Home made/painted lures-flies

Guys,

I'll bet that some of you tie flies, or in some way, play around with/modify/tweak/customize/revolutionize lures-spoons-etc.
And I don't mean a pro who does it for re-sale, and I know we have a few gifted lure makers aboard.

I mean just a weekend warrior who is into it and likes to see what he can come up with.

I know guys who add skirts, spinner blades, glow, mirror tape, etc.
Regular Dr. Fishin' Frankensteins. The tinkerers....

If you DO, it would be cool to see what keeps you busy between trips or in the winter months.
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The last few years in Rivers Inlet, all kinds of salmon were being taken on a "Wonder Stripe" spoon.
I get that it looks vaguely like a "Wonder Bread" wrapper, but I don't remember ever seeing anything
native to the Pacific Ocean that looks pink, white and blue, and is a natural food of salmon.

Be that as it may, I started to experiment a few weeks back with my new toy, the airbrush, and
did up a bunch of variations on the damn thing. I added enamel dots using pencil erasers of various sizes
dipped in paint, and here's what I came up with.

I sent one to a buddy in Washington, and he bagged a 28 lb and 41 lb Chinook,
and enough coho to not pay attention and eventually re-tie it, and he ended up
surrendering it to the fishing Gods. He has asked for several more.

I'll add some 'gills', stripes, etc and fart around with combos.

It's a bit like tying flies, I suppose. Head out to the 'lab', get a few photos in front of you for guidance,
crack a beer and let it rip.

Some look better than others, but it's a lot of fun to see what you can come up with.

I've done a bunch of other color combos and will add pics later.
Doing some pilchard patterns now and they are looking pretty good!!

PLUS, after buying blanks and paint, they still only cost me about 40 cents apiece.

And I'm not about to give fish enough credit for being able to tell the difference between mine and any other.

The white in the center is actually a powder paint, applied first and with heat, and the colors are sprayed-on enamel. The white is "Glow", by the way...apparently a tasty combination.

If anyone wants one for free, PM me. I'll send up a bunch to one guy and you figure out the rest.

And of course if a pro wants to chime in, so much the better!

Cheers!:cheers: