OHBlake Posted February 20, 2008 Report Share Posted February 20, 2008 Hey Everyone, I just found this website the other night and was really excited to become a part of it and show you an idea I've thought of, and see if I can get some feedback on it as well. I know there are a few types of different duck lures out there but I wanted to design my own as the ones I've seen are just too fake looking to me. I've seen duck lures that look like something a child would play with in the bathtub. I've also seen one that looks like a full sized duck, yet it's supposed to be a duckling. I wanted to design something that would have the most lifelike representation of a baby duck that I could. What I came up with is below. Keep in mind, this is still in the prototype stage, if you will. What we have is basswood covered in a fuzzy waterproof fabric to give it a lifelike appeal. The legs are made out of a sturdy hydrocarbon polymer (essentially rubber) and 3 screw eyes are placed on the body. The one I'm holding is where you would tie the line, and the other 2 on the bottom are where the trebles will go. The lure is about of 3.5" long and about 2.5" at it's widest point where the head would be. I decided to go with the "no head" approach for one reason. A fish is not going to see that part as it's above the water. The main attractant to the fish is the lifelike movement of the feet under the water. I feel as though that and it's basic shape and movements are what is going to trigger the strike. It sits in the water very well as the bottom half is completely submerged, yet the top half stays above, just like a duckling. The feet are attached to the legs with a split ring which helps to give the feet a lifelike swimming motion when reeled. I'm not sure if I need to add a shallow diving lip to give it a slight wobble or not. Again this is just the prototype and is not completely representative of what I'm fully trying to accomplish. I'm hoping this lure will catch lunker bass, muskie, and pike. I'd love to hear any feedback you might be able to give me regarding the design itself. If it swims well, will it catch fish? It's winter up here in Ohio so I'm not able to exactly get it on the water yet, but soon. Please let me know if you have any ideas or criticisms as well. Thank you very much and I hope to hear from you! Blake Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JP MYERS Posted February 21, 2008 Report Share Posted February 21, 2008 Well i wish I could remember where I found a site last year, Im sure it would interest you..It had life size & very life-like duckling & mouses for sale..They were for stuffed toy making but the materials used were weather proof so they claimed.. I saw them & imagined slipping them over a wooden handshaped body..Would have worked great Im sure.. Do fish actually eat ducklings?..LoL.. I live in Ohio too & I got to say, If I see a Duckling disappear off the water's surface knowing a fish ate it, it'll be the last time I go swimmin' in that Lake for sure!.. Speaking of Ducks,, LoL...When I was a teeneager fishin' a strip pond.. I was fishin' for bass.. I made a cast with a brokenback Rapala.. A duck of some kind passed by at the same moment, swooped down on my Rapala, in mid-air, & got hooked on the lure!.. I left the bail open, and as the line was spooling out, my buddy turned to me & very calmly asked "so what ya gonna do now bonehead?".. We just sat there watching as the line came to its end & the 6lb test snapped off at the end of the spool.. Oh well, this has nothing to do w/your post but I hope your lure works out fine for ya, looks neat so far.. John~ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orion Posted February 21, 2008 Report Share Posted February 21, 2008 Fish eat small birds and mammals all the time. Here check these out. Bass eats a chipmunk - Another chipmunk - Use the "related videos" on the side to look at more videos of people feeding bass that they keep in tanks as pets. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redg8r Posted February 21, 2008 Report Share Posted February 21, 2008 It's a great start, but I have to disagree on one point: I decided to go with the "no head" approach for one reason. A fish is not going to see that part as it's above the water. All gamefish & bass respectively can see well above the water surface. Bass have been known to strike out of the water to prey on items such as spiders & resting dragonflies. Would a headless duck hamper its effectiveness?.... probably not, you've probably already figured that making it headless improves the overall action. About 3 years ago I carved a duckling with its head parralell to the water surface as if it was skimming the water with it's beak, that might be an option to look into. If I can dig up that carving I'll post a pic for you. Best of luck with it, if it catches anything, it should be a big one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark poulson Posted February 21, 2008 Report Share Posted February 21, 2008 Ohio, You made a wise choice not to try and "land" that bird, although I might have tried to break it off sooner. When I was a kid fishing the pier in Santa Monica, CA, I accidentally caught a seagull. If an older man hadn't come to my rescue, I'd have either been beaten and clawed to death, or thrown my fishing rod off the pier. I never guessed how many sharp parts birds have, especially when they're hooked and po'd. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orion Posted February 21, 2008 Report Share Posted February 21, 2008 Haha, I've never actually caught a bird. I should probably be thankful. I have caught rocks before though.... probably should kept that to myself... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Palmetto Balsa Posted February 21, 2008 Report Share Posted February 21, 2008 This on got me thinking about a fishing trip last year. (I feel kinda bad about this one) I was on a private lake in a small fiberglass boat and paddling back in. I saw a small diving duck and its baby crossing the lake and thought I would like to see the baby duck scurry across the water so I paddled a little faster. As I got closer the baby kept up with the mom for a second then the mother bolted across the water to draw me away and the baby duck dove under. I had seen what I wanted to see but it didn't scurry very good. I pulled away fast so the mother could get back to the baby. The mother came back over to the area and the baby never came back up. I was sure the baby must have popped up some where but the mother duck never found it for the 15 min. I stuck around to see. Now I read this and am thinking that it might not have come back up. I guess I won't do that again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Maxwell Posted February 21, 2008 Report Share Posted February 21, 2008 Might also make a good Snapping Turtle bait. I'm from just north of Cincinnati. What part are you from OHBlake?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terrydabassman Posted February 21, 2008 Report Share Posted February 21, 2008 My wife and I were fishing at Piedmont Lake Ohio one evening and down to the waters edge comes a big mama coon with 5 little ones. To my surprise, this huge musky came up and almost onto the shore like an orca or something and grabbed one of them baby coons and was gone with a huge splash. No skinny dipping in Piedmont thank you very much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OHBlake Posted February 21, 2008 Author Report Share Posted February 21, 2008 Awesome stuff everyone! I really appreciate the feedback and the stories. I'm not sure who asked the question, but I'm in Cleveland... and it's cold. That warm weather can't arrive fast enough! I will definitely keep everyone posted with how it's coming along. And if all goes well, I'll get some pics of lunkers on the board to show everyone. Ha I hope anyway. Have a good one everyone, and keep dropping a line if anything comes to mind about this little idea. Blake Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orion Posted February 21, 2008 Report Share Posted February 21, 2008 This on got me thinking about a fishing trip last year. (I feel kinda bad about this one)I was on a private lake in a small fiberglass boat and paddling back in. I saw a small diving duck and its baby crossing the lake and thought I would like to see the baby duck scurry across the water so I paddled a little faster. As I got closer the baby kept up with the mom for a second then the mother bolted across the water to draw me away and the baby duck dove under. I had seen what I wanted to see but it didn't scurry very good. I pulled away fast so the mother could get back to the baby. The mother came back over to the area and the baby never came back up. I was sure the baby must have popped up some where but the mother duck never found it for the 15 min. I stuck around to see. Now I read this and am thinking that it might not have come back up. I guess I won't do that again. I kinda at this. It amused me. Hehe, if the duckling got eaten it would have happened anyways probably. If a big fish was near it and ate it when it went down, it would have eaten it when it was still on top at the right moment. I sure you didn't change the course of nature. You just saved the fish some energy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IamSpartacus Posted February 24, 2008 Report Share Posted February 24, 2008 This story is a little depressing to tell but I'll give it a shot... My friend Rob and I spotted this hawg of a largemouth right near the shore of a small inlet river to a large lake. Both of us tried everything in our tackleboxes to land this monster (It was one of those annoying fish who have apparently seen everything) but nothing was working. We saw the fish on and off for around three hours and both claimed it was the largest largemouth we had ever seen in person, neither of us have fished anywhere other then Michigan though. As we started to lose hope along came a little duckling, swimming right by us, with the bass swimming right below it. Both Rob and I said something along the lines of "Oh #### no" but sure enough the bass ate the little duckling. If only the duckling would have been kind enough to hold onto a treble hook for me the story might not have ended so depressingly. Just thought I'd share, Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
