color of confidence
Pro : Terry Scroggins Craft : Custom painting hard baits and pouring custom soft plastics
There are few things as eye-catching as a car with a custom paint job . Maybe it has a special shade , or extra sparkles or stripes . Whatever it is , even among the thousands of cars you pass every day , a custom-painted ride is hard to miss driving down the road .
That ’ s something Florida pro Terry Scroggins knows all too well .
You see , he painted cars for 15 years before he started fishing professionally . Ever since , he ’ s simply taken that passion for producing something alluring and transitioned from catching human eyes to those of bass .
“ Way back when I was fishing locally , there were lures in certain colors that were either hard to find or you couldn ’ t get anymore that worked really well ,” Scroggins said . “ So , I ’ d buy some and paint them up . Then I ’ d realize they ’ d work even better , and it just grew from there .”
Many of the vast array of custompainted lures that are available online today are simply incredible in terms of realism and creativity . Most are produced with an airbrush and waterbased paints . Not Scroggins ’ baits , though . He still harks back to his autopainting days , using auto paint and a “ jam gun .”
Part of the reason is his familiarity with the setup . Another is the fact that automotive paints are so durable he doesn ’ t need to seal his lures once he paints them . But what he likes most is the fact that automotive paints come in colors water-based ones don ’ t , such as iridescent hues that change colors , and he feels that gives him an edge .
“ Automotive paint is a lot more expensive , but it looks a whole lot better ,” said Scroggins , who dips his plastic lures in MEK solvent to soften the plastic and ensure a better hold for the paint . “ Some of the best automotive colors cost $ 400 a pint , but painting baits , that may last 25 years , and again , it looks so different .
“ There are absolutely certain situations when they ’ ll only bite one particular color . So , the fact I can make whatever I want is more a confidence thing
PHOTO BY RICKY BODSFORD than anything else . No one else has it . With how extreme fishing pressure has gotten , these fish get used to seeing the same baits and same colors over and over . A different bait or color can often be enough to generate a lot more bites .”
That love of colors doesn ’ t just stop for Scroggins at painting . He also has
Florida pro Terry Scroggins utilizes the skills he learned as a custom car painter in creating custom colors for his crankbaits .
gotten big into pouring his own soft plastics , especially custom flipping baits in custom colors that he likes to use back home in Florida .
“ If I can go to the store and buy a bait , it ’ s what I do , but sometimes those custom colors make all the difference ,” Scroggins said .
AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2023 | MAJORLEAGUEFISHING . COM 45