CanadaCam

Thanks for the replies! I actually got interested in building because of Marling Baits. I stumbled across him on YouTube one day - before that, I hadn’t even considered building baits as an option. It’s been extremely informative watching his videos to actually see the step-by-step process of building a hardbait. Replicating baits does seem like a challenge. I try to make a lot of measurements and take notes while building, but I’ll keep in mind your advice and maybe be even more diligent. I’ll keep digging through the forum as well...there’s over 400 pages of threads here so I imagine I’ll be digging for a while still. best cameron

Hey all, I just discovered this forum and am astounded by the wealth of information and the depth of the lure making culture here. I had no idea anything like this existed. I just recently got into making my own lures, and am very excited to dig through these forums for tips. I partially just wanted to introduce myself, and let the old timers know there’s still some young ones taking up the mantle of building completely from scratch (I’m only 28). But I also wanted to ask if there’s any sort of general wisdom you all could impart that you wish you knew when you started building lures. Maybe some general tips on paints (I did not realize you could use nail polish!), or weighting, sealing, books I should read, websites to visit, etc etc. I’m also not sure if this is allowed here but if anyone can point me to someone who sells some well respected custom lures, I’d love to purchase some and get to see them in person! I’ve never actually seen/used a custom lure in real life. I’ll be out on my local pond tomorrow trying out my first two builds for the first time. I hand carved a shad-style crank and a lipless swimbait out of basswood, poly sealed them, painted them and then sealed once more. Here’s to hoping they aren’t complete garbage. Apologies if I’ve broken any forum rules with this post - I couldn’t seem to find any sort of etiquette sticky around. I am browsing from my phone though so who knows. Thanks for any pointers, Cameron