http://susquehannafishing.com/
By Bryan Wilhelm
This is the first of what is to be a series of articles for anglers who may be interested in making their own fishing tackle. Like previous articles in SFM on making and fishing jigs, the purpose of this series is to introduce interested anglers to the procedures of tackle making. Subsequent articles will cascade through intermediate level projects, ending with more complex ones like making wooden crank baits, painted and finished to commercial quality or beyond.
We will begin with a simple project requiring only a few tools using purchased materials while learning elementary skill.
Stay with me through the whole series of articles to gain an understanding of how homemade lures are built and what makes a great lure work. Follow along…because all of the lures you make will attract and catch many of the Susquehanna regional sport fishes.
Our first project works magic on bass, pan fish and trout. It is the 1/8 ounce inline spinner.
There are just a few basic tools which are needed. They are: 1.Round nose pliers 2. Wire cutters. If you plan to continue making lures for a while, buy quality tools that will last for years. Many of the tackle component suppliers sell these quality tools.
Buy a kit of all the needed parts from your local tackle shop or one of the online/mail order houses like www.lurepartsonline .com (formerly Stamina Components) or www.Jannsnetcraft.com. This will allow you to focus on learning tactile procedures of this craft without all the complications of trying to determine part selection, sizes and compatibility.
As we work, I will describe proper techniques and correct procedure and include photo examples to guide you. The results of your work will be effective fishing lures you will be proud to use.
Let’s get started...
What follows are all the parts you will be working with:
- 6” piece of .031 wire with a readymade loop on one end
- Spinner blade
- Wire clevis
- 1/8” bearing bead
- Brass lure body
- Number 6 treble hook
- Colored plastic tube as embellishment for the hook shank
To become familiar with what we will do… if you have a computer or a way to go online checkout http://www.youtube.com/user/JannsNetcraftTV. Play the video…it shows all the steps we will go through to make our inline spinners.
Assembly –
1. Insert a clevis into the hole in a spinner blade.
2. Slide the blade clevis assembly onto the 6’ wire perform with the convex or rounded side of the blade facing the pre-formed loop in the wire.
3. Slide a bead bearing onto the wire.
4. Slide a brass lure body onto the wire (as shown in photo no.1).
5. Slide a ½’ piece of colored plastic tube onto a treble hook shank.
6. Bend the end of wire into an open loop 1” from the lure body.
7. Add the treble hook and close the wire loop. Your finished lure should look like this (see photo no. 2 of finished lure).
Photo #1
Photo #2
This is all there is to this. It is a nice and easy way, to make a great lure. I like easy! Improving your spinner – to reduce line twist while fishing, bend the loop end of your lure that the loop is off center from the shaft like this (see photo no. 3). This will reduce the lure tendency of rolling on the retrieve.
Photo #3
Now that you have confidence working with these tools and materials…start all over again with larger parts to make several ¼ ounce lures.
When finished, you will have produced a number of new lures to add to your fishing gear. Use these skills to create your own hand crafted lures. You can expand on what you have learned here to make very light spinners using plastic beads for fly fishing and huge spinners with larger blades and larger, heavier bodies for larger fish like musky.
I recommend fishing these 1/8 ounce lures on a 5 to 5 ½ foot spinning rod spooled with 4 or 6 pound test monofilament line. Inline spinner lures combine flash with vibration –
a winning combination to catch crappie, smallmouth bass, largemouth bass and trout.
One tip for fishing spinners in moving water - cast across current. Immediately begin your retrieve when your lure touches down. Vary the speed of your retrieve to suite the flowing water you are fishing. Whenever the water color is murky or stained…try a spinner….and hang on!
Have fun fishing!
Bryan Wilhelm is a multi-species light tackle angler with many years experience both as a professional and a sportsman on the lower Susquehanna River. His zeal for fishing grows each passing year. We look forward to him sharing his experiences.
