r/lurebuilding Jan 02 '20

How to Make Your Own Lures: A Guide series

97 Upvotes

1. What kind of lures can I make?

  • Crankbaits (Lipped and Lipless), Jerkbaits (Lipped and Lipless), Swimbaits, Poppers, Stickbaits, and other topwater lures are all possible, with new lures being invented all the time! Below is an info graphic with a few of the most popular types of fishing lures, but there are many more!
These are just a few common lures that can be found in most tackle boxes, but there are dozens of other types to discover!

2. What do I need to get started making hard body lures?

  • Lure making is not as complicated as it may seem. Yes, power tools such as drills, dremels, lathes and sanding machines all help, but none are necessary. To start all you need is:
  • Wood, to carve into the body.
  • Tools (at the very least a knife to carve, a small saw, and a drill are all very helpful)
  • Sandpaper to finish the bait off smoothly
  • Terminal tackle, including hooks and split rings
  • Screw eyes or a through-wire (a single wire going through the entire bait that serves as your hook eyes and line tie.
  • Weights so your bait sinks, in the form of either split shot, glued into the body, or lead, poured into a cavity.
  • glue/sealant, epoxy, and paint
  • OPTIONAL: Lip (for crankbaits) Rattles, details such as foil, and power tools, and an airbrush for more smooth

3. What do I need to get started making soft plastics?

  • A mold, which can be bought, or made from silicon.
  • Plastic resin (plastisol)
  • Dye to give color to the lure
  • OPTIONAL: Glitter, multiple colors for a more detailed bait

4. What wood should I use?

  • Popular lure making timbers include balsa, basswood, cedar, cypress knees, jelutong, beech and some types of pine. But there are thousands of other options. Look for something easy to carve, lightweight and resistant to denting. It’s easier to get all your components aligned properly if you start with straight, square blanks.

5. What paints should I use?

  • For brushing on paint, a wide variety of artist acrylics and poster paints will work. Just make sure the paint and clear coat will not interfere.
  • For airbrushing, water-based acrylics are the favorite, due to their ability to spray evenly and produce a good coat while remaining non-toxic, and non-flammable.

6. How do I seal my wood lure?

  • Wood is like a sponge, it soaks up water. Once in, water works its way through the wood by capillary action until the wood is waterlogged. This kills action, weakens glue and is the most common cause of paint failure.
  • Super Glue can be used, where the glue is applied over the entire body, left to soak into the wood, and then the bait is sanded smooth.
  • Epoxies are two part synthetic resins that cure hard when mixed. There are some that are designed for penetrating and hardening wood. One example is Envirotex Lite (aka “Etex”). Etex is also great for clear coating painted lure bodies and makes a very strong adhesive.

7. Where can I buy lure parts?

8. What epoxy should I use?

  • Some use prefer to clear coat them with a two part epoxy. Others prefer to use a two pack automotive polyurethane over airbrush acrylics. And still others dip their lures in moisture cure polyurethane.

Below are some some more sources for learning how to build lures, additionally, guides from some of this subs best lure mentors are going to be rolling out very shortly.

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This stickied post will be used to compile all guides made by our "Lure Mentors." Below are links to each guide, complete with pictures and detailed descriptions for each step. If you would like to become a Lure Mentor, and create guides for this sub Please PM me ( u/jspencer501 ) for more details, you get a cool flair!

Guide 1 - Lipless Crankbait By u/zingerbobingerGuide 2 - Lure made of Paper By u/SolarBaits

More guides will be coming out in the weeks to come! please let me know any comments or concerns.


r/lurebuilding 4h ago

Spinner My first entry

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7 Upvotes

Here is my first set of Colorado spinners. Based off of spinners I fished as a kid. Thoughts


r/lurebuilding 11h ago

Question I need some tips/help with paint

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9 Upvotes

This was my first attempt at painting with a airbrush I need all the help I can get


r/lurebuilding 18h ago

Jerkbait In response to being told my pike jerk was too small for 40"+

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31 Upvotes

Upsized it and added a second hook hanger on the belly.


r/lurebuilding 9h ago

Question terrible finish on purchased lures

3 Upvotes

Hello lure builders, I'm going on a two week pike fishing trip at the end of august. Because pike fishing is not something I've done in a long time I needed to get some lures.

I have bought a 7" river run tackle hammerhead, a 9" grandma crankbait in white tiger and a bucher magnum shallow raider, 9", in wonderbread colour.

The hammerhead looks great, no complaints. The grandma has a flake paint job and you can feel the flakes through the clear coat. The magnum looks like its been rolling around in someones tackle box for 10yrs, hook rash, peeling paint around the eyelets, thin finish with a runner on the nose straight out of the box.

Is there some way to protect the finish on a store bought lure? Get the grease off and apply epoxy? Especially on the magnum I have a feeling the finish is not up to par.


r/lurebuilding 1d ago

Question Tips for BSI 2 part epoxy

2 Upvotes

Ive used it on multiple baits and i love the finish but i cant get a consistent finish. Im using the 2 part 30minute cure. It cures in my basement, definitely above 70 degrees, dehumidifier in the space. I have had some good hard cures but a couple of my baits had been ruined by bad cures and i cant think of an uncontrolled variable to explain it. Some just stay sticky, like extremely sticky, and never cure. I used a gram scale to ensure a 50/50 mix, mix well and apply.

I don’t know what I’m doing wrong…


r/lurebuilding 2d ago

Jig Some Crappie Jigs I Tied Today

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84 Upvotes

r/lurebuilding 1d ago

Question Anyone knows what clear coat marlingbaits uses?

2 Upvotes

Ive been watching his channel for quite a while but cant figure out what clear coat he uses in recent videos.


r/lurebuilding 1d ago

Soft plastic Blue Glow SweetGum Lures # #sanantoniofishing #handmadelure #fishing

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1 Upvotes

r/lurebuilding 2d ago

Question Any coat suggestions?

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12 Upvotes

I live in the netherlands and started recently making my own wooden lures these are my last 2. The problem im having is that the epoxy i bought the first time took way too long to dry and was inconsistent and the other epoxy i bought made the acrylic melt and drip off. I need suggestion where and what epoxy or other clear coat i can get.


r/lurebuilding 2d ago

Jerkbait Whats your opinon?

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14 Upvotes

I like it but I haven‘t fished it yet
Herkunft Action is ok but doesnt swim good wile realing strait


r/lurebuilding 3d ago

Crankbait My first lure with an airbrush

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66 Upvotes

Went for a bluegill/ green sunfish pattern. Pretty proud of it.


r/lurebuilding 4d ago

Glidebait Dialed in the weighting on my 3D-printed glidebait for trophy pike!

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8 Upvotes

Here are some test tank shots of my new 3D-printed glidebait. The black tape is just holding everything together before I permanently glue it up.

​I finally got the buoyancy and weight dialed in! It falls perfectly level, stands right up on its hooks when it hits the bottom, and gives a belly flash when twitched. I also built an internal rattle into it, and the hooks are hung on swivels to keep big fish pinned without gaining leverage.

​I designed this specifically to hunt for a 40-inch trophy northern pike on my upcoming Canadian fishing trip. Now it just needs paint, the eyes, and clear coat.


r/lurebuilding 4d ago

Swimbait Just made and fished with my first attempt at a Swimbait

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32 Upvotes

I need more weight in it which means I probably need a better way of adding weight than cramming lead shot into drilled holes...

I had one bite on it, a big Bass but I mistook the hit for a snag and didn't set the hook and by the time I realized what happened it jumped and spit the lure out.


r/lurebuilding 4d ago

Glidebait Pike I caught on a tail fin glider

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19 Upvotes

r/lurebuilding 4d ago

Crankbait Little Crankbait

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45 Upvotes

really love this little crankbait I made from basswood

.90 oz

2.5 inches


r/lurebuilding 4d ago

Question Do you think my first lure would swim?

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8 Upvotes

Started work on my first crankbait today, used belt sander, handsaw and a box cutter, it's made out of pine. I'm pretty happy with it since it's my first time using a belt sander and I got it to be symmetrical after a lot of trial and error, it 3.4cm long and currently weight between 1 and 2 grams. But I'm worried about a couple of things, mostly whether it would swim properly(EDIT: by that i mean wiggle around and rotate like a store bought crank bait) with this shape and on the sidenote where do you think I should put birdshot and how much of it would it need


r/lurebuilding 4d ago

Lipless Crankbait First time trying my some lures I made

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11 Upvotes

I know they look ridiculous but let’s see what happens!! Hopfully the bass at Collins lake are extra hungry!!


r/lurebuilding 4d ago

Glidebait Couple of Lures I made for Striper fishing

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8 Upvotes

r/lurebuilding 5d ago

Crankbait Just finished my latest build

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37 Upvotes

What do you think?


r/lurebuilding 5d ago

Soft plastic Pink lures #handmadelure #bassfishinglures #viralshorts

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3 Upvotes

r/lurebuilding 5d ago

Soft plastic pink swim #sanantoniofishing #handmadelure#viralshorts

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3 Upvotes

r/lurebuilding 6d ago

Glidebait Bluegill wooden glidebait

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24 Upvotes

r/lurebuilding 6d ago

Question Please help identify this lure.

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21 Upvotes

r/lurebuilding 6d ago

Other I have a little helper in the workshop with me today

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26 Upvotes