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Flap,
Hate to see you go – I for one enjoy your stories from the old days as I can relate to them. Feel free to contact me anytime and discuss some of the old plugs.
To those he refers to – as the saying goes "Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery". If you're going to post a plug design it is a given that someone is going to copy it. Consider it a compliment on your work. Copying ideas and constructive criticism have been around as long as surf casters have been chasing stripers. In the past I interviewed a prominent NY plug maker and the stories he related about guys stealing plug ideas was astounding. And the ideas were stolen by some very well known names in the plug making world. It was a real "dog eat dog" environment. Just one example: The Boone Needlefish is probably the only plug that was made to imitate a real "Atlantic Needlefish". All the rest that came after it were made to imitate Sand eels. In the 80s when these "needlefish type" plugs became popular there were many plug makers jumping on the bandwagon with their own version of a needlefish. But.....Boone still owns the name. Back then there were rumblings/rumors that any other plug makers designing a needlefish should be wary of calling it a "Needlefish" because of copyright, two companies even referred to their creations by other names.
What I see here and on other plug building forums are the same old designs. What I encourage you to do is to "blaze a new trail" and "think out of the box". Come up with new designs. I can visualize a few and I've shared my vision recently with two members of this forum and eagerly await their finished product. (I'd make them myself but I can't even hit a nail on the head never mind turn wood.)
So do some experimenting, copy away, and accept criticism. Some designs will work, some won't, but have fun trying.
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