homemade Lures

Granrey · #1 05-04-2011, 06:13 PM

Hi,

Just curious if any of you make your own lures?

If so, do you get more enjoyment by catching fish with your own homemade lure?

I'm new to fishing, I have my rod plus other items too. However, I have noticed lures are expensive, if you consider they might get lost or stuck.

I started making my own lures. I'm doing bottle cap lures right now and wonder if there is any other easy lures that I should try.

FishingMOM · #2 05-04-2011, 06:25 PM

I would suggest jumping into the fly exchange.
http://www.outdoorsmenforum.ca/showthread.php?t=91068

Great way to get to know other fishermen/women.

Plus add stuff to your box.

if you dont tie your own check out www.ickyflyworks.ca
Not only are they a sponsor here of this forum they are Canadian!

densa44 · #3 05-04-2011, 06:28 PM

I was a kid and poverty was the motive. I looked at lures in the store, "lazy Ike", "river runt spook" and others I don't remember. The best one was tube shaped with a scooped front and large. I painted it white with a bright red front end. When pulled in the water it would shoot a stream and make a big "ploop".

The hardest part was attaching the eye and hooks. I settled on the wire that wrapped the newspapers I delivered. I worked surprisingly well. It took a couple of tries to get one that would float hooks down.

Throw it at the back and huge large mouths would hit, in or near the weeds very large pike.

I used it for years and lost it in a tree where I couldn't retrieve it. It worked better than its much more expensive plastic cousins.

Isopod · #4 05-04-2011, 07:02 PM

It was 10 years ago when I last made these crankbait lures. Started with pieces of wooden dowl, rough shaped it with a carving knife, sanded it smooth, painted, added the lip, hooks and eyes. If you factor in a reasonable rate for my time, these are the most expensive lures on the planet!

But it was fun making them, and to actually catch fish with them is far more fun than catching ten fish with a storebought lure. I still use them and still catch fish with them, but mostly I fish storebought lures. I always wanted to make some tiny crankbaits with smaller dowl, but my interest faded. Oh, and yes I did file off the barbs once barbless hook legislation came in (this is a scanned photo from 2001).

WayneChristie · #5 05-04-2011, 07:04 PM

make some of my own and its great fun catching something of your own design.

Granrey · #6 05-04-2011, 08:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Isopod

It was 10 years ago when I last made these crankbait lures. Started with pieces of wooden dowl, rough shaped it with a carving knife, sanded it smooth, painted, added the lip, hooks and eyes. If you factor in a reasonable rate for my time, these are the most expensive lures on the planet!

But it was fun making them, and to actually catch fish with them is far more fun than catching ten fish with a storebought lure. I still use them and still catch fish with them, but mostly I fish storebought lures. I always wanted to make some tiny crankbaits with smaller dowl, but my interest faded. Oh, and yes I did file off the barbs once barbless hook legislation came in (this is a scanned photo from 2001).

oops, now that you mention it. I have to file off the barbs from my hooks too (I'm new and I have not gone fishing yet).

I wonder, why they still sell the hooks with the barbs, if they are not allowed anymore?

back on topic

Do the storebought lures work better than your own homemade ones? I find the ones on the picture are really good.

Gust · #7 05-04-2011, 08:21 PM

My homemade's & recycled/modififieds & dowelplugs are doing much better at catching than any of the store bought. They do take a lot of time but I also figured out a way to make crankbaits really quick. I fudge around on rainy days and use the making of lures as a way to keep from smoking cigarettes. Mind you, they are far too ugly to post online. I had a small bag of salmon flashers and made some gigantic spoons out of them then painted them up and tied feathers on them that they almost looked like jewlery that Screamin Jay Hawkins would wear, and you know what??? They were slaying big pike all day long, except one that kinda looked like a rabid muscrat, the pike would follow it then dive away. I think tomorrow is a lure making day, s'posed to rain.

Your plugs in the picture are great!!!

Buck9 · #8 05-04-2011, 08:27 PM

I started to make my own walleye spinners, lots of fun to create your own patterns. Plus when you break off you can not blame it on cheap stuff, because you get to buy all the hardware and can make it as heavy or light as you want

FishingFrenzy · #9 05-04-2011, 08:49 PM

I recently started attempting to make crankbaits and topwater plugs out of blue construction foam. I spent about 3 hours carving one out with a knife and sandpaper, then i spent another hour inserting lead and hardware (wires for the hooks) and then I went to spray paint it. I started spray painting and guess what?? Spray paint melts foam

.. So I didnt get any pics of that one, however I will on the next one.. i'll post pics next week sometime.

I have also made a spoon type lure by attaching 3 coins together with split rings.. it looks bizzare but it has great action in the water. Only had one bite on it but in all fairness I only used it for about 10 minutes.

I've also made some jigging spoons but flattening copper pipe and then bending it and hammering it too shape. I never got a chance to use those this winter because i misplaced the bag with them in it

Good luck making your own lures. If you need parts, http://lurepartsonline.com/cart.html this site has great prices and cheap shipping to Canada.

horsetrader · #10 05-04-2011, 10:07 PM

Use to make bass and walleye lures and spinners from my first wife's earrings
and other jewelry. Some worked great others well lets say my tackle box looked good............

walking buffalo · #11 05-05-2011, 08:19 AM

I make my own poppers and some cranks out of Basswood. You can get basswood at specialty hardwood stores, In Calgary try PJ White for full 8' boards (2x6) or Black Forest Wood for smaller pieces.

12" long popper.

10" long, weighted in the belly for an upright and neutral buoyancy. It will dive to 10' and stay there.

horsetrader · #12 05-05-2011, 08:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by walking buffalo

I make my own poppers and some cranks out of Basswood. You can get basswood at specialty hardwood stores, In Calgary try PJ White for full 8' boards (2x6) or Black Forest Wood for smaller pieces.

12" long popper.

10" long, weighted in the belly for an upright and neutral buoyancy. It will dive to 10' and stay there.

Nice job on the lures

tonyflyfish · #13 05-05-2011, 08:24 AM

talk to BBJ.

geezer55 · #14 05-05-2011, 08:44 AM

Quote:

I wonder, why they still sell the hooks with the barbs, if they are not allowed anymore?

In some parts of Canada you are still allowed to use barbed hooks. Also in some provinces you are allowed to use both barbed and barbless, all depends on the body of water that you are fishing.

Albertafisher · #15 05-05-2011, 02:26 PM

I assemble my own spinnerbaits and buzzbaits. It's way easier and cheaper than buying them.

lifesaflyin · #16 05-05-2011, 02:37 PM

i have made my own lures for a penny,nickel, dime quarter and loonie. pop a hole in them hit them with a hammer once so it potato chips for good action and attach a snap ring with a treble.

the whitefish and walleye like the dimes and quarters.

and the best part is they all cost under a buck!

gonefishin · #17 05-05-2011, 07:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Albertafisher

I assemble my own spinnerbaits and buzzbaits. It's way easier and cheaper than buying them.

X2, got the stuff from http://www.luremaking.com/

Garry B · #18 05-05-2011, 07:26 PM

My brother and I made these tungsten ball perch ice fishing jigs and bite indicator (I invented and gathered the materials and he put them together). They work well and have caught fish. I have a new improved idea for the jigs and am in the process of collecting the parts and material to make them as well as figuring out how to put them together. I have higher hopes for the new ones than these first attempts. Its been lots of fun.

Albertafisher · #19 05-05-2011, 07:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Garry B

My brother and I made these tungsten ball perch ice fishing jigs and bite indicator (I invented and gathered the materials and he put them together). They work well and have caught fish. I have a new improved idea for the jigs and am in the process of collecting the parts and material to make them as well as figuring out how to put them together. I have higher hopes for the new ones than these first attempts. Its been lots of fun.

Very nice!
How did you get the Tungsten and Melt it? It has one of the highest melting points.

chubbdarter · #20 05-05-2011, 07:52 PM

all the posted lures look great....keep up the good work everyone

Dust1n · #21 05-05-2011, 07:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Albertafisher

Very nice!
How did you get the Tungsten and Melt it? It has one of the highest melting points.

those look like great lures for perch espeicly the tungston part

Garry B · #22 05-05-2011, 08:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Albertafisher

Very nice!
How did you get the Tungsten and Melt it? It has one of the highest melting points.

Actually we didn't melt tungsten.

I bought tungsten balls (sintered balls of 17.5g/cc weight) from a place in the States and then we made a jig out of plastic and foam to hold the balls and hooks as we glued the two together with JBWeld (we mixed the JBWeld with tungsten powder to make it heavier but this was just added work and probably imperceptible in terms of making the lure heavier). When cured we filed and then painted them with powder paint. They hold up fine except we should have cured the paint because it does chip somewhat more easily than I would like (next time). They sink fast!

Isopod · #23 05-05-2011, 11:53 PM

@Granrey:
Sorry for not replying earlier... you asked how my homemade cranks compare to storeboughts... The homemades have a pretty vigorous wobble vs many storeboughts that have more subtle "twitch". It seems to be an all-or-none kind of thing with my lures -- reducing the lip size makes no difference until it is reduced so far that the wobble stops completely. Where my lures work really well is for pike in muddy water -- the strong wobble allows the pike to zero in on the bait whereas most storeboughts by comparison are pretty useless in those conditions. In cleaner water, the storeboughts win because the fish can see the lure action and I think the twitch looks more natural to them. I have also used mine (once!) for bass in clear lake in Ontario -- the lures run quite shallow and the bass were hitting them like crazy...fun!

FishingFrenzy · #24 05-12-2011, 07:03 PM

A crankbait I whipped up earlier.. wish i had a smaller split ring.
Also wish i put a another hook on it but i will see how it works.

I turned this on my "hill billy lathe" out of balsa wood.

Granrey · #25 05-12-2011, 08:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Isopod

@Granrey:
Sorry for not replying earlier... you asked how my homemade cranks compare to storeboughts... The homemades have a pretty vigorous wobble vs many storeboughts that have more subtle "twitch". It seems to be an all-or-none kind of thing with my lures -- reducing the lip size makes no difference until it is reduced so far that the wobble stops completely. Where my lures work really well is for pike in muddy water -- the strong wobble allows the pike to zero in on the bait whereas most storeboughts by comparison are pretty useless in those conditions. In cleaner water, the storeboughts win because the fish can see the lure action and I think the twitch looks more natural to them. I have also used mine (once!) for bass in clear lake in Ontario -- the lures run quite shallow and the bass were hitting them like crazy...fun!

thanks for your repply.

Granrey · #26 05-12-2011, 08:46 PM

Well, I was at Muir Lake last weekend. As everybody else around me I did not catch anything. However............man, just the idea of catching something with my bottle cap lure while everybody was failing with their store bought lures was a good kick to continue trying LOL.

pikester · #27 05-12-2011, 09:13 PM

Flies mostly but a few years ago I got into homemade wooden cranks. Don't make too many of the crankbaits or gliders though since they are massively time consuming; for me anyway lol.
7" articulated pike flies

5" cedar Clown crank

5&1/2" cedar walleye pattern flat crank

"Measles" 6&1/2" glider, "Purple haze" 6" glider, "Camo" 7" jerkbait

"Neon bikini" 6&1/2" maple crank

keep it reel · #28 05-13-2011, 02:23 PM

Was out with a buddy years ago and he had a spoon he made in high school. Thing was butt ugly but he tried it and had immediate results on a pike lake we were at...them pike are like billy goats sometimes...

tacklerunner · #29 05-13-2011, 02:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pikester

Flies mostly but a few years ago I got into homemade wooden cranks. Don't make too many of the crankbaits or gliders though since they are massively time consuming; for me anyway lol.
7" articulated pike flies

5" cedar Clown crank

5&1/2" cedar walleye pattern flat crank

"Measles" 6&1/2" glider, "Purple haze" 6" glider, "Camo" 7" jerkbait

"Neon bikini" 6&1/2" maple crank

Nice work!! You paint cars or Harleys?

Fishfinder · #30 05-13-2011, 05:05 PM

Best thread I've read in awhile!

Great job everybody. Very nice lures indeed. I'm learning stuff here

Keep up the great work....impressive!!