How to Make Your Own Hard Plastic Crank Bait Fishing Lures

Make your own custom hard plastic crank baits at home.

Plastic crank baits are used by anglers to attract and lure both fresh and salt water game fish at various depths in the water. Typically made of balsa wood or hard plastic, crank baits are designed to dive from a few feet to depths of well over 20 feet. Although plastic crank baits can be bought from many retailers, many anglers choose to make their own hard plastic crank baits to customize as well as save money.

Things You'll Need

• Hard plastic crank bait body
• Enamel paints
• Hobby paint brush
• Eye screws
• Split rings
• Treble hooks

Instructions

1. Obtain a hard plastic crank bait body from a tackle shop or consider recycling an old bait that may show signs of wear and use. Clean the hard plastic with soapy water, rinse and dry well to remove any debris or oils that may interfere with painting.

2. Choose enamel paints that match the type of bait fish you are attempting to imitate. Choose colors in shades of green and white, black and brown to imitate the natural coloring of many bait fish. Also use bright attractant colors such as red, yellow and orange to help imitate a wounded or injured fish and to provide flashes of color to encourage a strike.

3. Apply the enamel paint with a hobby brush. Build successive layers of color and detail making sure to allow each layer to dry before applying the next. A good method is to apply a base coat of off white to the entire lure followed by a coat of green or light green on the top portion of the lure. Black dots can be added along the back and a dot of red on the bottom to imitate an injury.

4. Insert an eye screw in the nose, tail and belly of the lure. Turn the small eye screws clockwise and completely insert the screws until the eyes of the screws are flush with the hard plastic body.

5. Thread a split ring onto the eye located on the belly and tail of the hard plastic crank bait. Choose a treble hook that complements the size of the lure and thread one treble hook onto each split ring.

Tips & Warnings

• The eye screw in the nose of the hard plastic crank bait will be used to attach the lure to the fishing line with a knot.

References

• Lure Making: Glued Minnow Bodies
• Jann's Net Craft: Hard Plastic Crank Bait Bodies