Any wood-carving lure makers out there?

Ground Pounder · 07-09-10, 02:12 AM

In addition to being an amateur basser, I'm also an amateur woodworker. I've been at it for a couple years now, mostly with small furnature and keep-sakes. I recently made a couple gunstocks for a buddy and am thinking of trying my hand at some hand-carved lures. My grandpa used to do some killer duck decoys back when I was a kid, but I've never been up-close and personal with hand-carved tackle.

So c'mon - let's see 'em!

Bender · 07-09-10, 11:19 AM

I had intentions of doing this and actually made one cigar style bait. The knives I was using are SUPER sharp and I stopped them all the time so with one slip I took the end of a finger off and cut another to the bone. That one is still kind of numb 7 months later so I haven't picked up a knife since.

Honestly I haven't seen many hand carved baits out there. The "home made" ones I have seen were done on a lathe with a tracer. Do you plan on using a lathe or knives?

For the hardware required you can drive down to Toledo and go to Janns Netcraft or order online from Barlows.

Ground Pounder · 07-09-10, 12:24 PM

Thanks for the reply Bender. The knifeblade's never been my strong suit, so I'm more of a power-tooler. But I have gotten pretty good with the fordham and dremel doing detail work on jewelry boxes and cigar boxes for the family for christmas last year. I do have a cheapo pen-turning lathe that I picked up at Harbor Freight about a year ago, which will come in handy.

Rebbasser · 07-09-10, 02:11 PM

GP, there is a site called tackle underground where the guys that make those kinds of baits post. I assemble my own spinnerbaits and jigs, but making/painting wooden lures is way out of my league. You can probably get some good info over there.

bamabassman · 07-09-10, 08:22 PM

i am in the process of building my workshop as of tomorrow. haha, this is something i am really thinking of getting into. there are some great folks here that make soft plastics, jigs and tubes. some are into spinnerbaits. so i thiught i would try cranks made with wood (balsa) jst to see IF i could do it. DON'T ASK FOR ANY.....i am only THINKING of TRYING THIS, LOL. scaired to think what they may look like. but it is something i want to try. i make swings etc., so why not cranks? if can make em though.i would ask some of the guys here to paint em. there are guys here that are AWESUM with a paint gun.

Bassboss · 07-09-10, 09:16 PM

I do!

I also like to use wooden dowels. Helps cut down sanding time.

here's some pics from stuff I did long time ago.. not the best though, lol!

first I ever made.

bamabassman · 07-09-10, 09:50 PM

boss, those are actually good. nice form. keep at it buddy. the more oyu do the better you get.

islandbass · 07-09-10, 11:38 PM

I love to carve, but I am not an expert, as my experience stems from industrial arts classes in the 6-8th grades. Miraculously, I have not forgotten much, and I can see the lure when it's still a block. I am an amateur at best, but an enthusiast nonetheless.

Since you are starting, I highly recommend that you start with the cigar type baits for initial and immediate success. BTW, boss, that is some mighty fine carving! The margin of error is quite wide and the weight of the hooks usually can compensate for any balancing errors. Therefore, poppers and propeller baits are the easiest to learn and make for now.

Unfortunately, crankbaits are altogether a different animal. Unless you're an amateur physicist (I pretend to be) or an engineer like nofear, the trial and error needed to properly ballast and balance a crankbait without such knowledge can be discouraging. This is not to discourage you, just to let you know what you will face. If you're a glutton for punishment, you'll dive in head first like I did.

You can start with an ultra cheap wooden dowel from Walmarts arts and craft section.

I have also devised a simple methodology of tapering the ends without the need or use of a lathe that I would be more than happy share with you. My only weakness is that I can't paint worth a darn. Fortunately, fish could care less. After I caught a bass while field testing my second carved crankbait when it was bare balsa, I realized that spectacular paint jobs, while helpful to catching fish, probably do a better job catching anglers.

I wish you the best of luck. It is a hobby that is just about as exciting as fishing. Lastly, there is no denial that catching bass with artificial baits is a great feeling. However, I can tell you with great assurance that that feeling is increased ten-fold when you catch them on something you made yourself.

Bassboss · 07-10-10, 02:21 PM

Thanks IB and bama!

I wish I had a camera. Recently I made a sweet looking wake bait, I've yet to use it fish it, but I've tossed it around in the ditch and the action is great on. Only 1 joint now, but I hope to make some 3, or 4 joint baits.

And a word to the wise.. DON'T use lacquer paints. They're a pain in the *** to work with, they dry super fast on the brush, and you need special stuff to get it off your brushes (which I still need to get, lol). Just get a good oil based paint and you'll be fine. You don't need an air brush either, but I think it would help.. and I'm yet to get one my self.

Also if you don't have what you need to make lips for crankbait and wake baits, a cheep putty knife works well. Make sure that when you cut it (scissors work) that it's straight. To attach the lip to the bait, I use a knife to make a slot, than wedge the bill in there after putting some gorilla glue in there (make sure it the kind the bonds to wood, and is water proof, the kind I use also expanded quite a bit an drys white.).

And when you put the hooks on, make sure the front on is red, and the back one is black. Believe it or not, they hit the front red hook almost every time, and the back one swings around and hooks them again. They almost never get off this way either!

islandbass · 07-10-10, 02:38 PM

Funny you mention this BB about the red and black. I have done that, and have observed the same thing at least 5 times. Still not sold on the red thing completely though. Colored hooks, as sharp as they can be, are not as sharp as their non-painted counterparts.

Bassboss · 07-11-10, 11:02 AM

btw, I finished my first crankbait today! Wish I could post some pics of it though, hopefully it'll run true.

Quote:

Originally Posted by islandbass

Funny you mention this BB about the red and black. I have done that, and have observed the same thing at least 5 times. Still not sold on the red thing completely though. Colored hooks, as sharp as they can be, are not as sharp as their non-painted counterparts.

Really? That's interesting, never knew that.. and just justing you chops, but, I'm pretty sure they anodize them!

islandbass · 07-13-10, 04:19 AM

Like I said, it isn't by much. Run one treble point on your thumb (be careful) of an anodized red one. Yep, it will be sticky sharp, worthy of putting on lures. Now try its non-anodized cousin. You will notice the difference. It is definitely not a show stopper.

07-09-10, 02:12 AM	#1
Ground Pounder BassFishin.Com Active Member Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Garden City, MI Posts: 105	Any wood-carving lure makers out there? In addition to being an amateur basser, I'm also an amateur woodworker. I've been at it for a couple years now, mostly with small furnature and keep-sakes. I recently made a couple gunstocks for a buddy and am thinking of trying my hand at some hand-carved lures. My grandpa used to do some killer duck decoys back when I was a kid, but I've never been up-close and personal with hand-carved tackle. So c'mon - let's see 'em!

07-09-10, 02:11 PM	#4
Rebbasser BassFishin.Com Premier Elite Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: San Antonio, TX Posts: 10,141	GP, there is a site called tackle underground where the guys that make those kinds of baits post. I assemble my own spinnerbaits and jigs, but making/painting wooden lures is way out of my league. You can probably get some good info over there. __________________ It's happened to the best of them: John 21:3

07-09-10, 08:22 PM	#5
bamabassman BassFishin.Com Premier Elite Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: cedar bluff, alabama Posts: 15,292	i am in the process of building my workshop as of tomorrow. haha, this is something i am really thinking of getting into. there are some great folks here that make soft plastics, jigs and tubes. some are into spinnerbaits. so i thiught i would try cranks made with wood (balsa) jst to see IF i could do it. DON'T ASK FOR ANY.....i am only THINKING of TRYING THIS, LOL. scaired to think what they may look like. but it is something i want to try. i make swings etc., so why not cranks? if can make em though.i would ask some of the guys here to paint em. there are guys here that are AWESUM with a paint gun. __________________ so many lures, so little time.

07-09-10, 09:16 PM	#6
Bassboss BassFishin.Com Premier Elite Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Shawano, WI Posts: 7,761	I do! I also like to use wooden dowels. Helps cut down sanding time. here's some pics from stuff I did long time ago.. not the best though, lol! first I ever made. __________________ If you can't fix it with heavy squats or fish oil, you're probably going to die.

07-09-10, 09:50 PM	#7
bamabassman BassFishin.Com Premier Elite Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: cedar bluff, alabama Posts: 15,292	boss, those are actually good. nice form. keep at it buddy. the more oyu do the better you get. __________________ so many lures, so little time.

07-09-10, 11:19 AM	#2
Bender BassFishin.Com Super Veteran Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Brighton, MI Posts: 2,414	I had intentions of doing this and actually made one cigar style bait. The knives I was using are SUPER sharp and I stopped them all the time so with one slip I took the end of a finger off and cut another to the bone. That one is still kind of numb 7 months later so I haven't picked up a knife since. Honestly I haven't seen many hand carved baits out there. The "home made" ones I have seen were done on a lathe with a tracer. Do you plan on using a lathe or knives? For the hardware required you can drive down to Toledo and go to Janns Netcraft or order online from Barlows.

07-09-10, 12:24 PM	#3
Ground Pounder BassFishin.Com Active Member Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Garden City, MI Posts: 105	Thanks for the reply Bender. The knifeblade's never been my strong suit, so I'm more of a power-tooler. But I have gotten pretty good with the fordham and dremel doing detail work on jewelry boxes and cigar boxes for the family for christmas last year. I do have a cheapo pen-turning lathe that I picked up at Harbor Freight about a year ago, which will come in handy.

07-09-10, 11:38 PM	#8
islandbass BassFishin.Com Super Veteran Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: WA State Posts: 1,783	I love to carve, but I am not an expert, as my experience stems from industrial arts classes in the 6-8th grades. Miraculously, I have not forgotten much, and I can see the lure when it's still a block. I am an amateur at best, but an enthusiast nonetheless. Since you are starting, I highly recommend that you start with the cigar type baits for initial and immediate success. BTW, boss, that is some mighty fine carving! The margin of error is quite wide and the weight of the hooks usually can compensate for any balancing errors. Therefore, poppers and propeller baits are the easiest to learn and make for now. Unfortunately, crankbaits are altogether a different animal. Unless you're an amateur physicist (I pretend to be) or an engineer like nofear, the trial and error needed to properly ballast and balance a crankbait without such knowledge can be discouraging. This is not to discourage you, just to let you know what you will face. If you're a glutton for punishment, you'll dive in head first like I did. You can start with an ultra cheap wooden dowel from Walmarts arts and craft section. I have also devised a simple methodology of tapering the ends without the need or use of a lathe that I would be more than happy share with you. My only weakness is that I can't paint worth a darn. Fortunately, fish could care less. After I caught a bass while field testing my second carved crankbait when it was bare balsa, I realized that spectacular paint jobs, while helpful to catching fish, probably do a better job catching anglers. I wish you the best of luck. It is a hobby that is just about as exciting as fishing. Lastly, there is no denial that catching bass with artificial baits is a great feeling. However, I can tell you with great assurance that that feeling is increased ten-fold when you catch them on something you made yourself. __________________ ARX "If people concentrated on the really important things in life, there'd be a shortage of fishing poles." Doug Larson (Shimano 2005 Reel Catalog)

07-10-10, 02:21 PM	#9
Bassboss BassFishin.Com Premier Elite Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Shawano, WI Posts: 7,761	Thanks IB and bama! I wish I had a camera. Recently I made a sweet looking wake bait, I've yet to use it fish it, but I've tossed it around in the ditch and the action is great on. Only 1 joint now, but I hope to make some 3, or 4 joint baits. And a word to the wise.. DON'T use lacquer paints. They're a pain in the *** to work with, they dry super fast on the brush, and you need special stuff to get it off your brushes (which I still need to get, lol). Just get a good oil based paint and you'll be fine. You don't need an air brush either, but I think it would help.. and I'm yet to get one my self. Also if you don't have what you need to make lips for crankbait and wake baits, a cheep putty knife works well. Make sure that when you cut it (scissors work) that it's straight. To attach the lip to the bait, I use a knife to make a slot, than wedge the bill in there after putting some gorilla glue in there (make sure it the kind the bonds to wood, and is water proof, the kind I use also expanded quite a bit an drys white.). And when you put the hooks on, make sure the front on is red, and the back one is black. Believe it or not, they hit the front red hook almost every time, and the back one swings around and hooks them again. They almost never get off this way either! __________________ If you can't fix it with heavy squats or fish oil, you're probably going to die.

07-10-10, 02:38 PM	#10
islandbass BassFishin.Com Super Veteran Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: WA State Posts: 1,783	Funny you mention this BB about the red and black. I have done that, and have observed the same thing at least 5 times. Still not sold on the red thing completely though. Colored hooks, as sharp as they can be, are not as sharp as their non-painted counterparts. __________________ ARX "If people concentrated on the really important things in life, there'd be a shortage of fishing poles." Doug Larson (Shimano 2005 Reel Catalog)

07-13-10, 04:19 AM	#12
islandbass BassFishin.Com Super Veteran Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: WA State Posts: 1,783	Like I said, it isn't by much. Run one treble point on your thumb (be careful) of an anodized red one. Yep, it will be sticky sharp, worthy of putting on lures. Now try its non-anodized cousin. You will notice the difference. It is definitely not a show stopper. __________________ ARX "If people concentrated on the really important things in life, there'd be a shortage of fishing poles." Doug Larson (Shimano 2005 Reel Catalog)

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