It’s prototyping season

[Smoky buck]

Since I am not big on ice fishing I often spend extra time in the winter prototyping new lure designs. I have my spot for open water testing except when it’s really cold

This design is something that has been rolling around in my head for sometime but I just had not brought it to life till now. The action is very nice on both a straight retrieve and a pull pause. The design was based off of a 12/0 weedless swimbait hook that will sit in a hook slot for good hook up ratio combined with staying weedless. Also working on a heavier external harness with heavier weight for deeper water. Using a tough saltwater blend of soft plastic to make them as durable as I can for soft plastic(only one stronger option but involves special equipment)

This is a rough prototype from a silicone mold and poured with scrap remelt so not a pretty finished product. An aluminum mold is being made to give a nicer finish. Adjustments to the fin and curly tails are being done to improve the pour with the aluminum mold too. This will give a cleaner shiny finish. They will look much better once they have eyes and properly poured colors

9 inch bait and roughly 4.5 once with the weighted swimbait hook. I have not finalized the chosen weight of the external treble harness

Weedless


External treble



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[WayneChristie]

very interesting for sure, almost looks like a longnose sucker to me. I dont recall seeing an upside down paddle tail before whats the action like?

[Smoky buck]

Originally Posted by WayneChristie

very interesting for sure, almost looks like a longnose sucker to me. I dont recall seeing an upside down paddle tail before whats the action like?

Sucker/Rocky whitefish was the profile I was going for. There is paddle tails with this upside down style out there (Suzy sucker by suick is one). The mold is a open pour that is hand poured

Unfortunately I can’t post clips here or I would just post a clip of the action. In the new year I will have some clips and pictures on a Facebook page with my lures

It has the classic paddle tail tump and with the twin tails going. The paddle has the side to side with a little twist as it does. It falls on a 45 with some hang before starting to fall because of the flat bottom/twin tails. It runs well fast or crawled

After doing some testing today I am ditching the treble harness do to fowling. It just runs so much better on the large weedless single. Should be good for both pike and musky especially in weeds or areas where snags are an issue.

[Smoky buck]

Well I will add another design but a finish model. This is a 10inch trolling/casing lure. One tie point is shallower with a tight faster wiggle. The other is deeper with a lazy wiggle and wonder side to side. Worked well on a pull pause as it dives with a lot of back up on the rise

I was catching pike with an un painted prototype casting deep breaks in the fall. This is the first complete one




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[Rvsask]

Very cool smoky. My son was on a kick when he was younger building big bucktails. It’s definitely rewarding catching something good on something homemade. I like that big plastic.

[Smoky buck]

Originally Posted by Rvsask

Very cool smoky. My son was on a kick when he was younger building big bucktails. It’s definitely rewarding catching something good on something homemade. I like that big plastic.

Majority of my fishing is with lures I make

I started with inline spinners for trout/salmon at 8 years old and branched into basically all forms of lure making since. These days I focus on large pike and musky lures. Almost all my lures get shipped to eastern Canada or eastern US where there is a higher demand for them by musky fishermen

Keeps me in never ending fishing gear and a few $ in my pocket. Plus if I don’t like something about a lure I make an improved version or if I want a lure that doesn’t exist I work on designing it

[Jaylive]

Originally Posted by Smoky buck

Since I am not big on ice fishing I often spend extra time in the winter prototyping new lure designs. I have my spot for open water testing except when it’s really cold

This design is something that has been rolling around in my head for sometime but I just had not brought it to life till now. The action is very nice on both a straight retrieve and a pull pause. The design was based off of a 12/0 weedless swimbait hook that will sit in a hook slot for good hook up ratio combined with staying weedless. Also working on a heavier external harness with heavier weight for deeper water. Using a tough saltwater blend of soft plastic to make them as durable as I can for soft plastic(only one stronger option but involves special equipment)

This is a rough prototype from a silicone mold and poured with scrap remelt so not a pretty finished product. An aluminum mold is being made to give a nicer finish. Adjustments to the fin and curly tails are being done to improve the pour with the aluminum mold too. This will give a cleaner shiny finish. They will look much better once they have eyes and properly poured colors

9 inch bait and roughly 4.5 once with the weighted swimbait hook. I have not finalized the chosen weight of the external treble harness

Weedless


External treble



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Interesting take on the restless rider. Not a new design, but a different look for sure!

[Smoky buck]

Originally Posted by Jaylive

Interesting take on the restless rider. Not a new design, but a different look for sure!

Not completely groundbreaking but very little is honestly. Basically anything that comes out commercially was probably produced long before hand by a smaller lure maker or a design that is really a remake of an old lure

Outside of combining curly tails with a paddle the action is very different than a relentless rider. Probably the closest would be some of the creature baits for bass but still slightly different. The hang time on the pause and weedless factor in a swimbait designed for pike/musky

I can’t add clips to this forum but I have slowly started a Facebook page that I am slowly adding some clips and some of my lures. To stay within the rules of the forum I will PM the information if anyone is interested

[aulrich]

I love that sucker profile, that looks like a winner.

I got a little sidetracked this winter, and for some reason, I decided to try and build a CNC router. The project did end up causing a bit of project creep but the shop will be better organized in the end. with luck, I will be making chips in the next month or so. I give myself an 80% chance I will be able to do aluminum molds but if that does not work I will for sure be able to make molds out of Corian (countertop plastic) Supposedly the same stuff that Ukrainian mold company uses.

The wife and I are lucky enough to go to Cabo in March so I have to make more saltwater gear. Just started modeling a bottle plug, a popper, and a skipping type are on the list too. This is V1 of the bottle plug a standard surfcasting lure.

[Smoky buck]

Originally Posted by aulrich

I love that sucker profile, that looks like a winner.

I got a little sidetracked this winter, and for some reason, I decided to try and build a CNC router. The project did end up causing a bit of project creep but the shop will be better organized in the end. with luck, I will be making chips in the next month or so. I give myself an 80% chance I will be able to do aluminum molds but if that does not work I will for sure be able to make molds out of Corian (countertop plastic) Supposedly the same stuff that Ukrainian mold company uses.

The wife and I are lucky enough to go to Cabo in March so I have to make more saltwater gear. Just started modeling a bottle plug, a popper, and a skipping type are on the list too. This is V1 of the bottle plug a standard surfcasting lure.

That swimbait looks even better in the water. I already have guys bugging me for them but they have to wait till my aluminum mold is ready. I need to design another soft plastic as they have a much faster build time. I am getting plenty of orders for hard baits but the time involved do to drying is a killer

Really need to mix in a few things with faster turnaround times

I have never used the stone molds so can’t speak on them but I definitely prefer aluminum over silicon when it comes the plastics. Good luck with the cnc router

Not big top water guy so not much experience with poppers. What are you targeting in Cabo

[aulrich]

The last time I was there there were some sierra mackerel, they are a lot like pike, so shiny spoons like Kastmasters or deadly dicks are the go-too. I will be adding diamond jigs and buzz bombs 2-3 oz range tipped with a hochie. There is a bait fish called glass minnows that don't seem to be as migratory as mullet.

There should be snapper types around the rocks if I bother to dip bait. poppers could come in handy there too.

If the mullet are around then who knows maybe jacks and roosterfish but that is very unlikely I have seen a few over the years but they are typically in the surf June to October "ish"

I have been on charters and I have never been on a boat that has caught anything too interesting. But it is fun to tool around the beach the break of dawn then meet the wife for a late breakfast and get on with your day.

[Smoky buck]

Originally Posted by aulrich

The last time I was there there were some sierra mackerel, they are a lot like pike, so shiny spoons like Kastmasters or deadly dicks are the go-too. I will be adding diamond jigs and buzz bombs 2-3 oz range tipped with a hochie. There is a bait fish called glass minnows that don't seem to be as migratory as mullet.

There should be snapper types around the rocks if I bother to dip bait. poppers could come in handy there too.

If the mullet are around then who knows maybe jacks and roosterfish but that is very unlikely I have seen a few over the years but they are typically in the surf June to October "ish"

I have been on charters and I have never been on a boat that has caught anything too interesting. But it is fun to tool around the beach the break of dawn then meet the wife for a late breakfast and get on with your day.

Never been to Mexico or tried to fish for any of those species so it will be interesting. A break from winter would be nice too

I am stuck waiting for summer to do any trips this year. Want to make a trip to sask with the wife but priority is musky again this year at least once. It’s a good fishing trip and It’s profitable for me

[aulrich]

Musky is on my to-do list as well, I have a cousin with access to a cabin on Lake of the Woods. When I am in Winnipeg next summer visiting my folks I really should try and get there.

[Smoky buck]

Originally Posted by aulrich

Musky is on my to-do list as well, I have a cousin with access to a cabin on Lake of the Woods. When I am in Winnipeg next summer visiting my folks I really should try and get there.

They are fun and frustrating. When they are on they are aggressive but when they are off they will follow and react unless you present the lure just the way they want. Musky are similar to pike but very different at the same time

Still figuring out what I can pull off this year. If I am dragging kayak’s again I will head towards vermilion bay. Got to know some knowledgeable locals out there and talking an eagle lake kayak trip combined with some lake hopping to nearby musky lakes

If I can’t pull off the time to drive out I might fly out and fish the Ottawa river

[Smoky buck]

I have been rolling this idea around in my head for a long time and finally started carving the prototype. This type of lure will be using a variety of lure making styles to complete it. I am referencing a combination of a European pike lure and a musky lure design with some of my own twists to it

So far I have the head carved which comes in at 3 1/2 inches

Odds are it won’t be what people think in the end




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[Smoky buck]

Debating on carving in a mouth

[Smoky buck]

Stopped thinking and just started doing

What’s your thoughts on the more detailed carving




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[aulrich]

Nice, I always struggled with symmetry, will that be a head for a big soft plastic?

[Smoky buck]

Originally Posted by aulrich

Nice, I always struggled with symmetry, will that be a head for a big soft plastic?

How I deal with symmetry is stencils and marked reference points. A good eye helps too

Nope not a big plastic but plastic will be involved. I will test a blade too as a possible option. Are you familiar with a beaver or disco pike? Think along those lines but I will add a few of my own twists.

[aulrich]

Here is the current project for the vacation it's called a bottle plug.

[Smoky buck]

Originally Posted by aulrich

Here is the current project for the vacation it's called a bottle plug.

I am familiar with the style but have never made or fished one. But I have never been a big top water guy and prefer sub surface if I want to be in the top of the water column.

Hope you post some pictures from your trip

[Smoky buck]

Just getting the one project into the final tweaks stage. Tested the action out yesterday and need a little more weight in the head because it’s a little light without the external weight. Outside of that it looked good with the rubber tail as a pull pause style lure and looks good burned with the blade subbed in

Definitely not a lure for everyone cost or size wise. It should work well for its intended purpose




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[aulrich]

Gonna need a bigger boat

That will give an insane profile in the water, I can see a musky wanting a piece of that.

[Smoky buck]

Originally Posted by aulrich

Gonna need a bigger boat

That will give an insane profile in the water, I can see a musky wanting a piece of that.

Nah but it should increase the odds of my kayak getting towed around

Musky should whack it and bet it hammers pike too. I will put a few to the test come open water season. I know a few guys that I can’t show this picture to or they will be bugging me for one before I finalize the design

[Smoky buck]

A complete version of the earlier prototype I posted





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[Smoky buck]

A tail baits I just finished

These are a shallow running lure. Designed with a slow horizontal fall on the pause. A little wobble of a straight retrieve or twitch




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[Smoky buck]

Still two more layers of clear for this one. This is a combination lipless crank/twitch bait depending on the line tie you use
Next is a finished version of the swim bait I originally posted
I also created an improved version of one of my tail spins


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[Savage Bacon]

Dang those are looking awesome. It's almost time to put them in the water.

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[Smoky buck]

Originally Posted by Savage Bacon

Dang those are looking awesome. It's almost time to put them in the water.

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Thanks

Looking forward to open water no more of this staring down a hole garbage

A lot of my stuff has caught fish in the early prototype stage before becoming a true finished lure or I have caught fish on a similar design but upgraded it. I have one more design that the first will be finished in the next few days. Unfortunately one I wanted to put out this year will be late do to the molds I designed being behind schedule

[dodger]

Sweet looking lures.

Dodger.