A top water lure you can make!
June 25th 2008 00:17
One seldom thinks of lure making when the words ”crafts” or “woodworking” are mentioned but you probably should. Lure making isn’t that hard. In fact, some designs are pretty darned easy!
Any lure you make is going to cost a lot less than anything you buy. How good the lure looks, professional or commercial appeal, will depend on your talents. I, honestly, can’t draw a straight line but that never stopped me and, luckily, never stopped fish from biting on the lures I make.
Although I’ve made several inline spinners, I find it more rewarding, and cheaper, to work with wood. I never worry about the type of wood I use as long as it’s not water logged or rotten. For colors, I’ll show some pictures and if you want to mimic them, feel free to do so but I will warn you that I use colors that work for me. What works in my waters may not work for you!
That being said, I want to go one step further and point out that lure color is only one part of the equation when it comes to catching fish with artificial bait. The action you impart on the lure has a great bearing on its success or failure. For example, there are lures out there that wiggle or splash to attract fish. These are very simple to use because all you have to do is throw them out and reel them in.
On the other hand, there are lures, such as the simple top water lure I’ll show you how to make, that require some effort from the user to give “life” to an inanimate object.
Before you start, right off the bat, you’d better know that you’re going to need some lure hardware. Screws, hook hangers, screw eyes, and other items are articles you are SURE to need. My advice is to go online and get a “variety pack” with a little bit of everything from an outfit like Stamina or Jann's Netcraft. I’ve used them both and if one company doesn’t have what I need, the other does! To get everything you need in one purchase, be forewarned that “variety packs” usually don’t include screws. You can usually get 10 for a dollar or two so I'd get two sizes. (Don’t worry about having too many screws. You may get into this!)
The easiest way to make a lure is to run down to the craft or hardware store and buy a dowel rod. I like something around 5/8’’. I’ll be honest and admit that I have no idea how lumber is sold in metrics! I was eyeballing my ruler and 11/2 cm. looked good. ¾" is as big as I’ve gone and that comes out to around 1.9 cm. (Don’t knock yourself out. 2 cm. is okay!)
Things are pretty simple so far. Just cut off about four inches or 10.5 cm. You can round both ends or taper one end while the other is rounded.
Before you go crazy with paint, I suggest using an under coating of diluted wood filler to smooth things out and eliminate grain patterns in the wood. If the solution you use is about the consistency of milk or just a little thicker, you’re on your way.
I’m also going to assume you know a little bit about painting. If I say “paint” I mean all the grunt work of sanding, steel wool between varnish coats, etc. I don’t think this is the place for a “How To” on painting!
After you apply a base coat of paint, decide where you want your line to tie on and make a small pilot hole in this location. Then, you put a screw eye in the hole. Just to be safe, it never hurts to add a drop of epoxy to the threads of your screw eye.
Next comes your final paint job. You can paint it just like mine or use your own pattern. Use some common sense because it’s always harder to paint a light color over dark and hard to paint anything light over red!
After the paint dries, add some hooks and you have a top water lure!
This lure is big enough that you can use hook hangers or screw eyes for the hooks. If the situation allows, I simply use what I have the most of. Size 4 or 6 treble hooks usually work for most lures.
“How many hooks?” is something people ask. It really depends on the hooks. With a lure this size you can easily go with two in either size. You can cram in three but three is best done with size 6.
Rather than just "throw it out and reel it back," this is a lure you have to give life. Any jerk or twitch is going to help but, your best bet is to "walk the dog."
A prop bait, or propeller bait is a little harder but if you can do one you can probably do the other.
This post is getting a bit long so, I’ll show you how to do that in my next post. Tune in tomorrow—same bat-time—same bat-channel!
Any lure you make is going to cost a lot less than anything you buy. How good the lure looks, professional or commercial appeal, will depend on your talents. I, honestly, can’t draw a straight line but that never stopped me and, luckily, never stopped fish from biting on the lures I make.
Although I’ve made several inline spinners, I find it more rewarding, and cheaper, to work with wood. I never worry about the type of wood I use as long as it’s not water logged or rotten. For colors, I’ll show some pictures and if you want to mimic them, feel free to do so but I will warn you that I use colors that work for me. What works in my waters may not work for you!
That being said, I want to go one step further and point out that lure color is only one part of the equation when it comes to catching fish with artificial bait. The action you impart on the lure has a great bearing on its success or failure. For example, there are lures out there that wiggle or splash to attract fish. These are very simple to use because all you have to do is throw them out and reel them in.
On the other hand, there are lures, such as the simple top water lure I’ll show you how to make, that require some effort from the user to give “life” to an inanimate object.
Before you start, right off the bat, you’d better know that you’re going to need some lure hardware. Screws, hook hangers, screw eyes, and other items are articles you are SURE to need. My advice is to go online and get a “variety pack” with a little bit of everything from an outfit like Stamina or Jann's Netcraft. I’ve used them both and if one company doesn’t have what I need, the other does! To get everything you need in one purchase, be forewarned that “variety packs” usually don’t include screws. You can usually get 10 for a dollar or two so I'd get two sizes. (Don’t worry about having too many screws. You may get into this!)
You can turn either of these into fishing lures with just a little work.
Some lures require either type of hook hanger depending on their design. A screw eye is used on the bottom lure.
Before you go crazy with paint, I suggest using an under coating of diluted wood filler to smooth things out and eliminate grain patterns in the wood. If the solution you use is about the consistency of milk or just a little thicker, you’re on your way.
I’m also going to assume you know a little bit about painting. If I say “paint” I mean all the grunt work of sanding, steel wool between varnish coats, etc. I don’t think this is the place for a “How To” on painting!
After you apply a base coat of paint, decide where you want your line to tie on and make a small pilot hole in this location. Then, you put a screw eye in the hole. Just to be safe, it never hurts to add a drop of epoxy to the threads of your screw eye.
Next comes your final paint job. You can paint it just like mine or use your own pattern. Use some common sense because it’s always harder to paint a light color over dark and hard to paint anything light over red!
After the paint dries, add some hooks and you have a top water lure!
Something like this can be made on a rainy afternoon.
“How many hooks?” is something people ask. It really depends on the hooks. With a lure this size you can easily go with two in either size. You can cram in three but three is best done with size 6.
Heddon's Zara Spook. One of the oldest top water baits around.
A prop bait, or propeller bait is a little harder but if you can do one you can probably do the other.
This post is getting a bit long so, I’ll show you how to do that in my next post. Tune in tomorrow—same bat-time—same bat-channel!
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