Baitmaker

Createx paints are good, but I would avoid buying their white. It can be a real pain to get consistent results with. Wicked brand paints are made by Createx, but their white is much better IMO. The pigment is finer ground and flows a lot better. I mostly use Createx colors except for white.

He does really nice work, but I never could understand why he makes his lips so thick. They are twice the thickness of most other baits. I do enjoy watching his videos and seeing his creations. Seems like a real nice guy too.

Thanks a lot! Here is a quick video of this perch bait in the water at trolling speed. It has a nice random hunting action at higher speeds.

?Thanks guys! My fishing friends and family always know what I'm getting them for Christmas. Ha! Here is a new jumbo perch bait that I recently finished.

A couple new 3 1/2" cedar baits.

Jointed tiger bait.

Hope everyone is doing well. It's been a bit since I've posted anything new, but I'm still busy building and would love to see what others have been making as well. Lately I've been focused on larger baits in the 7-10" range and still consider them bass baits. They also work well for muskie, but have seen too many mid range bass eat them to know that they aren't too large for big lazy ones. These are once again made from cedar, and range from 6-10".

Another 8" musky bait made from white cedar, and a quick video of how it looks in the water. These have a nice action and get down pretty deep. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PSRHETNNRGU&feature=youtu.be

Here are a couple of musky baits I've been working on. These are 8" thru wire builds made from white cedar.

There are some awesome gill patterns in here. Very nice work everyone! Here are a few that I've done on my cedar baits.

It's been a little while since my last post but I'm still plugging away as usual. Here are a couple 3" cedar walleye baits that I recently finished. Happy Fishing everyone!!!

X 2. Good advice here all around. Devcon 2 ton is the only epoxy I use to install eye screws and diving lips in my wood baits. I have tested some different brands by pulling out eye screws with a winch, and the 2 Ton is tough stuff. The wood always breaks before the threads pull out.

Those motors will work well for turning smaller baits with a light weight wheel construction. Also microwave turntable motors and rotisserie grill motors will suffice. I've been turning my bass and walleye baits with the same rotisserie motor for years. For larger wheels and baits, you may look into something more beefy. That's a flexible coating that may seal a bait but will wear and crack in short order. No spray can clear coats that I know of will seal and stay clear without cracking. As Bob P. said, many guys seem to like the KBS Diamond clear which can be dipped. I've not tried it, but the Envirotex epoxy is very durable with a high gloss. It's just kind of a PITA to work with.

Envirotex Lite epoxy is what I use for my top coats. It requires a slow rpm drying wheel for best results. Quick set epoxy will crack and yellow over a short period of time.

Can't agree more. I will never forget the feeling of catching my first quality fish on a bait that I made from scratch materials. All these years later, the novelty still hasn't wore off.

Jannsnetcraft and Lurepartsonline are 2 places that you can find everything you need for bait making.

As mentioned by islandbass, Devcon 2 Ton epoxy is what I use and highly recommend for installing eye screws. Most of the wood I use is cedar, but it will also work well on basswood. Drill a pilot hole that's smaller in diameter than the screw threads. Use a wire to insert some epoxy into the hole and also cover the threads before installing them. With any 2 part epoxy, it is critical to thoroughly mix equal portions of resin and hardener. As for split rings and hooks, it's common for baits in the 2-4" range to have sizes 1 and 2 split rings, and size 4 and 6 treble hooks. (The 4's being larger than the 6's) These pictures should help put the sizes into perspective. There are a lot of helpful bait making videos on YouTube. Here is one video that may help you get started in building wood baits that perform well. It's quite an addictive hobby, especially after that first fish chomps down on a lure you made by hand. ? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YblTkqi1ano

Today I was able to test and tune a bunch of my new creations. Especially some new walleye baits. These cedar shad style baits are something I've been working on for a while now. Getting them to suspend and yet perform like a floating bait has been difficult, but I was very happy with the results of them. They have that fast chatter action that walleye key on, and hang perfectly motionless on the pause. I'm getting anxious to see how the eyes feel about them on my local haunts.

Some new musky baits. Foiled perch and a bluegill pattern.

A 6" and 2 3/4" foiled perch. Both made from western red cedar.

That's a very nice looking bait! Well done.

Tough question. I buy the materials and hardware in bulk, and each bait can use more or less of them. For example, I buy my epoxy in gallon jugs, which is enough to make a whole lot of baits. Wood, hooks, split rings, lead shot, eye screws and wire are the same way. I've never really averaged out material cost per bait, but it's quite minimal. Time spent building and painting them is another matter. Each one takes days to complete. Much of that is drying time for multiple coats of epoxy. Actual hands on time varies quite a bit from bait to bait. Cutting, carving and sanding a wood blank can take an hour or 5 hours. It all depends on size and how detailed you want to make them. I can shape and smooth a wood blank in little time. Carving gill plates or scales can get quite time consuming. Here are some of the baits I've recently painted and/or made.

That's how it starts for everyone. You've been warned.

Thanks, but as of now I don't have a retail site for my baits. Sent you a PM