This is the batch, plus a few other small cranks not in the photo.
If you recall the Aspen baits from last year. I weighted these to what I was hoping was neutrally buoyant, using the Archimedes Dunk test. This was accomplished with the baits sealed but no paint. Evidently my calculations were off enough so these baits did not work. Now, knowing that all are very close to neutrally buoyant, I weighed the completely finished lure, then added weight to get to the desired buoyancy in a bucket of water. I was using some small string like lead , wrapped on the hooks. This also allowed me to move the weight from hook to hook, to see if it would be better placed at the front, back, or middle of the bait.
I think the placement of weight is as critical as the weight itself, for jerks and gliders. These went from 2 to 4 grams. This is not a lot of weight, but it made a big difference. A few did turn into sinkers, but the sink rate is so slow it really works well on jerks and gliders.
OK, back to it. I had the amount of weight to add, so I stripped the bait of hardware, weighed it again and added the amount from the weight test. You are drilling a hole in the finished bait to do this. Pour the lead in, seal the spot with some epoxy and touch it up the best you can. The fish will not care.
Until I can really fine tune the process better before paint, this is were I am at. The end result is they work well, now!
( Keep it in The Water )
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