Does anybody make their own crankbaits? Got any Tips for a beginner? Im going to try and make a topwater popper. If that goes good... I may make more. This is as far as I got today. ;D

Trace a pattern on the wood, and then cut it out with a band saw. It looks like your hunk of wood might still be a little big. Leave some room when you cut out the popper, so you can sand it down smooth. Good Luck, and don't give up if it doesn't work the first time.

Thanks will. I figured I would get at least two baits out of this peice of wood. Do you think a Popper is a good choice to start out on? Or is Thair a more "beginner friendly" design? Thanks.

There are alot of knowledgeable people here, but I think everyone would agree that the TackleUnderground website is the definitive site for lure making.  You will find almost everything you need there.

The first bait I ever made was a popper, I cut it out of a broom handle. So as far as simplicity a popper is one of the best baits for beginners.

Hope this helps.

Spooks are also a fairly simple lure to make and start with.

Some of the best advise has already been given, tackleunderground.com is tops and I also like stripersonline.com, their lurebuilding section.

I make crankbaits and only rarely a top water but it is a great hobby and you will not forget your first fish caught on a bait you made.

I changed my mind and decided to go with a crankbait for the first one.......

This is the pattern I drew then cut out with a jig saw

This is after some rough shaping with a knife

This is after sanding it down and prepairing for primer

This is after I painted the primer on

Next is making a bill and installing it.

I had to cover two shifts today at work and got bored so, I cut the end off a broom handle and carved out this little guy. He is gonna be a popper. ;D

Your going to need to glue in some belly weight in that crankbait to make it sit right in the water. It also helps the bait to track right while its swimming and easier to cast. it looks like a great shaped bait  

Bryce, check your PM's. One word of advice, cut the lip slot and drill for your hardware before the block is shaped, this will help you keep things centered as you progress. Like Chris said you will need some belly weight to make the bait sit properly in the water. Main thing keep everything as straight, true and aligned, the bait can be ugly as sin but if its made correctly and runs true it will catch fish.

Well it was another long day at work so I had a little time on my hands to make this cool contraption. I was geting tired of my fingerprints getting stuck to my freshly painted popper.

And here is the paint job... What do you guys think? I hope to get an air brush soon cause the paint brush and little bottles dont look that great :-/

Dude!! Thats a great  popper! Especially for your first one. Are you going to add hooks and things onto it?

Looking good. Use Lexan for the lips and not plexi glass I heard it cracks easy. 2 part epoxy works great for holding in hook screws if thats what you are going to do.

Dude!! Thats a great popper! Especially for your first one. Are you going to add hooks and things onto it?

Thanks ;D

Whittler told me how to make hook screws and stuff. So hopefully I will get to try it out this weekend.

Thanks for the advice everyone.

sweet paintjob man, looks a million times better than the first one I made...

Gee you guys are doing things the hard way!!  Go to Hobby Lobby and buy some 1/4 inch Balsa thin strips.  I think they come 2 ft long and a 1/4 inch thick.  Cut the shape of the crank you want TWICE.  Build a harness out of copper wire and add a ballast weight (Bullet sinker will work).  Sandwich the harness between the 2 patterns and glue it together.  Then cut out the bill shape and sand the edges smooth.  Instant flat crank.  Might take you 20 minutes to make a crank and requires NO carving.  The trick is getting the harness right and cutting the bill slot at the right angle.  Rest is simple.

T Mike

BASSMAN, in your first pic, is that a magazine to the right of the block of wood? lol  ;D

LOL. No thats my mouse pad. I got it from a riding pant company that was giving away free stuff.

triton_mike: Could you post a pic to show us how the finished product looks?