lefthandreel

Thanks for the info... appreciate it

Hey, Recently started making my own topwater baits... its been fun but I'm still pretty new to the whole craft. I was wondering what types of wood are used for the most part in lure building. I currently use Balsa which is great because its so light and buoyant... but on the other hand its really sensitive to anything that bumps into it... its frustrating after sanding and achieving a great shape to be able to screw it up by just bumping it against the vise... Long story short... Really want to start making cranks as well, and i'm not sure that balsa is going to cut it... Thanks in advance for your help. Lefthandreel

it kind of makes sense.... what kind of lures are you making? thanks for the help tho

Hey matt B.... I live in the tricities as well..... i dont have a boat but I've been out with some buddies who know the area pretty well.... If you are familiar with Howard amon park (Richland) ... thats a great starting point... you can fish a about 2 miles up stream up and down that bank.... i catch a lot of fish there in the summer including a coupla 3-4 lbrs... if you go downstream from howard amon park, all the way down to anthonys... theres great fishing all along that bank... Then right past 1-82 bridge ( right below anthonys just continue down the bank) You will see Batemane Island, and the Yakima River delta. All in there, there is great fishing.... Not only bass but cats as well if you like fishing from those As for baits.... Summertime, Tubes are great for producing fish... Topwater in the morning and evening... soft plastics especially senkos wacky rigged produce fish.... focus on green/brown/watermelon based colors though for hard baits, different colored cranks are awesome. Topwaters: i've mainly used brokeback floating rapalas and poppers... I hope this helps man! tight lines... lefthandreel 8-)

Like some of the other guys mentioned, the Potholes region of Central/Eastern area washington can be amazing.... THere are a coupla big reservoirs (Scooteney, Banks lake) but dont forget about some of the small lakes. Because of the terrain, they hid pretty darn good in the gullies ... Best thing i found to do was to use Google Earth and scan over areas closest to me ... I found a lot of lakes i woudlnt have thought were there... P.s. cant go wrong with the columbia if you get the chance.. just about anywhere....

Thanks for the info. Appreciate it.

Hi, I've been making topwater poppers out of balsa wood. The first popper I just used eye screws for the hook holders but then realized, after a smallie bent one of my trebles straight on a regular lure, (killer fish too ;D ) that the screws would strip out of the balsa wood. So i started through wire construction on the rest of my lures. So far it has been pretty good. One problem I keep having is when i run the wire through... I can only make an eye on one end of the bait, then I seal it off with epoxy then make the other eye for the end hook... But i dont really get my wire flush with the wood, and while it works, I dont really like the way it looks. Any tips? Also, any tips on how to make a maxrap (rapala) like shape?

Thanks all for the help! Churning out lures until i get my airbrush.

thanks. appreciate it.

I've just recently joined this forum, but been fishing for awhile. Anyways, I started making my own topwater plugs recently, mainly out of balsa. Making them hasn't been the difficult part. I cannot paint them with just spray paints. I tried, but the effect is rather bland. I would like to start airbrushing my lures; i've heard thats the most effective way to paint. Is there anyway I can get started with an airbrush for under 100-200 bucks? Thanks in advance. Lefthandreel.

Hey, so i'm not much of an expert. But recently, I also had a bunch of free time and started making my own topwater plugs. The best wood is most likely balsa, or basswood, or some other wood that is lightweight. Balsa is extremely soft wood, but unbelieviably light. I haven't yet worked with basswood. I got my stick of balsa at a hobby shop. I couldn't afford a lathe, as i had a limited budget. I started a basic design using a plane, and a dremel drill. To get nice cuts on the wood, even and straight, i used a miter box and saw. Hope that helps,