Tacklemaking On A Budget?

[Facepalmmaster]

I've recently taken interest in trying to make my own lures. The only problem is that I have no money to spend on extra materials except for treble hooks and the little circles I would need for the hooks. I have wood and a knife, so I was wondering if there was anything I could make out of that. I can also get paint, although I'd have to see if I could get the finish. The wood I would be using would be maple (or oak), would that work? And other than that, the only question I would have is what kind of finish should I use?

[Munkin]

I've recently taken interest in trying to make my own lures. The only problem is that I have no money to spend on extra materials except for treble hooks and the little circles I would need for the hooks. I have wood and a knife, so I was wondering if there was anything I could make out of that. I can also get paint, although I'd have to see if I could get the finish. The wood I would be using would be maple (or oak), would that work? And other than that, the only question I would have is what kind of finish should I use?

Crankbaits are the hardest lures to make IMO as they have so many variables. Besides hooks and split rings you will need lips, hook hangers and something to ballast the bait with. For wood I guess anything can be used but the two main ones I see being used are Balsa and Cedar.

Some frugal ways to accomplish this are; make your own hook hangers out of 20 guage wire and use split shots as ballast weights. The lips are not that expensive so I just buy them but I know others have made their own.

If you are going to start crankbait making I recommend trying to duplicate another crankbait first until you learn. My first couple were failures as I didn't ballast them, too much ballast, didn't seal so the became water logged, etc.

Allen

[Facepalmmaster]

Crankbaits are the hardest lures to make IMO as they have so many variables. Besides hooks and split rings you will need lips, hook hangers and something to ballast the bait with. For wood I guess anything can be used but the two main ones I see being used are Balsa and Cedar.

Some frugal ways to accomplish this are; make your own hook hangers out of 20 guage wire and use split shots as ballast weights. The lips are not that expensive so I just buy them but I know others have made their own.

If you are going to start crankbait making I recommend trying to duplicate another crankbait first until you learn. My first couple were failures as I didn't ballast them, too much ballast, didn't seal so the became water logged, etc.

Allen

Arent there other lipless baits I can make from wood? I've heard of spooks and some of those football shapes ones, would those be as difficult, and also arent there poppers? And what is a ballast?

[Avid Angler FL]

I think that a great starter would be a popper! You could carve out the basic shape, add the trebles, and then cast it out and look for any flaws in the way it functions and then go from there on how to modify it or how much you should shave or sand from each side. Poppers are exciting to use and they're also a pretty simple concept to master. just make sure it floats, pops, and floats upright. The possibilities are endless. Good luck!

[Munkin]

Arent there other lipless baits I can make from wood? I've heard of spooks and some of those football shapes ones, would those be as difficult, and also arent there poppers? And what is a ballast?

I don't think I have ever seen a wooden lipless bait? Topwaters should be easier but I have never made one. Ballast is the weight you add to the belly of a crankbait to keep it running straight. Not adding ballast will make the bait run on its side or roll during the retrieve.

Allen

[backwater4]

I'd go with a popper like the others suggested. I don't know about tackle making on a budget. I started making my own baits years ago to save money and all I do now is spend more money building baits. It seems you can never have enough supplies and always need that one more color.

[BIG M]

First the wood you have on hand is not good wood for making baits. Maple and oak are super high density (heavy) and hard as a rock. It will be difficult to carve and sand to shape. With that said those woods could be used for making a lipless crank.

I've made some floating lipless baits from balsa and those work very well.

You can use screw eyes in the hard wood for hangers and line tie. Just make a copy of a current lipless bait. Draw that on your wood and cut out the blank. Make sure you mark all the hardware locations exact from the bait you copied. You will need a little ballast around the front hook hanger so the bait sinks in the nose down position. A small split shot should work fine for the ballast weight.

Cut out a blank then carve/sand to finial shape. Post a pic here and I can help you take it to a finished bait.

[Grey Wolf]

I know you don't want to spend much money but you should invest in a good lure building book , that definately would get you started in the right direction. JMO

[NateFollmer]

I've seen wooden lipless cranks made on other sites before, but I wouldn't start there. IMO lipless cranks look like they have more variables and points of failure then regular cranks. I've made a few poppers before and you can't really mess those up too bad, even if the 'lip' isn't right, you can still make them walk the dog, so you really aren't out anything. Another option may be to duplicate a Heddon Torpedo - those look like they'd be simple to make.

[Facepalmmaster]

First the wood you have on hand is not good wood for making baits. Maple and oak are super high density (heavy) and hard as a rock. It will be difficult to carve and sand to shape. With that said those woods could be used for making a lipless crank.

I've made some floating lipless baits from balsa and those work very well.

You can use screw eyes in the hard wood for hangers and line tie. Just make a copy of a current lipless bait. Draw that on your wood and cut out the blank. Make sure you mark all the hardware locations exact from the bait you copied. You will need a little ballast around the front hook hanger so the bait sinks in the nose down position. A small split shot should work fine for the ballast weight.

Cut out a blank then carve/sand to finial shape. Post a pic here and I can help you take it to a finished bait.

You must forgive me, i'm pretty new to fishing and tacklemaking, i'm not even close to understanding how to do it, it now seems more difficult. I'm not sure how the ballast would be put on/in the lure. If I decided to make a popper, would I need a ballast too? And were you saying that maple/oak would be good for lipless cranks, or balsa? I'm pretty much broke, so I can't buy the hooks, hook hangers, paints, and finish while also having to buy the wood, unless I can find a piece I need that's cheap. I also need to be able to find it. I looked online at ACMoore and could only find "basswood", which I'm not sure will work. Even If I dont need to buy the wood, i'm not even sure Ill be able to get the finish or hooks and stuff. I can't drive yet, so i'm not in control of where i go. Im confused, can you help me out?

[Grey Wolf]

It really sounds like you should wait until you're more finacially stable before you jump into this endeavor. Just saying.

[Delaware Valley Tackle]

Just to get a feel for the tools, materials and processes, you can fool around with whatever you find laying around your house, garage etc. but they wont be really good functional lures. You will get a feel if this is a hobby for you though. Get this book: http://www.mudhole.com/Books-DVDs it has tons of ideas and instructions for all kinds of lure, jig and rod making.

Only get into this if you find it enjoyable. I have yet to meet anyone that gets into tackle making just to save money who stays in it for very long.

[Vodkaman]

You can make lures on a tight budget, no problem. My choice would be a 3" flat sided lipped crank. I have just built a bunch and they were so easy and they all swam.

Wood - needs to be as light as possible. 1/2" balsa block would be ideal, but that would mean spending. Any light wood will work. Oak is too heavy. Basswood, cedar, poplar, spruce would all work, pine, maple are getting a bit heavy, but could work just using hooks for ballast. Learn to 'feel' the weight in your hand and keep your eyes open for scraps.

hook eyes - soft stainless steel wire is ideal, but paper clip wire will work just fine for the first few goes.

Ballast lead - tyre balance weights, lots of free sources.

Lip - any plastic stiff enough will work. Old CD's. Circuit board material works fine. Look around, see what you can find.

You now have enough to start and you haven't spent anything.

Here is a video of what I had in mind:

Let me know if you want plans.

Dave

[Facepalmmaster]

It really sounds like you should wait until you're more finacially stable before you jump into this endeavor. Just saying.

Im young, it's not like I'm some thirty year old who's bankrupt, I just don't have a lot of money cuz I dont have a job yet

[Facepalmmaster]

Just to get a feel for the tools, materials and processes, you can fool around with whatever you find laying around your house, garage etc. but they wont be really good functional lures. You will get a feel if this is a hobby for you though. Get this book: http://www.mudhole.com/Books-DVDs it has tons of ideas and instructions for all kinds of lure, jig and rod making.

Only get into this if you find it enjoyable. I have yet to meet anyone that gets into tackle making just to save money who stays in it for very long.

I'm not doing this to save me money, It'll probably cost more money for me to make a lure than to buy one, I just thought it would be a cool thing to do

[Facepalmmaster]

You can make lures on a tight budget, no problem. My choice would be a 3" flat sided lipped crank. I have just built a bunch and they were so easy and they all swam.

Wood - needs to be as light as possible. 1/2" balsa block would be ideal, but that would mean spending. Any light wood will work. Oak is too heavy. Basswood, cedar, poplar, spruce would all work, pine, maple are getting a bit heavy, but could work just using hooks for ballast. Learn to 'feel' the weight in your hand and keep your eyes open for scraps.

hook eyes - soft stainless steel wire is ideal, but paper clip wire will work just fine for the first few goes.

Ballast lead - tyre balance weights, lots of free sources.

Lip - any plastic stiff enough will work. Old CD's. Circuit board material works fine. Look around, see what you can find.

You now have enough to start and you haven't spent anything.

Here is a video of what I had in mind:

Let me know if you want plans.

Dave

THANK YOU! You were the firs person to actually answer my question completely, not that the other peoples replies were bad, but they weren't as thorough as you were. Just a couple of detail questions though. First of all, I have some wire hangers at my house that we have plenty of, would that work as the hook eyes? Second, I have some fishing weights, would those work as ballasts (though I'd probably make a topwater popper or something)? And last, what cheap/regular home items can I use for finish? Thanks again

[Fishwhittler]

THANK YOU! You were the firs person to actually answer my question completely, not that the other peoples replies were bad, but they weren't as thorough as you were. Just a couple of detail questions though. First of all, I have some wire hangers at my house that we have plenty of, would that work as the hook eyes?

Hanger wire might be too thick for lures, especially smaller baits. 19 gauge stainless steel wire is what I use, or you can use galvanized wire if you want to save a little money. Galvanized wire is softer and will rust more easily than stainless wire, but it's fine if you're just building lures for yourself.

Second, I have some fishing weights, would those work as ballasts (though I'd probably make a topwater popper or something)?

Sinkers will work fine for ballasting cranks. Poppers don't need any ballast to pop, but if you want them to have a walking action you'll need to add some ballast to the tail of the bait.

And last, what cheap/regular home items can I use for finish? Thanks again

You'll probably have to spend some money to get a decent topcoat; I doubt if you'll find what you're looking for around the house. You might have clear lacquer, but it can eat away paint unless you use a pre-topcoat sealer to protect the paint. Envirotex Lite is a good, relatively inexpensive topcoat, which you should be able to find at a local hardware store.

I hope this helps.

Ben

[Vodkaman]

You are right, it is a very cool thing to do. Catching a fish on a lure that you created is special.

True, the first bait that you create will be more expensive, but consider what you have to spend the money on and how many lures will each of those items make. For example, a 1 oz tube of epoxy will coat ten small cranks at least. A hacksaw, one blade will cut a thousand bodies. A wretched file will last a lifetime.

If you get good at it, you may be able to sell a few to friends, to help with material costs, but learn first, make the best lure you can, catch fish with it, then sell a few. If you sell too soon, they will never come back for more.

Don't let people put you off your idea. Post more information about yourself in the user CP, so we know who we are dealing with. We are here to help.

Dave

LMAO, a wretched file! Glenn, your naughty word checker needs educating. Lets try a rough file then.

[Facepalmmaster]

Hanger wire might be too thick for lures, especially smaller baits. 19 gauge stainless steel wire is what I use, or you can use galvanized wire if you want to save a little money. Galvanized wire is softer and will rust more easily than stainless wire, but it's fine if you're just building lures for yourself.

Sinkers will work fine for ballasting cranks. Poppers don't need any ballast to pop, but if you want them to have a walking action you'll need to add some ballast to the tail of the bait.

You'll probably have to spend some money to get a decent topcoat; I doubt if you'll find what you're looking for around the house. You might have clear lacquer, but it can eat away paint unless you use a pre-topcoat sealer to protect the paint. Envirotex Lite is a good, relatively inexpensive topcoat, which you should be able to find at a local hardware store.

I hope this helps.

Ben

Thanks . So just t be clear on things for making a popper-

Things I have: knife, paint, paint brush, sand paper

Thing I need: Wood (balsa recommended), hook eyes (wire), treble hooks, epoxy/envirotex

That sounds about right, I'm just gonna paint the eyes, so I don't need eye things. If theres anything I missed, please tell me, if not, then thanks

[BobP]

I agree making a popper is a good starting point. Just don't use maple or oak, both of which are too heavy for floating (or most other) baits. Whack a piece off of a broom handle and start with that. A little carving and sanding, you'll have the basic shape. Put in screw eyes for the line tie and hook hangers. Swab it down with a some Super Glue to waterproof the wood, then paint it with spray can paint, followed by several coats of waterproof polyurethane. Buy the paint and urethane from the same product line so they are compatible and will not bubble and peel due to a chemical incompatibility.

Ballast is weight installed in a lure to make it sit upright and stabilize the lure as it swims. The lure's treble hooks also act as ballast. On a surface popper you probably won't need more than the treble hooks to keep it upright during the retrieve.