Home-Made Lures

[Rickhem]

I got into plug building a couple years ago with a few kits that I bought and finished up for Striper fishing. Those are way too big for any kind of freshwater fishing I do, but I did pick up a few kits of smaller sized lures that might work for pike, or possibly even bass. They're fun to make and it helps deal with the long winters.

http://i120.photobucket.com/albums/o191/Rickhem/Hand%20Made%20Lures/Prop2_zpsx5ytp4au.jpg (http://s120.photobucket.com/user/Rickhem/media/Hand%20Made%20Lures/Prop2_zpsx5ytp4au.jpg.html)

http://i120.photobucket.com/albums/o191/Rickhem/Hand%20Made%20Lures/Frog2_zpszzsnhwzr.jpg (http://s120.photobucket.com/user/Rickhem/media/Hand%20Made%20Lures/Frog2_zpszzsnhwzr.jpg.html)

http://i120.photobucket.com/albums/o191/Rickhem/Hand%20Made%20Lures/Diver2_zpszxwhvwmx.jpg (http://s120.photobucket.com/user/Rickhem/media/Hand%20Made%20Lures/Diver2_zpszxwhvwmx.jpg.html)

[SplitShot]

Cute Jitterbug :D

[Chrisper4694]

Cool man! Making classic lures with little tweaks or even just uncommon colors can really make the difference on our highly pressured lakes in nj.

[NJSquatch]

those are sweet! how much do they cost to make?

[Rickhem]

those are sweet! how much do they cost to make?

The kits run about $5 and up, with some of the huge saltwater plugs still less than $10. You get everything you need (sometimes doesn't include the hooks) and it is up to you to sand, seal, paint, and clearcoat (if you want) per your own desires. I made a bunch of bigger plugs for saltwater, and the through-wire was the big difference with those.
I ended up buying more paint, epoxy, assorted pliers, etc. so if you are looking for a savings from buying lures, these probably aren't it. But they challenge your creativity, and as was mentioned before, I can make plugs that will perform exactly how I want them to.

[Chrisper4694]

yeah i'd say you probably won't save too much money making your own lures especially if you take into consideration the time you put it, but a small tweak or difference you can put in making your own lures can really mean the difference on highly pressured lakes...and we know how much pressure most of our lakes get here in NJ!