bladesandbaits Posted February 18, 2006 Report Share Posted February 18, 2006 I was wondering,what do you guys and gals think? Question #1 What is your definition of a Custom Lure? Question#2 If someone labels him or herself as a Custom Lure Maker/painter,What do you think this person should offer to the customer?(condusive to the service you render to the customer) I dont care if it is a fly,muskie bait,inline spinner or whatever! And I mean not just an answer like'something you cant get at wall mart" Blades Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dvowell Posted February 18, 2006 Report Share Posted February 18, 2006 I've thought about this a lot and I wouldn't consider myself a custom lure maker...I just make lures. Now, here's the catch, I have made what I consider custom lures on occasion. To me, a custom lure is one that is ordered a certain way...you have to create it based upon the criteria set forth by the customer or the person requesting it (could even be you). Any lure that follows a set pattern can not be custom. This simply means, if you have a certain pattern you use to cut/carve your cranks and they all maintain the same shape/design...these cease to be custom once you start producing them in numbers. I suppose the same could be said for paint jobs as well. If you have a certain pattern you paint over and over, it isn't custom. So, as I've said, I'm just a lure maker, though I have built a few custom baits that I haven't duplicated at all. Hope this is as clear as mud and provides a little food for thought. -Danny Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michael merrill Posted February 18, 2006 Report Share Posted February 18, 2006 Blades, I have had many customers ask for an unavailable paint scheme.Some have even given me a color copy of a live baitfish from the area they planned on fishing.Or sometimes they ask for a color variation of an existing scheme. Many of these patterns are produced specifically for these people.I would consider these "custom" paint jobs, but the lure itself is not a custom shape. I guess it comes down to how much (in terms of quantity) of any given product or pattern is produced,and whether or not the general public can get their hands on it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nova Posted February 18, 2006 Report Share Posted February 18, 2006 I agree with Danny. Couldn't have said it better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fatfingers Posted February 19, 2006 Report Share Posted February 19, 2006 I think that modifications of any type are one of the most interesting aspects of both hunting and fishing. Its not hard to be impressed with the stuff that people come up with and the creative ideas that you run across. Custom lure makers are, in my opinion, a spectrum, not a distinct category. There are a lot of people that simply do not want to modify things themselves and are willing to pay others or buy the modified product. I bought lumber a few days ago...cherry, oak, and poplar scraps from a local lumber mill. The guy behind the counter asked me what I was working on and I explained that I build musky baits and very briefly explained the process. He finished the sale and then gave me his business card and asked me to call him when the baits were done because he wanted to purchase some of them for his musky fisherman friends. Another guy was waiting to make a purchase then also stepped forward and said he'd like to purchase some for gifts also. Of course, neither had seen any of my work but the intrigue of buying something that no one else could buy, something that can't be had "over the counter," was so compelling that they could not resist asking. I'm sure others have had similar experiences, but I find the fascination with baits that all fisherman seem to naturally have to be very interesting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Travis Posted February 19, 2006 Report Share Posted February 19, 2006 Yikes, possible can of worms! May be easier to define what we don't think of as custom. Custom as meeting a clients specifics, custom as in quality, custom as not being mass produced, custom as meaning unique, custom meaning hand made, custom as in "Tom" doesn't have this? To me all the above and then some. To me I think a truly custom lure as meaning made by an individual from the ground up exhibiting high standards, quality, workmanship, and performance. I think of handmade for the most part. If done correctly should represent the highest obtainable quality and will specifically meet the intended purpose. Not many ever reach this. They may meet a few of the criteria but not all. I know I haven't and have a long way to go. To me a custom lure can't just be made by reading some tutorials and copying a bait. This gets one started in the right direction but skill, time, and understanding are what is going to get someone making a custom bait by my definition. Now like most custom things. Things less than custom will work just as fine but will meet the use of the individual. Custom cabinetry? My mass produced wood cabinets are 20 plus years old and still do a fine job holding my dishes . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nathan Posted February 23, 2006 Report Share Posted February 23, 2006 Good topic Blades,and it is something that has griped me for along time..Travis made mention of 'Hand Made"..It seems alot of major manufactures throw those trems around very loosley...I forget what balsa crankbait company termed there lures as hand made,but when you look at there site you see saws controlled by computers cutting them out.Don't get me wrong,I don't have a problem using power tools in my work,but they are controlled by me not a computer...Nathan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nova Posted February 23, 2006 Report Share Posted February 23, 2006 I think that for a large company to "technically" be able to say hand-made, all that would be required was for a human to be directly involved in the manufacturing process. This could be someting as simple as putting in screw eyes or putting hooks on hangers. Or even applying a coat of clear finish 100 baits at a time with a spray gun. Some of these companys will "split the hair" many times. I also think that with more and more of them using these terms it is a direct reflection of our work and maybe we should take that as a compliment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nathan Posted February 23, 2006 Report Share Posted February 23, 2006 I agree Nova..I guess if a human is standing in the room while the computer does the work,I guess it qualifies..LOL..Nathan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LaPala Posted February 23, 2006 Report Share Posted February 23, 2006 I agree with what Dvowell said. But taking a step back we might want to look at it in a broad term or a narrower one. Broad Term: Any lure that is tweaked individually to meet a certain fishing condition can be called custom. Be it paint, tweak of the lips, weighting etc. Narrower Definition: It has to be designed & executed from the ground up to meet specific fishing critirea. So u decide which catogory of a custom lure maker u are But lures from copying & making a lure from existing design sure don't fit in my books as a custom lure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dvowell Posted February 24, 2006 Report Share Posted February 24, 2006 Hey LaPala! Good to see you back, I heard you had some computer problems. I look forward to reading more of your insightful posts. -Danny Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tally Posted February 25, 2006 Report Share Posted February 25, 2006 WOW!!!! Blades I think you like stirring the pot a bit!! I would like to consider myself as a custom Lure Maker but maybe I am using that term a bit too loosely. When I first started making jigs, I set out to make a jig for me.....just the way I wanted it. I used the hooks I wanted and I modified the molds to get the correct wire weed guard. I studied web page after web page trying to learn all I could about the variety species of crayfish in Missouri, and there is a bunch. Then I tried to make my skirts the very best and natural looking as I could. Spinner Baits: I was asked to start making s-baits after people had used my jigs. I took everything I liked about every spinner bait I had bought and also all the things I did not like, and came up with my idea of a good s-bait. Crank Baits: I am still very new at this but the first crank I made I had a goal in mind to reach with this crank. The goal was to have a slow rising bait so that the bait did not float up to fast on a pause of the reel. If I told you what this bait weighed, you would laugh and think it would sink faster than a cannon ball. Guess what? The bait does exactly as I set out for it to do. My paint schemes are entirely different than any you see, in fact somone here on TU said I might have opened the doors (eyes) for the closed minded that use the standard schemes. Does this make me a Custom Lure Maker? Probably not, even though I call myself that. It is just a hobby to me and I have met some fantastic people and I am having a blast making them and having people come up to me and say: man, I caught the crap out of fish on your lure. Here is my question for you Blades. Didn't all baits at some point in their existance, start out as a "Custom Bait"????? We have just seen a very good example in the last week. This "Chatterbait" is a custom lure, but now that it has won some money and the industry is talking about it, the "BIG BOYS" are now making their own version.........So is the "Chatterbait" still a custom bait if it is mass produced by a big company and basically just has a different name? Tally Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skeeter Posted February 27, 2006 Report Share Posted February 27, 2006 Anytime that you alter something from its original state, it is custom. Anytime you create something that is not being made, it is custom or new. What I expect from an excellent baitmaker is work above the rest. Whatever your specialty is, I expect work that will display true craftsmanship and a higher degree of precission. Otherwise, why would I pay the higher prices of a hand crafted lure? We need to get off of the word custom. Heck, I even used the word in an article that I wrote on this site years ago. "Choosing a Custom Crankbait." It is used too loosely like the word "hero" or "professional." How many of us has heard the phrase "if you are paid for something, then you are a professional." Bull !!! Here is the bottom line....... If you truely do Outstanding work then it will be noticed. There are too many idiots out there calling themselves custom lure makers. No one here has ever heard me call my crankbaits custom. I am just a crankbait maker. I strive to do something to better my skills and my crankbaits every time I am in the shop. In 5 years, I have never been completely satisfied with my work. I always see something to improve on. Therefore, I am not a professional. I have made many mistakes, and I have really made some crap in my time. But I truely love this craft and desire to make the finest crankbaits that have ever been made. I expect that kind of an attitude out of a luremaker. I expect his skills and his end result to be above the others. Otherwise, I will not pay for his services or his lures. Skeeter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrawChuck Posted February 27, 2006 Report Share Posted February 27, 2006 I guess my definition of custom is a lure made for you the way you want it and must be unique. I would expect the custom lure maker to meet my expectations and not repeat it for somebody else the same way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coley Posted February 27, 2006 Report Share Posted February 27, 2006 adjective ( made to individual specifications ) The above is what the dictionary says about custom made. To me, this means good, great, bad or otherwise. Need I say more. Coley Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skeeter Posted February 27, 2006 Report Share Posted February 27, 2006 Gee Coley Guess that sums it up! Skeeter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tally Posted February 28, 2006 Report Share Posted February 28, 2006 Staus Change: I am now "custom hobbiest" Tally Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
