Big Epp

@CoreyH I hear you on the airbrush! It seems like people can get some REALLY nice looking finished with them. Just looking through the photo gallery on here blows my mind! I'm on a very tight budget, and haven't been able to afford an airbrush, compressor, etc, so I've been using rattle cans. I've been able to get some pretty good looking paint jobs with it, though they are much more abstract than some. Impressionistic as opposed to realistic. For now though, I'm happy with it. I'm trying to make the hobby pay for itself, so it's slow going...

You guys figure Oak would work well for this?

Cool find @eastman03! I think I'm going to try and replicate the Victory Bomber lure they show in that article. Maybe the Plunker too. It looks like both of those lures could be turned on a lathe pretty easily.

Thanks Mark! I've never fished with either, though I've used jerk baits like the Suik. I'm working on a handful of glide baits and swim-baits right now, but because I've never owned any before I'm just sort of making it up and going off pictures. My wife recently asked if I could make her a bluegill bait, so I'll probably put together something similar to the one you made for that. What do you do for the tail?

Looks great Mark. Question: why do people sometimes put the line-tie horizontal on swim-baits and gliders?

I have kids in my school complaining all the time about how they'll never use math in real life...

Sounds pretty sweet Mark. I'd love to see a picture. How do you balance the weight? I'm working on 8" smallmouth bass shaped baits I hope to throw for Muskie this year. They are made of poplar, but the one I've weighted took around 3oz. of lead! Like you, I'm a little concerned about throwing it around all day, not to mention if I have any tackle heavy enough to toss it...

I love the ductape idea @eastman03 and @mark poulson! I'll have to try that. I use my vise to hold lures for sanding with a long strip off a belt sander. It helps me get better rounded edges and helps me rough out the shapes before finish sanding. I really like how the paper strips help shape the wood and even the curves. I've been using two pieces of wood 3/8x1x6 to hold blanks in the jaws. They aren't attached to the vise at all, so sometimes it gets annoying to try and tighten things down.

I've noticed people use different diameter wires and different types of wire. What size and type of wire do you use for which applications? It would be really helpful to have a guide of sorts. I've been using .032" (.9mm) type 316 stainless steel wire for all my baits thus far (it's all I've got right now). But I know it's not sturdy enough for a muskie bait. Also, it's too stiff to twist with a drill, I have to twist my line ties and hook hangers by hand. Most of the baits I've made are smaller and designed for bass and panfish, but I'm starting to make some swimbaits and heavier stuff, so I know I need to scale up my wire to match. What wire do you prefer to use for different types of baits/fish?