Metallic paint will give the shad lure a more realistic look.
Custom painted lures consistently outperform store-bought lures in fishing competitions. They can be an interesting and challenging hobby for non-competing fishing advocates as well. Learning to skillfully and artistically use an airbrush makes up most of the challenge with painting a shad lure pattern. Use photographs of various types of shads or view other custom painted shad lures online to give yourself inspiration and guidance as you learn to custom paint your own lures.
Instructions
1. Remove the hooks from the lure and set aside. Hook up the airbrush to the air compressor and turn it on. Fill the airbrush with white airbrush paint. Put on a respirator. Test out the airbrush on a piece of scrap paper. Find a good balance of airflow versus paint flow by adjusting the knob on the top of the gun and the pressure applied to the trigger. If the paint looks like a splat mark with drip trailing out in a star-burst pattern, you have too much paint and not enough air coming out of the gun. Adjust the distance between the gun and the paper to change the size of the painted area --- the closer you are to the work, the smaller the paint area will be.
2. Base coat one side of the lure with the white paint. Allow it to dry then flip it over. Base coat the other side of the lure. Allow it to dry.
3. Clean out the airbrush with cleaning solvent. Spray water through the gun before putting in a new paint color. Add the metallic paint color for the back and sides of the shad. Color varies depending on the type of shad you are trying to replicate, so use a picture as a point of reference.
4. Aim the airbrush from the top of the fish down and paint its back and head. Move the airbrush over to the lure's side and begin to back away from the lure as you fade the paint out down it's side. There should be a gradation to the metallic color with the strongest, darkest area at the crest of the fish's back. Allow this to dry. Flip the lure over and repeat on the other side.
5. Clean out the airbrush with cleaning solvent. Flush with water. Fill the airbrush with the belly paint color. This is typically some shade of light gray for the shad fish. Repeat the same painting process you used for the metallic but start at the bottom of the fish and fade up and over the side towards the metallic color. If you have completed these steps correctly, the colors should smoothly fade or blend into each other just below the center line of the side of the fish. Repeat on the other side.
6. Clean the airbrush with cleaning solvent and flush with water. Fill the airbrush with the eye color. This is typically similar to the metallic color but darker. Spray the indented eye area of the lure with the eye color. Repeat on other side.
7. Clean gun with cleaning solvent and flush with water. Fill gun with black paint. Paint in the pupils of the eyes. Allow to dry. Practice painting small, clean lines on a scrap of paper. Paint in very small lines on the sides of the lure near the head to indicate gills. Allow lure to dry. Clean gun.
8. Reattach hooks. Fill airbrush with clear coat. Hang lure from hooks. Spray an even coat of clear coat on both sides of the lure. Allow to dry in the hanging position. Clean airbrush gun.
