Never again wonder why baits cost so much

[Angry John]

I got curious about building my own baits and have watched a ton of video's from all over.  This guy is making swimbaits and the time that went into carving the "master blank" was crazy.  I have seen the video's from duo about there master craftsmen, but there getting paid a lot to work while this guy is at a very high level IMO but does it for the love of fishing.  I have a new found respect for bait makers and now also have a much better understanding of the "costs" and "value" of a hand crafted bait.  No easy task.

 

[georgeyew]

They are masterpieces.

[BobP]

Yeah, crankbait making is more of a calling than it is a rational business.  If makers charged for their time like a Walmart employee, nobody could afford to buy the dang things.

[islandbass]

10 minutes ago, BobP said:

Yeah, crankbait making is more of a calling than it is a rational business.  If makers charged for their time like a Walmart employee, nobody could afford to buy the dang things.

That is true. Even if they built them efficiently. I’ve made a few flats and Minnow shaped baits and if I threw in the materials and components for free and charged for only labor, even at a lowly $10/hr., it would be over $100. ?

 

 

[crypt]

you need to check out baitmaker's lure's. he's a forum member. have 4 that he did for me.the are works of art. p.s. they catch fish also. 

[Bluebasser86]

Even simple things like jigs take way more time and effort than most could ever imagine. I used to think it would be cool to have my own bait company for a living. Now I would only consider that as long as someone else was doing all the work. 

[HookRz]

Very nice work, and worth the money if they help with confidence. But on my waters the   Musky would make fishing them very expensive. 

[islandbass]

12 hours ago, Bluebasser86 said:

Even simple things like jigs take way more time and effort than most could ever imagine. I used to think it would be cool to have my own bait company for a living. Now I would only consider that as long as someone else was doing all the work. 

Same thoughts went through my mind too but with other lure types but the same conclusion was also reached. ?

[Angry John]

Most of theses guys do it for the love of fishing and the big buisness guys try to charge the same ammount.  The labor and time invested in a shadly hinkle matt lures hard gill are way more than a Deps.  Not saying they don work well but the time invested is not even the same game.

[Pro Logcatcher]

Baits take a TON of time to make, not to mention all the expensive material you need. Beautiful lures, though.

[Munkin]

I use to wonder why hand made crankbaits cost so much until I made on from scratch.  

 

Allen 

[Baitmaker]

On 11/12/2017 at 2:31 PM, crypt said:

you need to check out baitmaker's lure's. he's a forum member. have 4 that he did for me.the are works of art. p.s. they catch fish also. 

Thank you Crypt! Very kind of you. 

For those who don't know, the guy in the OP video is Mikko Offernen (maybe off on the last name) from Finland. Known as SolarBaits. He's a genius when it comes to lure building. His work has always fascinated and inspired me. He's also a very helpful and friendly guy. We have corresponded quite a bit through the years and on another online forum. He speaks and works very mellow and laid back, while listening to ultra heavy european death metal music.  If you enjoy fine craftsmanship, check out his other videos also. His work is incredible.

Even if you aren't hand carving fine details, or building intricate designs, making your own baits can still be very time consuming. Here is a 12" musky bait that I'm working on right now. Hopefully the pictures can help relay the various steps involved. This is one method for building a wire thru bait. A channel is cut up the belly with a table saw. The channel on this one is filled in with strips of cedar cut like puzzle pieces to fit snug against the wire. shown in the picture before getting epoxied into place. After cutting and sanding out the blank, then the lip, then the strips of wood, bending the wire, etc. etc. comes sealing it, painting it, and applying 5 or 6 epoxy top coats that take 24 hours each to dry. It's insane how much time just 1 bait can take sometimes. 

 

 

 

 

 

[Angry John]

Even mass produced wood baits are expensive.  One i would like to have

[soflabasser]

Good subject. I have been making lures for several years now and feel that few things in fishing beat catching a big fish on your own handmade lure.

[Baitmaker]

Here is the finished bait from my previous post. Painting them is the most rewarding part of the process for me. This one is a northern pike pattern. 

 

[Angry John]

Wow look at that paint.  Wish I had those skills.  

[Baitmaker]

2 hours ago, Angry John said:

Wow look at that paint.  Wish I had those skills.  

Thanks Angry John. If I showed you how to do this and put the airbrush in your hand, you might surprise yourself. Practice is all you need. When it comes to painting, cutting stencils is actually the most tedious part of the process. This wasn't a super detailed paint job. I plan on putting more time into the next pike that I paint, but will spend more time on shaping and 3-D carving to go along with it.