jimmie7915 Posted January 11, 2008 Report Share Posted January 11, 2008 Hello again everyone!I was thinking of trying to make my a couple of my own lures and was wandering if anybody here could tell me what kind of wiring to use in the bait.Im not looking to get to fancy here on my first ones.Is there something that I can grab at Lowes to do the trick.Also I was thinking of making it out of poplar.Is this a good Idea or bad?If its a bad one is there another type of wood that is easily available from alumberyard.Any advice on this matter will be much appreciated . Thanks again, Jimmie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mossy maker Posted January 11, 2008 Report Share Posted January 11, 2008 I have used poplar before but finally stopped. The top coat didn't seem to hold up for me as well as the lures I made from cedar. Right or wrong I finally deducted that the poplar expanded and contracted more than the cedar and thus cracking my epoxy. As for wire I use stainless steel leader wire I order from Janns Netcraft. A 30' package for a few dollars will make a lot of baits. Good luck and don't get discouraged. You may find you learn more from your failures than you do your successes. I know I did and still do. mossy maker Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
captsully18 Posted January 11, 2008 Report Share Posted January 11, 2008 Jimmie, I have been using poplar for a bait that I am currently making and love the way it works up. There are several ways to make your hangers. On the ones I am making I use stainless screw in hook eyes. However I think that drilling holes and using twisted stainless wire epoxied in would work also, you would need to make one to see if it holds well enough for you. As far as the poplar over other wood, I use it mainly for the weight of it as I am making a swimbait that I want to swim at depth and feel that cedar would be too bouyant. Personal choice of course. Not sure I have helped, just hope I didn't muddy up the works. David Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lure--Prof Posted January 11, 2008 Report Share Posted January 11, 2008 Poplar is good , I make topwater lures from it. I also use hook hangers and line tie just as David suggested. Something that poplar has over cedar, is less toxic wood dust, although no kind is good for you, cedar is right nasty! Its grain is probably a little more troublesome to work than poplar also. That being said, there have been a lot of good crankbaits made from cedar, and its buoyancy is a little more forgiving than poplar when it comes to weighting. Poplar may require very little weight at all on some crankbaits. Do lots of research here on TU and go have fun making some wood dust! Dean Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MR KNOW IT ALL KIND OF Posted January 12, 2008 Report Share Posted January 12, 2008 Dean is right ..... CEDAR is nasty!!! I been making some Cedar baits all week.. I will say its alot easier to seal up than balsa.. but Balsa has more action and by far my favorite wood to work with since I started messing with this stuff.. Good luck The ROOKIE.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobP Posted January 12, 2008 Report Share Posted January 12, 2008 Poplar is a little more dense (26 lbs/cu ft) than white cedar (20 lbs) so requires less ballast. I've been making hook hangers, line ties and segment hinges with Malin stainless steel leader wire (.29" 180lb test) and hand twisting the screw eyes. They have a BUNCH of glue surface and I can't imagine one failing. You can make the screw eyes any size and length you like to fit the size of the bait. A pair of round nose wire pliers is a big help in bending wire for baits. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimmie7915 Posted January 12, 2008 Author Report Share Posted January 12, 2008 Thanks for all the help guys!I will give it a whirl and hopefully post some pics. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...