My creations

[Bluebasser86]

If you have questions or are asking to buy the OP's baits please do so in a PM, not in the open forums. 

[Baitmaker]

These new flat sided cedar shad baits have a tight shimmy swimming action. (Say that 10 times) One has a circuit board lip, and the other is Lexan. This color scheme makes me hungry for a Granny Smith apple. 

 

["hamma"]

Nice work !, you must put alot of time and effort in each lure made. Some of the bluegill and perch patterns you have produced are simply incredible, The spoons look interesting too, do you fish them ? And if so what do you target with them and how have they performed?

[Baitmaker]

2 hours ago, Keith "Hamma" Hatch said:

Nice work !, you must put alot of time and effort in each lure made. Some of the bluegill and perch patterns you have produced are simply incredible, The spoons look interesting too, do you fish them ? And if so what do you target with them and how have they performed?

Thanks a lot Keith!  Yes, I do spend quite a while on each one of them. The process of shaping and sanding a wood bait is a tedious process, but I enjoy it. Regarding my spoons,  I have caught 13 different species so far on them. Mainly I use them for bass, walleye and saugeye, but they catch about everything else also. Fish hit them on the fall much like a blade bait. I cast them and let them hit bottom, then pump the rod tip and let them flutter down on the retrieve. They really shine in the fall when fished vertically through and over schools of bait fish. I will never understand why they aren't used by more fishermen.  A lot of guys will tip them with live bait, but I generally fish them plain. Tipping them can slow their decent and take away from the darting action of a fleeing or wounded bait fish. If you've ever experienced a good spoon bite, you won't soon forget it. They can turn a bad day into a great one some times. There is a learning curve to master the right way to tap bottom without hanging them up all the time. The expense of losing $5 Hopkins spoons is what started my interest in making my own. Now I never go fishing without having some on my boat. 

Thanks again for the interest and kind words.

John

[Baitmaker]

Speaking of my bluegill pattern, a customer sent me some pics this morning of several nice LM that he caught on one of them. The gill and Tennessee Shad have been getting a lot of action. Biggest bass was 21-1/2" 

 

 

[Mi11er]

Wow, those are amazing looking.   Do you just do it for yourself or do you have a tackle shop? 

[Baitmaker]

19 hours ago, Mi11er said:

Wow, those are amazing looking.   Do you just do it for yourself or do you have a tackle shop? 

Thanks Mi11er. Would love to start a tackle shop, but mainly I just make these for my own collection. For the time I spend to make them, the cost to make it worth while is more than most are willing to spend. Over the past year, I have sold some to guys who offered me a pretty penny, and keep wanting more all the time. Starting new batches almost daily now. Some are collectors who never plan on actually using them! Others are tourney guys that just like custom cedar baits. It's hard to say no to the prices they pay for them. I'm still not going to make much per time invested, but it's really cool to see the pictures and stories I get in return. As long as they catch lots of fish and make people happy, I'm happy. 

[DaveT63]

Your baits look incredible!!!  I would like to try my hand at making some cranks.  I've bought some balsa, but have no cedar.  What type of cedar do you use and where do you get it?

Thanks,

Dave

[Baitmaker]

On 5/20/2016 at 9:23 AM, DaveT63 said:

Your baits look incredible!!!  I would like to try my hand at making some cranks.  I've bought some balsa, but have no cedar.  What type of cedar do you use and where do you get it?

Thanks,

Dave

Thank you for the kind words Dave. I like to work with red and white cedar and look for perfectly square cut (90 degree) pieces with the straightest grain possible. No knots or imperfections. Kiln dried lumber is preferred, but I also will buy wood from places such as Menards. It's best to start with stock cut as close to the desired thickness of the finished bait as possible. The less that needs removed the better. Cedar dust is nasty stuff on the lungs and sinuses. Here are a couple of new cedar deep diving rattle cranks in that same citrus shad color scheme. These have a tight chatter swimming action that work well on a variety of species. Thanks again for the interest and comments!

 

[dzumwalt]

I am impressed!

[Baitmaker]

Thank you dzumwalt! 

 

[Dave A]

Beautiful work!!

[Baitmaker]

Thanks for the nice comment Dave!

[drew4779]

This is something I've tinkered with for quite some time but have never been able to get the weighting right.  Any advice?

[Baitmaker]

On 6/7/2016 at 6:23 AM, drew4779 said:

This is something I've tinkered with for quite some time but have never been able to get the weighting right.  Any advice?

It really depends on the type and size of the bait, wood used, and desired buoyancy. ie, floating, sinking, or suspending. The best way that I've found to do it is by sticking split shot onto a a non weighted blank and moving them around during testing. You can use a small drop of silicon, rubber cement, or tape so that they are able to be taken off and re applied.

As an example, on most of my 3" and under floating cedar cranks, I have found that a single 1/8 oz. or 2 smaller weights placed in front and back of the front hook is all that's needed for ballast. Larger bodied lures such as big musky baits can require more weight spread out across the length of the belly.  Heavier hardwood bodies can be made without internal weighting, where the hardware acts as the ballast.

As a general rule, the balancing point on most smaller 2 hook baits will be at or very near the front hook hanger. It's a trial and error process, but you will learn pretty quickly where and how much weight to add for a given type, size, and action of bait that you are building. Hope this helps!

[drew4779]

10 hours ago, Baitmaker said:

It really depends on the type and size of the bait, wood used, and desired buoyancy. ie, floating, sinking, or suspending. The best way that I've found to do it is by sticking split shot onto a a non weighted blank and moving them around during testing. You can use a small drop of silicon, rubber cement, or tape so that they are able to be taken off and re applied.

As an example, on most of my 3" and under floating cedar cranks, I have found that a single 1/8 oz. or 2 smaller weights placed in front and back of the front hook is all that's needed for ballast. Larger bodied lures such as big musky baits can require more weight spread out across the length of the belly.  Heavier hardwood bodies can be made without internal weighting, where the hardware acts as the ballast.

As a general rule, the balancing point on most baits will be at or very near the front hook hanger. It's a trial and error process, but you will learn pretty quickly where and how much weight to add for a given type, size, and action of bait that you are building. Hope this helps!

Thanks a lot!

I started out that way, thought I had it, set it permanently and did not get the results I was looking for.  After about 5 trys I set it aside and went on to something else.  At least now I know that I was close rather than just wasting my time.  Guess I'll give it another go the next time storms prevent me from hitting the water.  Thanks for the renewed confidence.

I use cedar bodies between 2.5 and 3.5.  My first two attempts I was trying to re-create a storm thunder crawl, which is not a typical design and may have biting off more than I could chew as a newbie.  I then went with the more traditional style and just couldn't get them to run close to true.  I ended up making a spook style lure...too bad I'm not very proficent at walking the dog lol.

Your stuff looks awesome BTW.

[Baitmaker]

Thanks again Drew. 

Several factors could be responsible for your bait not running the way you want. First of all, you are trying to replicate a plastic bait with a wood version. They each have their own characteristics and will behave differently in the water. The weighting may not be the only reason for it not running true, and it may not be the culprit at all. Marking a true center line to work from is crucial to a baits balance. I use a compass to mark the line while the wood is still in block form, and drill all holes and cut the lip slot before anything else. This line should be visible throughout the entire shaping process. Weights, hook hangers, and especially the line tie have to be dead center. It's not something you can guess or eyeball. The slightest amount off center will result in a bait that cannot be tuned to run straight. The same can be said for a lip slot that isn't cut square (90 degrees) to the blank. Hope this helps. 

[Baitmaker]

Also wanted to point out that the shape and size of a bait can dictate the required weighting needed.. For example, a round low profile bait will not have the same tendency to tip on its side that a tall flat sided one will. Stick or minnow type baits may not need any additional weight as the hooks and hardware will act as the ballast.  Here are some diagrams of different body styles showing where weights are placed. It's not in English, but it may help. If you will notice, some of these do not have internal weight added. Others will have the balancing point moved closer toward the nose or tail to give them their desired action. These are all shown using eye screws instead of thru wire construction, but it may help give you a better understanding on your next attempts. 

http://wobblerbaujw.jimdo.com/schablonen/wobbler/#Wobbler

[New River Addiction]

Wow just found this..... incredible details on those cranks!! You definitely have some great airbrush skills!!!

[Baitmaker]

Finally got around to finishing up some shad style baits that I started last summer. These are 3" and under and once again made from cedar. As much as I hate working with foil, the end result is pretty cool. They really shine out in the sunlight. 

[Jtrout]

Those look amazing! Id buy them

[Baitmaker]

Thank you New River Addiction and Jtrout. I really appreciate the nice comments. 

[jr231]

You shape all these baits yourself ?? Regardless.. you have skills . Some of these are too cool. You never see colors like some of these. Nice. 

[Baitmaker]

22 hours ago, Yeajray231 said:

You shape all these baits yourself ?? Regardless.. you have skills . Some of these are too cool. You never see colors like some of these. Nice. 

Thank you and yes, these are all hand carved wood baits. I mostly work with cedar. 

[BASS302]

Amazing!  Especially the foil ones!