Making Wooden Fishing Lures

[Steviegwood]

Hi Y'all, I got the book Making Wooden Fishing Lures by Rich Rousseau and was wondering if anyone has ever made any wooden fishing lures? I am still unable to use my hand so no cutting for me yet. It sure does look like it will be a lot of fun. If anyone has made any, please share some pics and any of the dos and do nots. Also if you have made any that really catch fish, I would be interested in seeing the finish on them. Thanks. Steve

[m_r_dxn]

I can't wait to follow this one. I've thought about getting into that for ages. Maybe this thread will be the push I need! I used to make calls and tie bass flies...(even got into making my own "primitive" archery gear for a while). There is just something so satisfying about using gear that you made yourself to take game or fish!

This would be a real neat way to practice compound cutting!

[Steviegwood]

Well it will sure get me used to shaping wood and that may be the push that I need to try intarsia also. I hope to come up with some lures to catch musky. There are a lot of musky in the lakes that I fish in central WV but the lures are so darned expensive. Steve

[Randy Huckeby]

Steve,
There was an article in Woodcarving Illustrated a few years back with patterns. I can't remember the authors name but would recognize it if I heard it again. As I recall he had caught a Northern Pike on it, but they will bite on anything. I like to make fish decoys that are used in a darkhouse to spear Northerns through the ice. Every year in Perham, Minnesota in April (This year it is the 17th & 18th) they have a big show & competions for realism, swimming abilities, & so forth. They also have many vendors that sell decoys & hunting & fishing collectibles. I have a little business (Hucks Knives & Collectibles) & I plan on having a couple of tables at this years show. Along with knives I also have a few pictures of fish decoys on my website. www.HucksKnives.com

P.S. I do cut out the patterns either on my band saw or scroll saw depending on their size.

[m_r_dxn]

Hey, Randy. I really like those decoys on your website. Very cool! But I was wondering if you could explain the concept of using decoys to a southern boy. How/why would you use a fish decoy? I've never heard of this before and you've definitely pricked my curiosity!

[WoodCarverOH]

Latest edition of Carving Magazine has section on fishing lures. How to, collecting, painting.

[Steviegwood]

now I could see the rainbow trout as a lure catching musky. The state record for musky was caught by someone who was trout fishing and the musky get into a feeding frenzy when they stock the trout. Steve

[Randy Huckeby]

Only a handful of states allow spearing anymore, but spearing fish using a decoy goes back forever & was probably started by the Native Americans trying to obtain food in the winter. They would chop a hole in the ice & then lay down over the hole & cover themselves & the hole with a buffalo blanket so that no light could enter the hole. They would then jig a decoy which was probably carved from bone & when a fish would come into the hole to check out the decoy they would throw a spear which was attatched to a rope & pull the fish in. We use a small darkhouse today which is constructed so no light can get in & cut about a 2' X 3' hole in the ice. The darkhouse is heated & we sit on a chair or bench & jig our wooden decoy which has some lead poured in the body to make it sink & then if our decoy has a wooden tail we will carve it to curve either left or right so that we can get it to swim in a circle & imitate a sick or wounded fish. We also make some with metal tales & then we can bend them to swim either left or right. A line is attatched to the spear & then to an eyehook in the house. Decoys come in all sizes & shapes. Some are designed as frogs, turtles, mice, & whatever you can imagine. I know a fellow who would use a metal shoehorn occasionally. Live sucker minnows or chubs as they are sometimes called are used sometimes & special harnesses are manufactured for their use. All though decoys are made to resemble every kind of fish in the universe, it is generally felt by a majority of the spearfisherman that a red & white decoy works best a majority of the time, probably because it looks like blood. Spearing is a whole lot of fun because it is a lot like hunting & while trying to decoy in a Northern Pike it is fun to watch what goes on under the ice. Usually when the perch scatter there is a Northern in the area. You can usually get bigger fish when spearing verses angling.