[MINESAPINT]

Hi, I have just joined the forum and hope to learn to make plugs suitable for catching Bass in UK coastal waters. Plugs are available to purchase locally from £1.50 to around £10 but I have been advised not to buy the cheap ones as they may break when playing a fish. I do not even understand the principle of how a plug works.

Please advise where I should start.

Thanks

MINESAPINT

[diemai]

@ 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

[MINESAPINT]

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

[MINESAPINT]

Just to say I will be fishing from a small boat as close to the shore as I dare in shallow water over a rocky bottom.

MINESAPINT

[diemai]

@ 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

[mark poulson]

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!

[MINESAPINT]

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

[Vodkaman]

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 – 20 deg to body axis) make deep divers. My suggestion is to start off with an angle of around 60 deg. This will allow you to keep the tow eye on the body, deep divers usually have the eye actually on the lip.

Mount the ballast low in the body, about half way along or slightly forward. This is one of the variables that will need experimenting with. Don’t waste too much time making the first few pretty, save that for when you have everything else working. If the lure fails or does not swim like you expected, do not throw away, this is an opportunity to learn. Post the problem with pics and the answer will be forthcoming. You will get a much more specific and detailed response to specific questions, so ask away and good luck with your project.

[mark poulson]

For me, CDs are too brittle for lips.
I use the dividers out of plastic plano-type storage containers.
Probably not good for bouncing over rocks, but they work fine for shallow cranks.

[diemai]

@ 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 .

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 .

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 .

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