BOGSTALKER-The Nature of the Beast: THE BOGSTALKER SHAD PATTERN

So I am sitting here in the man cave aka Lure Foundry thinking about a lot of different aspects of the 2021 fishing campaigns. One of the things I usually do over the winter months is paint cranks or bladebaits.

The current craze is offbeat customized color patterns. Crap that looks like someone was unaware of color compatibility and complimenting. But that's probably the point I suppose. Giving the fish something they've never seen before just to get their interest.

I cannot say I am a huge fan of these far out color schemes. Especially the generic yet still off the wall patterns predominating most of the tackle shop aisles. Go to any of the chain stores and you'll see exactly what I am talking about, but bring some sunglasses.

Do they catch fish?

I see people having luck with them in the big magazines so I have to assume they work, but none of the baits I actually bought or painted, with the exception of firetiger patterns, have worked all that great for me. A few fish here and there, but nothing as productive as natural patterns. And as my experience with those color schemes is limited by where I fish, I really have no more room or inclination to argue the topic at this point in time. I'll keep trying them to see if my success rates go up with them in the future, if only for the sake of satisfying my curiosity. And who knows, maybe I'll change my tune. After all, look at some of the ungodly color combos for salmon, trout and steelhead...and they are proven...

So, where do I go from here? What should I be painting?

Natural patterns are where I believe, through experience and success rates, is where my focus should be. Trying to mimic what nature has provided them as a food source. Get the basic profile, length and color scheme in place and your odds of slaying some beasts improve.

Ok. Another step in the right direction.. What natural pattern should that be?

Arguably, there are tons of different kind of baitfish in the area, like fathead minnows or emerald shiners. I could (and probably will paint up a few of each). However, the more I looked, it was obvious one forage fish was at the forefront.

Shad. Gizzard shad especially as their threadfin cousins apparently do to well this far north, being susceptible to cold water die offs.

So in this neck of the woods, its almost all gizzard shad. On the bigger reservoirs, all the way to Oahe, they are the primary source of forage for all types of fish.

I have painted shad patterns in the past. Several different patterns to be specific. All have had some modest success. But I wanted something better, or at least in my mind, looked better in the water..

Enter the Bogstalker Shad pattern.

This is the photo I opted to use for reference purposes. Its relatively generic but representative of the color scheme I come across in shad most often, especially a little further north.

And this is actually the problem. Different bodies of water produce shad with varying color schemes, as fish mature. The coloration of the male and female fish of a species can vary dramatically as well. Finally, those fish that best blend in with their surroundings and environment have a much better chance of survival than those that don't. Thus the perpetuation of different colorations of the same species of fish.

So in order to attempt this pattern, I again chose this specific blank as I did the cold water bluegill pattern.

It has a vaguely similar profile and was small enough. If I would have had any shad rap style blanks on hand, I would have opted for them instead.

First things first. Ensure the bait is clean and free from oils, dirt or grime. Was in soap or if necessary some other non reactive cleaner like windex or rubbing alcohol.

After the washing, allow it to dry thoroughly, checking to see if there are any leaks in the blank. If there are, and you see any fluid within the body, discard the blank. There is no reason to try and save it, because the odds are not in your favor.

If there are no leaks, make sure your tape the diving bill of the lure up before you start priming the bait.

Here is the blank primed with a Rustoleum flat white primer coat. I prefer this brand to others because it seems to adhere to the plastic better.

It tends to be quick drying as long as you don't over apply it and other types of pain adhere to it extremely well. Very few problems with it, and that in itself is a huge plus.

One or two light coats are all that is usually needed to get the bait covered.

I also have started allowing the prime coat to stand unpainted overnight, ensuring everything is dry and cured and ready for the next coat.

Once the primer coat(s) are dry, its time to apply the chroming base.

Fancy terminology for applying the chrome spray paint. Again, Rustoleum gets the job done for me quite nicely.

I've found that using the Chrome spray paint from Rustoleum, the best shiny finishes are those that are just lightly applied. They tend to be brighter and darken much less when sealer is applied.

That last bit there is a major issue for almost all bait painters. Keeping that chrome shine without actually having the bait chromed. I've tried all sort of different things, techniques etc, with varying success. This works for me right now so I'll be sticking with this unless I come across another product that does a better job.

Again, let the paint dry. Since it was a light coat, it shouldn't be too much of an issue to paint over it directly after a few minutes. You can speed the drying process up with a light touch from a heat gun if need be,

Normally, I don't bother taping up the sides of a bait to get a delineation of color, as I love to blend colors together naturally, but when looking at a shad, you can see the proverbial shad spot higher on the shoulder than most commercially manufactured baits offer.

I had a choice. I could still try to blend everything together naturally, or tape the bait up and make a clean line (which I am also not a fan of). For aesthetic purposes, I choose to make the clean lie in an area I knew would allow me to get the contrast of the shad spot the way I wanted.

I should also note that since I opted to go this direction, I allowed a further 24 hour dry time for the chrome paint to really set in. Nothing worse than taping up a bait to get a line and then peeling the tape off and having half your paint come off with it. Trust me...curse words ensue.

I used Createx Pearlized gold for this back coloring. I probably would have again used a Rustoleum gold paint if I had it on hand. This worked, but required a few light coats, all heat treated with a portable personal heater, but a heat gun would have worked also.

This is the bait after I allowed the last coating of Createx to dry for about 15 minutes. I gently peeled the green tape off.

Note to anyone using the blue painters tape. If you use it, understand it might (probably will) take off your chrome paint. For some reason it adheres really hard to blanks and makes it difficult to get off without damaging the bait. Use at your own peril.

As you can see, with the differences in color, the delineation between the gold and chrome isn't jarring. They compliment each other quite well and overall look relatively natural

I went back to look at the reference photo at this point and overall, I was pretty satisfied. Not perfect but as I have said before, nothing in nature ever is so don't panic if something is a little off.

The next step is to lightly apply a dark base to the back. I usually turn down the air pressure on my airbrush and use Createx Opaque Black.

On the initial spine coating, I hold the airbrush a little closer to the bait to get a more solid and tighter brush pattern. The goal is to get the spine covered with little to no overspray. If I decide I want a bit more overspray, I just bring the airbrush back towards me, or further away from the blank, than I used the previous pass.

Now the reason why I do this will become apparent here in a few more steps.

Typical example of the lightly sprayed spine (back) of a blank with only minor overspray along the shoulders.

While I still have the Creatix Opaque black in the airbrush, I turn the airbrush pressure down a little more and use a fine spray to highlight the eye sockets and parts of the gill plates.

If you look at most fish, there is usually a darker pattern around or very near their eyes, so this step helps replicate that, bringing a balance of natural order to something that is not natural.

Pay attention to darkening the nose and mouth areas as well, right above the diving bill. Its very easy to forget to paint this small yet crucial area.

If necessary, add a few more drops of Createx Opaque Black to your airbrush. Shouldn't take too much as we are now going to create the "shad spot" on the bait.

Earlier I mentioned about limiting overspray along the shoulders of the bait for a reason. This step is partially for that reason.

Your air pressure should already be lowered, so keep it at that pressure and using your trigger control, gently ease the spot onto the bait.

If you prefer, you can use a circular stencil to get that perfect circle, or you can free-hand it. I've seen live shad with both tightly circular spots and those with smudgy spots, so its entirely a personal preference choice.

Now, for the last reason for only lightly over spraying the blanks shoulder area. We are going to add a new color into the mix,

So, clean out your airbrush very well and add Sepia.

Again in the cold water bluegill pattern I mentioned how important that relatively unknown color was to creating more realism to artificial lures than anything else.

This pattern is no exception to that law.

I usually increase the pressure on my airbrush at this point, making a few test sprays and making further adjustments until I get the spray I am looking for.

Starting at the spine, make a few light passes, making sure to get just enough overspray to cover the shoulders of the blank. One to three light coats should get you in the ballpark.

As you put each coat on, you'll notice the blank looking more lifelike, but don't over do it. You'll eventually hit a point where all you are doing is blackening or darkening the bait and your shad spot will just blend right in with it...not good.

Worst part is that it is super easy to let happen.

Remember what I said about applying sealants, They do not only after silvers and chromes....its all colors. You would think something meant to be clear would allow the colors to shine through brightly, but light refraction and sealant thickness cut down the amount of light coming through the sealant, thus darkening the bait.

Moderation and patience are your best friends when painting lures. Don't over do it.

So here are the baits before getting sealed. Ive taken the tape off the diving lips, added the eyes and am not waiting for the sealant to warm up a bit. (topic for a another article)