Cherry Crank

[fishnfool38]

I carved a crankbait out of cherry wood. Trying to make a deep diver with tight wobble. Although I am very familar with fishing cranks this is my first attempt building one. So any opinions are welcome.

1:censored: Problem I cut my lip slot after carving, got it off a touch.Can I straighten and fill with epoxy?

2:huh: What would be the best sealer for the cherry?

3:popcorn: Opinions on using cherry wood good or bad!

[BobP]

I've never used cherry. It has a density of 31.2 lbs/cu ft versus 11.2 for balsa, 20 for white cedar, or 23 for basswood, which are popular crankbait woods. Obviously, it isn't going to be very bouyant so you'll need to go easy on the ballast. I suggest float testing the lure after you waterproof the wood. Mount all the hardware (incl some test trebles and the lip). You can wrap lead solder on the front treble until you get the float you need (remember the finish will add .03-.04 oz of weight to the lure). Then drill a ballast hole and melt in the solder wherever you feel it needs to go. As far as the crooked lip, I'd enlarge the slot until you can fit the lip straight, then use a paste epoxy to mount it. A 50/50 mix of epoxy and acetone is a good sealer but anything that is waterproof will do. On hardwood lures, I feel the sealer's main job is to prevent later water based coatings from raising the grain of the wood. The clearcoat will waterproof everything as a last step. I'm not pro or con on cherry but a less dense wood would give you more options on ballasting and balancing the crankbait and would be much cheaper if you're buying it. With a dense wood, the mass of the lure is distributed throughout the body and only a small ballast (if any) is possible. As well as determining the float, ballast also stabilizes the crankbait, so less dense woods like cedar or basswood offer more options.

[fishnfool38]

So to obtain maximum depth from my understanding this is a good choice?Also a friend owns a cabinet shop so it is free wood.

[Vodkaman]

I agree with everything BobP discusses.

If the only reason you are using the dense cherry is with a view to getting depth, then this is not necessary. The depth is determined by the lip/ballast/line eye geometry combination. It is possible to get a buoyant lure right down there and make soggy lignum body float, by controlling your geometry.

Obviously, if the lure is ballasted close to neutral, the lure will not have to fight the upward float loads. You mention a tight wobble, if by that you mean reduced action as opposed to a wide 45deg action, then the cherry is a good chioce.

[BobP]

The recently introduced Sisson P-20 deep diver is a balsa crank, so the type of wood you use doesn't necessarily determine the diving depth, but it may impact how lively the bait's action will be. I'm certainly no expert on deep diving lures. Generally speaking, the smaller the angle of the bill relative to the bait's horizontal plane, and also the narrower the bill, the tighter the action will be. The position of the line tie is also relevant, as is the location of the ballast. Somebody with lots of experience in deep cranks, like Skeeter, can undoubtedly provide more detailed help in this area. You may also pick up info in some of the TU tutorials.

[fishnfool38]

thanks guys im truely impressed with all of the knowledge on this site!You guys are great:worship:

[benton B]

Cherry wood is too heavy, I tried making a few baits from poplar and ash which has a lower density than cherry and on a 2.5" long bait with 1/8oz balast weight both baits sink like a rock. I am impressed you could carve a bait out of cherry wood, wore my hands and carving kife out on the ash. Search all of Skeeter's posts, you find a boat load of info to get you going.