How to Make Personalized Fishing Lures

Spoon lures have been around for a couple thousand years. They can be casted, trolled or jigged and are easily made for a few cents.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Spoon lure
• Fine sandpaper
• Piece of steel
• Drill
• File
• Glue or scotch tape
• Scrap sheet, pipe or tube metal
• Metal shears or a hacksaw
• Pencil and paper
• Medium or small size split rings
• Piece of board
• Treble hooks

1. Locate some scrap sheet, pipe or tube pieces of aluminum, copper, brass or nickel. Aluminum is the easiest to work with. It doesn't cast as well because it is so light. However, this is also an asset when the fish are sluggish, you are fishing over green lights at night or you are trolling in very shallow water.

2. Go to a source of fishing tackle and get some medium or small size split rings and some treble hooks if you don't already have some in your tackle box.

3. Take a spoon lure that you like, remove the split rings (top and bottom) and hook. Put it on a piece of paper, trace around the edge of the spoon and cut out the pattern. Make several while you are at it.

4. Cut through tubing or pipe lengthwise with metal shears or a hacksaw so you can bend or hammer the material more or less flat. Be sure the piece is big enough for the pattern. Skip this step if your scrap is already flat.

5. Secure the pattern to the metal with glue or completely cover it with scotch tape. Saw around the pattern with a hacksaw in straight lines, then come back and saw off the resulting tips. At this point, the edges do not have to be perfect.

6. Put the rough spoon on a piece of board. Take a piece of steel such as the end of an Allen wrench or the big end of a nail punch. Place it on the center of the spoon and begin tapping it with a hammer, working in ever larger circles toward the perimeter of the spoon. Keep the spoon in the same spot on the board which is slowly being compressed into a spoon shape, as is the spoon.

7. Shape the edge with a file. Drill a hole in the top and bottom for a split ring and sand the spoon with fine sand paper. Polish the spoon if you want to get fancy, but the nicks and scratches may actually increase its effectiveness. Put on split rings and the hook. Drag the spoon through the water to make sure it wiggles (If it doesn't, make it a little more concave) and doesn't roll (if it does, look down the long axis and warp it so the front and back are on the same plane).

Tips & Warnings

• If you are fishing in bright sunlight it is a good idea to polish the lure before going out. In twilight and over green lights it is more effective to leave it dull.