Lures are used when fishing for predatory fish, such as bass, pike and catfish, which by their nature will attack other fish when they are hungry, i.e. to eat them, to protect their territory or simply for no other purpose than out of pure aggression, which is a killers instinct. It is a common misconception that lures are used to replace a natural bait or food source and anglers use them to entice the fish to attack, and hook itself in the process, rather than eat the lure.
Predatory fish have large bony mouths that are often lined with sharp teeth, and these combined with powerful jaw muscles means any lure used in catching these fish have to be tough, strong and durable otherwise the lure could simply snap in half or break when the fish attacks it. Because of this lures are often constructed out of strong plastic or metal since these materials are up to the challenge.
Obtaining suitable plastic for lure making and then going through the process of moulding it or shaping it to the desired shape is difficult and often requires the use of specialist tools and equipment, which many people don’t have access to. On the other hand metal is in plentiful supply, and whilst it may take a file, tin snips, pliers and a whole host of other tools (all of which most of us have) and a bit of time and force to shape, metal is the recommended material to make lures with.
Many shop bought lures are made to replicate a small fish in both shape and colour, which is strange. The lure is used to provoke an attack and if a predatory fish is going to strike the size, shape and appearance of the lure is not going to make a difference so there is no need to shape a homemade lure this way. The only advantage of making it like a small fish is that this torpedo shape will cut through the water easily and create little drag on retrieving the lure.
A homemade lure needs to attract the attention of the predatory fish. The fish need to see the lure as obtrusive and a threat, and bold colours are not always the way to go about this especially given that many predatory fish hunt by sense rather than sight. Because of this it is better to focus on the way the lure moves through the water rather than its appearance. Rather than having a lure that travels through the water in a straight line at a uniform depth it is better to have a lure that will move about, hence covering more water, and wobble or vibrate in a threatening way. This wobbling movement is achieved by putting a curve or a vane on the lure as this creates a bit of additional drag on a specific point of the lure, which will make it wobble.
One of the best items for making a lure is the common spoon, which is readily available in a variety of shapes and sizes. So how do you make a lure from a spoon?
Firstly, you’re going to need a way of attaching the line to the spoon and the best way of doing this is to drill a hole at one end. It makes no difference whether the round end or the handle is used, it is entirely up to the individual, although the chosen end will affect the way the final lure moves in the water. Once the decision is made, in this example we will use the handle end, drill a small hole.
It is not advisable to tie the line directly through this hole since retrieving this homemade lure will not only result in the line twisting and kinking, which will eventually lead to it snapping, but the hole is likely to be sharp which will eventually cut through the line leading to a lost lure. The way around this is to attach a barrel swivel, which is a small piece of metal with a freely rotating body hence ensuring the line doesn’t twist or kink on retrieval of the lure. The swivel is attached to the spoon by threading a thing piece of crimping wire through the hole in the spoon and then crimping it to the end of the swivel, leaving a free end to which the line can be safely tied.
All lures need hooks and these need to be attached to the spoon. Because of the hard and bony mouth of predatory fish single hooks may bounce off and not grab hold. To overcome this treble hooks, which are the fishing hook equivalent of a three pronged grappling hook, should be used. As with all hooks ensure the treble hooks are barbless or if they are micro barbed, that the barb is nipped up with a pair of pliers to avoid damaging the fish.
In order to mount the hooks another hole needs to be drilled in the spoon. Through this hole a small wire split ring, the miniature version of key chain rings, should be threaded through the hole. The treble hook can then be threaded on to the ring. These small rings are available from all tackle shops so are easily obtainable.
In order to increase the chances of hooking any predatory fish that attack the lure it is advisable to have two, or even three sets of treble hooks on the lure. One should be tacked right at the back of the lure and the remaining treble half along the lure if using two sets of treble hooks. If using three then the hooks should be equally spaced out along the length of the lure. All hooks should be mounted using the metal split ring method.
Once the hooks have been attached the basic lure is made and ready for use. Many people will customise the lures even further by bending the spoon in places to create an area that will drag in the water and create an exaggerated wobble, or by adding aluminium tape at the end as a large visual aid. To make the lure sink to the bottom of the water some anglers will attach a weight. The ways to customise the basic lures are endless and it is up to the individual to experiment and find out what works best in specific types of water.
Using spoons is an ideal way of getting in to making your own lures, however there are many other types of metal products that can be used. Have a look around a DIY shop, search your garage, a friend’s garage or wherever. Ideal metal objects will be lurking about all over the place, so it is a case of getting out there and experimenting.
As every angler knows catching a fish is satisfying but catching it on a homemade lure is much better, so follow the advice above and get making your own.