My First Baits - Popper, Spook and Crankbait

[schplurg]

I made a three lures over the past few months. First thing I have to say is I learned a LOT, and I learned a lot of it the hard way.

 

Here they are...

 

 

My family owns a cabinet shop and it's about 75 yards from the house. I can make baits whenever I please, although I only use a band saw, long horizontal belt sander, a drill press, and my hands.

 

I used rattle cans for paint and that has been my biggest problem, plus the clear coat. Plus a few other things

 

First lure - looks better from a distance:

 

 

I made this popper from a dowel I found. It was too heavy I think because this bait sits too low in the water to work properly, and it gets pulled underwater a little which screws up the action. It can be fished slow though. It is somewhat usable and I'd love to catch something on my first bait. Fishing here sucks though so I haven't had much chance.

 

I used a fat drill bit and a lot of sanding to make the mouth. There used to be scales on it but I rubbed them out I think. For the stripes I used a paper mask - ah I think that's when I screwed up the paint! The first time anyways. Used a sharpie to clean em up.

 

Cotter pins and size 4 hooks. I don't think I weighted it. This thing casts about a quarter mile, and it can probably catch a fish, but I consider this a failure. Maybe half-success. It does float and pop some!

 

Next bait:

 

This is what my Super Spook rip-off (I wish) looked like before I totally messed up the paint. Pretty funky but I only had 4 paint cans and a black sharpie. I was afraid to spray the top stripe and screw it all up...

 

Problem is I used some Hard As Nails clear nail polish and it smeared the spray paint. Man I was ticked. So I sanded it down and started over with white and decided to keep it waaaay simpler and get 'er done...

 

The eyes on these two baits are some weird apricot colored transparent-ish nail polish. I applied the polish one drop per coat and it dried in "3D" after several. I used a pen I think for the red - there was no way I was screwing this up again, and I didn't have red paint.

 

Here is something that I can contribute to the knowledge base here - I made a custom painting bracket out of some wire LOL. The idea was to keep the split rings and hooks out of the way so I could paint. I masked the hooks later.

 

This Spook actually works well on the water! It walks easily. I also built a mini popper mouth on the nose so it will move some water too as it goes. I was stoked to see this one float properly and act right. I weighted it with a split-shot and I guess I did it right because it pivots like crazy. This was also a dowel but it was much lighter wood. Very cool.

 

Oh I tried thinning my "clear coat" (JB weld or whatever it was) with alcohol but I got bad results. Globs and very uneven surface.

 

Which brings me to my latest and not-greatest lure:

 

 

I knew going in that this one might fail.  I did NOT drill holes first and they are not centered, and the thing is not symmetrical. It's kinda close but it seems like it bends a little to one side.

 

These wooden things feel so smooooth until you paint them and you see all the pits and grooves. What the...?

 

The bill is a Plano box divider. It seems a little big. I made eyes out of some clear plastic "jewels" I got at the fabric store for like $3 for 70. I painted a pupil on it. I like it okay. They had wobbly eyes at the store too but they crush easily (sorry to whoever bought that pack with one crushed eye) and they looked stupid anyways. These shine and reflect whatever color is around them.

 

I kept the paint simple. It's frickin scary shooting that black top stripe with a rattle can! I ended up getting overspray on one side so I traded between spraying yellow and black until I got it like it is here. Gawd I need an airbrush.

 

I thought this thing might spin and do barrel-rolls - and I was right! I was shocked and disappointed at how bad this thing behaved. What a bummer. This thing spins, flips upside down and pops out of the water. Totally messed up. I did put some tiny split-shots in it, and the bill looks straight, so I assume it is the body and maybe too big of a bill and bad placement of the line tie. I think I drilled the weight hole too deep so the weights may not help much.

 

I will not give up, but I would love some advice on the crank bait. It's pretty small by the way - maybe 2.5 inches, and pretty flat.

 

If I sand that bill down or off can I use it, possibly? Or is it better now as a keychain (sans hooks)? The hooks are kinda big too. Is there any hope for it?

 

Is the bill too high up on the face? Can I use a line tie that is not attached to the bill like I did? What did I do wrong in that regard?

 

For my next crank, is there anything I can do to make it more idiot-proof? Like would a bigger, or rounder body be more stable? I know I need to do the holes properly and get it closer to symmetrical.

 

Would lipless be easier to start with as far as stability goes? My two split-shots were really small, possibly smaller than a BB. Maybe way too small?

 

I'm not a craftsman and I don't work at the shop but I grew up around it. I want to make more! Thank you for any help! I may do another one this weekend. Whenever I do I will show my progress.

[smalljaw67]

Not bad, a good first effort for hard baits. For painting just remove the split rings and hooks and mask the hook hangers, much easier. Use on of these to hold the bait to paint, just remove the magnifying glass -   https://www.harborfreight.com/helping-hands-60501.html?_br_psugg_q=helping+hands

 

Also, don't just use any old piece of wood, especially for a topwater, Balsa works well and you can buy pre made crankbait bills or purchase circuit board or Lexan sheets and make them yourself but a Plano divider isn't ideal as you have discovered. 

                                                                                           

                                                                                                                                                                                                    

[The Guy]

I use basswood it’s soft so it’s easy to carve but stronger than balsa wood so you don’t have to do wire through for your hook hangers and wire ties.  

 

I use devcon 2 ton to seal the raw wood allow it to cure and then paint. After the paint dries apply the devcon as a topcoat and put it on a turner.  

 

Crankbaits can can be tricky because there are a lot of variables.  I usually put the ballast at the belly hook hanger. After I have the ballast installed and the wood sealed I float the lure in a bowl of water to make sure it’s floating right.  The lip slot needs to be cut straight.  I use lexan sheets and cut my own lips.  

 

Lure making is a lot of experimentation to find what works for you and what doesn’t.  

 

Hope that helps some. There’s a ton of good information on tackle underground in the hardbaits section. 

 

 

[islandbass]

Not bad at all! I also like your innovative substitution efforts. 
 

However, crankbaits, unlike poppers and similar baits are another ballgame altogether. You need to use something heavy like lead (I use 1/4” pencil/coil lead for the ballast. Without it, the bait will be guaranteed to list to one side as you (I discovered on my first crankbait. It was so awful, I didn’t finish it because it wasn’t worth it). The usual location is the lowest point of the bait, usually where the bottom treble goes. All you need to do is put enough lead so when you drop it into the water it will remain upright. The shape you chose is actually an excellent one to learn from. 
 

You might want to consider using a forstner bit of the same diameter as your dowel to make your next popper’s mouth. It will eliminate the sanding and shaping of the mouth and it will be practically moon-shaped and awesome.  Simply fasten the dowel down and drill through on end of the dowel all the way through. The wood shop probably already has a set of forstner bits around. 
 

Thanks for posting this. It reminded me of my first tries at making poppers, prop baits, and crankbaits. I also experienced the same things with respect to the crankbait and popper being to heavy, but at least it looked great, lol. 

[Oregon Native]

It's fun huh.....addicting too

[Harold Scoggins]

On ‎10‎/‎4‎/‎2019 at 6:03 AM, schplurg said:

I made a three lures over the past few months. First thing I have to say is I learned a LOT, and I learned a lot of it the hard way.

 

Here they are...

 

 

My family owns a cabinet shop and it's about 75 yards from the house. I can make baits whenever I please, although I only use a band saw, long horizontal belt sander, a drill press, and my hands.

 

I used rattle cans for paint and that has been my biggest problem, plus the clear coat. Plus a few other things

 

First lure - looks better from a distance:

 

 

I made this popper from a dowel I found. It was too heavy I think because this bait sits too low in the water to work properly, and it gets pulled underwater a little which screws up the action. It can be fished slow though. It is somewhat usable and I'd love to catch something on my first bait. Fishing here sucks though so I haven't had much chance.

 

I used a fat drill bit and a lot of sanding to make the mouth. There used to be scales on it but I rubbed them out I think. For the stripes I used a paper mask - ah I think that's when I screwed up the paint! The first time anyways. Used a sharpie to clean em up.

 

Cotter pins and size 4 hooks. I don't think I weighted it. This thing casts about a quarter mile, and it can probably catch a fish, but I consider this a failure. Maybe half-success. It does float and pop some!

 

Next bait:

 

This is what my Super Spook rip-off (I wish) looked like before I totally messed up the paint. Pretty funky but I only had 4 paint cans and a black sharpie. I was afraid to spray the top stripe and screw it all up...

 

Problem is I used some Hard As Nails clear nail polish and it smeared the spray paint. Man I was ticked. So I sanded it down and started over with white and decided to keep it waaaay simpler and get 'er done...

 

The eyes on these two baits are some weird apricot colored transparent-ish nail polish. I applied the polish one drop per coat and it dried in "3D" after several. I used a pen I think for the red - there was no way I was screwing this up again, and I didn't have red paint.

 

Here is something that I can contribute to the knowledge base here - I made a custom painting bracket out of some wire LOL. The idea was to keep the split rings and hooks out of the way so I could paint. I masked the hooks later.

 

This Spook actually works well on the water! It walks easily. I also built a mini popper mouth on the nose so it will move some water too as it goes. I was stoked to see this one float properly and act right. I weighted it with a split-shot and I guess I did it right because it pivots like crazy. This was also a dowel but it was much lighter wood. Very cool.

 

Oh I tried thinning my "clear coat" (JB weld or whatever it was) with alcohol but I got bad results. Globs and very uneven surface.

 

Which brings me to my latest and not-greatest lure:

 

 

I knew going in that this one might fail.  I did NOT drill holes first and they are not centered, and the thing is not symmetrical. It's kinda close but it seems like it bends a little to one side.

 

These wooden things feel so smooooth until you paint them and you see all the pits and grooves. What the...?

 

The bill is a Plano box divider. It seems a little big. I made eyes out of some clear plastic "jewels" I got at the fabric store for like $3 for 70. I painted a pupil on it. I like it okay. They had wobbly eyes at the store too but they crush easily (sorry to whoever bought that pack with one crushed eye) and they looked stupid anyways. These shine and reflect whatever color is around them.

 

I kept the paint simple. It's frickin scary shooting that black top stripe with a rattle can! I ended up getting overspray on one side so I traded between spraying yellow and black until I got it like it is here. Gawd I need an airbrush.

 

I thought this thing might spin and do barrel-rolls - and I was right! I was shocked and disappointed at how bad this thing behaved. What a bummer. This thing spins, flips upside down and pops out of the water. Totally messed up. I did put some tiny split-shots in it, and the bill looks straight, so I assume it is the body and maybe too big of a bill and bad placement of the line tie. I think I drilled the weight hole too deep so the weights may not help much.

 

I will not give up, but I would love some advice on the crank bait. It's pretty small by the way - maybe 2.5 inches, and pretty flat.

 

If I sand that bill down or off can I use it, possibly? Or is it better now as a keychain (sans hooks)? The hooks are kinda big too. Is there any hope for it?

 

Is the bill too high up on the face? Can I use a line tie that is not attached to the bill like I did? What did I do wrong in that regard?

 

For my next crank, is there anything I can do to make it more idiot-proof? Like would a bigger, or rounder body be more stable? I know I need to do the holes properly and get it closer to symmetrical.

 

Would lipless be easier to start with as far as stability goes? My two split-shots were really small, possibly smaller than a BB. Maybe way too small?

 

I'm not a craftsman and I don't work at the shop but I grew up around it. I want to make more! Thank you for any help! I may do another one this weekend. Whenever I do I will show my progress.

I bet they'll catch fish!