Texas Fishing Forum

What blanks are you guys using?

Posted By: crankn101

What blanks are you guys using? - 07/20/16 03:01 AM

Nothing worse than painting a few baits up all nice and shiny just to have them run like [censored]. So what blanks are you guys using and where are you getting them from?

I remember buying a number of them from Dakota lures I think and they seemed to run really well. Just looking for more or better options.
Posted By: Bradshuflin aka hunter'sdad

Re: What blanks are you guys using? - 07/20/16 03:24 AM

Getbitcustombaits.com, dingerbaits.com,predatorbass.com, and Dakota lakes stuff is all usually top quality.

I buy everything I can from Phil though at getbitcustombaits.com he stands behind his stuff if there is any issues.
Posted By: crankn101

Re: What blanks are you guys using? - 07/20/16 03:35 AM

Thanks a lot man, I really appreciate it. I know you paint enough to know which ones work properly.
Posted By: Bradshuflin aka hunter'sdad

Re: What blanks are you guys using? - 07/20/16 08:58 AM

Well I use my baits in tournaments too, and I'm not going to sell someone something that isn't good enough for me to use when money is on the line. I think out of all the baits I have purchased from Phil I have had an issue wI think 1 or 2 and he replaced those no questions asked. I probably have purchased 1200-1500 blanks from him so 1 or 2 with issues is a very low percent to have defects. I have bought from just about any place that sells them and for consistent quality Phil's stuff is the best I have found. There are several other places to buy that are cheaper, but you get what you pay for from the cheap places.

Cedar run is a place that sells stuff really cheap and the baits do catch fish I have ordered from them several times and some of the baits are ok and some are junk. I buy from a few different places though to get all the boldies that I want and the ones I listed in the first post are all good.
Posted By: Bois d'arc

Re: What blanks are you guys using? - 07/20/16 12:28 PM

Originally Posted By: crankn101
... So what blanks are you guys using and where are you getting them from? ...Just looking for more or better options.


Depends on what you want and what you intend to do with them, and you're right, nothing is as irritating as putting a nice pattern on a blank and then having the lure fail to perform. Starting out, cost may be your primary concern, if so places like Cedar Run and Wlure might be a good choice since their prices are low. You can burn through a lot of blanks learning how to paint and putting a good pattern together. If you're past all that, better quality may be your primary concern. In that case some of the vendors mentioned earlier in the post are good choices. You just have to buy a few blanks that you want to paint and determine which dealer has that blank readily available and with consistent good quality. Just a few thoughts and experiences on the matter:
*If the plastic is milky colored its usually soft and won't hold up to heat and use.
*If the seams are not aligned perfectly it usually leaks.
*If the adhesive is poor quality the blank will swell up and separate when hot.
*If there's discoloration inside a blank that rattles its not sealed properly.
*If there are gaps around the edges of the hook hangers they'll probably come loose and/or leak.
Good luck finding your favorite lure blank resellers.
Keep thinking good thoughts, and keep on fishing thumb
Posted By: Acuna

Re: What blanks are you guys using? - 07/20/16 04:27 PM

How do you like that D87 blank from Dinger? How does it compare to the real thing?
Posted By: Bradshuflin aka hunter'sdad

Re: What blanks are you guys using? - 07/21/16 06:36 AM

Originally Posted By: Acuna
How do you like that D87 blank from Dinger? How does it compare to the real thing?


I'm not buying mine from dinger, I'm getting them from the manufacturer, I bought several from dinger when I first started buying them though. Imo they are a little over priced for the bait you get. Out of the ones I got from him almost everyone of them had tooling marks on the bait and most were very noticeable. A few of them I just set back to use for test blanks to try out new patterns on. Even getting them from the manufacturer I get a 1 or 2 out of 100 that have really bad tooling marks and it's irritating, I'm not real sure why getting a constant clear. Version of this body is hard, but it does run true and catch fish. This is by far my favorite bait that dives deep available unpainted.
Posted By: Bois d'arc

Re: What blanks are you guys using? - 07/21/16 01:26 PM

Recently got a batch of G87 blanks...they're big so they're pretty easy to paint. Normally use this CB-22 for a deep diver,

It's been very productive but seems to be out of stock a lot.
Just got a pattern painted on this model G87 and will be taking it to the lake for a trial run very soon.

Thinking good thoughts about this crank bait...always good thoughts. thumb
Posted By: Bradshuflin aka hunter'sdad

Re: What blanks are you guys using? - 07/22/16 02:04 AM

Looks great bois you will like the g87 it cast about a mile I think lol I threw it for the first time today on my new custom 8ft cranking stick and found out I need more like on my revo winch. I bet I can throw it 200ft on 12lb line, but the fish didn't want to cooperate today only boated 3 small fish.


Posted By: Bois d'arc

Re: What blanks are you guys using? - 07/24/16 01:40 AM

Originally Posted By: Bradshuflin aka hunter'sdad
... the g87 casts about a mile ...I threw it for the first time today on my new custom 8ft cranking stick and found out I need more like on my revo winch. I bet I can throw it 200ft on 12lb line


You're right it does cast a mile eeks...I crankbait fish with a Powell 8 foot rod and use 10 lb. braid on my Shimano cranking reel. On a good cast the lure lands in the next county...the casting distance is unreal! Didn't get to fish them as much as I expected...the bass were holding a little too shallow to effectively use a G87. But I did catch a few crappie on it. Found a school out deep and thought I'd show them a G87.... just for grins grin...not sure which is bigger the lure or the crappie??
Posted By: Mark Perry

Re: What blanks are you guys using? - 07/24/16 01:52 AM

Very nice pattern. Looks similar to summer sexy shad
Posted By: Bois d'arc

Re: What blanks are you guys using? - 07/24/16 11:41 AM

Originally Posted By: Mark Perry
Very nice pattern. Looks similar to summer sexy shad


It's my spin-off of the Summer Shad pattern. A guy from Tyler, a TFF member, asked me to paint a Summer Shad pattern and that's what I came up with. It's been great so far, producing on several different lakes. Once I get the blue shading on the sides right I'm pretty sure the G87 Summer Shad pattern will be awesome. I've only painted two G87's so far. Here they are:

Left is a Threadfin pattern and right is the Summer Shad. Hoping to find some bass out deep and put these two patterns to work very soon. Thinking good thoughts thumb
© 2024 Texas Fishing Forum