Painting my Perch on a Shad Rap KO

I know I have painted this pattern on a small Jerk-bait before but it is my most popular pattern and it is flat out catching fish from Maine to Georgia and Ohio to Calgary Alberta so I am painting it again, this time on a Knock off of a Rapala Shad Rap.
Besides making videos showing you guys how, as a beginner lure painter, I go about painting these patterns, I am also selling these lures down at my buddy Bobby's shop, the Smith River Trading Post and I am trying to keep the Tackle wall Full for a 10% off sale between Thanksgiving and Christmas.
So bear with me if I'm repeating this pattern, I will try to keep coming up with new patterns in the future.
Thanks for watching and Happy Holidays to you all.......Peace

[@mikemcelveen2973]

As a beginner myself, I don't see anything to change about this pattern. The sponge effect gives a more natural look instead of a straight line stencil. Your videos inspire me to explore different patterns and techniques. I'm learning that the KZbin lure painting community is huge, so hopefully, soon, I'll be able to give back. Thanks!

[@RaggedEdgeLureWorks]

Thanks Mike ! That’s the reason I like the sponge over a hard lined stencil, I think it really does look more realistic too. Happy if I inspired you in any way, I find so much inspiration from so many other painters here on KZbin as well. Would love to see what you’re doing as well so don’t be afraid to start sharing. Thanks again !

[@JumbleTronChannel]

Wow! That lure must be fire if that guy is buying them up like that. That look fantastic Don👍

[@RaggedEdgeLureWorks]

Thanks Ryan ! I have caught more fish on my original Perch lure than any of the other lure I’ve painted and used. I also know it has caught fish not only here in New Hampshire but also in Maine, New York, Ohio, Texas and Georgia. It has become so popular that I have expanded the offering to include not only the original, this Shad Rap KO, a Lipless Crankbait and a Whopper Plopper type lure and just got a request from a repeat customer today to paint this pattern on a Popper and a Spook type lure as well. Too much fun ! Thanks again !

[@Lifewithfishing]

Чудовий оезультат вийшов 👍

[@RaggedEdgeLureWorks]

@@Lifewithfishing 🙏

[@WestForkWoodsman]

Been wanting to get over here and see this video, since the thumbnail pic really caught my eye. Some fine looking lures, Don. Those orders are going to keep rolling in and bury you, if you keep this up. I can sure see why they're selling and why fishermen keep coming back for more!

[@RaggedEdgeLureWorks]

@@WestForkWoodsman Thanks so much Kevin ! I have been painting feverishly these last few weeks building up inventory and also reorganizing my paint shop in anticipation of being down an arm for several weeks. I think I have covered myself with videos already in the queue that will take this channel into May. I can’t tell you how tickled I am with the reception of my custom painted lures and how they have been selling….far beyond my wildest imagination. It’s becoming almost like a job but what is that old saying ? “ If you love what you do….you never really work a day in your life.” Something to that effect anyway. I love every aspect of this lure painting hobby. I’m guessing you probably feel the same with the Rustic Brooms.

[@douglasmcgraw1572]

That’s an Excellent Perch pattern and Evidence by Your Customers who keep wanting more and is Out Catching his Buddy’s, I agree with Mike , the sponge technique is more Natural than stencils, You’re doin a Great Job and I’m a new Lure Painter myself for only 2 years and as you paint more and more You’ll Learn the characteristics of your air brush and paints. Keep on Painting, The Gift box You are giving Carl is Awesome, It will put a Big Smile on his face as well as Yours, That’s Why I Enjoy Painting, for the Smiles

[@RaggedEdgeLureWorks]

Thanks Douglas ! This Is definitely my favorite pattern to paint and I have now extended the line-up to include a “RattleTrap” style Lipless Crank-bait as well as a “Whopper Plopper” style tail splashed lure. I never imagined this painting hobby would be so much fun and I continue to learn something with just about every lure I paint. I really enjoy experimenting with different colors and paints and with the help of others I keep learning something of the ins and outs of working with an airbrush. I really appreciate the kind words !

[@EthanKanak-j6s]

Hello Great Uncle Don, I love watching your videos! Keep up the good work!

[@RaggedEdgeLureWorks]

@@EthanKanak-j6s Hey Ethan ! Thanks buddy, I really appreciate that !!

[@davidwilliams1805]

Love it Don! Good job!

[@RaggedEdgeLureWorks]

Thanks David ! Appreciate ya ! Did that crawler ever arrive ? I think I misplaced the tracking info.

[@BigBaitPosse]

good looking lure Don. Hope you are doing well.

[@RaggedEdgeLureWorks]

@@BigBaitPosse Thanks Mike. Doing fine, painting is keeping me busy while I wait for my Feb 13th surgery date.

[@134rwa]

I really believe that your lures are going to become collectors items.

[@RaggedEdgeLureWorks]

@@134rwa Thanks Russell, I just hope that anyone who buys one catches fish with it.

[@magcolor]

Great work, cool film!!!

[@RaggedEdgeLureWorks]

Thank you so much !

[@Dark30Outdoors]

Great looking perch pattern! Shad rap is one of my favorite baits of all time. I used to fish the shallow runner shad rap a ton in shallow rivers for saugeye!

[@RaggedEdgeLureWorks]

@@Dark30Outdoors Thanks Kyle ! It is definitely a great lure, I’m hoping this one sells half as good as my original in the shallow diving jerk-bait.

[@Indyjeeplover]

As for the orange peel…..per Createx if you add too much of certain reducers it breaks down the binder and lets the paint puddle and curdle. IIRC, their newest 4021 reducer does not do that nearly as badly. I mix the reducer 50/50 with UVLS in a dispenser bottle and it works well. The UVLS acts as a flow improver plus makes the paint tougher so stencils don’t scratch it as easily. Createx recommends that if possible let the paint/reducer mix sit at least a minute to blend together You are 100% correct that a gold or metallic underneath makes a big difference in the shine and depth. Layering makes your baits stand out from factory products. I try to use it underneath anytime I use yellows, oranges, etc. I really, really like your color combinations. Could I ask, what do you get price wise for your baits and how do you get your name out? The box was an excellent idea. Nice touch to keep your product safe and isolated. FWIW, I put mine in pillow packs so they look professional and display well, but that’s for individual baits. Thanks for all the tips. You are awesome . Appreciate your help

[@RaggedEdgeLureWorks]

Hi Chuck, Thanks for the compliments. I sell my baits individually in the Bags I get from Clear Bags, they are black backed with a clear front and have a slot for hanging them. I think they look fairly professional as well and I put a business card and a Sticker in each bag. I figure the cost of the bag, card and sticker run me just under $1.00. I sell my lures for $10.00 each plus $5.00 S&H which covers me just about anywhere in the lower 48. I have been told by several people that I am not charging enough for my lures but have not wanted to charge much more than that considering you can buy a Rapala for about $8.00 at any of your big sporting goods places and even though my lures are custom painted and not mass produced, I have to consider my market. Since I started this little business up in May of 2024 , I have sold 84 lures thru my buddy Bobby’s shop The Smith River Trading Post in our little town of Danbury NH. His shop is a small mom & pop archery shop but he has a wall where he sells some fishing tackle, mostly trout stuff. Bobby takes $1.00 for every lure he sells but he is my best bud so he’s only taking that because I insist he take something for giving me an outlet. Besides Bobby’s shop I have sold another 110 lures thru friends and family, a few orders that have come directly from people contacting me thru this channel and I’ve gotten several orders from people that see my posts on my personal Facebook page. All told in 2024 since May, I have sold right at 200 lures which is more than I ever imagined and has come close to covering my initial investment. I also belong to a Kayak Bass Fishing club here in NH called the Granite State Kayak Anglers, you can see some of my fishing stuff on my original channel @ Buck Tales Outdoors. I passed a few lures around at our annual club meeting two weeks ago and have gotten orders for 18 lures from the guys in the last two weeks of January making for a nice start to 2025. I had intended to start up an Etsy store but after doing some research on what was involved, what was available there, prices guys were charging, etc. I decided it would be better to create a website. I registered the Domain Name www.RaggedEdgeLureWorks.com when I started this but didn’t realize that it costs approx. $40.00 / month to maintain a website and at the time i didn’t even think I would sell $40 worth of lures a month so held off on that. I guess it’s time to pull that trigger. I am also going to start a new Instagram page once the website is launched and link the two to further help get my name out there. Hope this info helps.

[@RaggedEdgeLureWorks]

Now let me pick your brain. When you say you mix the UVLS and your reducer 50/50, is that prior to mixing that mixture with your Paint ? And do you then mix that mixture 50/50 with your paint ? I have recently been mixing my Paint with 4011 reducer 50/50 but in this video I think I went way too heavy on the reducer causing that weird effect ,thankfully I was able to salvage the lures. Also more recently and you’ll see it in future videos maybe posting in April or May since I have scheduled out several videos to hold my channel over while I take a break after my upcoming rotator Cuff surgery in 2 weeks, per your recommendation I have started mixing 4030 with 4011 to use as a top coat prior to putting lures in hard stencils to avoid scratching off existing paint. I think you recommended 4050 or 4055 but I used what I had on hand and it worked great so thanks for that tip. This is what I love about this whole KZbin thing …. the sharing of information which is especially helpful for an old dog like me learning new tricks..hahaha. Thanks again

[@Indyjeeplover]

@ I mix the reducer 50/50 along with the UVLS in an empty paint bottle. Anytime I reduce, which is probably 100% of the time I use Createx I add this mix. Usually I add a little more straight reducer as the UVLS is pretty thick. I use Golden Brand titanium white and usually don’t add it to that, though when I have it seemed to work. The Golden brand is significantly thinner than Createx and airbrush ready I finished up my 4011 and am just starting on the new reducer. With the new reducer you can pre-mix the reducer into the paint and have normal shelf life. In the past with previous Createx reducers shelf life of paint that was mixed with those reducers was limited to two weeks. That’s why they didn’t add it at the factory Don’t forget to wipe wet paint off the caps of your bottles after dispensing paint to help eliminate paint chunks. You’ll be surprised how much paint is on them

[@RaggedEdgeLureWorks]

@ Thanks for the info Chuck !

[@mullisoutdoors]

Great looking perch pattern Don!! Man I always love how these come out when you do them. I still haven't caught one yet, but I'm on the hunt for them. They seem to be a little harder to catch in my area, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed while crappie fishing. I'm glad you are doing so great on the lure selling and hearing feedback like this is something that I know will keep you motivated to keep up the great work!! Great Video Brother!!

[@RaggedEdgeLureWorks]

@@mullisoutdoors Thanks Lance ! I never would have thought I’d sell over 200 lures when I started this little hobby less than a year ago. I love hearing positive feedback from friends and customers alike who have used my lures. It is an awesome yet humbling feeling. Keep chasing those Perch buddy, they are tasty 😋👍✌️

[@twitcherz_fishing]

Looks great. Will most definitely catch fish.

[@RaggedEdgeLureWorks]

@@twitcherz_fishing Thanks man ! Appreciate ya watching.

[@JohnAmes]

you do great work my friend

[@RaggedEdgeLureWorks]

Thanks John, appreciate you buddy !

[@jurajanal2277]

Beautiful pattern! Shad raps never fail to deliver (even KOs), by far one of the most productive lures I've ever used but in chartreuse color so seeing them in perch color scheme is really nice. My experience with Createx colors was so far overall positive and I don't think they need to be reduced a lot, especially non pearl colors (transparents and opaques) which I don't even reduce because they don't have any metal flake that can clog up. So far my only negative experience with airbrush colors was with Model air colors from Vallejo but I think I didn't shake them long enough so I was either pouring straight pigment or just fluid with barely any pigment in the cup. How did the surgery go?

[@RaggedEdgeLureWorks]

@@jurajanal2277 hello Jura, glad to hear from you after my Giveaway snafu. With the Createx paints I’m finding that it is imperative to reduce the Pearls but I agree that the Opaques and Transparent paints don’t need it as much or at all. You could see the effect of reducing that Detail Moss Green too much , thankfully I was able to over it up. I just started using some of the color shifting paints from Vallejo which you will see me use in some upcoming videos and although I can’t speak about the model air paints, I will say the Shifters are already as thin as water. Still waiting for my surgery which was rescheduled for Feb. 13th . Thanks for asking !

[@jurajanal2277]

@RaggedEdgeLureWorks can't wait to see the shifters! Will probably order some myself because, from what I've seen on other channels (mainly Solarfall baits), greens and purples over dark backgrounds are really nice.

[@RaggedEdgeLureWorks]

@@jurajanal2277 the difference between putting them over a black base - vs- a white base is crazy.

[@Hawaiibohntr]

Where can I get some of the unpainted baits if ya dont mind me asking? I'm just starting airbrushing, and these Dakota winters are cold.

[@RaggedEdgeLureWorks]

@@Hawaiibohntr I hear ya, been cold here in NH too. You can get lots of Blanks on Amazon and I think the Shad Rap KOs that I used in this video were from Amazon. If you want a better quality Blank at a slightly higher cost you should check out Sugartit Lures in Sugartit SC, their website is www.sugartitcustomlures.com . Another source I use for better quality blanks is Barlow’s Tackle in TX. www.barlowstackle.com. Have fun, it’s a great hobby.

[@LLDWITHJ]

Great looking lure, you did an excellent job! New sub from my channel to yours

[@RaggedEdgeLureWorks]

@@LLDWITHJ Thanks ! Appreciate ya 🙏