by Sam Bass

Woodworking has always been a hobby I've enjoyed, making anything from bookshelves to furniture to children's toys. A buddy of mine was visiting one day while I was in my woodshop, and he was telling me about a book he came across on how to make your own fishing lures.

He was not someone that knew much about woodworking or had anything in the way of tools, so he asked if I'd be interested in working with him on making some wood fishing lures.

Since I also love to fish as passionately as I love to woodwork, I was instantly intrigued. We pooled our resources and began by making a few topwater lures out of soft wood. We started out using balsa and basswood.

We turned out about 20 lures in our first undertaking, then decided we needed to test those out before making more.  They worked great, and we were instantly "hooked" (the pun is intended) on making home made fishing lures.

We kept making topwater lures, then tried out some harder woods and created some swimmers and suspended lures.

I have to say it is one of the most fun hobbies, and it is incredibly rewarding to make the very lures that you use to fish with. My buddy and I recently checked out prices of commercial lures, then we calculated what our homemade lures cost us, and we realized we were really onto something.

We had found a hobby we truly enjoyed, we were able to combine it with another leisure activity, and we were saving money, ALL at the same time!

The tools and materials you need for this craft are minimal. You do need a scrollsaw and a drill, but those are your largest expenditures if you do not already have these tools. Since I already owned these items, all we needed was the wood, the lure hardware, some paint and some varnish.

We have created some really unique wooden lures since we first started, and our other friends beg for us to make more. We did start selling the lure kits and a few finished lures, but we could not keep them made up fast enough, and our own lure making suffered because we were always making kits and lures for everyone else.

We are considering spending some time this summer making up a large number of kits while taking off several days from work. Our only worry is that we may get sidetracked and tempted to tear out for the lake with some of the lures we are making!

If you love to fish, you have got to make your own fishing lures at least once. You, too, will then be "hooked." Happy Angling!

Check out THE GUIDE on How To Make Your Own Fishing Lures. If you love crafting and fishing, you'll also want to visit Handcraft Market for additional info on how to make Home Made Fishing Lures