BigBendFishing.Net

Those are a work of art!
Break your heart when a fish gets away with one, but now you know you can always make more!

Those look great!

Doesn't look like you need too much help, Steve. They look great.

Sent you an email.

HEY STEVE, YA DOIN GOOD, THOSE LOOK VERY GOOD, I USE TO MAKE A SMALL PLUG THAT LOOKED LIKE A DALTON SPECIAL SILVER FLECK, I USED CEDAR FOR A LONG TIME THAT I CUT OUT NEAR THE LAKE I LIVED ON IN AVON PARK , FLA. LATER I HAD SO MANY PEOPLE ASKING ME TO MAKE THE LURE FOR THEM I WENT TO 5/8 DIA. DOWL AND CUT IT IN 4 INCH LENGTHS, USED A BELT SANDER TO GRIND THE LITTLE DOWLS DOWN TO SHAPE, SCREW IN THE TAIL SCREWS, DIPPED THE PLUG IN WHITE PAINT AND HANG ON A WIRE TO DRIP ON A V SHAPED DRAIN, BEFORE HANGING IT ON THE DRAIN I WOULD SPRINKLE SILVER CHIPS ALL OVER THE PLUG, PAINTED THE EYES, BLACK WITH A YELLOW SPOT FOR THE EYES, PAINTED THE FRONT MOUTH RED AND LET THEM DRY IN MY LITTLE HEATER, THEN I WOULD PUT IN THE HOOKS AND EYE FOR THE TIE EYE ON THE TOP OF THE PLUG, I MUST HAVE SOLD THOUSANDS OF THESE LITTLE PLUGS FOR .50 EACH AND I NEVER HAD ONE RETURNED TO ME ON THE MONEY BACK GUARANTEE IF THEY DID NOT CATCH FISH. THEY WERE GREAT FOR TROUT, REDS, SNOOK,TARPON, BLACK BASS, SPECK. PERCH, CATFISH, THE LADYFISH JUST COULD NOT RESIST HITTING IT. I STILL HAVE A FEW I MADE BACK IN THE 40'S AND 50'S AND I STILL CATCH BASS OUT OF OUR PONDS WITH THEM.
PA
SEMPER FI

PA -
I'VE TRIED A COUPLE PROP BAITS ON MY LATHE, BUT HAD TROUBLE WITH THE ENTIRE BAIT SPINNING WHEN IT PICKED UP A LITTLE WEEDS ON THE PROP. THOSE WERE ROUND BODIED BAITS, SO PERHAPS I SHOULD TRY AGAIN WITH A FLAT BOTTOMED BODY LIKE THE DALTON SPECIAL. IF I COULD SEE A PICTURE OF THE ONES YOU MADE, I COULD PROBABLY REPRODUCE IT.
SOUNDS LIKE YOU HAD A GOOD ONE FIGURED OUT BACK IN THE DAY. I THINK THE FISH HIT BETTER ON SOMETHING THEY DON'T SEE A LOT, AND MANY OF THESE OLD STYLE BAITS ARE PRODUCING AGAIN.

- STEVE STINSON

Impressive work and results Steve. If you haven't come across this already, you can dry small pieces of wood in the microwave. Google it up to get instructions.

Thanks to Redhills T.C. who met up with me in Monticello and handed off some wood for my lathe. I will post more pics when I get some more lures done. I haven't had a lot of time to donate to the lure efforts this week.

STEVE, I DO NOT KNOW HOW TO SEND PICTURES BUT MY SON DOES AND HE WILL BE COMING OVER IN A WEEK OR TWO AND I WILL GET HIM TO SEND YA SOME PIC. WHEN HE GET HERE.
PA
SEMPER FI

PA -

I SENT YOU A PRIVATE MESSAGE CONTAINING MY EMAIL AND CELL PHONE NUMBER. IF IT IS EASIER, YOU CAN HAVE YOUR SON TEXT OR EMAIL THE PICTURES TO ME. GETTING THEM TO POST ON THIS FORUM IS A BIT OF A CHORE.

I LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING THE "FUTCH FISH KILLER" SOON. HOPEFULLY WE WILL PUT SOME OF THEM BACK ON THE WATER AND SHOW THOSE TROUT SOMETHING THEY HAVEN'T SEEN IN A WHILE.

CLICK ON THE "PM" BUTTON UNDER YOUR NAME TO THE LEFT OF YOUR POST TO SEE THE INFORMATION I SENT TO YOU.

- STEVE STINSON

PA -

I WAS LOOKING AROUND ON LINE LAST NIGHT AND FOUND A PIC OF AN OLD DALTON SPECIAL - WHITE WITH SILVER GLITTER. (SEE THE BOTTOM PICTURE). IS THIS SIMILAR TO YOUR OLD LURE?

I ALSO FOUND SOME MORE PICS OF OLD SOUTHBEND LURES I HAD FORGOTTEN ABOUT. THE BASS O RENO AND THE SPIN-I-DIDDEE. I CAUGHT A LOT OF SOUTH FLORIDA BASS ON BOTH OF THESE WHEN I WAS A KID AND COULD PROBABLY MAKE SOMETHING SIMILAR.

I AM GLAD YOU SENT ME ON THIS SEARCH. I WAS SORT OF HUNG UP ON THE ZARA SPOOK BAITS AND THIS EXPANDS MY POSSIBILITIES.

Steve, I'll bet you've fished some and I'd almost guarantee PA has, but you might want to add a Smithwick Devil's Horse style plug to your repertoire. The originals were made from balsa wood and were popular bass lures in their day. I know some anglers have had success with the prop baits for sea trout, too.

Silver king,
With the prop baits is it literally just a start stop retrieve to induce strikes from trout? I always just thought walking the dog was the most effective top water for trout and reds and dismissed prop baits. I love a mini torpedo for bass! Just curious.

Yes, stop and start or slow and steady to create a surface wake and noise. Not good with a lot of floating grass, however. Have one in my box now, but I have to make myself tie on something besides a Skitter Walk.

I tried a home made Devil's Horse and it didn't want to float. (Similar to my Jitterbug experiments). Maybe I could make a fat, overweight Devil's Horse and call it a Doughnut Horse??

The problem is that I don't use Balsa. Balsa floats better than most any other wood, but it is not dense enough to hold screws or screw-in hook hangers. You have to run a wire through the middle of the bait and I haven't progressed that far yet.
Also, the prop baits don't walk for the most part. If you've ever hung a slight amount of weed on a Zara Spook you will immediately notice it isn't walking side to side anymore. Props do the same thing.

If anybody knows where I can get some aluminum or even plastic Jitterbug lips please post the link. All I can find on line are the stainless ones. I have even tried pressing a piece of plastic Folger's Coffee container between two of the stainless lips, heating it up to mold the shape and then cutting out, but it looks like garbage.

Last night I turned up a medium spook that I plan to put a popper mouth on just because I haven't tried one yet.

- Steve Stinson

Bet one of these might have what you need:

www.jannsnetcraft.com

www.barlowstackle.com

www.LurePartsOnline.com