vitamin sea

You can get SS wire, various diameters, at most welding supply dealers.

Most of the saltwater baits are made with stainless steel wire running through the body. Some drill the hole in the finished body. I find this very hard as the drill wants to wander to one side or the other within the lure body. Others (myself included) form the hole first in a 2x2x? block and carve the lure around it. (It's easier on a symetrical lure that is formed on a lathe.) I finish the sealing, painting and topcoat then fit the wire, hooks, lips, etc. I form an open loop for the front of 12 inches of wire with a tag of a least one inch, then feed the wire through the body securing both sides of the loop within the bait. While feeding the wire into the bait I feed it through a swivel that is used as a hanger for the body hook and out the back end of the bait. I form a loop at the back and wrap the tag end around the standing wire (two times) next to the end of the bait. Use stainless split rings to hang the hooks on the swivel and rear loop.