 the powder looks smoother and glossier on all your blade baits. Definitely a big difference. I'm sure you can see the difference and are very pleased.


The belly on the rattle spoon in post #25 was done with a permanent marker in a dot pattern. The perch stripes are done the same way. Obviously there is a huge improvement in the before and after. They are not perfect yet, but with some more practice they should turn out great. And Yes, I'm quite pleased thank you.


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## All Eyes

My latest and favorite yet.


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## cadman

Wow! Now that's nice, you must be practicing a lot. You are improving with every new one you make. Wait till you start experimenting with different colors, you will have more blade baits then you will need. Then you will have 70 or 80 different colors of powder paint like I do and the madness won't stop.

I have a couple of questions for you. If you don't want to answer here you can PM me if you would prefer.

#1 The black swirls (stripes, accent marks) on your bait in the pic above, is that done in black marker?
#2 Your hooks on your blade baits. Are those the ones with the open hook eye, and you close over? If they are how do you like those and do you have any problems with the hook eye opening up? Thanks


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## All Eyes

Yes Cadman, the black is permanent marker that I am applying before I bake them. I have no idea how it will do over time but seems to sink into the paint to a degree. As far as the hooks go, they are split shank from Janns Netcraft. If you are careful putting them on they don't open much and retain shape fairly well. I am going to get some double hooks and start using them instead.


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## sonar

Hey EYES,CAD, I'm gonna ring in here ,with my experiences with the open eyed hooks. They WILL FAIL YOU on a good 3+lbs.fish, when hooked on the single hook! A friend of mine got a pound of them and passed some out, to me & others and at least 1/2 of those passed out, did in fact FAIL! BROKE OFF ON THE SINGLE SIDE HOOK!! Just my findings on the subject.........Myself, I use eagle claw black chrome,cut the eye just above the shank & twist,bend the eye open enough to slip into the hook mount hole & twist&bend back to original form & never has one broken at the eye. I believe the best way to catch a fish, is to not let them get away due to equipment failure,at least "up",your percentages, by using the best overall performing ingredients. And that is just my.02$ --------sonar..........


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## cadman

sonar said:


> Hey EYES,CAD, I'm gonna ring in here ,with my experiences with the open eyed hooks. They WILL FAIL YOU on a good 3+lbs.fish, when hooked on the single hook! A friend of mine got a pound of them and passed some out, to me & others and at least 1/2 of those passed out, did in fact FAIL! BROKE OFF ON THE SINGLE SIDE HOOK!! Just my findings on the subject.........Myself, I use eagle claw black chrome,cut the eye just above the shank & twist,bend the eye open enough to slip into the hook mount hole & twist&bend back to original form & never has one broken at the eye. I believe the best way to catch a fish, is to not let them get away due to equipment failure,at least "up",your percentages, by using the best overall performing ingredients. And that is just my.02$ --------sonar..........


I don't want to sound stupid, but aren't you doing the same thing as buying the store bought ones with the cut hook eye. I am very interested, please explain. I have always used split rings, is this an incorrect way of fishing them. I don't fish them that often, so I would like to learn more about all of this for my own knowledge...................Thanks in advance.


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## All Eyes

Cadman,
Not sure if you are referring to the open eye or split shank hooks. The ones I am using are split shank meaning that one leg is not welded allowing you to slide it into place without using a split ring. I can't comment on how good they work yet cause I'm pretty new to them as well. 
As far as using split rings on blade baits, I have seen some made that way but it's not the norm. I don't like them at all on blades. They have more of a tendency to reach up and grab your line. Pain in the sphincter if you ask me.

Sonar, 
do you remember what brand of hooks that were breaking on you guys? Just wondering if all of the split shanks are known to have that problem or if it was just a cheaply made hook. 
Not that it really matters cause you said it only affects fish over 3 pounds so I should be okay.


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## vc1111

I'm really enjoying this thread. I love vertical jigging through the ice and otherwise and the idea of making your own for this type of fishing is very cool stuff.

Have you guys ever thought about foiling just the blades or just the bellys of the baits? It would probably be very easy to do and would be a way of adding a shot of silver or gold, etc.

Also holographic tape would be something to consider on the flat areas. It could be applied in delicate strips and other shapes if you cut if with an Xacto knife before applying it.


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## cadman

vc1111 said:


> I'm really enjoying this thread. I love vertical jigging through the ice and otherwise and the idea of making your own for this type of fishing is very cool stuff.
> 
> Have you guys ever thought about foiling just the blades or just the bellys of the baits? It would probably be very easy to do and would be a way of adding a shot of silver or gold, etc.
> 
> Also holographic tape would be something to consider on the flat areas. It could be applied in delicate strips and other shapes if you cut if with an Xacto knife before applying it.


I am considering doing a photo finish on some of mine. I am really getting into this water based tranfer-on decals, like they use for car models. I also found that you can print really well on these with an inkjet printer, and the results are pretty impressive, since I am not that good with an air brush yet. I will post some pics when I get some made. It is a little labor intensive, but so impressive.

There are so many things you can do when you have a flat surface. I like the idea of the foil tape. I will have to try it when I get the chance. Thanx for the info


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## cadman

All Eyes said:


> Cadman,
> Not sure if you are referring to the open eye or split shank hooks. The ones I am using are split shank meaning that one leg is not welded allowing you to slide it into place without using a split ring. I can't comment on how good they work yet cause I'm pretty new to them as well.
> As far as using split rings on blade baits, I have seen some made that way but it's not the norm. I don't like them at all on blades. They have more of a tendency to reach up and grab your line. Pain in the sphincter if you ask me.
> 
> Sonar,
> do you remember what brand of hooks that were breaking on you guys? Just wondering if all of the split shanks are known to have that problem or if it was just a cheaply made hook.
> Not that it really matters cause you said it only affects fish over 3 pounds so I should be okay.


All Eyes thanks for the info on the split rings, maybe I will get better action with out them, will have to try once ice is out. Also I think I know which hooks you are talking about.

All Eyes and Sonar I will post some links or pics on the hooks that I think you are referring to. Let me know if they are the ones. I will post later got to do some errands.


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## sonar

CAD,EYES,VCIIII, To answer,in listed order i 'll start w/ cads ? 1st. the hooks I use are standard eyed type,then they are cut 1/64"-1/32"-from the main shank with diacut,wire cutters,then with needle nose pliers,from the side grip the upper portion of the eye,twist &bend to open a space to slip the hook eye on to the lure attachment hole then twist back to orig. form. this is a good anti-linesnag reducer being that the hook closer to the bait. EYE'S the brand of hooks, that we were using for sure was VMC, the brand, ol,B. Edworthy used on His ,& since, his passing the (2),other owners [email protected],used.But somewhere along the way VMC changed the temper process, and they are brittle = "snappage"! But the fact remains 1 hook-shank,thickness vs. 3X hook shank thickness ? You already know my pick! vc1111,I have not, done any foils,but h*ll,I like lots of different things,& hope to try 'em all someday if I can! And ,I can get these foils where? When I retire,I will be doing more experimental projects??? but who knows the future??? Take care guys,& keep-on trying new ways to catch 'eye's on your-own-concept,ideas & share'em !!!vince--------sonar.......


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## st.slippy

here are a few of the tapes, and some blades with them on. I also threw in a few I had painted. They are not to perfection, but I used less heat and brushed the powder on. There is a very fine line between hot enough and too hot. I bought some gold plated and there are nickel plated in the picture. Can't buy them anymore as there are none to buy. These are not rembrandt works, but good enough for fish. Pictures don't do them justice, though


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## st.slippy

here are a few better pictures


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## vc1111

> And ,I can get these foils where?


Foils are probably easiest to find at Pat Catan's. If you buy one package (about $5), you'll have enough for about a hundred baits, I would guess.


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## vc1111

St.Slippy, I think that is very good work. I like the black one's the best


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## All Eyes

I have used tapes on blades and really liked the added effect. This is a bad picture but here are a couple examples. 
http://www.ohiogamefishing.com/photopost/showphoto.php/photo/42487/ppuser/1901
As far as foil I would really love to learn how to use that stuff! That may be a really cool way to go for sure seeing your foil work Vince. And now we are talking photo decals!!! How cool would that be on a blade bait? You guys are killing me. I need 2 brains and a lot more time. Eventually this whole thing is gonna get ugly cause I like it way too much. I haven't even started on crank baits yet!!! The baits on here by Vince and others are just rediculous. I would love to see what you true craftsmen could create with these spoons and blades that I make.
I am going to post these pics of the state of the art tools and equipment that I'm using to create these blade baits. It's extremely easy to do and the entire process takes me under 30 minutes (without paint) and could be faster with time. I spent 3 hours making a simple jigging spoon when I first started. 
In picture #1 you can see the piece of scrap white 1" nylon that I picked up at work. Other material would probably work just as well. I cut in in half, put the two halfs in a vice, and drilled a hole dead center of the crack (very important) on a slight angle about an inch long. Actually I used 2 drillbits, one slightly smaller than the other for a taper. You can also see the 3/8" o.d. tubing that I use which is scrap my neighbor the plumber gives me. They are toilet and sink overflow tubes found at any hardware. I also use an old drill chuck wrench that I ground into a slight taper. Having the T also helps pull it out after you form it. You can also see a young lure in picture #1 just as it was plucked from the vice. 
To make them, leave about 1/4" of the tube sticking out the top of the mold and you simply crush the whole thing in a vice while forcing the drill wrench (or whatever) into the angle of the cavity. Leave it in the vice and pull the wrench out about half way. The hole is oval shaped at this point. Forcing the wrench on a hard angle, pinch the 1/4" exposed top area of the tube tight around the wrench with a pair of pliers. This makes the area for the front hook. Now take it out of the vice and it should look like picture #2. Picture #3shows the top view and how uniform the lead cavity is even using crappy tools and a pretty bad example of a mold.
In picture #4 I've taken the tube (with the wrench still stuck in it) and crushed the top and bottom edges in the vice making the bait as flat as possible. I've also pinched the front hook section thinner using the corner of the vice jaws. Now fill the cavity with lead. Then drill the holes for the hooks and line tie. You can also see where I've draw a black line to show you where I trim it. I do this with tin snips. If it's crooked after cutting, put it back in the vice and flatten it out again. Crush both top and bottom. 
From there, I rough out the top edge tail section with my bench grinder. That's the part that takes practice and could potentially be all bad. I do wear my glasses when I grind. My wheel is non aggressive and I've learned to do all but shave with it. I also grind slightly the top of the head with the bench grinder before finishing the whole thing off with a hand file. 
JEESH! It took about 10 times longer to type all that then it does to make one.


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## All Eyes

Slippy, you musta slipped them pics in right before I posted cause I just saw them. They look great. Love the colors.


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## All Eyes

This pic shows the lead cavity pretty well. They turn out suprizingly uniform.


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## All Eyes

Also wanted to add that the drawing earlier in the thread shows that I fill on an angle. That has changed. I only did it that way to make the room for a front hook hole. I now pinch that area shut with pliers prior to pulling the forming tool out and fill the cavity all the way to the top with lead. If you'll notice on my first ones, the front hook hole was out on the very nose. Now they are moved back where they should be. By pinching the metal around the forming tool (drill wrench) with pliers, it makes just enough room for a hole and a hook to swing freely underneath. 
As far as the mold, I whipped this one up real quick just to see if the concept would work. I planned on making perfect molds for different weights with a custom tapered cavity but this one worked so well I haven't gotten around to making one yet. But you can see that with some tweaking, they could be made even better.
I also realized that this thread is titled "Blade bait without a mold" and I'm telling you about how to make a better mold. 
You know what I meant.
I've also been calling a chuck key a wrench cause that's what my Dad called em. LOL! I'm tired


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## vc1111

All Eyes, I check the foil work you did by way of the link you provided....uh, I'm thinking you got the tape thing down big time! Those are too cool.

Check your pms here in a few minutes.


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## All Eyes

St. Slippy, love the subtle hints of color here and there on some of your baits. Nice variety. The purple head chartruse back in the last picture is pretty cool. It's stuff like that gets bit up one trip out when no one else can buy one.


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## st.slippy

Tried this one that I took from a musky bait I saw in a video. It has the colors and elements that should work. It was in the musky's mouth, so hopefully that reigns true


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## cadman

Very nice colors.


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## All Eyes

A few of my latest creations. The orange is glow in the dark. Must get more colors


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## All Eyes

You'd think that at least one of these I made is bound to catch some cold water fishes.


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## sonar

HEY,EYES,I can see something you forgot to put on your blades, WATER! Those babies are ready for some! Looki'n good! --------sonar..........!%


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