Construction basics for Wood Musky Lures - by Frank

I'm going to discuss the process Rick and I've been using to make Crank-baits, Twitch-baits, and Trolling Baits.  I'm hoping this will help Tom, Bryan, and other bait builders understand exactly what we're doing, and additionally,  I hope this will generate new thought and ideas for everyone.  We may have the coolest hobby on the planet, having built Musky-baits that have actually caught Trophy Muskies!!!  This years goals are; to improve the process, expand our finish by air-brushing over Chrome, and hopefully catch a nice Musky!!

Wood:  We've had our best success using Clear/Select Pine which can be purchased at Home Depot, Menard's, etc.  Cedar is also an option - and we've observed that our rattle chambers are noticeably louder in Cedar, which has me considering Cedar for extreme dark water conditions.
  
Planing wood:  The 1"x 3" Select Pine boards are 3/4" thick and we've found that planing the boards to approximately 9/16" provides a superior action when compared to 3/4" thick baits..... And, we can easily work within the 9/16" space, having sufficient room for adding lead weight, thru wire construction or screw eyes, glass eyes and/or rattle chambers. This small task of planing the wood has improved our baits action immensely.

Cutting the slot for the Lip/Diving Bill:  This is the most critical phase of Crank-bait making - cutting the lip slot.  If done incorrectly the bait will never run properly, and correctly means the Lip is a perfect 90 degrees to the bait body.  So, we cut the planed board to a pre determined bait length using a Powered Miter Box (example a 10" bait is cut at 10.5").  We then trace our bait pattern onto the wood keeping the nose or front of the bait closest to the front edge of the board - and the bottom or belly of the bait closest to the bottom edge of the board.  Next we rotate the board (bait belly or bottom up) on the table of a Radial Arm Saw - adjust the stops, and also the squareness to the actual blade of the radial arm saw - adjust the saw blade cutting depth - perform test cuts and evaluate,,,,  -  and then actually slot the baits!!!!      I cannot emphasize enough how important this phase is and we're always open to discovering and learning a more accurate way.

Drilling holes:  The best time to drill holes is while the bait is still within a square or rectangle block form.  We use a Drill Press to drill all holes for installing glass eyes, rattle chambers, weight chambers, and screw eyes.  Again, this is all done while the bait is in block form. 
  
Cutting and Shaping:  The baits shape has already been traced onto the wood, and can now be cutout using a Scroll-saw or Band-saw.  We cut outside the line, and then sand the edges smooth on a Bench Sander having  both a sanding belt and sanding disc with 90 degree table.  The smoother the edges are, the better the outcome of the next step - Router #1.  We use a 1/4" Round Over bit in a Table Mounted Router to round all edges of the bait body.  Rough sand (150 grit) before sealing.

Propionate Wood Sealer:   After all the shaping, drilling, and slotting have been done - we soak the baits in propionate wood sealer for 30 minutes - dry them - scuff them lightly and dip them in Propionate a second time.  If you're using screw eye construction, seal the baits now.  If you're using thru wire construction, seal the baits immediately after you've place the wire within the slot.  Do not fill the wire slot with epoxy until after sealing with Propionate.

Thru Wire Construction:  We use another Table Mounted Router #2 with a 66 kerf  bit to slot the entire length of the bottom/belly of the bait and accept .051 wire. Wires are formed on pre made jigs prior to inserting into the bait.  We've currently made jigs for 10" and 14" baits.  This is also the time to melt and add Lead Weight into the bait.  And also the time to install the Lip/Diving Bill which is the second most critical aspect of Crank-bait making - placing the Lip in the exact center of the Crank-bait body.  The wire slot is later filled with an epoxy (West System - two part mix - resin & slow hardener) and usually requires two applications.  Thru wire construction adds a lot of labor, time, and cost compared to using screw eyes - however thru wire baits are much easier to tune and the wire will never fail.

Screw Eyes:  Using screw eyes simplifies the bait making process substantially.  You simply go from  Propionate Wood  Sealer to installing the Lip/Diving Bill and then install the Screw Eyes with epoxy.

Sanding:  When rough sanding/shaping use 150 grit sand paper, finish sanding use 220 grit sand paper, and after the baits are primed use 400 grit sand paper - I lightly wet sand my baits after they've been primed.

I hope I've provided enough detail to stimulate your thought regarding our method, and other possibilities. We welcome everyone's idea as to how we can improve our process of Garage Bait Building.

Thanks for reading!!

Frank Postal

PS.   Tom, your painting is inspiring to say the least!!!  Thanks for letting us post your pics.