the cajun croaker paddletail has been hot this year and look great in the water if not on the shelf. anybody got a koolaid recipe for that pukey green color. i got some new bucktails and i want to do a clouser in that color.
i put a plastic one on a magic and caught 4 species in half an hour. it kind of disappears in the creek water.
Try some Sea Foam Green Super Hair for the back and play around with some White, Light Tan or Gray Super Hair for the belly. You’ll also want to pay around with differenct colors of Crystal Flash & Flashabou mixed in in small amounts with the Super Hair until you get the look you want. If you’ll a littel adventuresome you can come up with some pretty interesting creations using synthetics or a combination of naturals and synthetics.
OK how ya use da kool aid? Ive never dyed any tails w/ it.
kool aid is just food coloring blends. the off brands are a lot cheaper but selections are less. the liquids are the same thing. it is permanent on any kind of protein…hair, wool, etc but you have to set it with vinegar after you get the shade you want.
with bucktails you have to get rid of the grease first or it wont stick good. remember the crayon trick for easter eggs. dawn seems to be the mildest most popular cleaner.
then you heat up some water and stir in the koolaid(s). Make sure to use glass or enamel pots- metal screws up the whole process. i put about 3 or 4 packs in a cooking pot of water. obviously the more the darker. then you put in the hair or feathers or wool or other. synthetics wont work - they arent protein. i usually keep the heat low and the time long to keep from making the fur brittle but you can speed it up with heat. when you get the shade you want you dose it with vinegar. doesnt take a whole lot. once again too much will make it brittle. then you just rinse it out in cold water and let it dry spread out on a towel that doesnt matter.
koolaid is not the cheapest dye. you can get easter egg kits after easter pretty cheap. the liquid is the same stuff. the advantage is that a lot of the flavors are already blends of colors . i got a descent electric chicken pink with kiwi watermelon and something else like cherry.
the knitting ladies have taken this thing to a fine art with wool and i had a bookmark with a color chart and formulas but i cant find it right now.
the croaker is just an odd color that i cant quite place so i was hoping somebody already did the experiments. if not i will give it a shot when my wife leaves me unattended with the kitchen. those old tails have a funk no matter how much dawn they see.
the easiest fur to dye is rabbit. deer is pretty easy. squirrel is interesting. havent tried coon but it should work good. got a bunch of antelope that i want to have a go on. feathers dont take it as easy but can get some nice looks. im guessing the water rep
Pick you up a color wheel at the craft, art or hardware store. That should do the trick. You may have to play around with it a little to tweak some of the Pearl colors with high sheen. While you should be able to get the general hue, it’s going to be difficult to get the sheen without that particular pigment.
i think that color matches the water and just disappears this year. pawleys creek is definitely that color. my theory is that because it has been so dry this year we dont have the usual tannics that make opening night, etc invisable as well as hiding the pinks and reds. so maybe the reflection properties arent as important as on a “show” color. jess my thots.
we dont need no reservations we dont need no cruise control
great! thanks pawleys!!
You may want to check out some the the Enrico Puglisi EP Fibers in Sage, it’s a close as I’ve seen to the pale green your looking for. Waht are some of the other soft plastic colors you like?
i think i have some of the pugliosi in a color like that. i was trying to use up some buck tails. ive got a bunch of antelope i might try it on too. one of the closest mixes was moss green and avocado in the food color lists. sky blue and rusty orange 4:1 is the formula. some of the antelope already has an orange tint so it might hit. usually by the time i get the color i forgot the steps. guess thats why youre spozed to write it down. nah. im gonna start experimenting after the henry show(today - saturday). maybe ill have something for the boat show.
some of the flw boys are keen on the tiger o spec which is a deep blue over green. smoke has been popular. one my fav guides is a space guppy fan along with arkansas glow(sort of a mud minnow look).
course the e chicken and opening night always have fans. but this year far and away cajun croaker. i know one guy burned 30+ packs on specs.
the hottest plugs have been the new mirrolure suspending models. 17MR in red & white, olive back, echicken. they sink very slowly like a fly and are menhaden shape, smaller than a regular mirrolure and the trout have been spanking them at times mostly up near the top.
but it has been slow for a couple weeks. 2-3 here and there in mixed sizes.