Tackle making is one of those secret art form hobbies where there isn’t a lot of information to assist the newcomer. A quick search online or through your local bookstore doesn’t reveal a ton of information to help someone just starting out. I remember when I was a boy I used to enjoy going through my tackle box admiring all the lures, wooden crankbaits, spinners and spoons and marvel at how they were made. Back then there wasn’t the internet and I didn’t even know anything about the fun hobby of tackle making at all. I do remember however, wanting to figure out at how lures are made, so in my own way I sat down to try and make my own wooden lures.
My early results at tackle making were a complete disaster. The wooden crankbait lures that I made were really rough, not very streamlined at all plus they didn’t wobble like the ones I marveled at in my tackle box. My paint jobs were even worse. I didn’t know anything about sealing wooden plugs, airbrushing etc, I was just a 12 year old boy trying his hand at tackle making without any help or prior experience. So I landed up using my car modeling testor paints and when I ran down to the lake to try out my early wooden lures, well let’s just say it didn’t quite turn out what I had hoped. I think the paint only lasted a few minutes and began to peel and hang off the wooden plugs like soppy wet noodles. But you know in hind sight what a great memory. I had a lot of fun in my early attempts at tackle making and so I share this story to show that even without any assistance you can learn and have a lot of fun even as a beginner in the art of tackle making.
I’ve come a long way from those days and have definitely improved my abilities in tackle making. While there still isn’t a ton of information out there to help the beginner to learn tackle making, thanks to the internet there is a lot more then when I was a kid.
For more information on fishing tackle making check out the beginners guide to tackle making.
