With the current number of swim bait chuckers growing the last few years I thought I would buy some piece of mind and start carving my own wood swim baits and pick up an airbrush to show the fish something different. Since doing so I have found a new respect for what bait makers go through to come up with a working prototype. There are undoubtedly many variables to consider when making a wood hard bait I’d like to touch on a few things to help you make your own bait for your own personal use.

One of the first things to think about is are you going to make a bait with a bill or have a lipless design? Billed baits tend to move more water and are similar to crank baits and can often be cranked down to 2′-4′ or even long lined (trolled) down to 15-20′. Among the most common is a jointed cigar shaped wake bait that was made popular by Allen Cole.  Then there is the Castaic Hard Bait wakebait that is more fish shaped and anatomically correct. You can build your wake bait and offset the bill in different directions for different presentations. Typically the steeper the bill the shallower the bait will run and conversely the more angled the bill is the more water it will catch and dive. Also the length,shape,and material of the bill can play a big roll as well. Lexan Lips are clear and

Early Castaic Hard Baits made by Ken Huddleston and Chomp Josephite

can vary in thickness and flexibility while circuit board lips are more durable and thinner but are opaque. Figuring out the angle of the bill is probably the greatest feat and is something that is going to have you scrapping some wood so don’t get carried away with cosmetic details. Adding balast (lead) is relative to the density of the wood your using more on that later…

Lipless swim baits are more difficult to make and require a bit more experimentation. Since there isn’t a bill to force water on the retrieve the number of segments,ballast weighting,pin placement,and line tie all can be critical in the design. The easiest way to get started is to practice making various floaters to get the action you like. After that you can start adding balast to the bait and see how it effects the action. Remember to keep in mind choosing a soft or hard tail will also effect the action.

Although not a swimbait big gliders or lipless jerkbaits have crossed over from the musky world into bass fishing and have proven to be a success. Similar to a walk the dog style of bait gliders differ in that they are designed so they can continue movement on a slack line hence the term “glider”. One of the biggest keys to making a good glider is choosing the right kind of wood. Using a wood that is too buoyant is going to force you into adding more weight which will effect the natural action of the wood and using a wood that is too dense may sink your bait after the clear coat(something you might desire). After you have found the material you want to use carve a shape that is streamlined and will glide effortlessly and experiement!

Spending time selecting the right wood is something that most guys(myself included) often overlook. I’ve spent hours carving baits only to find that my bait looked pretty(to me anyway) but didn’t swim very well. One thing worth trying to understand is the different densities. When starting a new bait try to make the same exact bait with two different woods so you can see for yourself how that type of wood will react. I watched a show the other week and the host talked about how wood from the same tree differs greatly with regards to density. The core in the middle of the tree is the most dense while the outer area has wider rings creating a less dense section. This is so true and is something to keep in mind when headed to the lumber yard. Also remember wHen selecting wood try to work with pieces that are consistent and have no knots. The more things you can control the more predicatable your lures will be in the future.

Choosing the right equipment in the beginning is something that keeps most guys on the sidelines. Obviously the more toys you have in the shop the less time you will have to spend roughing in your lures. However there is something to be said about spending time with tools such as a coping saw,hand planer,piece of sandpaper,and a drill it is easy to get carried away with power tools and take too much off. Hand tooling is slower but it allows you to slow down and think about what your objective is. Down the line if you get serious and want to speed up the process a band saw,lathe,belt or spindle sander,and table top router are things worth considering. A micrometer is something that comes in handy when measuring scale and duplicating angles,carvings,etc from one side to the other. Also make sure you have some type of scale (digital are the most accurate) to keep record of ballast weight,wood segments,and the total lure weight before and after the clear coat.

Last but not definitely least is ALWAYS KEEP A LOG AND TAKE NOTES! I’ve rushed baits because I was excited and was playing off my stream of consciousnes and wanted to finish the bait so I could fish it. This has had me kicking the curb on more than one occasion. ALWAYS KEEP A LOG!

The next write up I’ll go over airbrushing and clear coating….

NOTE: I do not subscribe to copying others that have spent countless hours for a profit!

Tags: Lure making, Lures, Swimbaits

This entry was posted on Tuesday, April 28th, 2009 at 11:56 am and is filed under Fishing, Lures, Swimbaits. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.