Now we're getting small

[MrTom]

I posted some pictures of some crappie sized crankbaits a while ago but have since then dug thru the internet and came up with these that are wayyyy smaller and more in line with the size of the sunfish that crappies puke up when being handled.

The little guy measures just 7/10s of an inch. His buddy is spot on at an inch. These are the same sizes of sunfish we see ejected.

I spent last night drilling and weighting them a bit with #4 shot to get them neutrally buoyant and then sealed the holes off. The bills are masked so maybe today I'll start doing some color on them but the day is absolutely beautiful with 50 degrees at 10:30 am so they may have to wait until rain comes.

These are a pretty small format for a lot of detail so the painting will likely be basic and bright but one never really knows until he starts spraying. I might get hooks on one of each and walk them back the to river behind us and make a couple casts just to see how well they run.....make certain they'll behave with the extra weight.

Rain is forecast for tomorrow and again on Thursday so there's no real rush on the color today so I think I'll enjoy working outside today. The baits can wait but they are going to be a challenge to color up.

 

[snapbang]

Mr. Tom, I was looking for less expensive lures for trout fishing here in Michigan. I like to float lures down stream and back them into those deep dark holes wondering if Ill ever get them back. Lots of logs and hopefully a big fish. I ended up going to D.H. Gates. A company out of China. Lots of choices, lots of sizes, real cheap.

 

[ShawnT]

Those look like good Panfish baits.

 

[MrTom]

Shawn, I've been on a mission over the last three years to learn the ins and outs of the very small crankbaits for panfish and am having a riot in doing so. Lots of tricks with them as Snapbang has alluded to. I love the challenge. Now the painting is going to be the challenge.

Snapbang, that's for the name of the company! I'll be doing a search tonight to see what they offer. Really appreciate it!

 

[ShawnT]

I had a couple real small ones and a couple small jointed. Both worked great on Crappie and Bluegill. Last time I looked for some I did not really see any in stores. There is a couple Lakes back home that I take a small 2 man pontoon boat on and we troll it on one end. Some guys can't seem to figure out what we are doing since this lake has lots of underwater debris but this one end has less. I sometimes troll a small crank on one rod and a rooster tail on the other. Lots of Family Fish frys came from that.

 

[dbowling]

the little tiny minnow baits 2-2 1/4 in long that dive like 2-6 ft are killer on bluegill and crappie. I used to have some made by yo-zuri that were silver/metallic blue and they caught everything even a couple 5-6# bass.. eventually lost them and now I think they have one called a pin minnow that looks really good.
Those you have should be killer also, do they dive 2-3 ft?

 

[MrTom]

These will dive to 3, maybe 4 feet on a 4 pound line and easy retrieve, but I have added shot to the inner chamber to make them pretty neutrally buoyant..... cast and crank them down to your 3 foot or so and stop reeling so they rest at that depth. When you start reeling they'll dive another 3-4 feet then stop again at the new depth and let them rest, etc, etc. They'll be fun when I can hit the water. Pretty much high water/ flooded everywhere around me right now.

 

[MrTom]

Snapbang....I checked the site. While I didn't find any blanks that will work for my little quest I did find some outstanding pearl products to mix in my paint. Found them in the fingernail and fashion area. I've had some lung issues and the doc's have put me on a steroid I take every other day. This med has me wound up like a rubber band airplane. I was up at 2 this morning unable to sleep and spent almost two hours at the site. Thanks again for the company's name. I will be getting some of that pigment for sure. Great price on the stuff.

 

[snapbang]

Welcome, I just cant get myself to back a $7.00 Rapala into a deep hole knowing Its likely going to get hung up on a limb. I bought one of the lure assortments that included 45 misc. Rapala type lures for $35.00. I was skeptical until I got them to the river. They work great and if I lose one not a big deal. Some of them are really small like the ones you picture above. Glad you found useful products. Always click on free shipping.

 

[MrTom]

I'm happy with how these painted up but found out that patterns are likely a pipe dream due to the small size of these baits.

Color schemes seem to work good so I will probably stick to that form of finish but I did hold out a couple of each of the bait styles to try a pattern job. I can wash the paint off if it goes south on me, but I gotta try it once anyhow.

 

[ShawnT]

Man those sure are Purty!

 

[snapbang]

Very nice work. Not sure I understand why you dont think the pattern will work because of the size??????? If you dont want them let me know. But I would give them a try if I were you.