After plunking down $99 for the Generic Trout and two days of use (without a bite), I noticed that there were two dime size areas on the bait where the clear coat is coming off.

Questions:

- Does anyone have any ideas how to reapply or fix the clear coat on this bait?

- Would using nail polish on this bait create an offensive chemical reaction to a bass in the water?

- Has anyone attempted to use trout butter on the tail of a Generic Trout? Were the results positive? Did it make any difference?


Thanks in advance or any info you can provide.

Vince
vince@theblankslate.com

Vince,

I had a chance to talk with Jerry Rago who makes the Generic Trout. He is working on the clear coat issue and wanted to assure everyone that the baits will only get better. Wooden baits are very hard to get a good finish on, and he is having some problems because he is making the baits at elevation and when they get down to sea level the wood changes size somewhat.

I asked around about possible clear coats and got two recommendations. One is called Helmsman, it's a urethane. The other one is called Aristocrat, it's an epoxy.

I did two coats of this Helmsman stuff and it seems to be working pretty well. It does dry a little amber colored, but after chucking the bait today I didn't notice any new chips in the paint at all. I think the Aristocrat stuff is a more serious solution to the problem, I just couldn't find any locally.

Here are some links to it online if you are interested:

http://www.craftswholesale.com/products3.cfm?PART=92804

http://www.bearwood.com/shop/searchresults.asp?ProdManList=ALL&ProdTypeList=Finishing%2Fepoxy

Thanks Rob.

Even with the clear coat issue, I have a feeling that this was a good buy. Looking at just about everything else that I've thrown in my tackle box, this is definately on the extreme end due to the size and action of this bait. It definately takes confidence throwing a big bait when everyone on shore gives you a funny look when you cast the bait near them and that big splash. Hopefully I'll have something to show for it soon.

I just want to make sure that this lure lasts me a long time and (cross my fingers) that I don't loose this to a rock pile or tree stump.

I'll try the Helmsman stuff this week and give it another try after watching Byron Velvick next weekend at the San Mateo Expo Center. I'm interested in seeing how he fishes the bait with the tank.

BTW, that was a nice fish you caught at Coyote last weekend. After that performance, I think everyone here is wondering how you fish the bait in these conditions.

Any interest in doing a detailed article or web video on how you were fishing the bait, conditions, etc for your website? I know I'd be interested and it would definately push the product at www.umaxco.com. I hope you're getting some sort of kick back for it. :D

Thanks again for your help Rob.

Vince
vince@theblankslate.com

Here I will share my secret. See I threw out my plug waaay past where I thought the fish might be and waited a bit for the splash to settle out. Then I swam in back very very slowly because the water was about 48 degrees. Luckily for me there was a big ol' fish that had lived in that tree for probably quite a few years. She had seen a lot of baits, but the one that swam by probably didn't look quite like anything she'd seen before, and so she decided to come have a look. At the last minute, in a rare moment of stupidity, she woofed my plug thinking it was a trout. There are secrets to throwing the big baits, but believe me it's nothing you can't figure out on your own. You gotta think about the fish and what they are doing and where they are living. You have to realize they have seen a lot of baits and heard a lot of trolling motors go by, and they know when you are nearby. You also just have to go a LOT and try to increase your odds of being there on the right day at the right time in the right place. It's hard to catch big bass, I have a very hard time myself. I'll tell you one thing though. I have an open mind and big ears. I listen to everything that I hear about fishing. But when it comes down to it I always do what I feel is the right thing to be doing. I try not to copy what other people are doing. I might adapt something that someone else is doing to a technique that works for me, but I always seem to do best when I am doing "my thing" that I figured out on my own.

Every day we have new posts on here from guys wanting to know what is the best swimbait/plug, what is the best rod, what is the best retrieve, what is the best time of year to throw the big baits etc etc. I might tell you one thing because of my experience but don't just listen to me. Go yourself and figure out your own thing. Maybe you find out that you can get them to bite a floating plug on the surface in the dead of winter. Maybe you find out that trolling very slowly in the summer works great at a certain lake. Maybe (unlike me) you find that you can get them on 9" sinking swimbaits in 60 feet of water. The point is that it's always best to have your techniques, your stuff that you have confidence in. Vince, I'm not picking on you but these are just things I have been thinking about this past week and the past few months really.

PS - If Mike Long says in Bassmaster Magazine that if you're targeting big fish you should fish slower and deeper, and then after that you should fish even slower and even deeper, I would listen to that too.

PPS - I fished for over 10 hours in the last three days and caught one fish that weighed 2 and a half pounds :-)

-Rob

No problemo... thanks Rob.

Vince

Vince,
I've heard that rod finish works as a good clearcoat for lures. The only problem is you'd have to put it on a turner to get it to dry evenly. Rod finish would set up as hard as nails and clear as a bell. Aristocrat, being an epoxy is probably about the same thing I would guess. I would experiment with a few different products on some cheaper lures until you find out what's going to work best.
On the scent topic, I think it's a good idea. I used trout butter on my plugs for the first time yesterday. I didn't have any luck, but i'm going to keep experimenting and see how it goes. My thoughts are that when a bass is following the lure the smell of an actual trout might be just enough to get 'em to srike. Like I said i'm going to keep trying it out until I have a reason not to. If anything, I think it's one of those things that couldn't hurt.-Phil