How to Make Wooden Fishing Plugs
Wooden lures have been made for more than a century and successfully used for many types of fishing. Lures today are made from plastic or fiberglass, and can have numerous bells and whistles attached to them, making some brands quite expensive. Making your own lures can be a fun project, and many anglers consider lure making a form of art. You can construct a wooden plug lure to look like any type of bait that you need to catch the particular fish you're looking for. Using a quality wood is recommended, and traditionally wooden plugs were made from white or red cedar, though most woods can be used.
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Things You'll Need
- Drill
- Barbed hooks
- Eye-screws
- Paint
- Circular saw
- Cedar wood block
- Pencil
- Knife
- Tape
Instructions
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1
Obtain a block of white or red cedar. You'll only need a 1-by-1-inch block about 4 inches long.
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2
Draw the lure pattern onto all four sides. Designate two sides as "top-bottom view," and the other two sides as "side view." Create the pattern however you wish, though typically a wooden plug is shaped somewhat like a torpedo. You can do this freehand, or use a stencil if you want to ensure that the shape will be equal on all four sides.
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3
Choose one side and cut along the side-view pattern lines with a circular saw. Cut from end to end over the lines. You should end up with three pieces of wood.
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4
Tape the pieces of wood back together then cut through the top-bottom view pattern lines. Remove the tape and you will have a rough cut plug.
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5
Sand the edges down using coarse 60-grit sandpaper until a rough torpedo shape is achieved. Use a carving knife to whittle any rough spots down, and create any body features such as fins or gills into the wood if you desire.
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6
Sand the plug again using 120-grit sandpaper to smooth the surface, then use an extra fine 400-grit sandpaper to smooth the wood into a paintable surface. Paint the plug whichever colors you desire, and paint an eye on both sides of the head-end.
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7
Drill in a pilot hole on the plug's tail-end. The hole should be slightly smaller in diameter than the eye-screw that you will insert and hang a barb onto. You can use any size screw and barb you prefer, and you can place another barb screw under the plug's head-end if you wish.
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Tips & Warnings
Try to shape your wooden plug to look like a specific type of bait fish for a lifelike appearance and better fishing results.
Wear eye and ear protection when using a circular saw. Keep hands clear of the rotating saw blade at all times.
References
- Photo Credit fishing lures image by itsallgood from Fotolia.com
