Many people believe the baits are usually made from hard plastic. Little did they know that the original one was mostly constructed from wood. Most manufacturers still prefer producing wooden fishing baits over the plastic ones.
Despite spending a sum of money on luxurious baits, you can actually improve your creativity while saving money at the same time by carving your own lures. Fortunately, below are the information that guides you through the processes of producing your baits at home step by step.
INTRODUCTION – GET TO KNOW THE FISHING LURE
Before jumping to our step-by-step guides, I would like to brief you on what the fishing lure looks like first. It’s basically a bait used to attract fish into thinking of it as food and bite. Originating from different types of lures, colors, vibrations, styles & designs, a bait can definitely grab the fish’s attention resulting in the joy of the bait user’s experience.
Most fishing lures are made from various materials such as rubber, wood, tinsel, or even plastic. Are you ready to craft your own fishing baits?
The 7 Simple Steps To Make Your Own Fishing Lure
1. KNOW WHAT TYPE YOU WANT FOR YOUR BAITS
The first step in making the fishing lures is deciding what your preferred type of bait is. Having a specific type in mind can be helpful in the process of making your own lures.
You also need to think about the usage and purpose of the bait. Are you planning on fishing with a topwater, a mid-water, or a bottom feeder lure? Different types of lures provide you various benefits for your fishing.
2. DRAWING THE DESIGN OF FISHING BAITS
Take out your pencil and start looking up some graphic images of the lures as a reference to get started. Making your first draft design from scratch can be challenging. Therefore, you can search online for many templates with several patterns of the baits.
Next, you can start cutting the wood into a rectangular shape that should be at least 7×4 inches long-wide. Then, begin to draw an outline of the lure on that wooden block that indicates the design curves.
3. MEASURE THE LENGTH OF YOUR BAITS
Be specific on the length of your fishing baits that will catch types of fishes to your preference. The general crankbaits and plugs are estimated to be less than 6 inches in length, while the plugs for bigger fish can be up to 10 inches long.
On top of that, you can consider searching for a size chart online if you can’t find any template at all. That way, you could get a better idea of the baits that are commonly used. You can make modifications according to your preference and what you are expecting to catch on the water.
4. START CUTTING THE LINES FROM YOUR DESIGN
Some people use a carving knife, yet a saw is also an option to make the work easier. The band and scroll saws are frequently used for cutting small and variable shapes such as a lure.
According to your adjustments, you should try to keep the bait bigger than you want to have the final product. This is an important technique to leave a margin for any error. In case something goes wrong unexpectedly, you still have room for correcting it.
5. IT’S TIME TO DO THE DRILL
Remember to mark several points on the wood before poking holes into the designed shape. This can be helpful to prevent drilling into the wrong place. Also, carefully look at your lure template while marking those holes on the wood.
Some of the important holes you should consider are ballast weight, eyelet screws, and the rattle. Some people may prefer using a micro drill to work on the thin and fine piece of wood to prevent the wood from creaking apart.
6. WHERE TO PUT THE HOOKS
Most baits are equipped with at least two hooks. Consider putting one on the front while the other on the back. If you are making a long lure, you may create another hole one-third from the back end for an extra hook.
On the other hand, you may drill some additional holes on the wood to add more weight to the lure. Or you can also fill the weight later in the holes that are already created to ensure the visual of the lure.
7. BOOST YOUR ARTISTRY SKILL
Now it’s time to play with your creativity and add some colors to your very own fish lure. Remember that painting a bait varies from painting an object or item. As you use the lure in the water, you wouldn’t want the paint removed from the bait, especially in the middle of your fishing journey.
Choose a product such as an epoxy sealer that acts as a base coat preventing the painting from peeling off from your bait. Next, spread the paint over the entire lure in a neat and consistent layer. The easiest technique is to submerge a lure in the sealer and hang it until it gets dry. In this way, the sealer prepares the wood for the paint to protect it from any water damage.
HOW MANY TYPES OF LURES YOU CAN MAKE?
With several types of fishing lures available, making the right one for you may be challenging. This choice may depend primarily on your fishing preference and the sort of water you’re going to fish. The common types of fishing lures are:
1. THE TOP-WATER LURE
This type of lure usually stays on top of the water. It is mostly floating and could be moved only around the water surface that was intended to attract fish in capturing the lure. It can also go through various water conditions that allow you to fish in different locations where fishes usually hide.
2. THE LOW-WATER LURE
This type of lure would attract more fish since it targets them near the bottom of the water. What makes this type of lure work so well is that it is sinking and can reach the bottom of the water, allowing you to catch more fish.
3. THE PLASTIC LURE
These popular lures are counted in a range of plastic-based fishing baits because of their soft and flexible rubber appearance. It is available in many colors that make it look similar to the fish’s prey – intimating the fish into thinking of it as food.
THE BENEFITS – PROS OF FISHING LURES
One of the good things about using the lures is that you can make a creative fishing bait without too many supplies at a low cost with just a little bit of craftsmanship. Most handmade fishing lures are simple and cost-effective solutions. Best of all, it provides you more benefits as following:
- Distance: the fishing lures allow you to cast further and target a species more accurately than a regular bait
- Less messy: using lures is more convenient than using a live or regular bait
- Better option for fun fishing: If you want to go fishing for fun, lures are a better option. It is easy for catch and release because the fish are less likely to swallow the entire hook
THE DRAWBACK – CONS OF FISHING LURES
However, there are also drawbacks when you want to make a lure on your own. You are more likely to make errors for a curve. If you don’t have much experience at DIY projects, you can actually find the lure-making kits that include almost everything you need. Besides, below are some additional cons about the fishing lures:
- High-cost: fishing lures are mostly more expensive than a regular bait if you want to make a purchase rather than DIY
- Easily-stuck: Lures are likely to get hooked with underwater structures or objects
- Commitment: using lures requires an activeness of you to continually move them in order to attract the fish
- Require experience yet in a fun way: using lures are somehow hard for beginner since it requires skill to use effectively
- Less efficient in cold water: last but not least, fishing lures are not really effective fishing in the cold water compared to regular bait.
However, it also depends on the preference of your fishing style. One may be familiar with using the lure in various water situations, while some may prefer the live bait for a better amount of fish they can get.
Just make sure you can find the fishing tool according to your style. In this way, you can enjoy the journey of fishing while giving yourself a great time to dine for fish!
FINAL THOUGHTS
For some points, it’s important to understand how to generate your favorite activity according to an available budget. It allows you to learn the best techniques before going fishing effectively. Fishing gears have gone through many stages of development and innovation.
If you happen to read this article until the end, you would be now aware of how to make your own fishing lures despite going for expensive kits in the store. You can somehow reduce the cost of your fishing journey and boost your creativity by designing your own lures simultaneously.
What are you waiting for? Let’s boost your creativity!
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