I'm going to try to make 5-7 inch spooks on a lathe just like the heddon Zara spook, what wood is good to use and also what is a good size weight to add to the rear of the bait, I'm open to any tips and advise thanks.

Balsa

If you use balsa to make lures you will need to do a through-wire for the hook hangers, as balsa is not dense enough for screw eyes. I use .032" wire for this. Another option is basswood or pine, which is dense enough to use screw eyes on. Balsa will also be a difficult wood to turn, as it tends to splinter off and break apart. 

 

As for weighting, it all depends on the size of the bait and the type of wood used (e.g. balsa will require more weight than basswood.) One sure fire way to copy a spook is to sacrifice one and take it apart to see where everything is located (and weigh everything on a gram scale, most of the time lead weights are not exactly the weight that they are marked as.) I like my walk the dog type lures to sit lower in the tail, so I will add slightly more weight to the rear end, and then another smaller ballast weight near the front hook hanger (you already mentioned weighting the rear, so I'm assuming you knew that.) I would just experiment until you find something that works (and make notes of the results of your experiments so you can duplicate what works.) Also I would recommend drilling your ballast holes, hook hangers, etc. in the block of wood before turning it so you can be sure that they are dead center.

 

You sound like you have a pretty good idea on what you're trying to do, so I'm sure you'll figure it out.  

 

Check out http://tackleunderground.com if you haven't already. It's a forum for tacklemaking and there is extremely detailed information there on all of this.

 

BTW, I'm not a balsa hater... I use it often to make jerkbaits, and cranks, etc. 

I like it to sit lower in the rear so would a 1/8 work or should I do 3/16, I prefer to try to get right the first time and not have to experiment with weights, I'm probably going to use white pine pre turned bodies to see if I like even using home made ones first, the are 5.5 inches long

I like it to sit lower in the rear so would a 1/8 work or should I do 3/16, I prefer to try to get right the first time and not have to experiment with weights, I'm probably going to use white pine pre turned bodies to see if I like even using home made ones first, the are 5.5 inches long

If that's the case then maybe you should just buy them from the tackle shop. The whole reason I choose to make my own baits is so I can customize them to my liking. Trial and error is part of the fun (at least for me.) 

 

A spook type bait will probably work in some capacity as long as it floats (not more dense than water.) Making one that works as good or better than store bought will require some serious R&D, but is well worth it in the end when you catch a fish on a hand crafted lure. 

 

Post pics if you build some.

Just a tip that works for me, the balls on a budget! I have used drift wood to make all kinds of baits from walk the dog type baits, poppers, jerks, and cranks. It floats and alot of times you can find something almost the shape you're looking for. Best part is that it's free. I use wood filler on the imperfections, paint, and seal with epoxy.

Jay