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Posts: 113
| Ok, so being addicted to musky fishing apparently wasn’t enough for me so I decided that it would be a good idea to make my own baits. Somehow I got the itch and now it is all I am thinking about. I have completed 2 baits to date and I am very happy with the results. I learned a lot from this site along with other sites on the web. My question is, if you are willing to share, what are some on the “secrets of the trade” that you all have picked up along the way? Specifically pertaining to airbrush techniques like the best way to do scale patterns or fins or blending color just to name a few.
I am using wood to build my lures so any tricks that would help when building a lure out of wood would be helpful? Type of wood to use for crankbaits vs. top water or sealing and priming wood etc.
Just looking to get better and more efficient at this because it is really fun to do! For all I know, the baits I made will do barrel rolls when retrieved but I guess that is all part of the fun!
Edited by Muskyfreak44 2/27/2013 9:20 AM
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Posts: 1106
Location: Muskegon Michigan | As far as wood goes, cranks and trolling baits are best built from light woods like balsa, cedar, mahogany and bass wood however special suspending casting crank baits can be made from certain hard woods like Oak and cherry, silver birch and even resins. Most glides are made from dense hard woods like Maple but there are several builders who use lighter woods and add weights. There really is no set rule as this hobby/ business is ever changing.
Here at Fishall lures in the Talonz wooden lure shop we use Western Red Cedar for most of our trolling lures but also have limited Eastern White Cedar for special baits built for guides and collectors who are willing to pay the extra money.
Our Claw series and small Rippin Shads are both available in cherry hard wood versions which suspend better making them viable casting baits. When it comes to wood weight is critical . Light soft wood moves better when pulled relying only on the diving lip and the woods resistance to being submerged. Heavy hard wood moves better when ripped and jerked, slashing and gliding . A lure that is neutral (does not rise or sink) is weightless under water. Think about that one piece of information. Suspending cranks just hang forever in the strike zone SCREAMING EAT ME. Bait fish hover a lot just staying motionless then dart forward, up down etc. Mimic this suspension AND YOU SOLVE ONE OF THE AGE OLD LURE BUILDING TRICKS. (study Larry Dahlberg) It takes lots of trial and error to make a good prototype and Ill tell you now write down and keep track of your progress. The last thing you want to do is build a good lure and then forget how you did it. Most of all have fun with the process. The biggest thrill of any lure builder is to catch the fish of a lifetime on a lure you built. Good luck and welcome to the adventure. Mike |
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Posts: 278
Location: Finland | hey muskyfreak i have done some paint technique vids and lure making stuff for youtube, maybe you might find some of them useful http://www.youtube.com/user/SolarBaits
also there is and english guy who does excellent lure making tutorials, you should check him out also http://www.youtube.com/user/paulpadam |
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