Hey everyone!
Like many of us, I've become increasingly bored with Covid regulations putting a stranglehold on my social life. Luckily I think I've found a new hobby to help pass my time.
In the summer months, I'm lucky enough to fish the Winnipeg River System, and LOTW near Kenora, Ontario. I fish primarily the WPG River. On that particular body of water, from opener to mid-summer crankbaits seem to move the most fish. On LOTW, you'll see bucktails will move the most fish. In the fall, where casting just causes ice to form on the eyelets trolling is the ticket on both waters. I went fishing with a buddy this year, who had bought 3 13" $275 custom baits. I thought to myself "I can maybe do that" (albeit not nearly as well) so I thought I'd give it a try.
The plan: Start small(er)
With Christmas coming around the corner, I thought it'd be a nice idea for 'santa' to drop off some lures for my fishing buddies. I made a couple rough draft drawings from 2 lures I commonly use: A shallow raider and a Jake. I went to my local Home depot to buy 2"x2"x3' pieces of poplar - I got 3 in total. I traced the design onto the wood, cut them in half (so they're about3/4" thick). I had some leftover wood so I made a couple other designs that who knows how they'll turn out - trial and error. I'm going to even try to make a couple renditions of a "fat bastard" top water lure at some point as well.
So far, I've gotten up to the final sanding. I've calculated the density of my wood. I'll be balancing the ballasts, applying the bills, and hardware this week.
I hope to show photos of my progress throughout this process. I've ordered my hardware from netcraft. I'll be making my bills out of 1/8" Aluminum. I want to use a scotch brite pad to put swirls on them for more effect, and allow more of a rough surface to bond to. #4 Gamakatsu hooks will be used for this build
Are there any other suppliers you guys would recommend - particularly in Canada?
Any tips for the next few stages? Like I said, I'll do my best to post progress throughout.