Thru Wire Lure

[Paul]

Hi Guys

I just started making some thru wire baits...my question for you is - I am I doing this right??

I have the body already 6 inches of pine in the shape of a rapala type lure- got them from Ebay - I don't have a lot of tools yet...so I bought some... drill a hole thru the body - from one end to the other....then drill a hole about an inch and a half from the front end - for the belly hook.

I then use my dremel and cut a slot for my diving lip...get everything lined up.

I then make a small loop out of 18 gauge SS wire at one end of wire then another loop at the other end a very small piece - about 1/2 inch long....I fit this into the small hole in the belly making sure that the loop lines up with the hole which is drilled through the body....I then feed another piece of wire thru the back hole and out the front making sure that it goes through the belly hanger loop.

I then make a loop at the back and then at the front and fill in the holes with epoxy and weight them accordingly - does that sound right??

When I make the loop - I wrap the wire around the shaft of the wire...I have seen some tutorials - where they just bend the wire in a loop...what do you do?? I guess it is stronger this way - but is it really necessary??

I would like to here some input on my process.

thanks

Paul

[Skeeter]

Seems there are different ways to do thru wire. It has been a topic here and a really big topic on an old site that some of us use to frequent. The bottom line is....... If it holds together and it works, then its right.

Skeeter

[vitamin sea]

Most of the saltwater baits are made with stainless steel wire running through the body. Some drill the hole in the finished body. I find this very hard as the drill wants to wander to one side or the other within the lure body. Others (myself included) form the hole first in a 2x2x? block and carve the lure around it. (It's easier on a symetrical lure that is formed on a lathe.) I finish the sealing, painting and topcoat then fit the wire, hooks, lips, etc. I form an open loop for the front of 12 inches of wire with a tag of a least one inch, then feed the wire through the body securing both sides of the loop within the bait. While feeding the wire into the bait I feed it through a swivel that is used as a hanger for the body hook and out the back end of the bait. I form a loop at the back and wrap the tag end around the standing wire (two times) next to the end of the bait. Use stainless split rings to hang the hooks on the swivel and rear loop.

[redg8r]

Agreed, theres a few ways to do a thru-wire, since your bait is already shaped, you might find it easiest to use a dremel with a carbide wheel tip to carve a channel from nose to tail. That makes it easier to place the belly wire without "snaking" it through the holes.

You can also add some solid lead peices in the channel if weight is needed.

After thats done you can take some strong epoxy filler like (Loc-tites "wood-for-good") or epoxy putty & fill the channel.

Ive even filled with sawdust & then soaked the channel with super glue.

Works just as well.

Sand smooth & prepare for sealer/paint.

[Big Splash]

Red's got the idea here. It is much easier to cut a groove on a pre-carved lure body than drill it. You can keep the center of gravity lower too, requiring less weight overall. Less weight means more action.

[elect1960]

Are there any picture tutorials of this?

[northbassman]

Try going to www.Carolinachip.com go about half way down and look for where it says balsa bait tutorial or something like that he shows how it is done. If you have any further questions just ask Carolina Chip in this forum if his tutorial isn't clear for some reason.

Hope this helps.