Tim Hughes’ custom-painted lures have the aura of fine china. An admiring observer noted that the details on Hughes’ work ranged from flamboyant to exquisite to microscopically subtle. Another called them museum pieces.

As the quintessential lure painter, Hughes continually plays tradition against innovation. His rendition of the Smithwick Rogue in “Table Rock Shad,” with its banana-yellow sides and garish purple back, mesmerizes both angler and bass. Untold numbers of bass from the clear-as-air waters of Table Rock and Bull Shoals lakes have hit on this little banana with the purple stripe.

Stacey King of Reed Springs, Missouri, is a longtime friend of Tim Hughes and an admirer of his artisanship with lures. Before King became a prominent participant on the Bassmaster tournament circuit, he and Hughes guided together on Table Rock and Bull Shoals lakes. Nowadays, King often fishes Storm’s Wiggle Warts and Short Warts that have been magically reworked by Hughes. King is especially fond of the way Hughes’ airbrush adds the subtle olive-green, orange-and-black tones of a crayfish to a Wiggle Wart, or the silvery iridescence of a shad to a Rapala Husky Jerk.

Besides being meticulously painted, these lures are sealed with two layers of a special non-chipping epoxy, protecting the paint and making them really durable. Hughes charges $10 for repainting a hardbait; anglers can create their own color template for him to follow, if they prefer. For another $5, he’ll make a lure neutrally buoyant, as well. He also sells customized Rogues and other lures in 44 patterns for $17 each, using his “tournament-proven colors.”

Hughes reports regional trends in the demand for different color patterns. “In the clear waters of the Midwest, the chartreuse-purple combination is by far the best seller,” he says. “My ‘Norman Flake’, with a purple back, pearl body and gray stripe, is also hot.

“In the South, chartreuse-based baits are tops, especially the black back with chartreuse sides, as well as red craw patterns. In the Northeast, alewife hues predominate, basically silver with an olive-green back. Out west, high-contrast shock colors rule.”

Hughes has teamed with Jeff Thompson, a master lure craftsman from Kentucky, to paint a series of crankbaits called H & T Baits, modeled on the no-longer-available Bagley B family of balsa cranks. They’ve also created the Boing Lure, a 41⁄2-inch topwater walker with a unique sound chamber.

According to Hughes’ best estimates, his lures have garnered some $2.4 million in prize money for tournament anglers, and he’s sold many thousands of the special baits. Yet, despite the lures’ impressive tournament successes, Brian Snowden—a successful tournament angler from Reeds Spring—says the custom-colored lures aren’t the magic bullets some folks tout them to be.

Snowden, from California, knows a lot about lure customization. Since moving to the Ozarks 10 years ago, he’s anchored himself in the venerable piscatorial traditions of Table Rock Lake. Like Hughes, he’s a fishing guide and has skill with an airbrush. For a spell, he painted lures for other anglers. Nowadays, though, he paints them only for himself, noting that his guiding and tournament careers prevent him from spending much time with an airbrush.

Snowden says the gloriously painted lures do a better job of catching the eye of an angler than the eye of a bass. He notes that even tournament anglers don’t have enough time invested in each presentation to prove that a custom-painted Rogue or Cordell Spot produces significantly more bass than a standard model. It would take weeks, he says, for an angler to determine whether a series of black bars, to take one example, make any difference in an angler’s catch rate.

Snowden, however, does believe color can make a difference. When he competes at Sam Rayburn Reservoir, where red rattlebaits are exceedingly popular, he repaints a few Rayburn Red Super Spots bubble-gum pink. In his mind, this color difference can yield significant dividends.

Additional information: Tim Hughes Custom Painted Baits, 417/ 739-5881, hughescustombaits.com.