# Adventures in crankbait building



## vc1111

Although I build almost exlclusively for musky and pike, the following can be applied to bass, walleye, etc, by simply resizing the templates.

Here's how you start...*(IF YOU ARE NOT AN ADULT, DO NOT TRY THIS STUFF ALONE...YOU CAN BE SERIOUSLY INJURED BY POWER TOOLS) Get help from an adult.*

You use a template, which you can draw yourself on graph paper, or borrow mine. I'll email templates to you guys if you'd like. That way you can easily print and/or resize them.

Let's start with an easy one... a minnow-style bait. You can paint it to match a variety of bait fish or other popular patterns.










You can simply resize this to be larger or smaller. The one shown above is approximately 6 inches long.



1. *You print a copy of the template on your printer.* You can draw your own if you'd like. Use the same process as outlined below.



2. *Cut off the excess paper around the edges. *You don't have to be exact, in fact its better to leave a little excess paper around the outline of the bait blank. On this one I cut close to the bottom so I could have a nice straight bottom (read on)











3.* Next simply glue the body to a piece of 1/2 poplar *using good ol Elmers Rubber Cement. (I didn't use poplar for this one but you get the idea):

















You don't have to fancy, just glue the template down and don't worry about a little excess rubber cement because it comes off the wood easily and leave no marks or stains.

*NOTE* that I glued the straight portion of the template to the edge of the wood. It saves you from having to make that cut with the bandsaw or coping saw and you have a perfectly straight edge when you're done.


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## vc1111

Continued...

4. *Now you cut out the shape of the bait*, using a jigsaw, coping saw, or as I prefer a small bandsaw. I got mine at a garage sale for $10. Yeeehaww! Here's what you wind up with:










5. *Next, you cut a slot in the bait for the lip*. In this case is should be on the bottom of the bait, at a slight angle. The sharper the angle (from the centerline of the bait, the shallower the bait will run. More on that later. 

*You can cut the slot with a coping saw, a bandsaw, or a table saw.* The slot should be 1/8 of an inch wide and about 1/2 into the bait. The lips, which you will make out of polycarbonate, come in 1/8 and 1/16 inch thicknesses. We'll talk about the lips and where to get polycarbonate later.

In this case I'm using 1/8 polycarbonate (aka Lexan) for the lip so Ill cut an 1/8 inch slot.

Now it just so happens that the average tablesaw blade usually makes a 1/8 cut, so I use my table saw. Clamp the blank down and make a pass and you have a nice clean lip slot (Practice a few cuts on a piece of scrap first, till you get the angle and the depth where you want it) Use the appropriate guide hickey to push the bait past the blade.

*SAFETY FIRST!* *IF YOU ARE NOT AN ADULT GET AN ADULT TO HELP YOU WITH ALL OF THIS*. POWER TOOLS ARE VERY UNFORGIVING.











6. *Drill holes where you'll attach the hooks and the line tie.* Its easier to do it now than after you've shaped the bait. The hook hangers and line tie are little eyescrews. We'll talk about that later, don't you worry.
*Try to center the holes you drill*, so that the bait hangs nice and straight when you're fishing. Here's where you'll need to drill with a* 3/32 drill bit*:

















Note the angle of the hole for the line tie ...see how I avoid drilling through the lip slot?


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## vc1111

6.Well cowboys and girls,* we're now ready to shape* this monkey. This can be done with files, rasps, and sandpaper, or you can use a table beltsander if you have one. I bought mine at Lowes, for about $80 (See where we're going here? The first fix is free, then you're hooked, and you become one of those guys you see all covered in sawdust, hanging out in those box stores droolin' over power tools, and...well nevermind...)

The shaping is easier than you think. *All you really have to do is round off the sharp edges.*

















Take your time and try to shape the bait evenly on both edges, top and bottom. 

Tigger uses a router for the shaping. (Smarty pants, city boy) He going to show me how later. 

Here's what you should have when you're done. 








All you need to do now is hit it with a little sandpaper, and you're ready for the final stages...


I'm sure you'll have questions. Fire away. I hope Tigger jumps in here and adds his comments and knowledge.

Next thread will be about making and attaching the lips and eyescrews for hook hangers and the line tie.


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## TexasRigged

Is that a Ryobi BT3x00 Tablesaw?


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## triton175

This is great! Keep 'em coming vc. I've got the tools but have never tried making lures. Looks like fun.
Brian


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## vc1111

No its not a Ryobi. It's fm Sears. Its just an entry level tablesaw.

Thanks, Triton. I hope you give it a try.

I'll email the templates to anyone that wants to try them.


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## TexasRigged

Well, many of the craftsman tablesaws are actually made by ryobi. Does it have a sliding miter table? I love my BT3100. Best saw you can get for less than $400 and I got mine for $200. TOo bad they discontinued them.


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## vc1111

Yes, it does.

I wouldn't doubt that mine was made by Ryobi too.


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## lazy

Im definitely not as talented as VC or Tigger but Ill post my method to give viewers a choice of methods. I basically make my lures the same as VC with a couple of difference. I make a paper template and lightly spray the template with 3M Super Multi-propose spray adhesive to attach it to the wood. If the template is lightly sprayed it can be removed and used again, perhaps it can with other adhesives also, Im not sure. After rough cutting the lure and using the belt sander to sand to the template line then mark and drill the lure as needed. When I first started I had a hard time getting the eyes in the same location on both sides of the lure. I solved this problem using an awl to mark the eye location on the template side of the lure while the template was still in place. Then gently peel the template off, flip the lure and template over; align the template with the opposite side of the lure and use the hole made my the awl to mark the other side of the lure which gives me a exact alignment for the eyes on both sides. 

Since the lures I make are larger flat sided musky lures I use a round over bit fitted with a bearing in a table mounted router to round over the edges of the lure.
I made a simple guard to cover the bit to protect my fingers in case of a slip and I have a starting peg inserted in the router plate to lay the lure against before it contacts the bit to prevent it from jerking on contact.










I use this method to make larger flat sided musky lures and even with the guard in place under no circumstance would attempt to round over a smaller bass size lure or any lure other than a flat sided lure. I would also never use the router without a guard in place to protect the fingers in case of a slip. As mentioned in other post When using power tools Think Safety First, Im sure theres a reason why we dont have any lure makers called Stubby.


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## Pike

Awesome, post and great looking lures. How long does it take to complete a lure (before painting). 

Pike


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## vc1111

> When I first started I had a hard time getting the eyes in the same location on both sides of the lure. I solved this problem using an awl to mark the eye location on the template side of the lure while the template was still in place. Then gently peel the template off, flip the lure and template over; align the template with the opposite side of the lure and use the hole made my the awl to mark the other side of the lure which gives me a exact alignment for the eyes on both sides.


*Excellent idea, lazy!
*
I do a lot of shaping on the heads of most of the crankbaits I build so I'd have to modify your idea a little. In other words, I taper the head and tail of the crankbait body, so I'd probably wind up sanding off the awl marks unless I could make them deep enough.

I've considered drilling a hole straight through to mark the center of the eye location (I struggle to align them too), but I don't have a drill press and have a hard time drilling a perfectly perpendicular hole.

I like your idea though. Please post some of your baits along with any pictures that might show your methods as opposed to mine.

I was purposely trying to keep the tutorial simple so I chose a plain body and didn't illustrate any carving or more radical shaping. We can get into that later.

Anyway, feel free to jump in; I'd really like to learn any new tips I can get my hands on!

*Pike*, the bait illustrated above took me about 15 minutes to cut and shape. Others take a little longer, but its like anything else, you get a little faster as time goes on.


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## lazy

VC,
I have drilled through the lures to mark both sides but I also have a table top drill press which keeps the bit at a 90 angle but I&#8217;m sure a simple jig could be made to serve the same purpose when using a hand held drill. I have broken a lot of small drill bits when drilling holes for hook hangers, etc. So I started using a nail which closely matches the drill bit size I would normally use and found it works just as well if not better than a drill bit. They are cheaper than drill bits and they don&#8217;t break. I just cut the head off the nail, chuck it in the drill and have at it. The point on the nail keeps it from wondering off the mark you&#8217;re starting you hole which also helps. 

I&#8217;m off to the Ohio Musky Show tomorrow but I&#8217;ll see if I can post some pictures my lures in a day or two. But I must warn you they are plain Jane lures compared to those you and Tigger have posted.

Dallas


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## vc1111

Most of what I make is also plain jane stuff, lazy. I'm mostly interested in catching muskies, etc. 

Hope you have a great time at the show tomorrow. I hear its always a good one.

Looking forward to your pics.


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## ShakeDown

Wow. What a sweet post & instruction. Never tried to make my own, and after reading that I'm not sure I want to


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## eyesman_01

Never made a crank myself, but figure I'm gonna give it a try for walleye cranks (trolling). Great post. Will be looking forward to the next one.


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## vc1111

Here are some other body configurations you can try. Each is produced using the same methods outlined on this thread.










The top one is made of a newer material available at Home Depot and Lowes. Its made of the same material that is used in PVC pipe. I'm still experimenting with it. It seems a bit brittle, but it cuts and shapes nicely. I've been told that you MUST wear a mask and goggles when cutting the stuff because its dust is toxic. 

Note that the bottom two bait bodies have thinner slots for the lip. That is because I'm going to use thinner Lexan for the lips. I generally use 1/8 Lexan for the musky baits and 1/16 inch for smaller baits.

The rest of the baits are made of poplar or cherry.

*I'll be writing another thread this week to show how to make lips out of Lexan. You may also buy the lips* (which make the lure dive) from Rollie and Helen's musky shop in a variety of sizes, and from other sources also. Here's a link:

http://www.muskyshop.com/modules/web/index.php/id/1

Call them with any question you have about ordering lips and order a catalog from them while you're at it. They are great people to deal with and their service is excellent.



Here's a new one I just finished making a few minutes ago:









Note how the back is a little more protruded than the one I explained at the top of this thread, when I showed how to cut them on the bandsaw. The variation was accomplished by simply resizing the template with a photoshop type program that allows you to resize. I simply enlarged the width of the bait.

During the carving process, I also used 1/2 cherry and tapered the bait toward the nose and the tail areas on the back. Here's a top view of the same bait:









To taper the back you simply draw a line with a pencil down the center of the bait (lengthwise) and use that as a guide as you shave the tail and the nose on the beltsander.

You simply lay it on the beltsander and sand one side of the tail and then flip the bait over and sand the other side. The pencil line serves as a guide to allow you to judge how much you've sanded off each side of the bait as you go along. Put pressure on the tail when you lay it on the beltsander and you'll get a tapered effect with the tail area thinner than the middle of the back.

You do the same thing to the head area of the bait, sanding one side of the nose and then the other tapering it so that the nose/head area of the bait is thinner than the back.

When your done you smooth it out with a bit of sandpaper and you've got a nice symmetrical body which looks more like an actual baitfish than a plain flat-sided bait.

Take another look at the bait samples in the first photo. Notice that there are two on the left that have carved gill plates. I'll explain how to do that later also. Its also easy to do with a rotary tool such as a dremel.


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## vc1111

Here are a few that are cut, shaped, slightly carved, foiled, and ready for paint:
























Here are the same baits after squirting some paint at them:

























The top bait baited in a Tennesse Shad pattern has produced a number of muskies already. (I'll be making variations that one!)
We can discuss how to make these step by step as time goes on.


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## lazy

Good looking designs VC. The Tennessee Shad pattern looks like a fish catcher for sure.

Dallas


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## eyesman_01

On the ones where the line tie is in the lip, are you using a thru wire setup or screw eyes (for hook hangers) with the wire for the line tie ending just inside the bait?


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## vc1111

Thanks, lazy.

eyesman, I uses screw eyes for the hook hangers and bucktail-type spinner wire for the hook hangers. As you suggested, they go just inside the nose about 3/4 inch.


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## lazy

VC,

Have you ever had any problems with the lips loosening or pulling off using that method ?

Dallas


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## vc1111

No, the lips installed in that fashion are bulletproof, bombproof, and muskyproof.

I have a friend that is as strong as a gorilla. I handed him one of the baits with a big lip on it so he could get a good hold on it and apply as much leverage as possible. He could not get the lip to detach, break loose, or otherwise fail. He was amazed. 

I've been using the baits I make to the exclusion of all others for about 2 years now and have boated over 70 muskies in that time without a failure of any type on the baits built in the fashion being shown within the threads we're posting now and in the near future.

Great question though and one that shows me you appreciate building a quality bait that will hold up to the real world of our local waters and freshwater species.

I'll post a separate thread on the making and installation of the Lexan lips and you'll see why they are so tough.


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## lazy

Thanks VC. I know a wood joint glued with wood glue is actually stronger than the surrounding wood and I though the same should be true with epoxy but I wanted to be sure. I have thought about making through wire baits but it looks like your method would be the best of both worlds.

Dallas


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## freyedknot

ever use metal lips? i know i will make some and try some husky jerks too


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## eyesman_01

I bought some basswood last night at Wally World in the craft section. I was going to use some cedar I had laying around, but after reading some posts on another web site, I'll wait til it warms up and I have better ventilation to work with it.

First attempt. Wish me luck.


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## vc1111

Sorry I didn't see your post earlier, Freyedknot. Yes, I have made a few metal lips out of stainless steel. I use .22 gauge and shape them on the grinder. I'm working on getting a blade for my tablesaw that is supposed to be able to cut stainless. It's a real bear to cut with a jigsaw or a dremel.

I've used only polycarbonate (Lexan) lips up to this point, so I'm looking forward to trying out some stainless steel lips to see what kind of vibration I can get from the stuff.

Tigger uses aluminum too and its working great for him.


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