How to Make Wooden Crappie Lures
Wooden crappie lure making is fun and saves money over pre-made wooden lures. Wooden lures can be made from almost any wood but balsa and cedar are two popular choices. If this is your first attempt, a lure kit is a good way to start because you'll have every part, in the correct size, to complete the lure. There are several general shapes for wooden lures. Some are round in cross-section and others are oval in cross-section. Some lures are long and thin like bait fish and other lures are short and rounder. Any choices you make will catch crappies.
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Things You'll Need
- Bench vise
- Wood lure body
- Screw eyes
- Treble hooks
- Split-rings
- Split-ring pliers
- Hand drill or drill press
- Waterproof wood glue
- Waterproof paint
- Brush
Instructions
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1
Secure the wood lure body in a vise and drill three holes; one near the tail, one near the head and one at the nose to be used for attaching the fishing line. The rear two holes should be far enough apart so the treble hooks, once attached, cannot reach each other.
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2
Put waterproof glue into each drilled hole and screw one screw eye into each hole. Seat each screw eye close to the wood body.
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3
Select a paint scheme and brush on the waterproof paint. Let the paint dry.
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4
Paint on any details or add plastic eyes (optional). You can also add a plastic skirt if wanted (optional).
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5
Open a split-ring using the split-ring pliers and put a split-ring on each of the three screw eyes.
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Open the rear two split-rings and slide on a treble hook. If the holes were spaced correctly, the treble hooks will not be able to foul each other. The wooden crappie lure is complete.
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Tips & Warnings
If you carve your own wooden crappie lure bodies you have unlimited choices in size and weight. Both balsa wood and cedar are common choices.
Bodies can be turned from round stock or made to look flat, like most bait fish crappies feed on.
Additional features can be added during the construction stage. For example, a diving lip can be screwed on below the front screw eye to make the lure swim below the surface. Similarly, a propeller can be added to the front screw eye. As this propeller turns, it makes a commotion that will attract crappies even before they see the lure.
Crappies are relatively small fish so wooden crappie lures should be sized appropriately. Lures in the one to two-inch range are about right.
