Author Archives: Lure Parts Online

How to Wire Tie a Jig Skirt

Using pre-made silicone skirts is the absolute easiest way to put a skirt on a jig, spinnerbait or buzzbait. It doesn’t get any easier. But pre-made skirts have some disadvantages and limitations. The best thing you can do to make truly custom skirted lures, such as jigs, is to learn how to wire tie a jig skirt.

Learning how to wire tie a jig skirt opens up unlimited doors when it comes to the color combinations you can create. It also creates skirts that are much more durable and long-lasting. And it lets you make skirts that won’t come off unless you intentionally remove them.

The problem with using the wire tying method is that it’s a bit tricky to get used to. It can be tough to overcome the learning curve if you try to learn it on your own. The best way to learn how to wire tie a jig skirt is to have someone knowledgeable show you how they do it.

Maybe you don’t know anyone who knows how to do this. Or maybe you do know someone, but they’re not willing to take the time to show you how it’s done. If that’s the case, keep reading. We’ve got your solution 🙂

Why Tie a Skirt with Wire?

First of all, why would anyone want to learn how to wire tie a jig skirt if it seems so hard to learn? Why not just use the skirts that come already made? Or why not just use skirt bands to make your skirts?

placing the skirt tabs on the jig head As mentioned above, wire tied skirts give you unlimited options when it comes to color combinations. And creating a skirt using the wire tying method gives you very precise control of how the finished skirt looks. It allows you to place strands of various colors in very specific places in the skirt.

Having this much control over the placement of various colors allows you to create near-exact imitations of just about any species of prey or baitfish. This gives your baits a very natural look, which can help trigger bites in highly-pressured lakes and rivers.

The other big reason to wire tie your jig skirts is so they last longer.

Silicone and rubber skirt collars are good. But wire tied skirts just last so much longer. Rubber skirt collars are known for drying our after a while. This causes them to crack or stretch. Once this happens, the skirt can come off your jig, spinnerbait or buzzbait with no warning.

Finished swim jig with wire tied skirt It’s not uncommon for a skirt to fly apart on a cast or while fighting a fish because the rubber collar became old and tired. Rubber skirt collars can also fall apart while sitting in your tackle box. There’s nothing more frustrating than picking a brand new jig up out of your tackle box and finding the skirt falling apart because the collar dried out. And this can happen to a lure that’s never been fished!

Silicone skirt collars are a little more forgiving, since silicone doesn’t dry out as fast as rubber. But it still has limitations when it comes to creating precise color patterns. It’s much more difficult to place various colors in exact locations in a skirt made with a silicone skirt collar.

So, there you have it. The case for tying skirts with wire vs. using skirt collars is pretty strong. This is especially true if you want to create precise color patterns or if you’re looking for skirts that just plain last longer.

So grab your skirt tabs, your scissors and a handful of jig heads, spinnerbait heads or buzzbait heads and get busy!

Here’s the excellent video tutorial. Enjoy!

Items used for this project:

If you enjoyed this post, please be sure to like it and share it with your friends.

And, as always, if you need any kind of lure-making supplies, be sure to visit our website, at http://lurepartsonline.com

Make Bass Jigs That Catch More Fish

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Make Bass Jigs That Catch More Fish

Today’s blog post will share tips to help you make bass jigs that catch more fish.

It’s no secret that jigs are a proven big bass catcher. They just plain work!

But, as with any other lure, certain modifications or tweaks can make them work even better than they do right out of the package. So today we’ll show you some of those tips so you can make your own jigs work better, or modify jigs that you’ve made or bought in the past to catch more fish.

Keep in mind that conditions on any lake can change daily, or even from hour to hour, so what works today might not even get a bite tomorrow. But having a good selection of jigs in varying colors, sizes and styles can help you overcome those times when the bite slows down.

So what does it take to make bass jigs that catch more fish?

Really, it only takes a handful of your homemade bass jigs and a few very basic tools. First, you’ll need some freshly made bass jigs. If you haven’t started making your own jigs yet, then grab some new ones that you bought.

Next, you’ll need a good pair of scissors. They don’t have to be expensive. They just need to be nice and sharp! You’ll also need a pair of cheap thinning shears. These are like the ones that are used to thin a person’s hair at the barber shop or salon. These can be bought inexpensively at your local department store, usually in the health and beauty section.

Once you have those items, you’re ready to start tweaking your jigs!

Let’s make it clear that there are many ways you can modify your jigs. You don’t necessarily have to follow anyone’s recommendations. You can definitely think outside the box with this. The tips in the video below, though, are offered by someone who has proven them during their own fishing trips, over many years. They work for him. So it’s pretty likely they will work for you, too.

Another thing to keep in mind is that you can also purchase skirts that are semi-tailored or tweaked already. The finesse jig that was created in the video can also be made by using a skirt that’s already cut the very same way right from the factory.

Using these skirts will save you a ton of trial and error. It will also eliminate the possibility of you accidentally destroying any of your good jig skirts while you try to learn to trim them yourself.

On the other hand, though, if you learn to make your own skirt modifications, the sky is the limit when it comes to the number of different ways you can customize your jigs.

It’s entirely up to you! But no matter which you choose, you’ll be well on your way to catching more fish on your jigs. And there’s never anything wrong with that 🙂

Items used for this project:

Buzz Cut Skirts
Silicone Skirts
Finished Bass Jigs
Finished Finesse Jigs

If you enjoyed this post, please be sure to like it and share it with your friends.

And, as always, if you need any kind of lure-making supplies, be sure to visit our website, at http://lurepartsonline.com

Spinnerbait and Buzzbait Mods to Catch More Fish

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Spinnerbait and Buzzbait Mods to Catch More Fish

It’s no secret that spinnerbaits and buzzbaits catch a ton of fish. Even cheap retail baits right out of the package can work really well.

The problem, though, is that everybody and their brother throw spinnerbaits and buzzbaits. This makes them very recognizable to the fish you’re trying to catch.

Picture this: You hit the local tackle shop or major retailer and buy yourself a handful of new lures.

While you’re there making your purchase, a half dozen other anglers are doing the same thing. They might not be there in the store when you are, but they will be at some point. And guess what. They’re buying the same exact lures you’re buying. And they’re throwing them on the same lake as you, targeting the same fish as you.

That’s a recipe for some tough fishing days, with everyone using the same lures.

So what can you do to fix this problem? It’s simple! Make your lure look and act differently than the rest of them. It’s not hard to do and it doesn’t cost much, either. Stick with us here and keep reading. By the time you’re finished, you have learned some spinnerbait and buzzbait mods to catch more fish 🙂

So what can you to change the look of your spinnerbait, buzzbait or bladed jig? Well, the style of these baits is pretty much the same, no matter who makes them. It’s just part of their inherent design.

But the overall look of a bait can be changed drastically with a little tweaking and experimentation. This is where our little tips and tricks come in.

Take a look at the blades on your spinnerbait, buzzbait or bladed jig. For the most part, they’re usually pretty ordinary. Like we said, they all tend to look the same, no matter who makes them. Right?

Well, here’s where you can set yours apart and make them stand out in the crowd.

There are some pretty inexpensive products available that can turn your spinnerbait, buzzbait or bladed jig into a fish-catching machine, even on pressured lakes. And they only take a minute or two to install on your lures. And your lure is transformed instantly into a new one, with a completely different look.

OK… no more teasing you! Here’s the “secret sauce”, so to speak. It’s called lure tape.

What’s lure tape? It’s self-adhesive tape that has various types of reflective patterns on it. It excels at giving your bladed baits a new look, to set them apart from the crowd and give them new appeal. And it does that without having to buy another new lure.

Lure tape can also be used to breathe new life into an old lure when the blades have become old and dull. Blades that are worn and don’t flash much anymore won’t attract as many fish. Lure tape is a great way to fix that too.

Another advantage with lure tape is that you can instantly change the appearance of a lure temporarily, based on conditions you happen to encounter on the water.

When conditions change, or if you hit another body of water, remove the sticker and revert right back to the look that the lure had prior to using the lure tape.

Lure tape can be bought in a myriad of colors. It can also be bought in pre-cut shapes, for specific blade shapes and sizes, or you can buy a roll of it and cut it to fit whatever you need it to fit! You can even buy a lure sticker assortment that has a bunch of different colors, sizes and shapes already cut for you. You just peel and stick them on.

You can also buy it in rolls of a specific color. This allows you to cut it at whatever length you need and then shape it to the lure you want to change the look of.

Oh, and don’t be mistaken and think that this will only work for blades on spinnerbaits. It can be used on crankbaits, bladed jigs, buzzbait blades and other lures too. Your imagination is the only limit when it comes to spinnerbait and buzzbaits mods to catch more fish.

So check out the video below. It will give you some cool ideas as to how lure stickers can be used to spruce up a lure or change the look of it completely. Enjoy!

Items used for this project:

Prism Tape Rolls
Blade Stickers
Dancer Jig Blade Stickers
Holographic Lure Stickers
Sonar Bait Stickers
Holographic Disco Tape

If you enjoyed this post, please be sure to like it and share it with your friends.

And, as always, if you need any kind of lure-making supplies, be sure to visit our website, at http://lurepartsonline.com

How To Make a Topwater Bass Popper

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How To Make a Topwater Bass Popper

Want to learn how to make a topwater bass popper? We have a great tutorial video for you right here.

The topwater bass popper has been around for a very long time. This type of topwater lure has caught countless numbers of bass over the decades. It’s safe to say that it’s probably one of the most popular topwater lures for catching bass with, no matter what part of the world you’re located in.

This tutorial will show you how to make a topwater bass popper, step by step.

Let’s get started!

The first thing you’ll need is a piece of wood material that will be used to make the actual popper lure body. The video suggests using a wood dowel. China hardwood is recommend for its ease in carving, vs. oak.

The first step will be to cut the dowel rod into pieces that are 2 7/8 or 3 inches inches in length, whichever you prefer. And once you’ve cut your pieces to the desired length, grab the one that you’ll be using to make a your first popper.

Place a nickel on top of dowel rod Stand the piece upright and place a nickel on the top end, offset so that the nickel touches one side of the circumference, but not the other.

Once you’ve done this, trace around the outside of the nickel with a pencil. This outline will give you a pattern for the front of the popper.

Next, you’ll trace out the tail end of the popper, using a pencil eraser. Move the edge of the pencil eraser to the outside edge of the wood dowel, being sure to line it up with the marks that were created on the other end, using the nickel.

Lines will then need to be drawn down the length of the dowel to create the outline that will be used to shape the body into a popper shape. Material inside of this outline will not be carved away. This also defines the bottom of the lure, where screw eyes will be added, to hold the hooks later on.

Time to start carving our popper lure body Now we’ll start the actual carving, using a utility knife, or something similar.

Start by carving from the top of the lure (the large end), toward the bottom end. Remove small amounts of material at a time. This prevents mistakes that will be irreversible.

Once the top end of the popper is carved, it’s time to move down and carve the smaller end, for the tail of the lure.

Carving doesn’t have to be precise if you don’t want it to be. Your goal is to obtain the basic shape of the popper. You don’t need to be concerned with creating a perfectly smooth surface if you don’t want to.

If you choose to forego sanding and perfecting of the lure’s surface, the next step will be to form the mouth of the popper, which will allow it to pop and gurgle when the bait is twitched or “popped” on the surface.

This part of the project is accomplished with a Dremel, using a small sanding tip. The idea here is to create an angled shape on the front of the lure. Once the initial angle is created, the face of the popper can then be hollowed out, to create a concave surface.

Once the face of the lure is shaped to your satisfaction, it’s time to give your lure some personality, with paint!

In the video tutorial, the luremaker suggests using Sharpie or other permanent markers to create the color pattern you want. While this is OK to do, it doesn’t give the lure a finished look, the way paint would. But it’s ultimately up to you to decide if you want it to look great, or just catch fish 🙂

Once the color is applied, whether it’s been painted or colored with Sharpie markers, it’s time to add the screw eyes. You’ll need 3 screw eyes total. One is for the rear hook, one for the center hook and one on the front of the lure, which will be your line tie.

When placing the screw eyes on the bottom of the lure, be sure to place them far enough apart to prevent the hooks from catching on each other!

After placing the screw eyes, it’s time to seal the lure, to prevent water from getting into the wood body and ruining your lure. The luremaker uses good old urethane, but we recommend using an epoxy topcoat, for the sake of durability.

The video explains the remaining few steps left to finish your lure, including good info on what treble hooks to use.

We hope you’ve enjoyed learning how to make a topwater bass popper. Have fun making your new poppers and enjoy catching bass on them!

Here’s the video tutorial.

If you prefer to use a wood popper body that’s already been shaped for you, click here.

Items used for this project:

Wood Popper Bodies (in case you don’t want to carve your own)
Lure Eyes
Split Rings
Round Bend Treble Hooks
Screw Eyes
Epoxy Top Coat
Quick Coat Permanent Lure Markers

If you enjoyed this post, please be sure to like it and share it with your friends.

And, as always, if you need any kind of lure-making supplies, be sure to visit our website, at http://lurepartsonline.com

How to Vacuum Form Stencils for Painting Crankbaits

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How to Vacuum Form Stencils for Painting Crankbaits

Finished Craw pattern made with vacuum stencil Today’s tutorial will be teaching you how to vacuum form stencils for painting crankbaits.

Learning to do this will help you create duplicate patterns on multiple crankbaits very easily. This eliminates trial and error and allows you to paint many crankbaits with the exact same markings on them.

Lets get started!

How to Vacuum Form Stencils for Painting Crankbaits The first thing you’ll need to do is choose a crankbait style that you want to create a stencil for. Start off with a crankbait blank that’s unpainted. Know ahead of time that you’re basically sacrificing this body, since you’ll be cutting it in half!

Use a Dremel or other tool to cut the bait in half. Be careful not to hurt yourself with the tool you’re using.

If you use a power tool to do the cutting, such as the Dremel, be sure to wear safety glasses or goggles. This will protect your eyes from any small pieces that might fly during the cutting process. When you’re done cutting, use a small screwdriver or other flat tool to pop the two lure halves apart.

Once the bait is cut in half, it’s time to start creating your vacuum formed stencil.

Now it’s time to lay your lure halves on the vacuum form box. You can easily make your own vacuum box out of wood and a shop vac. Use pegboard or any other thin wood veneer (with holes drilled in it) as the top surface.

Next, you’ll need some thin plastic stencil material that you’ll lay on the vacuum board, over the lure body pieces.

Vacuum Formed Stencils The stencil material is heated with a heat gun, to get it warm and flexible. As it becomes soft and flexible, it gets laid onto the surface of the vacuum board. This allows the vacuum to draw the material down tight to the surface of the board, and to the surfaces of the lure bodies.

Once the stencil material is properly formed to the lure bodies, the heat gun and the vacuum are turned off. Then the stencil material is allowed to cool a bit. Once it’s cooled sufficiently, the lure body halves can be popped from the hardened stencil material.

Once the stencils are formed, it’s now time to cut them out in whatever pattern you want them to be used to paint onto your lures.

For the rest of the steps, be sure to watch the video below. Michael Orensteen walks you through the rest of the process, step by step.

Items used for this project:

Airbrush
Lure Paint
Unpainted Crankbait Body
Stick-on Lure Eyes
Treble Hooks
Split Rings
Oval Line Tie
Stencil Material

If you enjoyed this post, please be sure to like it and share it with your friends.

And, as always, if you need any kind of lure-making supplies, be sure to visit our website, at http://lurepartsonline.com

To check out the Lure Me In Custom Painted Crankbaits Youtube channel, Click Here