Back in January the buddy that I fish with handed me a lure. Said you think you could make something like this? Well this is plastic but I should be able to do something with wood..



I've been make fishing lures of some sort most of my life. Mostly I made jigs tie some streamers and made few poppers. For a demonstration speech in 8th grade grade English class. I made a bass bait actually more of a larger popper from the plastic tip off a small cigar and few feathers. I also made some none working wood baits as Christmas tree ornaments.
So when my friend ask did I think I could make baits similar to the above. Well let's see challenge excepted. My wife has pretty good wood shop in the basement. We set it up when she had a craft business years ago. That means I have available all the tools for the project.
I had some basswood branches that I cut years ago. Dipped the ends in my trap wax pot and had stuck up in rafters in garage thought might carve something. Also have some birch pieces that were leftover from one of the wife's projects. I gathered things up stuck piece of basswood branch in the lathe and fired it up. Looked some like this.





I then had my first born of the run and ended up looking like this? Kinda bland..



I have to say I first painted the eyes on and was not happy with my failed art skills. I looked in my box of odds and ends had a few glass eyes from other projects. Those weren't quit what I was thinking so I got on Amazon. Found some eyes that figured would fit my needs. I already have a large selection of various paints colors and some flashy prism tape.

Back to the lathe fire that thing up have at it punched out some more bodies. Got couple coats sanding sealer on them.



After that first bait I was a bit disappointed so decided to slow down get little more crafty. From that point each couple of baits I made I figured out a way to do something easier or simpler. After I showed this bait below to my fishing buddy.



He was like Wow! that turned out good. Hey do you think you could figure out how to do glow in the dark?
Now I'm at point where I'm thinking why not. Back to the Internet do some reading little shopping again on Amazon then trip to Hobby Lobby. I was off to figuring out the glow in the dark thing.
So I was turning and painting and fiddling around off and on since January. I now have couple dozen baits for us to try when we go to lake Michigan again to troll for salmon. I ordered swivels got some fluorocarbon line for leaders. I already had split rings and some hooks. But I do need to order more hooks.
Anyways this is how things are looking now.




Got these 3 painted up with glow paint. They look like this with the lights on, glow green lights out





Made a couple little guys and I'm now planning to make some of differing size and colors.



Like I said at the beginning. I've always piddled around making my own things. It's the ADD in me. I've always been inspired by people I meet here on Trapperman that post their work to try doing things. I do have to say that for this project I was very inspired by Hutchy and his baits. They are art.
I will be glad to answer any questions someone might have. I'm far from an expert. Being that I'm not selling any of these their just for us. How they look or work only has to be good enough for me. Told my buddy yesterday when we were looking threw them. If we find one we don't like or won't work right. We can throw it out of the boat for someone else to find, or whack it to pieces with the fish bat. Find a size and color that works well. I will make more like it. Oh and his fish bat he uses is actually one I turned from piece oak couple years ago.

Mac

"Never Forget Which Way Is Up!"

Great post. It reminded me of a lot of our older posts when people shared their projects.

Incredible! I wish I had some type of artistic nature. Those look great, you could make some extra $$ for them I'm sure. I would buy one.

wws

WOW! Beautiful work.

When going from plastic to wood, did you do anything to match the buoyancy?

Might have the next world record in your box.

Those look nice. I look forward to some catch pictures.

Keith

X2

Those look purdy good!

Nice !!!

Those are awesome Mac-Please post some pictures after they get some tooth marks on them.

those look great.

nice work

Awesome work!! Great looking lures....like factory jobs.

52 Carl
I thought about that just a bit at first. These baits are meant to be trolled on down rigger or bottom bouncer type set up. I'm pretty sure they can be casted and I plan to try that with the smaller ones I make.

As for the buoyancy difference between woods and plastic?? Being a diver my knowledge of buoyancy is limited to how it applies to that. I do know that buoyancy is about weight surface size and displacement. So unless I measured my baits to the exact size and measurement as the plastic one. Which they are not.. Then put it on scale using the same hooks and adjust the overall body weight. Which I can still do with placement of bird shot. There is still no way for me to know how buoyancy will effect the bait. Especially once it's at depth where pressure change effects buoyancy.

I'm not using a pattern cutter to make the baits. Only taking some basic measurements as I turn them. For the most part each one is an individual and I eyeballed them.
The first half dozen I wasn't quite dialed in on the hook placement hole and eyes. Thinking more about balance and tracking straight.
After over thinking about things as I tend to do. I started putting references points on the bodies while they were spinning. You can see that in one photo. Now after I cut the body loose from the blank stock. Before I do the front cut or drill my hole for hook rig. I drop the bodies in a bucket of water. Once they stop bobbing and rolling. I can mark a spot on top which in theory is lighter side up. That it now my top or back of the bait. I mark a center line call it the back bone I guess. All my other measurements start from there and the two lines I made while bait was spinning. I haven't run any of these alongside the boat yet to check tracking. I'm sure that some will like different speeds. Some may go totally Haywire?

Mac

"Never Forget Which Way Is Up!"

Awesome job, what a great hobby you have. Those paint jobs are fantastic.

Looks similar to a "J-plug" that is trolled on the Great Lakes.

You are a top notch artist. Beautiful work!

Vic
The J-Plug is what they are meant to be similar to and is what I was using for pattern.
If anyone who fishes lake Michigan for salmon has a favorite color. I would appreciate the information so I can make few plugs in a known working color. I'm just winging it with color based on what I see for sale. Also what color the trolling flies and spoons we ran last time there.

Raining here this morning so I probably spin few more bodies.

Mac

"Never Forget Which Way Is Up!"

Mac,
Early in my career with USDA, I spent 2 1/2 years in the Kewaunee Field Office and had opportunities in several boats to troll offshore. I mostly fished the pier, but did enjoy trolling when possible. My son keeps a boat in Kewaunee, so I fish 1 - 2 times per season over there. I never see him troll a J-plug, mainly flies and spoons. .maybe I should cobble on to a few of yours for him to try.

Top shelf Mac, really sharp. For lake trout a flashy silver belly and sides fading to pink then violet on the back would be killer on lake trout. I’ll take three.

Osky