11-06-2023, 04:04 PM
You know, I stumbled across lure making videos on youtube, and saw how with wood, stainless steel wire, some lead, paint, paint, patience, and creativity, I could take some ideas that have been floating around in my head and try to make them myself! For about a year now I have been experimenting making my own lures (crank baits, jerk baits, rapala style, and the reason I started- BIG vertical baits for macs at the Gorge).
If you have a shop at school, you're halfway there! I have been learning to airbrush to paint them. I have been utilizing maple from limbs I had to trim off trees in the front yard (after letting the wood dry, of course).
I think if you had a handful of eager and willing kids, this would be a project that would be fun as heck to do, and they would have something tangible to hold in their own hands after, and can USE it and possibly have complete and utter satisfaction if they actually catch a fish on their own creation!
1- start with a hunk of wood. Determine what kind of bait you are all going to make. 2- carve it out and sand it down. 3- Drill holes in bottom for pouring lead for ballast. 4- Drill holes for line tie and hook hangers. 5- make line tie and hook hangers out of stainless steel wire (the wire they make for tying bolts in aircraft mechanical stuff works great). This is achieved with a nail in a vice and wire ends inserted into a hand drill chuck and twisting. Epoxy in place. 6- pour lead. Check your buoyancy in a bucket of water and add lead, or drill out lead to balance. 7- fill holes with baking soda and super glue. 8- sand flush. 9- seal whole thing in super glue (thin stuff, like, starbond brand). 10- sand down again with fine paper (like 220). 11- paint that baby till your heart is content. 12- finish with polyurethane. 13- Clean hook hangers and line tie, and add split rings and hooks!
I think working with a group and going through planned steps in each meeting would be an awesome experience for these young fisher folk. Would make for fun work during the cold months, too!
There are a lot of youtube videos that would give you good info on the rough outline I lined out above.
Hope that gives you something to mull over, at least!
Josh
If you have a shop at school, you're halfway there! I have been learning to airbrush to paint them. I have been utilizing maple from limbs I had to trim off trees in the front yard (after letting the wood dry, of course).
I think if you had a handful of eager and willing kids, this would be a project that would be fun as heck to do, and they would have something tangible to hold in their own hands after, and can USE it and possibly have complete and utter satisfaction if they actually catch a fish on their own creation!
1- start with a hunk of wood. Determine what kind of bait you are all going to make. 2- carve it out and sand it down. 3- Drill holes in bottom for pouring lead for ballast. 4- Drill holes for line tie and hook hangers. 5- make line tie and hook hangers out of stainless steel wire (the wire they make for tying bolts in aircraft mechanical stuff works great). This is achieved with a nail in a vice and wire ends inserted into a hand drill chuck and twisting. Epoxy in place. 6- pour lead. Check your buoyancy in a bucket of water and add lead, or drill out lead to balance. 7- fill holes with baking soda and super glue. 8- sand flush. 9- seal whole thing in super glue (thin stuff, like, starbond brand). 10- sand down again with fine paper (like 220). 11- paint that baby till your heart is content. 12- finish with polyurethane. 13- Clean hook hangers and line tie, and add split rings and hooks!
I think working with a group and going through planned steps in each meeting would be an awesome experience for these young fisher folk. Would make for fun work during the cold months, too!
There are a lot of youtube videos that would give you good info on the rough outline I lined out above.
Hope that gives you something to mull over, at least!
Josh