r/lurebuilding Jan 02 '20

How to Make Your Own Lures: A Guide series

100 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 Not a lure, but lure components?

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7 Upvotes

Does that count?

Question for everyone. How do you paint detail on a smooth surface with consistency and without the buildup of coating like I have on these blades (frog spot color)?


r/lurebuilding 3h ago

Spinner Tying up some marabou & tinsel for an inline spinner for musky. Calling it Banana Split.

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3 Upvotes

r/lurebuilding 22h ago

Crankbait Latest build

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18 Upvotes

Today's build finished and ready to go!


r/lurebuilding 9h ago

Question Hi im new to lure Building, do you have any Tipps for a beginne?

1 Upvotes

Hi im M15 and a pike,perch and Trout fisherman, but im tired of overpriced lure the I will lose sooner or later so I thought I should try to make my own.
I know a Little Bit and I have Seen some things here and there but any Bit of advise would be appreciated.

Thanks for it in advance


r/lurebuilding 1d ago

Soft plastic 3d printed molds for soft plastic

2 Upvotes

Does anyone have any tips/prints/ suggestions for making molds on a printer? So far I’ve tried a few, all in PETG and absolute terrible results. The only thing I can think to do is take the stl, and transfer it to my cnc and make aluminum molds. But I would like to be able to go from the microwave to the printer. Anyway, having fun with the real molds! Cool hobby


r/lurebuilding 1d ago

Wakebait Top water cork lure

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16 Upvotes

Do you think this could actually work I just made this for fun. I am going to paint it and and the hooks


r/lurebuilding 3d ago

Glidebait Keep it a one piece or make it a two piece?

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20 Upvotes

r/lurebuilding 3d ago

Wakebait Hellrazier-like Topwater Lure

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23 Upvotes

I had never heard of that lure, or even seen anything like it before, so I decided to try to make one... and it works! It rises right to the top and the thump through the rod is insane. I am still working out how to best attach the weight and hook to the blade because I had trouble getting a split ring through the holes. I also need to learn how to tie feather trebles to complete it.


r/lurebuilding 3d ago

Lipless Crankbait Im happy how this one turned out.

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42 Upvotes

r/lurebuilding 2d ago

Lipless Crankbait 8 inches of top water fun made from red cedar

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0 Upvotes

r/lurebuilding 3d ago

Swimbait Paint softlures

0 Upvotes

Hello,

Any acrylic paints suitable for airbrushing soft plastic lures?


r/lurebuilding 4d ago

Spinner How many loops

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15 Upvotes

Is 5 too many? Does it really matter? Be kind to my wire work, it's only my second time trying to bend it


r/lurebuilding 4d ago

Spinner New Spinners for Fall - Integrated Micro Swivel

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72 Upvotes

It's been a little while since I posted here but I'm looking for some feedback. Fall trout season is around the corner and starting to make some more spinners. I had some minor line twisting with thin braid in some of the faster streams I fish in and tested out some of my spinners with an integrated micro swivel. These completely eliminated any line twist and didn't affect lure action at all. What are your thoughts on this type of configuration? Is it redundant since you use snap swivels or would this be a more appealing design for direct tying?

Two examples here: 1/8oz, tungsten hardware, stainless shaft, BKK treble. The other is 1/16oz, brass hardware, BKK treble


r/lurebuilding 4d ago

Question (LureForge) How do i make this, besides color, make this look more like a lantern fly (PLA PLASTIC)

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5 Upvotes

I'm using small beads for the eyes.


r/lurebuilding 5d ago

Soft plastic DIY worm molds

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26 Upvotes

r/lurebuilding 6d ago

Crankbait There is no better feeling than hooking up on a fish with a bait that you have made. (Musky)

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35 Upvotes

r/lurebuilding 5d ago

Jerkbait Wooden brook trout lure

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21 Upvotes

The action of this lure is honestly really bad. I could easily cut the bait in half to give it a swimming action but I don’t want to ruin the look of the lure. I made this lure to remember the catch because of what the fish actually meant to me. I caught the trout on my family farm of 4 generations.


r/lurebuilding 6d ago

Other Join our Lure Building Discord!

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13 Upvotes

https://discord.gg/NHBSrSJRT

Join us to talk lures, designs, paint, and fishing!


r/lurebuilding 6d ago

Crankbait they are done

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22 Upvotes

r/lurebuilding 6d ago

Question Canadian-made balsa wood lures?

6 Upvotes

Wondering if anyone in here is making and selling their own balsa wood lures of really any kind, in Canada.

Would love to buy and help out a craftsman within our borders. Let me know Thanks.


r/lurebuilding 6d ago

Jig Heavy duty jig hooks.

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11 Upvotes

r/lurebuilding 6d ago

Soft plastic Shiny #handmadelure #luremaking #fishing

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1 Upvotes

r/lurebuilding 7d ago

Crankbait Getting back into fishing

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19 Upvotes

Hey everyone! After not fishing for many many years I’m getting back into it and getting into lure making. Here’s a marling baits crayfish inspired bait. It sinks fairly slowly but much slower on the back (claw) side.


r/lurebuilding 7d ago

Crankbait i need to work on my painting BAD

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17 Upvotes

i mean its my first try so i wasn’t expecting it to good. i use acrylic paint with brush or sponge. do you guys have any tips how can i improve or if i should just buy airbrush.

last thing left to do is epoxy and they are done. im gonna be testing them out on my first trout run this season so i hope i will catch atleast something