Norman Top Dollar + Hughes Lure Painting

[rps]

I have grown very fond of Norman's Top Dollar lures.In the last two years I have caught hundreds of quality fish on this top water. However, they are a typical Norman inexpensive, mass produced bait - mediocre paint job and very average hooks.

I decided to try something I had always wondered about: a Tim Hughes repaint.

The attached picture does not really do the work justice, but should give you an idea.

From left to right the color schemes are House Bait No. 2 (the main color is green on white), Gizzard Shad (Gray and Green), Slimmer (the color looks like gas on water), and Blue Shad (light blue on white with iridescent pink/green flecks) The quality is excellent.

His web site says six weeks for return, and I received my baits in the mail in five.

The hooks you see are Daiichi Death Trap trebles and the feathers are my poor effort.

With all costs included, the baits are just under $20 apiece. Compared to what some of the Japanese companies are charging, I can live with that.

Now I just need to get over this disgusting cold and go try them.

[Ham]

I throw dollars at more expensive baits so take what I'll say next with a grain of salt ;

If you caught 100's of quality fish on the stock baits, do you expect to catch multiples of that on the ones you prettied up?

How much of the $20 are the super hooks?

Have you tried the baits with the bad paint jobs with the better hooks?

Would the better hooks alone be a good enough improvement?

I tend to worry about color schemes a LOT more on topwater baits and susp jerkbaits so I would sweat the details there as well.

Fair Warning : Keep running your mouth about that Norman Top Dollar bait and I'll stock up on them as well.

PS: Th efeathers you tied in look just fine.

[rps]

ouch.

Actually, I have been changing the hooks on the stock models.

No, I don't expect the paint job to increase the numbers, and I don't think that anyone can really prove that a paint job makes a difference on a day in/day out basis.

On the other hand, I've always wanted to have a few custom baits. By starting with the inexpensive, proven fish catcher, I could. Think on the true addicts who have their Sammys and Pointers customized.

[Mart]

RPS, they look beautiful. Are you taking orders? How about your on-line store?

[rps]

Have Tim Hughes paint a couple for you. He is really good.

[Quillback]

How do you fish those baits? Are they a walk-the-dog bait?

[rps]

They are very versatile. You can make them spit like a spitting image, you can pop or chug them, and you can walk them. I typically throw them out, then pause for the rings to die. Then I quiver them, then I pop or spit them once, then I walk them back to me. Their walk is irregular like a gunfish but very tight so they spend a lot of time back and forth to go a foot toward you.

Their down sides: their flat sides make them sail on the throw so casting to spots in cover is tedious; the walk is not as easy as a Sammy so you must pay attention.

Check out my posts since June and you'll notice that most of the top water fish came off these or a Spro Dawg.

[Quillback]

I have seen your posts on the subject. They are an effective lure for you. I have so many topwaters that I have a hard time convincing myself to pick up some more, but I think I will have to pick a couple of these up.

[Ham]

Fished with a buddy who used a Top Dollar the other day.

It walks with an extremely irregular cadence more in keeping with a seizure disorder than normal walk the dog baits.

I usually can get a Gunfish to walk better than that.

He got a fair number of looks on it and caught some nice fish, but I think you're on the right track changing out the hooks.

[rps]

Some of the baits are more regular than others, though I don't know why. I have come to believe the ones that occasionally go awry are the most effective. The real regular ones are second, and the "can't make it walk right" group are the least effective.