Hey guys i want to get into swimbait building. I bought some basswood and balsa already. I have tied jigs in the past but thats the only lure I've ever made. If anybody could lead me in the right direction and give me some tips that would be awesome. Also what lure to make first. I have designed a glide bait and drew it out but i also can see that maybe a rat bait could be an easier first build. Any  help is greatly appreciated. Thanks Guys!!!

I'm sure there's some good Youtube videos out there on how to build baits. I tried a long time ago. It's hard and requires way more patience than I had at the time. 

Design them however you want, outta whatever, balsa, basswood, clay. Ince you get it the way you want make a mold and use alumilte to cast as many as you want

Not trying to hijack this thread, but what do you guys use to seal to swim test a bait?

Great question dwtaylor. There are lots of different opinions and discussion regarding sealing wood baits out there. You can soak a blank in a liquid wood sealer such as Minwax etc., Or dip them in acetone or virgin lacquer thinner mixed with plastic particulate. (some use cut up plastic cups) The method I started with and have gone back to after much trial and error is E-Tex epoxy thinned a bit with denatured alcohol. It's a pain in the butt and takes longer but I have found no better sealer/wood hardener as a pre-paint base coat than thinned epoxy. It's easy to drill and patch for placing weights after water testing.