Turned Fishing Lures

Have some reel fun at the lathe

Some years ago, I came into possession of my grandfather’s tackle box: a well-seasoned Bakelite affair containing dozens of tangled lures. Some were modern, made of colorful plastic. Others were metal, rusted from years of casting for stripers in the salt waters of the Massachusetts Bay. Then there were a few hand-carved wooden lures complete with glass eyes. As a woodworker, it was these that really caught my eye.

Being no great shakes at carving, I wondered whether I might get a nibble or two with a turned lure. After a few fun hours in the shop followed by some time down at the river, I had my answer…of course you can turn your own lures. The hardware can be procured online (see Buyer’s Guide, below) or at your local bait & tackle shop. Here, I’ll show you how to make a couple of models—a walker and a popper—that work well for topwater bass fishing. I made the walker from cedar and the popper from maple, but poplar, basswood, or even balsa wood will also work. Try different shapes, sizes, and even materials—acrylic lures float well and don’t require paint or epoxy—to find the best lure for your fishing hole. Then reel in the big one.

School of Fish

The walker gets a straightforward torpedo shape, while the poppers are made two-at-a-time. The drilling, turning, and hardware are the same. A through-wire connects the tail hook to the fishing line so your catch can’t easily pull it off the lure. Add additional hooks on the belly using eye hooks. Penetrating epoxy goes on first to protect the wood, which is then painted. An epoxy overcoat provides another layer of protection and a clear shiny finish. Adhesive reflective eyes (see Buyer’s Guide, below) give the fish some added flash.

Poppers vs. Walkers

Poppers have a flat or concave face, which creates splashing and popping noises to attract fish. When reeling in, twitch the rod sporadically with a reel-reel-pause cadence to imitate a struggling baitfish. Walkers tend to be longer and more slender. Cast a walker long, then twitch the rod tip rhythmically, causing the lure to dart left and right as you reel in.

Paint scheming

See onlineEXTRAS for a video on painting realistic lures. Use the paint schemes below, or create your own. Or keep it simple and opt for a classic white and red paint scheme. Paint the body white. Then, when dry, dunk the head end into red paint at a slight angle. Either way, splashy movement, bright colors, and shiny eyes will trigger a fish to strike. Here are some other paint scheme examples:

Drill and shape

Start with a blank at least 1-1/2” square and an inch or two longer than your planned lure. Mark the center of one end and drill a 5/32”-dia. hole through the length of the body. The bit might drift as you drill, but that’s not a problem. Mount the blank on the lathe between centers, using the drill holes as center points. Turn the blank round first before turning the lure to shape with a spindle gouge or scraper. Sand through 220 grit.

Drill the body. Bore through the center of the blank with a 5⁄32” drill bit. Start with a standard bit to minimize flex when switching to an extended length drill bit.

Trim to size

Decide where the eyes will go, and draw a line around the turned lure at that location. Note, if you’re making a pair of poppers, you’ll mark and drill for two sets of eyes near the blank’s center. Chuck a 5/16” brad-point bit in your drill press and bore a shallow hole into the lure on the marked line. Then rotate the lure 180 degrees and repeat for the second eye. To add a hook along the belly of the lure, drill a hole now to receive a small eye hook. Then use either a handsaw or bandsaw to split the poppers, then cut the lure free of its square ends. Hollow the mouth of the poppers using a rotary carving burr. I mounted it in my drill press, but you can also turn to a rotary tool or flex shaft.

Drill for the eyes. Register the square ends against the drill press table and fence. Bore a 1⁄16” deep hole on the layout line you marked, centered across the thickness of the lure.

Cut the poppers. Split the poppers with an angled cut at the bandsaw. Take extra care when cutting, because the piece is unsupported right under the cut. Skip this step if you’re making a walker style lure.

Mill the mouth. For safety, grip the lure body in a handscrew clamp. Adjust the speed–these burrs are designed to work at 5000-25,000 RPM, but will work at slower speeds. Carefully lower the carving burr against the lure to create the mouth hollow, moving the clamp as necessary to get the right shape.

Finish and tackle

After sanding, coat the lure inside and out with penetrating epoxy. Once dry, give the lure a light sanding with 320 grit then apply your chosen paint scheme—choose from one of ours above or create your own design. Adhere the eyes in their holes. Then overcoat the whole lure with tabletop epoxy to add shine and protection. Press nose grommets into the ends of your lure. Then slide the wire through and tie it off at the tail. Install a split ring onto the tail loop (and onto any additional screw eyes) and attach a hook. Then get out there and cast a line.

Paint the lure. For a classic, two-color lure, paint the body white, then dip the head at an angle into another color. Or see onlineEXTRAS for a video on airbrushing some realism onto your lure.

Wire through. With the nose grommets in place, thread the long end of the wire through the lure from nose to tail until the premade loop butts against the nose with the doubled-back portion tucked inside.

Tie it off. Create a second loop at the tail end by bending the wire at about 45° before wrapping it around a 3⁄16” drill bit held upright in a vise. Tie the loop off and cinch things tight by wrapping the wire around itself where it emerges from the lure. Clip off the excess.