I loved watching Larry Dahlberg design and test his Whopper Plopper, especially the hydrophone testing on different blade size, shape and configurations. Got to be like 15 years ago. Made my 1st one about 10 yes ago, from Larry's how to video. I've been fishing them with multi species success in fresh and saltwater. I did enjoy your interpretation of the plopper.
Well, proof on camera...youre only human.... happened to me too sometimes. But I always loosen the drag when I dont use the rod, keeps the drag in better condition. But dont forget to test before the first cast! Keep building, we will keep watching
Looks great! Make a regular mold... front piece... back piece without blade... take out of mold and cut the slot for the prop... slide back piece onto tail wire after prop has been fixed into place... tape blade and paint... epoxy... clearcoat before tying it into place... once coating complete complete bait...
The good ol' Wopper Plopper has been the one lure that makes me super nervous to attempt to make. Making a square cut between the two round halves, perfectly centering the through-wire so as to not make a Whopper Flopper, and achieving free rotation. Maybe I'm just over thinking it. Yours turned out super! I'll have to give this a couple more watches.
Just do it, worst case scenario it doesn't come out perfect, if that's the case you're second attempt will be.. I made one a bit different and it works killer. Check out Marling Bates. He builds a nice one too.
Shoot! Seems to me if it’s not perfect but if it still has any kind of spin on the propeller at all it will make enough disturbance to catch some fish right!? Maybe even BETTER. But ya, I also get the sentiment that if it doesn’t live up to the vision it feels like a failure 😁 such is the curse that follows all art and arteeests haha
@@Radican1 You're so right. I know I will attempt a Whopper Plopper some day when I'm not so busy with other lures. I remember my very first lure... I put it down and started my second lure because I was so stressed over cutting the lip slot and getting it straight. I finally got over it and just cut the thing. The lure worked great and caught eight bass before getting snagged.
I loosen my drags to protect the washers from squishing permanently, but then I forget to re-tighten it too. So now I just leave my drags set, and only loosen them over the winter. Nice job on the plopper!
Cool build, I never used a whopper plopper because they are kinda expensive (for my standards) and I think I'll try and build one myself. For the tail section you could have sprayed UV resin out of airbrush, give it 3 or 4 coats and then it wouldn't matter if it spun in the chamber.
I use empress tree wood, as light as balsa, but harder. I then use my through wires inserted through the bottom, not the top, to keep the top more buoyant, and the bottom has a bit more weight to have the lure bottom stabilize downwards... been using the UV resin to hold it in place, rather than epoxy... quicker, neater, less expensive...
Great lure, but how long it will stay in good condition? I make lures mostly from balsa, and after gluing wire harness (and filler strip), i usually impregnate hole lure by keeping it in thin lacquer(50/50 lacquer/thinner) for 12 to 24 hours. After that, i will dip lure to clear lacquer three times, allowing it to cure between dips, sanding it lightly between dips. Then i will dip it two more times to white lacquer before painting. After painting, i will dip it twice more to harder clear lacquer. Of course, i am making my lures mostly for northern pike, zander and atlantic salmon, so they need harder protection than bass lures. And greetings from Finland by another angling engineer, and keep up good work 👍
Looks and runs fantastic!! Before you mentioned it at the end of your video I was thinking that you should make a mold of that lure so I'm glad you mentioned it and I would love to see you do it. Would the mold incorporate the blade as plastic or will there be a slot to insert pre-made blade into the mold before pouring resin? Instead of using micro balloons for buoyancy in the resin, how hard would it be to incorporate air chambers into the mold itself and use less resin product?
As I was watching vids from your past you had one you lost and couldn’t find and tried to replicate so I went look in my collection and I have one similar called a Brooks refer maybe that might help. Chadeaux
