Is anyone here making lures like the Heddons below? I was just thinking how easy it is to make a body like this from plastic rod or hardwood dowels. The back end could be turned on a lathe, and the mouth could be milled to almost any shape quickly.

 

 

Did you make these?

No, those are Heddons. They've caught my interest because of the shape. Most lures are shaped in a way that needs a mold (or a heck of a lot of patience) to duplicate. The torpedos are just modified cylinders, much easier to make by machining inexpensive stock.

 

 

Haven't finished it yet, but I'm working on carving a popper.  I don't have a lathe, so I've just been using a pocket knife, some sand paper, and an electric drill.  The electric drill fitted with a large bit drilled the majority of the mouth out, then I cleaned it up with a knife.

That's a lot of work when you do everything by hand. Even if you have power tools, shaping the body is only one aspect of the job. In my case, I have a small lathe and benchtop CNC mill, but it's still time consuming to set everything up and do the work. I have other interests that take up most of my spare time, so I have to approach things like this cautiously. I was thinking today about an easier way to make a small lure, maybe cutting a hollow aluminum tube to about  1.5" long with a slant on each end, then filling it with a balsa rod. That would eliminate a lot of the shaping time, and I don't think fish really care all that much if it's perfect. Also, painting aluminum is simple if you start with an etching primer. Maybe I'll give this a try, just to see if it's "fish approved."