Screw eye vs through wire

[Speckledtroutfish]

Was wondering when I could get away with using screw eyes. So far all I have used is through wire. 
Lets say I’m using a hard wood and screw eyes with a long thread Epoxied in. The bait size is between 3-5 inches. Fish size will not exceed more than 10lbs. 
Would screw eyes be viable for a long lasting lure or should I just stick with through wire? 
Is there fish size when screw eyes just stop becoming an option?

thanks!

[jcromerangler]

Through wire is way too much overkill......use stainless steel wire and twist your own screw eyes and set with epoxy. No fish is going to pull the hook hangers or line tie out.

[eastman03]

Thru wire for lifeeeee!!!!   I would never build anything else.   haha.  Seriously though we have talked about pros and cons over a few different pages.  Here is a good one to read..

Or this one...

 

 

Both methods have their time and place! And both can be done well. It's up to you to decide how you want to construct your lure and what components work best.  I have absolutely had fish pull out a screw eye!  For your particular application, it would seem that epoxied in eyes would work just fine!  Much easier especially when prototyping as well.

Edited March 10, 2020 by eastman03

[Hillbilly voodoo]

I use 1 1/2 - 2 inch stainless steel.092 eye screws either cast into resin lures or epoxied into wooden lures I have not had any failures doing this. Fish between 10-20lbs are commonly caught on my lures. The largest was 60lbs+ chinook.

eye screws of the correct size installed properly can handle some big fish 

If you believe that a fish may break the lure body it self then yes I would definitely go through wire

[DGagner]

3 hours ago, jcromerangler said:

Through wire is way too much overkill......use stainless steel wire and twist your own screw eyes and set with epoxy. No fish is going to pull the hook hangers or line tie out.

This is what I do with no issues. Then again a 5 lb'er is the most I'd expect from my lake. 2-3 is more typical.

[danthefisherman]

Stainless screw eyes will hold...if you decide to carve a softer wood like balsa or even basswood however I'd feel more confortable with thru wire

[Speckledtroutfish]

Thanks everyone!

[Big Epp]

I've got an old bass-o-reno style bait I made with my grandpa many years ago.  It's probably 2 inches long and was made using screw eyes.  They eyes weren't epoxied in, and may not even have been super-glued in.  I haven't fished with it a ton, as my grandpa is gone now so it's got more sentimental value than anything else, but there was one day my buddies were really smashing small northern pike on poppers.  I didn't have any in my box, but figured out if I looped the wire around the front hook, the lure fished just like a popper (not how I would handle the situation now, but that's beside the point).  I caught 23 pike that day, most between 1 and 3 pounds.  No issues with the screw eyes at all.

[jcromerangler]

18 hours ago, DGagner said:

This is what I do with no issues. Then again a 5 lb'er is the most I'd expect from my lake. 2-3 is more typical.

I fish Santee cooper where the big girls live.......8-9lbers are common in spring... have no issues..your drag should take care of the the amount of resistance a fish may have. Throw mine on 10lb-12lb fluoro have zero issues. At the end of the day it's balsa wood, it's weak......but so are Rapala lures  

[eastman03]

Don't do it! lol, I always seem to play devils advocate on this.   I could land 100 fish on a screw eye lure, but is it going to stand the test of time.  All lures regardless of finish will chip and crack and start falling apart.  After pulling lures around in frigid water, banging into rocks, catching some big fish, adjusting even a slightly bent eye after a battle, that screw eye will for sure get some water penetration, and eventual failure of the glue/epoxy bonding it in.  Again most screw eye lures are probably fine for most of their lifetime, and lots of my favorite lures are screw eye type.  But I've also lost a giant fish of a lifetime type Muskie thrashing at the side of the boat from a failed screw eye.  

Anyway, just my two cents. It also just bugs me that some very high priced well finished lures are still screw eye.  If i'm buying a Cadillac car, I don't want crank windows, I want alllll the best features.  Thru wire adds tons of complexity to the build overall.

Very interesting picture overall here, but you tell me which lure you would trust with a 10lb largemouth? Or an accidental fish of a lifetime Muskie while bass fishing?   Now I know these aren't screw eyes, but you get my point.  

[Hillbilly voodoo]

@eastman03 in all honesty I would not trust any of those bass baits on a huge musky. 10lb bass any crappy lure will hold it they burn out fast lol. Even the through wire can fail because it is too light of a gauge. Even through wire not built properly can fail experienced it myself. But I did not expect an ultralight trout plug to hold up to a chinook either 

But yes through wire of the right gauge for the species is the strongest 

Just poking at you because you asked for it lol

There is one benefit to eye screws over through wire. If a tie point or hook hanger gets mangled too many times it gets weakened from bending it back and in time it breaks bait it wrecked. Eye screw breaks it’s seal you can back it out and epoxy it again or replace the whole eye screw 

You do make a valid point on possible water penetration on wood baits if an eye screw starts to spin

I have experienced eye screws and through wires fail but both times the gauge of wire or eye screw was not sufficient for the size of fish 

[eastman03]

This is turning into a good old Canadian debate.  We just need to apologize before stating our points. Haha. Sorry I think thru wire is better. But I have also had a fish break right through a thinner wire thru wire. So I see your point. Sorry. 

[Hillbilly voodoo]

18 minutes ago, eastman03 said:

This is turning into a good old Canadian debate.  We just need to apologize before stating our points. Haha. Sorry I think thru wire is better. But I have also had a fish break right through a thinner wire thru wire. So I see your point. Sorry. 

All good I see advantages to both but had to pick on you a little is all 

 

[Vodkaman]

I am not talking lures here, but bait fishing. I have caught many fish in excess of 9Lb right through to 12.36Lb. Because of the deep body shape of the bawal fish, it offers great resistance to the strike action. Also, because of the nature of the man made ponds, I have to apply a lot of pressure to stop the fish passing through the aeration pipes that pass down the middle of the pond.

My conclusion from my experiences from line breaks, and always using the latest in knot technology, is that the fish is capable of exerting a pull of 4x its weight.

In my early days of fishing, it was all about using as light a line as possible. I almost landed a 10Lb carp on 2Lb line, almost, but that was what was necessary to get the fish to bite in the over-fished waters.

In the ponds that I fish now, I have to use 30Lb line, with the drag set low, and a rod with way too much action, and still I get snapped.

Fish can apply a force of 4x their weight is a good rule of thumb. Good technique, drag control and a quality rod action can minimize this effect.

I have caught these fish on my lures, see my videos, with no damage to my screw eyes. I have done static 24 hour tests way in excess of these numbers, and a few dynamic tests with weight drops. Providing your body materials are up to the job, home made screw eyes are fine.

If you insist on using aircraft standard 5Lb balsa then yes, through wire is necessary, but dense balsa, 0.3SG plus woods, screw eyes are fine.

Figure out what you expect from your lure and perform tests. It is not difficult to do and will give you confidence.

Dave

[mark poulson]

When I was fishing for bass on the CA Delta I caught a 10 lb salmon on a wiggle wart, and it twisted the rear hook hanger 90 degrees!  I keep that lure hanging above my work table to remind me that "there be monsters", and to build accordingly.

[bigblue2]

20 hours ago, mark poulson said:

When I was fishing for bass on the CA Delta I caught a 10 lb salmon on a wiggle wart, and it twisted the rear hook hanger 90 degrees!  I keep that lure hanging above my work table to remind me that "there be monsters", and to build accordingly.

I have been using uv resin hard most let soak in with a handmade eye hook never have one to fail putting some pressure on it uv  cures fast and solid!

[ravenlures]

Just looking for those post for aluminum lips I would like to try aluminum lips with two line ties. Can't seem to find, anyone know where to purchase.

Wayne