Diving Baits

I thought it would be good to give those interested an insight into what goes into making a stick bait. Not all stick baits are the same and this is my take on one style of lure. These will be diving baits, they sit at 90 degrees to the water surface at rest with some practise and well timed rod work they swim with a diving, bubbling erratic action. They are what I would call a "finesse" bait, you do need co-ordination and favourable sea conditions to get the most out of these lures, but when you get it right....They are fish magnets! 

200mm Blanks

When finished these will be 200mm/95g baits. They start out as blanks cut from a clear straight grained piece of wood, wood species varies depending on the intended action of the lure. Good quality, well seasoned and a reliable source of wood should see baits that swim with a close action, they won't be identical as they are wood but that's what makes wooden lures great, every now and then you get one that is just "different".

The blanks are marked out using a template, they are also already drilled to accept the through-wire later on. The template is a shape I have tested and what I think looks good to the eye, no real science to it. 

Next stop.... The bandsaw.

Now I have an idea of the baits shape we can go to the bandsaw. This is a quick way for me to reduce the blank to a starting point for carving. Once cut I then can mark out other important features like belly swivel holes etc... I do this after the blank as I have found it to be more accurate. 

Ready for shaping.

With a shape to work to I can start carving/shaping the lure blank. I have adapted a tool to suit my purpose, the angled blade helps shear the timber as it's cut improving the finish. I have yet to spoil myself with a purpose built carving/whittling knife but I will one day. The chisel/knife has got to be sharp and I mean razor sharp. 

Ready for sanding.

The key here is keeping it symmetrical, sure it's not going to be machine perfect but your eye is a very good tool and is very accurate, getting your hands to do what the eyes see is another thing all together! 

I have been toying with the idea of making a machine that will produce these shapes for me, multiple axis and funny shapes it should be a fun/weird machine. Carving lures is great but my hands cramp after carving / sanding many lures. I have yet to start building this contraption but I have some ideas in my head that could work.... It could be safer that I carve them!

I will try and follow these lures through the process as I work on them, there is a lot to go yet!