Doug Weston

It depends on the business. Some guys keep some lures on hand. I for instance keep wiggle warts, and Rogues on hand as they are the most popular for me to have painted custom as a new bait. Tim Hughes will paint new ones for you. Some guys will only do repaints. Some guys only do custom building and painting of wood baits. Clear as mud? The best thing to do is just call whomever you are interested in painting for you and just talk to them. Many people have a "favorite" crankbait. One that, for some reason, just outperforms the rest. When you have used it till the paint is gone, or you want a different color, send it in. Other people like a certain type of lure, (e.g. Norman DD22) but it don't come from the factory in your favorite color. They send those in. Does this help? Doug

The original Custom Painter, Tim Hughes, Is hard to beat. I think Fall Creek does an excellent Job as well(he don't have a website the last time I checked). He does some great painting though. Dale Sellers is pretty good. These guys do this for a living. I do not. I am not as practiced as these guys (yeah I know that may not be good for business), but because I am not trying to make a living, I think I probably spend more time and possibly pay more attention to detail. I don't say this to advertise, just to point out there are differences. On the other hand, They have infinitely more practice than me, and probably much better artists. If you want to check out some real artists besides the ones listed above, check out the tackle underground website. There are some custom painted crankbaits on there that will blow you away!!! I hope to be half as good as some of the aforementioned people some day. I would be happy to help you answer any questions about this topic though as I have spent quite a bit of time researching, experimenting, collaborating, etc., etc. I will say this, probably the most important thing besides the actual paint job, is the protective topcoat. This will protect the paint, and when you pay 9 bucks or more for some custom paint, I'm sure you want it to last. Tim Hughes and Fall Creek has some of the best topcoat available. I have taken apart many different kinds and I wish I knew what they used. This is usually well protected by the artists. I use an automotive polyurethane after trying many different cheaper alternatives. This is like most things, you get what you pay for. Again, my offer stands, my advice is free, like I Said many are better than me, but I could help with the learning curve so you would be happy with your purchase. Regards, Doug Weston

I paint some baits. I have partnered with Matt Eisenbacher of Eiron jigs to offer my painting to the public. You can check the site at http://www.eironjig.com/index.html. While you are there pick up some of Matt's jigs and check out his new custom rods too. I have a link on his home page where it says custom painting. Doug Weston