Making your own fishing lures is fun and rewarding and doesn’t have to be difficult. The process can help pass a few hours’ time during the winter while waiting for open water. The true reward comes from catching fish on a personal creation, and you may even save some money building your own fishing lures.

Buzzbaits

Among the easiest and most effective lures a fisherman can create at home are buzzbaits. Buzzbaits are surface lures characterized by propeller-type blades and hooks dressed with colorful skirts. The spinning blade is what keeps the bait on top of the water. The churning action can be a powerful attraction to predatory fish lurking below.

Buzzbait bodies can be purchased pre-molded on wire frames or, if a fisherman is ambitious, can be formed from molten lead poured on a wire frame. The process is very similar to how homemade jigs are created. Regardless of whether or not a fisherman purchases pre-made buzzbait heads or casts his or her own, building a buzzbait is a reasonably simple process.

Components necessary for constructing a buzzbait are the wire body, choice of blades and beads, rivets and a skirt. The only tools needed are two needle-nose pliers.

First, a fisherman should choose the colors needed to customize the bait to his or her liking. Buzzbait heads, blades, skirts and beads can all be laid out together prior to constructing the buzzbait. That will help determine what the completed product will look like. When a decision on colors is made assembly can begin.

Assembly starts with sliding a skirt over the hook and onto the holding collar of the buzzbait. Then a stop bead is placed on the top wire of the buzzbait frame, followed by a blade and a rivet. The end of the wire frame is then bent downward just behind the rivet, which keeps the blade in proper position for spinning. The bend is best accomplished by using one needle-nose pliers to hold the frame and another to make the bend.

A second and smaller blade, or “clacker” can be added to the buzzbait during the building process if the fisherman desires to create a noisier bait. It is a good option for a fisherman to have in a tackle bag.

The key to fishing a buzzbait is to begin the retrieve before the lure meets the water. Early retrieval allows the blade to begin spinning and keeps the buzzbait on top of the water. The fishing rod should be held in a nine o’clock to 11 o’clock position. Speed of retrieve is dependent on the rod and reel being used and the temperament of the fish on any given day.

Buzzbaits are particularly effective lures for searching new water for fish such as northern pike, smallmouth or largemouth bass. The percentage of hook-ups on buzzbaits is generally less than with other lures, but some fishermen compensate for that with the use of a trailer hook. Hook size makes a difference too.

Catching fish on buzzbaits is exciting because the action is visual. A big advantage of buzzbaits is that they can be used anytime during the open water season, often revealing the presence of fish as they break the surface in pursuit of the bait.

Spinnerbaits

Constructing a spinnerbait requires more components than does a buzzbait, but also allows for a lot more imagination by the fisherman. There’s virtually no end to the variety of colors and options when putting together homemade spinnerbaits.

Again, it is suggested that the fisherman choose a spinnerbait head and then lay out the colors and sizes of blades and beads and skirts to help visualize what the finished product will look like. Doing so allows the fisherman to refine the choices of colors or blade sizes before actually beginning construction.

Store purchased spinnerbaits often imitate the colors of bait fish, such as perch or bluegill. Most are primarily made for the bass fishing market where shad colors are common. Other popular colors include the always necessary firetiger. However, anyone making a custom spinnerbait will find that an unlimited number of color combinations are possible.

Spinnerbaits have been proven to be one of the most versatile and overlooked baits available to fishermen today. Many anglers will choose to make several spinnerbaits in both light and dark color combinations. There’s also an infinite choice of blade styles and sizes.

A willow leaf blade is most commonly used for the main blade attractor on a spinnerbait. Much rounder Colorado and Indiana blades are sometimes used as a main blade, but more commonly used as a “thumper” in conjunction with a willow blade. Blades are available in many colors or can be custom painted if desired. Colorful beads are often added to spinnerbaits as an additional fish attractor.

Spinnerbaits can be made in several different weights to suit virtually any fishing application. A common spinnerbait weight is half-ounce, which can be pitched to a shoreline or allowed to sink over cover in deep water. While a half-ounce spinnerbait is particularly suited to northern pike, lighter weight spinnerbaits are sometimes preferred for fishing bass, even walleye.

When building a spinnerbait it should be noted that every component adds some weight to the bait, including extra beads, spacers, blades, rattles and swivels. Large skirts weigh more than small skirts. The difference may or may not be important, depending on where the spinnerbait is being used.

Assembling a spinnerbait is not complex but there are some details that should not be ignored. For example, when building a spinnerbait with more than one blade, spacer tubing or small beads should be added insure that blades do not interfere with each other and compromise the flash of the spinnerbait. The bend of the wire, or loop, that holds the main blade of the spinnerbait is made by hand with the aid of a needle-nose pliers. It may require some trial and err to do it to satisfaction but will soon become a simple routine.

A good advantage of building spinnerbaits at home is the learned ability to repair spinnerbaits that become damaged during a fishing outing. Instead of discarding a damaged spinnerbait, an angler can take home where they can be repaired or disassembled. If disassembled, the parts can be saved for future spinnerbait making or repairs.