How to Make Wooden Fishing Lures
Choose a suitable place to work., Decide what type of fishing lure you want to make., Decide how large to make your lure., Choose an appropriate wood.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Choose a suitable place to work.
A basement or garage woodworking shop is ideal, but any place where you can do the cutting, carving, sanding, drilling, and painting required will work. -
Step 2: Decide what type of fishing lure you want to make.
Plugs fall into 2 basic types, topwater lures, and diving baits.
Topwater lures are designed to fish on the surface, which diving baits usually feature a lip that causes them to dive below the surface when retrieved rapidly.
Some specific designs of both lures are listed below:
Poppers.
Poppers feature a depression on the front of the lure that creates water resistance when the lure is jerked across the surface.
Fred Arbogast's Hula Popper and Heddon's Chug'n Spook are 2 examples of this type of lure.
Stick baits.
These cigar-shaped lures are lightly weighted at the rear so that the back of the lure is below the surface while the front is above it.
These lures are fished with a jerking motion to simulate a wounded baitfish.
Smithwick's Devil's Warhorse and Heddon's Super Spook are 2 examples of stick baits.
Propeller baits.
Cigar-shaped like stick baits, propeller baits replace the rear weight with a 2-bladed propeller at either end.
Also fished in a jerking motion, these lures attract fish from the splashing and vibration of the propellers.
Smithwick's Devil's Horse and Cotton Cordell Crazy Shad are 2 examples of this lure; Fred Arbogast's Sputterbuzz uses a large propeller blade like that found on some spinner baits in place of 2 smaller propellers.
Splutterbaits.
These topwater lures feature a metal plate on its front or sides that creates resistance and causes the lure to sway from side to side as it is retrieved.
Fred Arbogast's Jitterbug and the Heddon Crazy Crawler are 2 examples of this lure.
Thin minnows.
These are long, narrow lures with a small diving lip on the front to make them dart around like minnows when retrieved.
Normark's Rapala is the best-known lure of this type.
Curved minnows.
These lures have no lip but have curved bodies and a flat spot on front that causes the lure to wobble from side to side while being retrieved.
The Lazy Ike and Helin Flatfish are the 2 best examples of this type of lure.
Alphabet plugs.
These crank baits feature a short diving lip, a chubby belly, and often an internal rattle.
They are designed to be rapidly retrieved; the lure's lip and belly cause it to shimmy like a fast-swimming baitfish.
The name "alphabet plug" comes from the first lure of this type, Cotton Cordell's Big O, which got its name from the athletic nickname of the brother of the lure's inventor.
Deep-divers.
These long-lipped crank baits are designed to be fished fast; their longer lips make them dive deeper than alphabet plugs can.
Some of these lures will suspend themselves at the depth they dove to when the retrieve is stopped.
The Rebel Humpback and the Heddon Magnum Hellbender are 2 examples of this type. , Plugs and crank baits for bass usually run from 3 to 6 inches (7.5 to 15 cm) long, with the thickness varying according to the type of plug.
Plugs for muskellunge (muskies) are significantly larger, as muskies are the largest members of the pike family, reaching weights up to 70 lb (31.8 kg). , Softwoods such as balsa, basswood, cedar, and pine are lightweight, easily shaped woods that more readily float, making them suitable for most topwater plugs and diving lures that wiggle widely. (Generally, commercially made wooden lures are made with softwoods.) Hardwoods such as ash, maple, oak, and walnut are tougher to shape and are better suited for plugs that shimmy tightly when retrieved and hold their depth when the retrieve is stopped. -
Step 3: Decide how large to make your lure.
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Step 4: Choose an appropriate wood.
Detailed Guide
A basement or garage woodworking shop is ideal, but any place where you can do the cutting, carving, sanding, drilling, and painting required will work.
Plugs fall into 2 basic types, topwater lures, and diving baits.
Topwater lures are designed to fish on the surface, which diving baits usually feature a lip that causes them to dive below the surface when retrieved rapidly.
Some specific designs of both lures are listed below:
Poppers.
Poppers feature a depression on the front of the lure that creates water resistance when the lure is jerked across the surface.
Fred Arbogast's Hula Popper and Heddon's Chug'n Spook are 2 examples of this type of lure.
Stick baits.
These cigar-shaped lures are lightly weighted at the rear so that the back of the lure is below the surface while the front is above it.
These lures are fished with a jerking motion to simulate a wounded baitfish.
Smithwick's Devil's Warhorse and Heddon's Super Spook are 2 examples of stick baits.
Propeller baits.
Cigar-shaped like stick baits, propeller baits replace the rear weight with a 2-bladed propeller at either end.
Also fished in a jerking motion, these lures attract fish from the splashing and vibration of the propellers.
Smithwick's Devil's Horse and Cotton Cordell Crazy Shad are 2 examples of this lure; Fred Arbogast's Sputterbuzz uses a large propeller blade like that found on some spinner baits in place of 2 smaller propellers.
Splutterbaits.
These topwater lures feature a metal plate on its front or sides that creates resistance and causes the lure to sway from side to side as it is retrieved.
Fred Arbogast's Jitterbug and the Heddon Crazy Crawler are 2 examples of this lure.
Thin minnows.
These are long, narrow lures with a small diving lip on the front to make them dart around like minnows when retrieved.
Normark's Rapala is the best-known lure of this type.
Curved minnows.
These lures have no lip but have curved bodies and a flat spot on front that causes the lure to wobble from side to side while being retrieved.
The Lazy Ike and Helin Flatfish are the 2 best examples of this type of lure.
Alphabet plugs.
These crank baits feature a short diving lip, a chubby belly, and often an internal rattle.
They are designed to be rapidly retrieved; the lure's lip and belly cause it to shimmy like a fast-swimming baitfish.
The name "alphabet plug" comes from the first lure of this type, Cotton Cordell's Big O, which got its name from the athletic nickname of the brother of the lure's inventor.
Deep-divers.
These long-lipped crank baits are designed to be fished fast; their longer lips make them dive deeper than alphabet plugs can.
Some of these lures will suspend themselves at the depth they dove to when the retrieve is stopped.
The Rebel Humpback and the Heddon Magnum Hellbender are 2 examples of this type. , Plugs and crank baits for bass usually run from 3 to 6 inches (7.5 to 15 cm) long, with the thickness varying according to the type of plug.
Plugs for muskellunge (muskies) are significantly larger, as muskies are the largest members of the pike family, reaching weights up to 70 lb (31.8 kg). , Softwoods such as balsa, basswood, cedar, and pine are lightweight, easily shaped woods that more readily float, making them suitable for most topwater plugs and diving lures that wiggle widely. (Generally, commercially made wooden lures are made with softwoods.) Hardwoods such as ash, maple, oak, and walnut are tougher to shape and are better suited for plugs that shimmy tightly when retrieved and hold their depth when the retrieve is stopped.
About the Author
Samuel Ruiz
Dedicated to helping readers learn new skills in DIY projects and beyond.
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