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MINESAPINT

New to lure making

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@ MINESAPINT

I am not familiar with sea bass , but I know , that they catch 'em with lures at the shoreline !

Which kind of plugs are you refering to , lipped plugs(diving) , lipless plugs(diving) or strictly topwater plugs:? ?

If you'd specify a bit more , I could give you some more info about their dynamics and how to built them .

One for first :

since you are planning on saltwater use , you should go for stainless steel hardware only , not just brass or even simple galvanized steel .

A nice read about any freshwater lurefishing and lures(also a luremaking chapter containing) is : "The Art of Lurefishing" , by Charlie Bettell , a British Book , first issue came out in 1994 , but still up-to-date .

ISBN 1 85223 797 X , Crowood Press Ltd .

You might not get it in shops anymore , but you could check your local public library , if you don't want to buy it straight .

Greetz , diemai

Edited by diemai
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Thanks Diemai,

I have fished for Cod and always made my own jiggers/lures but now find other anglers have successfully turned their attention to Bass with specimens up to 7lb. Making plugs is certainly more challenging than the type of lures I have made previously to catch Cod but I am looking forward to trying.

I am unable to provide any more information with regard to what type of lure might be suitable but I know others use Maria Chase, Storm Jointed Thundersticks, Rapala J13, Chrystal Minnows and Poppers. Hope this helps you point me in the right direction.

I have to say I am seriously impressed with the outstanding quality of the lures I see on this site and can see this can be an engrossing hobby quite apart from the fishing.

MINESAPINT

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@ MINESAPINT

Alright , to make wooden lures , you'd need a minimum of tools , I started out many years ago with a carpet knife(Stanley knife) , a sandpaper file and a "Dremel Multi Tool"(with various , routers , drill bits , sanding drums , cutting discs , etc.) , also some kind of saws(wood , metal and jigsaw) , files and sandpaper , shears , pliers and some others .

For making the hookhangers and toweyes you could either use SSt wire(throughwire or twisted eye) or special SSt screw eyes , available in many shops in the USA and Europe .

At Lure Fishing UK you can find a lot of these sources of lure components , just click on "links" there on the entry page .

You'd also need some kind of epoxy ,-or two component glue to fix diving lips and hookhangers to your lures .

These lips are partly readily available in some shops , but you might also cut them out of polycarbonate , lexan or metal sheet(aluminium , brass , copper or SSt) .

For painting your lures you could start out in a simple way with acrylic paints or modelmaking enamels(by brushing) , but a tough topcoat of epoxy or similar is essential , just ordinary clear laquer won't be sufficient enough .

The easiest kinda lure for you to start out with would be a popper lure , make sure , that you take a buoyant kind of wood for it .

Also vintage lure models like "Heddon's Vampire" or "Creek Chub Pikie" and "Creek Chub Wiggler" are thankful crankbait models for the beginner , they do not require complexe shaping , just whittling tapers to a round wood dowel (more or less , briefly said !)

Also if you google some related terms like "homemade lures" , "luremaking" , "lurebuilding" , etc. , you should find something to take you further and give you first ideas .

Just check around first , wether you'd find something to suit you ,

don't set your goals too high for the start , might lead to disappointment .

Nobody here would write a detailed explanation on how to furnish a plug from lumberyard to first catch , its just a too big effort , but there are sources in the web , I know(can't remember 'bout the links anymore right now) , try and find some , and you're ready to go .

For oncoming specific problems and questions you will always find an open ear here on TU , trust me !

Good luck , diemai

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Any bass lure will work for coastal bass.

Here in Southern California, we have calico bass, sand bass, and several other smaller inshore, kelp loving bass that are accessible from a small boat.

Typically, you have to upgrade the hooks and split rings, both for strength, and to make them more salt water corrosion resistant.

I've out caught my buddies, who were using live bait, throwing jig heads with plastic thumper tails. I used my heavier freshwater bass rod and reel, with 17lb mono, and had no problems.

There is also a successful Salt Water Bass club that holds tourneys here, and they are mostly fresh wate bass guys who also fish the salt, and use their freshwater stuff for the saltwater bass.

Spinnerbaits are great in the kelp. So are the plastic swimbait with a lead head embedded.

All manner of wooden and hard plastic swimbaits work, too, but it's kind of a waste of good lures when cheaper stuff works just as well.

If you're wanting to make your own, start with surface gliders to get a feel for the skills you need, from carving to wood/hardware choices to finishing/painting skills.

There's lots to read on this site that will help.

Use the search option to find gliders, wood lures, and almost anything else you might need an answer for.

Good luck.

And remember you always need a weak link in the kelp, in case you hook something too big to handle.

I've had to cut big thresher sharks off, or risk losing my rig.

My friend set the hook on a grey whale that was feeding in the kelp.

It was all he could do to cut the line before he got dragged out to sea! :D

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Thank you guys,

I am quite happy I have an adequate selection of tools to get me to the painting stage in fact I have this afternoon fettled a 6 inch fish out of a beech table leg. It is shaped pretty much like a small herring.

I am thinking of attaching a lip to make it dive and thought I would shape this out of an old CD. Then I would cut a slit in the lure with a junior hacksaw and epoxy it in place???

I imagine also I will need to weight it underneath to make it sit the right way up???

I do need to source some suitable screw in eyes in stainless steel.

For the time being I will have to make do with hand painting but in time I will have to progress to spray painting.

MINESAPINT

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Minesapint (I like the name). welcome to TU from a scouser.

As mentioned previously, there are few articles that take you through the entire process here on TU, but there are one or two. But all the individual steps are covered and discussed to death, so everything you need to know is within the pages of TU.

Unfortunately, the learning process is one of trial and error. But narrowed down with the guidance of TU reading, you should not go too far wrong. Check out the gallery and look at the lips, shapes and sizes, some good lip threads to read too. Steep lip angles (70 deg to body axis) make shallow running baits, shallow angles (10

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@ MINESAPINT

Sounds good way to start , but Mark is right , a CD as a lip won't last long , really better to use these dividers on a short run :yes:.

One tip for future lures :

I find it easier to cut the lipslot and drill the pilot holes for eyescrews(off course mark them as well) , when the blank is still in a flat condition , meaning just cut out and sanded smooth along its outline .

You'd be able to work more accurately this way , that counts especially for a perfectly angled lipslot:wink: .

Also if you intend to make a lure with an internal wire harness , glued into a slot at the bellyside , it is better to cut this slot at this stage , you always have the two flanks , still paralell , for reference :wink:.

The balance weight of such lure , that you have described , would most likely have to be located somewhere between lip and belly hookhanger , sometimes also just behind it .

I determine about this weight by taping it on for a test run in my bath tub , trying different weights and locations , until I am satisfied .

I apply two coats of acrylic clear paint before to prevent the unfinished lure to soak water , I'd buff that clearcoat a bit lateron before priming the lure .

good success , diemai

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Thanks again guys,

It is interesting to discover VODKAMAN lives not too far away from me, I live near Whitby, N Yorks and have only just discovered there is a real chance of catching Sea Bass here having fished only for Cod for the last 30 years!

I understand about the CD being too brittle but have no idea what plano boxes are however I do have plenty of 8 stone fish boxes I could cut up which are made of much more durable plastic? I am sure I will come across all sorts of stuff if I keep looking around.

I also see Diemai's point about marking & drilling the blank before shaping but the blank I used in this case was a round chair leg.

If anyone can tell me how to post pictures on here I will be able to explain my questions better & keep you informed of any successes/failures.

Thanks

MINESAPINT

PS. VODKAMAN. Can you see any smoke coming from Fleetwood this morning?

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@ MINESAPINT

Hi ,

Do a search at "Search Forums" on top right column of page , type in "posting pictures" , there are some threads there explaining how to upload pictures , I suppose:? .

I upload my own thumbnails from my own computer file .

After loading them from the camera into my foto program(Picasa 2) I reduce their original size to 650 pixels and export them into a file , also I re-name them , since sometimes double named pics occur , when taking pictures at different times and having deleted the memory of the camera before .

Two pics with same name won't work out in one file or one post.

When writing a post , and you want to add a pic , just scroll below the typing field to a bar "Manage Attachements" , click on it and a second window will open with three "Search Files" bars .

Clicking on these should open your own picture files , so you could choose and mark the ones(three possible)you want to upload .

After choosing scroll in that window to the right to the "Upload" bar , click it........ , and you're done .

The pics name appear at the "Manage Attachement" field and you can submit your post containing thumbnail pics .

Ok , this is from an absolute computer dummy , but maybe , it could help :huh::o:).

When looking for lip material , do not use plexiglas ! It looks rigid , but will break !

There is a thread about it in here , don't remember its name , try a search on "Lip Broke "

Good Success , diemai

Edited by diemai
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Minesapint. I missed the smoke unfortunately, probably didn't reach Indonesia, where I am living at the moment.

Great pic, looks like a haven for sea bass. I used to play in brass bands, so spent a lot of time in north Yorkshire. Beautiful part of the country, pity I can't understand a word the locals are talkin'.

We have another TU member residing in Yorkshire, PhilB. Very experienced lure designer and a nice guy too.

Dave

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Minesapint. I missed the smoke unfortunately, probably didn't reach Indonesia, where I am living at the moment.

Great pic, looks like a haven for sea bass. I used to play in brass bands, so spent a lot of time in north Yorkshire. Beautiful part of the country, pity I can't understand a word the locals are talkin'.

We have another TU member residing in Yorkshire, PhilB. Very experienced lure designer and a nice guy too.

Dave

Minesapint,

That is a beautiful place. Of course, when the wind gets up, I bet it can be pretty "interesting".

Dave,

Indonesia??? :lol:

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Here goes:

If this works this is where I fish. Will post pics of lure in the making in due course.

Eyup

Minsapint as well :lol: Speckled Hen if you please. Welcome to the TU.

I don't make anything small enough for Bass, maybe in due course but not at the moment. Through wiring is the way forward as regards hook hangers and your concern and I think. Screw eyes are OK in a hardwood and wont pull but cant be used in a soft wood like balsa or pine (balsa is actually a hardwood but is very soft :huh:).

I would suggest you become a full member and then you can take advantage of the ace tutorials that are available. There is oceans of info to be had here and you should take full advantage of the search facility, you are bound to come up with an answer, if you don't then just ask away, the best lure makers on the planet are right here and willing to help, a great bunch of fellas. Hazmail is the guy who has inspired me to go down the road of through wiring my baits and I had the great honour and pleasure of spending a week in his company last April at the TU get together in Clinton (that proves how addictive this site is !!!! so there is no hope for you as soon as you make your first lure that is it you are on the train and there ain't no getting off).

Now then, I thought I new the east coast pretty well but I don't recognize the place in the photo, I suspect it is north of Whitby, am I right ?? please put me out of my misery. There are quite a lot of bass showing on the east coast now whereas only 10 years ago the only place you could catch em was the channel, probably something to do with global warming.

Have a good look round the gallery when you need inspiring and don't forget to post pictures of your creations. For supplies which are as rare as chickens lips in the UK follow the link, I have posted a couple of suppliers for luremaking materials. Dave is being generous when he calls me a 'lure designer' as there is no science in my lure making, I get an idea and make it, if it works 'yipee' if it dont well I know for next time, so far I have been lucky and most have been succesfull. There are a lot of plastics guys on the board and these I am sure will be of interest to you as well.

http://www.tackleunderground.com/links/component-resources-3/

Edited by philB
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Thanks guys.

PhilB - The picture is Runswick Bay so you were correct it is north of Whitby. I go sailing & fishing there in my small boat, in fact as the weather has improved I will be going this morning. Yes I am a fair weather angler.

I have not yet fished for Bass, in fact I have never even seen one in the flesh. I will be buying some lures to get me started next time I am in Whitby.

I have shaped 6 lures and photographed them and intend to post them on here for comments before proceeding. I found shaping the lures fairly simple although I assume it is the easiest part of the operation. I made 1 from beech, 1 from oak and 4 from foreign hardwood (unknown).

You are correct, I am chewing over the best way to go regarding hook hangers and accept that good quality eyes screwed & glued into hardwood will be secure but where can you purchase such eyes. Through wiring has to be more secure but this will involve either cutting the lures in half to facilitate fitting or accurate drilling. I understand welders use stainless wire which I imagine will be OK for wiring lures?

If you don't make lures small enough for Bass how big are yours if its not too personal a question! and what do you fish for?

Thanks again.

MINESAPINT

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@ MINESAPINT

Usually I use SSt screw eyes on my lures , since it is so simple , but ocassionally I also make them thru-wired by cuting a slot into their bellies .

For an essay for a German angling magazine I have made this wire eyelet , since those SSt screweyes are not available over here just "round the corner" .

Before publishing this design I have off course pull-tested these :

I have glued them into the ends of a wood dowel with 5 min. two-component glue , let it set for three days (maximum strength after describtion) and after fixed one end onto my vise with a piece of cord .

On the other end I have tied another cord onto the opposite eye and used my fishing scales and pulled as hard as I could , at 23 kilograms(50 lbs) the cord snapped , due to the sudden release the scale spoilt ! But the eyes did not move a bit !

Under real fishing conditions such force would not occur(maybe with musky and silure , but not with pike) , since the pull force would not be in alignment of the wire shaft of the eyelet , also the rod and drag would feather down the pull force quite a bit:yes: .

So I am confident about those eyes of SSt welding wire , provided to be glued in thoroughly .

You need them to fit SNUGLY into their bore , best is , if you can only TWIST them in , not just push:yes: .

You need to fill up the bore with glue by means of a toothpick or wire piece , not just apply glue to the eyes shank , since it would wipe off when placing the eye !

Also extend the entry(1/5 to 1/4 of shaft length) of the hole to a slightly larger diameter , so that a kinda "glue-plug" evolves there , wipe off excess glue , after curing 24 hrs you can cut the eye clean of glue with a knife and/or "Dremel" , but in this case don't tie on your line straight to the toweye , use a snap , since micro-blemishes caused by the cutting on the eye might damage your line .

I've been using this welding wire for many years(spinners , thru-wires) , there is a shop for it two villages further down the road , it comes in rods of one metre length and is a lot cheaper than special luremaking wire from tackle suppliers .

It's just a little softer , does not have to be considered for such a purpose , only for lures with rotating parts I use a more rigid kinda wire for the center axis :wink:.

I use it in diametres of 1 mm and 1,5 mm(for big lures) , also coiled welding wire of 0,8 mm is available , but this one always has to be straightened out before shaping its form .

Greetz , Dieter

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Edited by diemai
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@ MINESAPINT

Obviously you're on the right path and already hooked into lurecarving , won't let you go anymore:nuhuh::lol: !

Nice blanks you got there :yes:!

The problem about glueing in lead sheet together with the wireharness is , that you cannot accurately determine about the weight required for possible best action and/or balance of lure .

You are forced to estimate for the start , lateron , when making more cranks of one size and shape , you already would have an idea about how much weight needed and on which location .

It is also of advantage to keep records about it(To my shame I must say , that I don't do , only have my sketches . I just don't make too many lures of one kind , I like experimenting with always new shapes) .

Talked about the best weight location in a previous post , and if I look at your blanks shape , it should work out like this .

If your lead sheet weight should later turn out to be not enough , you could always drill some small holes left and right of the slot to glue in some more lead shot .

Surely I can't determine about your wood's density , but from a distance I'd say , that your lures might require at least 1/3 ounce of belly weight , maybe even 1/2 or slightly more . They are reasonably large .

But this is just a guess from afar , the more lures you make , the more you would get a feel for estimating the weight , but trial should always be paramount:yes: !

Keep on carvin' , Dieter

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Minesapint

The pictures of the blanks you posted are excellent as a picture says a thousand words. If this is the size of lure you are talking about they are in the size range that I make (Jerkbaits). I would have thought a bait that size would not be a bait that would be used for bass, maybe I am wrong I do not know anything about bass fishing but I would have thought a 3" to 4" would be the kind of size. You would be able to put a screw eye into those with upmost confidence as from your post beech is used among others. I have started through wiring not because of lack of confidence in screweyes. Have a look at Lurebuilding101 for templates and lead positions just for ideas.

diemai

What size of hole would you drill for your twisted wire eyes ? at a guess I would think a hole very slightly larger than the overall diameter of the wire so as it slips in nice but does not wobble about in the hole, is this about right ??

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@ philB

Since this eye is made of SSt welding wire dia. 1,0mm , it would have a diameter of 3,0 mm at its shank .

I placed these into the holes by twisting them in , not pushing , so in softer woods the hole could be maybe 2,6 to 2,8 mm , since these woods could "squeeze" a bit under tension , in hardwoods the holes must be 2,9 or even 3,0 mm , but in every case I would go as tight as possible with the eye's bore .

The hole affair stands and falls with the quality of the glue bond , so I thoroughly fill up the hole with glue , by slowly twisting the eye in the liquid glue "climbs" into the gaps of the wire coils .

I haven't yet tried a slightly larger hole , like you described , but I am convinced , that a hole diameter , in which you can just push in the shank snugly , would be OK as well .

The twisting-in of the eye is rather more important for perfect glue flow and coverage than for physical stability of the bond , this stability is achieved by the glue for the most part , anyway .

PS : I wrap these eyes around a nail fixed vertically on one edge of a vise , first make an "U"-bend , then shape the eye around the nail , hold one tag end(shank) in your guide hand and twist the first half coil under the eye by hand around the shank end to attain a first loose closure of eye .

Then firmly grab the coil end with pliers and wind around the shank in possibly even coils , leaving a gap of approx. wire diameter inbetween each coil , apparently a kind of thread evolves .

With each winding you have to change grip on your pliers .

The shank of above pictured eye is 20 mm long , but you could also go longer , but the longer your shank gets , the more finacky the winding of the coil becomes .

After completing , I cut the two wire ends off with gate cutters , the coiled end would always potrude a bit over the shank diameter , so you need to press it somehow tightly against the shank , but I have a small grinding wheel in my workshop(a sanding disc works as well) , so I just grind off the potruding piece .

All in all it's not that difficult , once you get the hang of it .

Well , long text about a little thing , hope its understandable:);) !

greetz , Dieter

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PhilB,

I also know nowt about Bass fishing! I think I read that all Bass will take a big lure but only small Bass will take a small lure in Mike Ladles diary. My blanks are 6 inches long and as you can see fairly deep (about the size of a small herring or mackerel) and I am now thinking these blanks will need quite a lot of lead to balance them. I assume you need to add lead to the belly until the lure sits upright???

I have plenty of suitable wood and can easily make more blanks so as Diemai mentioned trial & error is the only way forward.

I am going down to Whitby today and hope to pick up a book at the library about Bass fishing and see if I can purchase any supplies for lure making.

Thanks

MINESAPINT

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@ MINESAPINT

You are right to assume adding sufficient weight to let lure swim upright . In addition the weight must also balance the wobble of the lure .

It might happen on first trial , that a lure swims upright at rest , but when retrieving it , it would swim on its side , in this case still more weight is needed (or the lip has to be shaved) .

Round ,-or sligthly oval bodied lures are a bit easier to handle , they most likely already provide a certain kind of swimming action , a weight most likely improves that already given action .

High-bodied cranks like yours are bit more difficult , in my opinion , since they must at first be balanced to swim upright and ALSO balanced for action .

But you will certainly achieve this as well :wink:!

Good success in finding , what you need , Dieter

Edited by diemai
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