Make your own fishing lures

After purchasing a lightweight canoe that fits on top of my car and spending most of the the summers of 2010and 2011 fishing, I decided to expand my hobby by trying my hand at making some fishing lures. This is how I went about doing it!

This is a great idea to pass some time during long, cold winters (if you have them and don't ice-fish).

Step 1: Tools and Materials

Don't be alarmed, most of the specialty tools are cheap, and most people have tools they could substitute in.

Tools List:

Power drill
Various drill bits
Coping saw (for precision cutting)
Roofing knife
Knife for whittling (multitool)
Tape measure
Sharpies (fine and wide tips)
Sandpaper (coarse and fine grit)
Pliers or vice grips
Small paintbrush
Superglue of some kind (waterproof if possible)

Materials List:

Wood of your choice ( I used a 1"x1" piece of pine from home improvement establishment)
Large popsicle stick or shim of wood (from craft store)
Paint (I used craft paint-its gonna be clear coated)
Wood sealant (Use polycrylic!)
Wood putty (for filling in holes/mistakes)
Large nails
Googly eyes (from craft store)
Small eyelets(use the smallest you can find or order from lure parts supplier online)
Propellers (OPTIONAL)(from lure parts supplier online or make your own)
Split rings (for attaching hooks)
Treble Hooks

That "torpedo" is the half-finished product you can make using this instructable.

Comments

[TayTayBob]

cool!!! i made a frog that works good .

[bjc4073]

Love the project, made the one in the end with the fish on it, but I am having trouble finding eyelets. Where did you get yours?

[Stever0812]

Lurepartsonline.com has tons of supplies

[jlyvers743]

Thank you for sharing your creativity. This is a great -ible, every step is clear and I'll have no problem following your instructions. I once read a lure making book that suggested Bass Wood. Now I've looked at lumber co and even Lows and Home Depot and no one carries Bass Wood. But, if you find it they claim its easy to carve and as light as Balsa. "Those books" I read also had some kind of metal, swivel, cable from the split rings to the nose of the lure. Maybe pull out of the screwed in eyelets are only a problem with Bass Wood. I don't know, there instructions were to daunting. Have you ever had a problem with your hook eyelets pulling out? Thanks again for a great instructable! Maybe I will be able to make one after all.

[Stever0812]

I had the same issue. I found a hardware store that had a HUGE selection of different and exotic woods, and thats where i got my basswood and also some cedar(the wood that never rots). The "through" cable you saw is to keep eyelets from being ripped out, but since i don't fish for huge fish in the ocean, I am not worried about any eyelets being ripped out. Basswood is actually pretty tough, it just has a tight grain pattern and sands down really smooth.

[freeza36]

Ok I have a quick question. There arent many kinds of fish where I fish, as far as I know, strictly trout. If I made a smaller version of some of these, would trout hit them? (I will include a picture of little 7 year old me so you can get an idea of the fishes' size...)

[Stever0812]

Trout of that size have small mouths, and they do eat small minnow fish. If you check out my other 'ible, you will see what I use to catch all my trout. Tiny wooden lures that would fit in a trout's mouth would be too fragile after you put the screw-eyes in. I would go with a long shank hook around the number 8 size, and tie some small hackle feathers around the upper shank with some black thread, and tip the hook with a trailer of a piece of nightcrawler.

[poleclimber07]

Nice job. I like your lures better than the store bought lures that are designed to catch fishermen, not fish. Thanks for sharing. You have inspired me to fill my tackle box. Could not afford to do that otherwise.

[Stever0812]

Glad my project could inspire someone's creativity! Make an 'ible with your designs, I am always looking for new lure shapes to try.

[ty123456]

Would you be able to use any type of paint and just put a few coats of polycrylic on it?

[Stever0812]

Yes, the poly seals the paint in. Note that over time, the finish may become scratched and water may get inside. Therefore, non water-soluable paint is recommended to preserve any patterns you have done. If the lure is catching fish, the action usually is more of a factor than the pattern/color.

[airgunguy123]

i wonder if thees would work better then the really rare rapala floating minnow lures that are really realistic, i've got to try this out!!!

[Chad.Kalas]

Awesome! I'm all over this. Thanks for the great instructable! Favorited!

[Hippymike96]

Seems a bit complex. Is there a simpular way?

[Stever0812]

Yes, you can cut pieces of dowels and attach hooks and eyes, but you wont get the nice looking products you see here. I also made lures out of beer bottle caps. Or you can buy pre-cut lure blanks that you assemble and paint yourself, but that defeats the purpose of doing the shaping yourself!

[alivia]

Great job, thanks for sharing!

[remscheid1]

These are really great lures! They are absolutely wonderful! Awesome idea! You should market them and sell them at target.

[Stever0812]

Thanks, I'm trying to come up with more complex designs as well as using different kinds of wood. The lure selection at target was only about 5 different lures; I might just have a chance...

[mattthomas992003]

I have been meaning to make my on lures for some time now. I was thinking about using a wooden doll rod. Anyways I bet you were ex tactic to catch that bass on a homemade lure.

[AussieAnglerGal]

This is totally great. i have been carving lures the same way but never thought of some of these concepts
thanks to you i have some great ideas and will have some pics to share soon!
all in all
its AWESOME

[Stever0812]

Glad I could inspire you!

[firepup104]

this reminds me when i caught a smaller catfish with string a paperclip and bread

[spacesaver]

Good ibble, great looking lures!!:-) A few years ago I came across an old book on hand-made lures with a very similar design to this one only for ice fishing. It called for short, brass or copper wings as well as a tail. The overall process was similar too. Myself, I have made all my trout spoons by hammering them out of brass then polishing them. Lots of fun!!
Cheers!

[Flintlock]

Cool!

This would help my stepdad out quite a lot. He loses lures all of the time while trolling on the lake because they get stuck in debris. It can cost quite a bit when he's on a streak of losing lures....

[Stever0812]

True, I am going to make some alternate designs and maybe work in rattles for added fish-attraction power. I don't have a motorized boat to try trolling with, but I will try to mimic the wobbling action of trolled lures and create a new 'ible.

[80$man]

Good work on this 'ibble!

Making your own lures for high debris condition may prove fruitful, altering the hooks layout may help a lot!

[Stever0812]

This is true! I made the successful lures near the end of the season here, so I did not have enough trips to test out more shapes and hook configurations.

[nhabersetzer]

i really like the tail design, i bet it would look allot nicer if you would sand it more, all in all, its great

[Stever0812]

Agreed, I was rushing to get them done to try them on the water so I didn't spend the time doing a super smooth finish. A belt sander flipped over would have helped.

[zazenergy]

great job here!

[Stever0812]

Thank you!

[travis96]

hey this instructable is very good, but the glue you used. probably not the best, it'll wear away faster. as to a water proof glue. just a tip that you may or may not already know. :)

[Stever0812]

I didn't consider that actually, since I submerged the whole lure in the clearcoat, I didnt think water would be an issue. Then again, if the clearcoat was damaged by fish teeth or a rock, then water could get in. I can add a note on this, thanks!

[Rainh2o]

Cool!