I’ve been slapping together a few new wooden crankbaits for The River this fall and thought I’d share some interim states on a few different styles of baits that I make.
I suppose a basic primer is in order for the uninitiated. Balsa baits are generally made from a few basic components:
- The wooden lure body
- Ballast, usually lead
- The through-wires, which run through the body of the bait and provide the loops to which the line and hooks are attached
The diving crankbait has been formed, weighted and I have installed the plastic lip. It’s ready for sealing, paint and topcoating. It’s the most complete.
The lipless crankbait has been formed and split down the middle to install the ballast and throughwires. The throughwires are an important structural component of most wooden baits, especially for the balsa wood that I use. If you were to use a screw-in eyelet a fish could pull it out of the body of the bait fairly easily.
The big topwater popper is a freakbait. At this point all that I know is that it floats properly. I have no idea how this bait will turn out. I decided to see if I could make a somewhat round lure by hand without the aid of a lathe. It has been formed and the throughwires and weights installed. It needs to be filled with wood putty and re-sanded.
My plan is to provide some detailed posts about these builds. For now, enjoy the pics.
