I Hope the Tuna and Kings Like Them

[shane]

So I've taken up a new hobby lately - making my own lures. Nothing special yet and I've realised I still have a lot to learn and skills to develop, but at least its a start.

I decided to start with bigger lures, particularly stick baits aimed at tuna and kingfish. You may (or may not) recognise the lures they're loosely based on, namely a xxxrap shallow stick bait and a little jack Sayoris, both well proven. I started with western red ceder, quickly shaped it with the dremel, through wired them, lead weighted, foiled them, painted with an air brush and finally coated with glass coat on a DIY rotator. Sounds simple but its taken a few weeks learning as I go. I'm not overly happy with the air brushing and clear coat (its lumpy, probably because it was a bit colder last night) but it's something to improve on. Overall I don't think the tuna and kings will mind too much. I'll find out on Saturday either way.

[Seasherpa]

How did you wire them Shane? Are they one piece cored out or are they two halves glued together?
Nice work by the way, the lines and markings on the back look like my go to x-rap that hooked (but didn't land) my tuna last year.

[shane]

How did you wire them Shane? Are they one piece cored out or are they two halves glued together?

They're drilled through with 1.2mm 316SS wire inserted. The gars have the top loop pre-made and crimped then threaded down to the bottom loop and back to the rear. With the green one I was able to use a slot cut for the lead to get it a bit neater. The other stick baits have a similar wire and loop made for the front then fed through a swivel that drops down for the middle loop and finally shaped and coiled for the end loop. The wire and loops should be strong enough to withstand most fish.

[Millzee]

Good luck mate, I hope they work hard for you and you nail some good fish, well done

[Jordo]

That's so cool, I hope they work

[Digger]

If I was a Tuna, I'd have a chew on them!!

[Smish]

Nothing more satisfying then seeing hours of work smashed by a big angry fish. Nice work!

[bjspinner]

Look good Shane, for the epoxy clear did you use a hairdryer to make the coating flow?

May help for next models if you didn't.

[shane]

Look good Shane, for the epoxy clear did you use a hairdryer to make the coating flow?

May help for next models if you didn't.

I had a tiny butane torch but only used it on bubbles. I also had a heat gun on hand but didn't want to blow any dust. Next time I'll be warming the epoxy first, picking warmer weather and using the heat gun to ensure a good flow during the early part. They looked great and evenly coated when I left them on the rotator around midnight but then they've slumped and run later as its set - disappointing but lesson learned.

[vicyak]

Shane they look good especially for a first attempt. Would be a a great feeling catching a big fish on a homemade lure. Personally I'm lazy. I would only try something like this when my kids are older and I want to pass some time.

I hope some Tuna and Kingies are caught this weekend. Although I will be so jealous.