Wooden Lures

[John J.]

Hey all, I am interested in carving my own lures besides buying them. How would I get started?

and instead of buying tools, equipment, etc. is there a way I can use items at home to make wooden lures, such as dowel rods, a knife, etc.?

I've got a knife I can use to carve, and accessories such as screw eyes, etc. And what wood is best? I heard about Bass Wood but I don't know how to get it or where...can oak, popular, maple or any other type of wood work? And if so is it best to use blocks or dowel rods?

And another thing what kind of paint would work? something that is waterproof, etc.

Thanks for any info!  8-)

[rocknfish9001]

You should be able to get basswood at any hardware store. I am not anwhere near proffesional at this, but i have hand carved 3 lures, a shad type crank, a minnow/jerkbait, and a popper. Each was hand carved with a knife, and touched up with a dremel hand tool.

[BIG M]

John, first what are you fishing for?  If bass, I would suggest starting with balsa wood.  it is the easiest wood to carve and finish, and by far the most forgiving when it comes to weighting.   I would stay away from the hardwoods until you get more experience making baits.

you can use a coping saw to cut out your blanks.  Make sure to cut the lip slot first before you carve the lure.  What material are you going to use for the lip?

I would suggest you buy a good xacto wood carving knive and some straight blades(the sharper the knife the better).  You will need balsa at least 1/2 inch thick and 2 inches wide.  That will get you started on flat sided cranks.  This stuff can be found at a hobby store.

Bass pro finess weights 1/4oz size, drill a 1/4 hole for your belly weight, then cut the weights to get the desired bait weight.   Tell me size of the lure you want to make and I will be able to tell you how much weight to put in it to get a good balance.

I don't use the screw eyes with my baits, I use 20ga steel wire from Lowe's and twist my hook hangers with pliers and a nail.  I feel these hold better than screw eyes.  

Here is the #1 rule you must follow, line tie, belly weight, and tail hook hanger MUST all be in the exact center of you bait or it will not run right.  

You got alot of steps ahead of you, this pic is what you end up with prior to painting.

[kleinlures]

I am just getting seriously started myself, here are a couple of thoughts on paints from what I have gathered from many hours of research. Best spray paints to use are duplicolor automotive paints for lacquer based with lacquer based clear coats. According to one of the premier fish woodcarvers I have ever seen (Ed Walicki) they have the best spray pattern. Other users recommend finishing with clear epoxy for durability. I also just saw a reference to epoxy based spray paints used for painting appliances that is carried at lowes. Sounds like an interesting possibility. Good luck. let us know how it goes.

[BIG M]

K, you better have one heck of an evacuation system when you start spraying those lacquer based paints.  I use water based acrylics, my personal favorite brand is Smith paints, but Com-art, Aqua-flow, Golden, Createx and any of the taxidermy paints will work.  I use Devcon 2ton epoxy or a water based 1 part clear as my clear coat.  

[John J.]

John, first what are you fishing for? If bass, I would suggest starting with balsa wood. it is the easiest wood to carve and finish, and by far the most forgiving when it comes to weighting. I would stay away from the hardwoods until you get more experience making baits.

you can use a coping saw to cut out your blanks. Make sure to cut the lip slot first before you carve the lure. What material are you going to use for the lip?

I would suggest you buy a good xacto wood carving knive and some straight blades(the sharper the knife the better). You will need balsa at least 1/2 inch thick and 2 inches wide. That will get you started on flat sided cranks. This stuff can be found at a hobby store.

Bass pro finess weights 1/4oz size, drill a 1/4 hole for your belly weight, then cut the weights to get the desired bait weight. Tell me size of the lure you want to make and I will be able to tell you how much weight to put in it to get a good balance.

I don't use the screw eyes with my baits, I use 20ga steel wire from Lowe's and twist my hook hangers with pliers and a nail. I feel these hold better than screw eyes.

Here is the #1 rule you must follow, line tie, belly weight, and tail hook hanger MUST all be in the exact center of you bait or it will not run right.

You got alot of steps ahead of you, this pic is what you end up with prior to painting.

Thanks Big M . The only thing is I am brand new to this so I don't know what you are talking about as far as the type of wood (balsa wood or any other), knives, etc.  :-? I just started out...or at least planning on starting out... :-/

I have no idea what materials to use for the lip, etc. Let me break this down easy...

#1.) What would YOU (anyone) recommend I use?

#2.) What materials all do I use? (Explain please; including where to get it and how to use it, price, etc.)

Thanks  8-)

[BIG M]

parts list: balsa wood (from hobby store), xacto wood carving knive and blades (hobby store), devcon 5min and 2ton epoxy (walmart), lip material (circut board and/or polycarbonate) this is going to be harder to find, weights 1/4oz finess (sport store), wire 20ga (lowes).

When you get your supplies, I will walk thru the rest.  It has taken me 5 years to get to this point and I'm still learning.

[John J.]

I've found an article on the site about making crankbaits, etc.

http://bassresource.com/fishing/crankbait_making.html

Thanks though!  

[Guest whittler]

When I wrote that tutorial it was to get someone started in crank making with a bare minimum of tools and tools that most people have in their home. Just like BIG M, the tutorial stresses keeping everything in line and straight. You can get by with all kinds of flaws in paint and finish and still have a bait that will catch fish but if its not square the odds of making it run are slim and none.