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Posts: 2059
Location: Belgium | how are most flaptail blades attached to the lure? I am about to complete a moore's flaptail and I just splitringed the blade (with the hoolow side facing up) to a screw-eye that I screwed into the tail end. Is this the correct way to do it?
also, which are your favourite flaptail lures? I am going to make some of those slow-go flaptails that were featured in Joe Bucher's video Topwater Terrors. |
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Posts: 69
| Hiya,
The blades on most flaptails are either attached with a swivel and split ring (with the swivel wired to a through-wire shaft inside the body) or with a right angle bracket on the bottom of the tail, and a simple pin through a hole in the bracket. Personally I stronngly prefer the ones with the bracket and pin. The blade sits a little lower in the water and pops more erratically.
As far as I'm concerned the best flaptails that are widely available are from Slam'er Topwaters. Love the things.
Cheers,
RK
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Posts: 32885
Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | RK has the hangers right. Instead of the 'pin', which is a nail or brad made of brass and bent in a circle to accept the blade, I use a piece of .030 wire and a plastic bead. Bend the .030 over on itself about the length that would fit inside a medium sized plastic bead (only about 1/8"), heat the wire up, and slide a bead over the bend. It should melt the bead inside enough to hold it there forever, Then bend a standard wrap to hold the blade. This system works really well, and creates a signature unlike any of the pin or nail hangers. Pictures of both are attached!
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| RK/Steve
I've got hundreds of baits, but not a single flap tail.
Do you guys consider this a "must have" bait? Have there been times when nothing else would elicit a response? Under what conditions do these excel?
Hate to think that my creepers, jackpots, hawg wobblers, jitterbugs, globes, topper stoppers, etc. wouldn't work just as well.
BrianF.
Twin Cities |
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Posts: 32885
Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | It is by far my favorite topwater lure. I fish it in calm to any chop I can, up to whitecaps. The bait doesn't seem to produce well in very dirty water, not sure why. |
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Posts: 169
Location: Pewaukee, WI | Dog Turd baby! Steve, bring me one to Blaine. |
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| Worral,
I have a questioned on how the back hook/wire is fastened to the body. My guess would be with a screw but i'm not for certain. My next question is how important is that back hook and the wire? Would the two front hooks on the body be enough or does that hanger hook get a large percentage of action?
thanks a lot,
NUT |
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Posts: 32885
Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | The wire is run through the body, bent over at a 90 and then another 90, and driven into the top of the lure. It can't come out, no matter what. I catch about 85% of the Turd fish on the 'stinger'. |
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Posts: 2059
Location: Belgium | stever thanks a lot for your explanation and tips! They will surely come in handy and oh boy, another three ways of making one! So by the end of the summer I'll have five to six different types of flaptail blade attachment styles.
Thanks for the pix! 
Say, does anyone know how the blade is attached to a moore's flaptail? I can't find a decent pic in the online stores. |
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| So just like a cotter pin? |
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Posts: 69
| 123 -
I use flaptails quite a but, but I agree with Steve on water color. For some reason, they aren't as productive in darker stained water. Clear water though, is a different story.
I tend to use flaptails in calm to moderate chop conditions. When the wind gets cooking I move to more noisy topwaters, and it sounds like Steve is willing to use them in a little more chop than I am.
I'm not sure what it is about flaptails. I've had a couple fishing partners laugh at me for throwing them, but a fish usually shuts them up before long. I think it's a combination of an erratic popping and buzzing from the tail and a bait that tracks in a nice straight line. They're a pretty subtle bait compared to other tail baits like Stompers or Pacemakers (love them too though). I guess it's more of a Topper style but with a different sound. Whatever it is, fish eat 'em. Interesting thing about them is a lot of the time, fish don't blow up on them. Little ones do of course but they do that on any topwater. Bigger fish though just swim up and eat them. Biggest fish I've ever caught on a flaptail hardly made a ripple when it hit. They hook fish very well.
Davani - I think Moore's uses a swivel if I'm not mistaken...
Cheers,
RK |
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Posts: 32885
Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | The big girls almost every time just slurp the thing. Makes a really interesting sound, sort of like a big bluegill eating a bug, but the tail seems to clink some as the fish eats the lure. Thr rougher the water the better, for me. |
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Posts: 4266
| http://muskie.outdoorsfirst.com/board/forums/get-attachment.asp?att...
Behold the Beaverturd.
I answered the other post too.
I love them, and really like the way that you can figure 8 them.
I used to have about 20, then I got in a habit of giving them away.
I might have to make some more someday.
Somebody in customs has the one that I tried to send to Europe.
I hope he snags himself.
Could be the same guy wearing your Beavertail hat, hey Dirk? 
I use a swivel with a splitring on it screwd right into the body of the lure.
Beav
Edited by Beaver 2/25/2005 3:32 PM
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Posts: 2059
Location: Belgium | yeah, I hope he chokes on it or falls off a cliff or something. I sure hope it will turn up some day but I doubt it. Maybe someday a new one might find its way over here? |
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Posts: 4266
| I have to find the guy who made the bodies for me.
He retired and moved up north.
I'll find somebody to turn out the blanks for me.
Beav |
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Posts: 459
Location: New Baden IL | Why do the flaptails have the extended wire on the front of them?
Is there any other baits that have it?
Steve's flaptails look sweet...bet you couldn't talk him out of that golden colored one with the orange flame balde on the back. How many miles and fish has that bait seen Steve?
Rod |
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Posts: 32885
Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | That's a custom made Snodlow. You're right! It has hundreds of hours wet time, too. |
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Posts: 216
Location: Belleville, WI | A 39lb, 11 oz fish was caught on "Joel's Flaptail," from the Chippewa Flowage - stained water.
What is the proper retrieve of such a bait? |
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Posts: 32885
Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | I'm not talking about stained water, I'm talking dirty. really dirty water seems to be a bad thing for this bait. Stained water can be actually pretty clear, just tannic. |
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Posts: 4266
| Rod tip low, slow retrieve so that the blades kicks out every once in a while. If the blade spins non-stop, it's not working right. You want it to spin a little, then kick out of the water, then spin for a turn or two and then kick out again. If the lure is designed correctly, the butt end of the lure will move from side to side as the blade kicks out and then rights itself.
Remember to figure 8 this top water. Get the blade spinning as you pull the lure down under the water, the figure 8 it high in the corners and deep in the middle. Sometimes I'll pull it all the way to the surface on the corners so it gurgles.
Beav |
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Posts: 32885
Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | Howie,
Here are the pictures. |
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Posts: 389
Location: Presque Isle Wisconsin | Very, very nice Steve.... thanks |
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Posts: 2091
Location: Stevens Point, WI | I have this Hi-Fin Scampertail that I had no clue what the name of it was for many years. I have taken a couple of fish on it in big waves.
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