For those of you who aren't up on your Crankbait terminologies, today, each Crankbait has a certain fish calling sound. Each sound, (or absence of sound) can augment your lure making it more effective.

A "High Pitch" sound is best suited for active fish  and lures that are in continuous motion- such as Rattle Traps, Aruku Shads, and other Cranks that you might want to "burn". High Pitched lures/Cranks are usually the loudest sound and typically have the most ball bearings- including BB-sized up to dime-sized ball bearings.

An "LRS" or "low rumble sound" lure is best suited for active OR inactive fish. They have NO BB-sized ball bearings and are found in a variety of Cranks and lures. Low rumble sound lures are more subtle than High Pitched lures and (today) I would consider them a "neutral" or "Goldilock's"  sound- not too high, not too low. They will attract fish in a variety of "moods".  

An "SSB", "one knock" or "single steel ball" sound is subtler YET. Having only one steel ball (about the size of a dime), these are best suited for quieter situations when the fish are spooky OR where fishing pressure is an issue.

"Silent" lures are the most unobtrusive and have zero ball bearings. These are best used when fishing pressure is VERY high and water clarity is 5 FT plus.

Of course, there are no "set rules" in fishing-  Some days they AREN'T spooky (and are very active) and will only take Silent lures.  It all depends on the mood of the fish that day- (or, if your Small-mouth Fishing, that HOUR! lol) 

Hope this helps clarify the sound situation?

I've had people complaining that they can't really SEE the lures. Hopefully, you'll be able to get a clearer picture with our new SZ video's?! Check it out on the sale page!

"Warp 9 Scotty"! (lol)

Sorry guys.

With the blizzard, the job and regular home-life, I've not had time to take pics of the newest lures and soft plastic's I've promised. It's been hectic. (My mailman accidentally got stuck in my driveway due to the snow- thankfully, a neighbor with a plow-truck came by and pushed him out! THANKS! AND I "went in the ditch" going 60MPH on I-35- that's always fun! Nobody was hurt- thank god!)   

Yesterday, I spent the afternoon with one of the Semi-Pro's I'm sponsoring (Mr. Al Ansell). We chatted in the studio while I painted him some tourney lures for the coming season. He is slated for the Statewide B.A.S.S. tourney and will probably make it to the "Big Show" next year, (or next). Al Ansell is one of the best fishermen I've ever known. He has an amazing "6th sense" when it comes to Bass, (and other species).  Expect to hear about him in the coming years! He is the "real deal".

Anyway, I'll try to get some new stock up and introduce some of the Soft Plastic's I recently acquired.

Thanks for checking in! AND PLEASE- send me pics of your recent catches or trophy catches- I'm trying to fill my picture page up with excellent specimens! All are welcome!

Thanks again! 

We got 12" of snow tonight! Me and my son shoveled our driveway for 2 hours. (For you folks in warmer States who have no idea what shoveling snow is like- imagine a truck dumping a
FT of sand all over your driveway,  and you can't LEAVE or enter your driveway until you remove it. It's a work-out!)

The Snowmobiler's and Ice fishermen are happy! 

Right about now I'm dreaming of flats fishing for Mangrove Snapper on Big Pine Key and a grilled (fresh) Mahi sandwich & Corona at one of my favorite bars on Little Torch. Anybody want to join me for a cold one and a nice fish sandwich?

ABSOLUTELY!!!

Here's one I messed up 3-4 days ago. It took me 1 hour to paint this lure, 10 minutes to apply the 1st coat of epoxy resin, - AND 10 minutes to screw it up! (lol) 

It doesn't look screwed-up- but it is. 
When applying the second coat of resin I went 2-3 minutes OVER the "time limit". Instead of super-clear it turned out cloudy and "gummy" looking. 

So, it's not all peaches and cream here at Swamp Zombie. I've got a bucket of "discards" that didn't make it, (in my eyes). Costly, discards......(lol)

YES! and NO! (lol)

It really depends on the aggressiveness of the fish. Most Crankbait's are "moving" and the fish only have a few seconds to react, (or not). As a rule I like to use red, gold, or silver eyes- with an emphasis on red! Why red?? Have you ever heard the expression,"He saw red!". Red eyes can bolster a fish's reaction strike by making them (for lack of a better word) "mad". When do colored eyes NOT work as well or make as big of an impact?  

My Answer is: When the clarity of the water is extreme (clarity of 15 FT plus) and in conjunction, when using a suspending Crank, (where you are letting it pause right in front of the fish's nose). It is my belief that you'd want a more realistic looking Crank as the clarity of the water gets better and COLDER. (Cold water typically allows fish to SEE better-for a variety of reasons.) SO, silver eyes would probably be a safe bet in super-clear water. However, in fishing, all "rules of the road" are not set in stone. Some days they want a bright purple/red lure with pink highlights and GREEN eyes! (Go figure!) We can only make our best guess and go with that!      

What do you think????

I'd like to take a moment to give a shout out to my Wife, Tanya Back. She is one heck of an artist and designer. If you'd like to see more of her works go to-  www.tanyabackdesigns.com

We're having a heat wave today- it's 25 degree's here in MN! 

Wish I was fishin' a canal on Alligator Ally!  (lol) 

Good Q! Although I'm relatively new, I have done quite a bit of research about lure painting, checked out the competition and applied what I've learned to the Swamp Zombie brand. 

I believe I make solid lures for a fair price. Yes, some of my competitors have amazing paint jobs- but, they tend to skimp on clear coat. And many don't apply the same amount of time or energy into each crank. Most of what I do is free-hand painting- I rarely use stencil's and I like to add other little things to make the lures more appealing to the fish- UV'ed eyes and shad "spots", glitter finish, Crystal Flash hooks, ETC.     

Again, a Crankbait should be judged on the sum of ALL it's parts. A magnificent paint job is only great if it doesn't rub off after a few fish. I use a 2-2 1/2 layer epoxy resin system, (sometimes 3 -4 layer). The only thing better is many layers of a clear automotive coat, (or "DK" dip)- and even then, sometimes the automotive dries wrong and gets "brittle". When this happens you can use a fingernail and scrape the top-coat (and paint) right off the lure. (Many large lure company's have issues with this....) 

Realize- an epoxy resin coat must be foam brushed on- not sprayed. It's like syrup when applied- add too much and the lure is ruined- Add small layer's and the lure is encased forever. Do they eventually wear down??? Yes, eventually they do- all lures do - after, oh, 100 plus fish or so! (lol) The guys I sponsor have done field tests and they've caught literally 100's of fish with my lures- SO MANY fish that the crankbait bill had worn down before the sides, belly, and top! That's pretty good durability. 

Plus, I try to give the best service possible. Many of my competitors just don't interact with the client. I do my best to engage and converse with customers making sure I know exactly what they need or want- this makes a difference in the quality of the final product and how well it actually works in the environment. If you can't/won't converse with the client and try to find out what they (really) need how can you make good merchandise?  

Swamp Zombie Lures- making lures the old fashion way- one at a time.        

Interesting question! Basically, some older Crankbait's perform as well (if not BETTER) than the MOST expensive lures of today. 

Email me for a list of "The best of the best" older Crankbait's!