What's your Favorite? I decimated my rattle trap inventory last month while fishing for reds and it's time to paint some more.

The picture above is of a few rattling / vibrating style baits for bass angling that have done well this past season. They've been stripped of their old patterns and will be completely refinished. Takes about an hour in a stripping solution then a little bristle brushing and wiping down. Sometimes the eyes don't fall off and have to be popped off. A quick chemical bath to remove blemishes, dipped in a sealer, painted and clear coated with epoxy. When done they'll look better than new. Can't believe there are no responses to this post in over 20 days. The building a pouring forum seems to be in a death spiral.

Yes it has. I rarely post here anymore due to the lack of responses.

If I may, what is the "stripping solution" you use? I am tired of sand papering old lures to get the finish off. Ole

I get a lot of requests to custom paint factory lures and the stripping solution is part of the process. I've been working on it for quite a while. If a solution is too "hot" it melts plastic, not "hot" enough it won't remove the clear and paint. It was difficult to come up with a stripping solution that removes the clear coat and paint but won't harm the plastic. It took a lot of trial and error to get it right. I can't give that info out....hope you understand why.

Booooo

Not sure how this comment relates to rattle trap blanks??? I suspect boo-hoo would be a more honest response! None the less one of my favorite, and best producing rattling / vibrating lures is the Diawa Game Vibe in 5/16 ounce. I've had outstanding success spring, summer, and fall using this little bait on a high speed reel. The internal rattles and tight wiggle seem to be the difference between this one and most of the others. I've experimented with different patterns on this bait and discussed the results in some of my past posts. Shad patterns based on Diawa's own blue / grey shad have been the most successful on this rattling model and also very good on billed billed baits as well. The Norman floating Rat'l Trap is another killer rattling / vibrating lure. Its at its best when fished around moss and weeds that are just beneath the waters surface or in broken up clumps. Again, from my experience the best patterns seem to be shad like.

This is why nobody responds on here anymore. If we are on here to learn, but everything is a secret what is the point? Not an attack at you personally, just a general statement.

Nobody says where they buy their blanks. Just talks about their work.

+1

People talk about where they buy blanks all the time. I've never bought a lipless crank bait, so I can't help. I buy most of my blanks from Predator bass baits, dinger baits and get bit custom baits. I'm sure one of them will have what you are looking for.

Some things I choose not to share...I have that right. In the past I've shared lots of "how tos" and "tips" on just about everything. Originally I thought this forum would be a good place for folks who enjoy lure art to share ideas, post their work and get feedback from other "lurists" (a term coined by one of the originals no longer posting here) and fishermen. For a time it was exactly that. Then the trolls showed up...then the posers, folks looking to take anything and everything they could get and contribute nothing...then the forum became a place for the "home boys" to advertise and sell their stuff. Completely not what it could have been. Its amazing how many of the original lurists who posted their work and ideas here have chosen to move on. I'm as guilty as the next guy...I gave up and started advertising my work here, too. So the idea that this forum is in decline because folks can't come here to "learn", is way off target. Simply put, if you want to learn about tackle making go to TackleUnderground. If you want to see lure art go to Pinterest. If you want to see a failing forum come here. Just saying.......

You didn't ask where folks buy blanks??? You asked, "what's your favorite?" I posted a pic of some of my favorites and a wrote a bit on cleaning and repainting old lure blanks. Thought it would spark some interest in rattle baits....patterns, process, something. Last line mentions the lack of response on the forum. Last line is the only thing that got noticed. No sense beating a dead horse, huh. So why don't you tell us where you got your rattle bait blanks and maybe post a little of your work??

hey bois, txmedic, swalker!! been a while. you're right, the original crew left the site when it gradually morphed from it's original concept. too bad really. i know i enjoyed the dialogs from those days. i think what turned some of us was seeing a pattern we had taken the time to develop and lake test show up for sale as somebody elses "original" work.
i still do some painting, but not as much as i used to. i do in fact have a box of a couple hundred manufacturers lures that i intend to strip and re-paint. my benchtop blasting cabinet will make short work of striping them.
bois we need to do a fil-a again. i miss our lunches.
take care guys and you can always get me with a pm.

Good to hear from you Basscat. Would love to see you painting again.