Making a crankbait
August 10th 2007 00:30
Work has begun on this crankbait. Notice the area for the diving bill has been sawed.
With the variety of crankbaits on the market today, one has to wonder about the practicality of making your own lures. However, nothing beats the satisfaction of landing a fish on a lure you made!
Aside from the money you can save by making you own lures, the pastime may lead to improving your fishing abilities. It’s only natural to be reluctant to throw a 5 or 10 dollar lure into vegetation or fallen tree limbs. However, this is often where the “big ones” are! If you throw into cover and get snagged, not a lot is lost if you’ve made the lure you lose. All it’s going to take to replace it is a little work and a little creativity. And if you learn to make crankbaits, other lures and designs are sure to follow!
The excuse, “I’m all thumbs and don’t have a creative bone in my body,” doesn’t carry much weight because fish aren’t going to care how pretty the lure is! A good lure is one that catches fish-- not one that looks good on the shelf.
Although crankbaits are easy to make, you have to decide what kind of fishing you want to do with the lure and use hardware suitable for that species. Big lures=big fish. USUALLY!!!!! You may see big fish bite on small lures or hooks BUT--when is the last time you saw a little fish bite on something big? A small fish may not even be able to get their lips around a big hook!
A coping saw, jig saw, precision screw drivers, various paints and brushes, and a good waterproofing finish are needed for wooden lures. The easiest thing to do is obtain the hardware you need online or at the local tackle shop. Screws, hook hangers, treble hooks, and diving lips are items you will definitely need for wooden lures. Also handy are screw eyes--those are the little circles that have screws on them so you can put them into wooden lures. This makes a good tie on point and can sometimes be used in place of hook hangers. Another handy item to have, if you're able to get one, is a rotary tool. It really cuts down on sanding!
Another handy item is an air brush. You don't HAVE to have one but it makes blending of colors easier. It would help to have a small hand drill to make starter holes in wooden lures.
The final item you will need are pliers. Rather than the type probably sitting in your tool box, you'll need smooth jawed needle nose pliers often used by jewelers.
When it comes to lures and wood,
After the lure is formed, the next question is usually, “How should I paint it?” Your best bet is to tailor the bait to the target at hand. Chartreuse or any color matching the local forage would be a good bet.
WARNING--THE FOLLOWING CAN BE HABIT FORMING!
To begin, you need to trace a pattern on a piece of wood. You can get a pattern by tracing around a crankbait you have or look at enough pictures until you can make the pattern on your own. When you get a design you really like, it's advisable to make the pattern out of either heavy card stock or even the plastic from a milk jug and keep it for future use. Keep in mind that part of making you own lures gives you the freedom to experiment with different designs but, on your first try it's best to make something around 2-21/2 inches long with a width of 1/2-1 inch.
After you get the proper shape sawed out of the wood, it's a simple matter to round off the edges. You can whittle them down or sand them OR both. As for the sides, that's up to you. You can leave them fairly flat or work harder and give them a nice curve.
Questions about the diving lip or diving bill usually crop up about now. You can purchase metal lips with tie on loops provided. These are usually attached with screws and work pretty well. You can also buy plastic lips that require glue to attach them. BUT what if you want to make your own????? That can be done, also. A popular wave right now is to employ the plastic used in computer circuit boards. Another popular notion is to use lexan because it is very durable and resists breakage in cold water. No matter what you choose, it can NOT be emphasized too much to be SURE the slot cut for the bill is straight. It makes it difficult, if not impossible, to make the lure run straight when the diving bill is crooked! To make them secure, a two part epoxy is suggested. Also, make sure to use products that are water resistant--this goes for glues, paints, or varnishes! To make the bills super-secure, drill two small holes about 1/32" where it will be glued. This allows the glue to bond with the wood and plastic and also actually wedge into the bill itself. To get the best bond possible, follow the direction on the bottle or tube. It's best to make slot of 40 degrees for the bill.
After the glue dries, you can start slapping on the paint.
Once you finish the lure and have added the hooks, (size 4 or 6) there is still one more thing you have to do. You'll have to adjust the lure so it runs true during the retrieve. If the lure is running to one side and you’re using a screw eye to tie your line on, all you have to do is slightly bend the screw eye in the opposite direction. If the lure is pulling to the left, bend the screw eye to the right! Give it another try after your adjustment and if it runs true, so much the better! The word “slight” can not be over emphasized here. It may be necessary to repeat this process a few times until things are acceptable.
If you're eager to see what you can do, begin early in the day on Saturday and let the varnish dry overnight and you and have a lure ready to go on Sunday.
Until next time--watch yourself and watch your line!
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