Time to Get Crankin’ – Making them, that is.

Greetings! This is an accounting a journey I embarked upon in June 2009 that is rich in tinkering, trial, error, the excitement of the unknown and joy that I believe is worth sharing with anyone willing to read it.

Wednesday, June 10, 2009 – Inspiration and Making Thought Reality

I got inspired by someone to give crankbait making a shot. I used some scrap balsa I found in the garage. I figured if balsa is good enough for Rapala, it ought to be good enough for me.

This was the starting balsa block, which I cut in half length-wise.

I cut it in half as in the photo below and realized that I could probably get two crankbaits from that one half-piece. I also traced a basic shape.

Lead for ballast and wire for the belly hook.

After some trial and error… okay, a lot of trial and error, I finally got the crankbait to balance with a piece of ¼” diameter pencil lead. The bait seems to balance well in the water.

Next, I cut out the shapes and then carved out the shapes by “eyeballing” it.

In the photo below, the one on the right was made first. I used sandpaper mostly, which seemed really slow, tedious, and not very precise. After giving it some thought, I wondered if a hobby knife could make carving the basic shape easier. The latter was definitely faster and more efficient, but care was needed to not shave off too much wood at one time. The blank on the left looks better to me.

So far, so good. Next, I have to figure out how much weight (lead) is needed to ballast the wooden blank, which I have no clue.


Tuesday, June 16, 2009 – Getting to Work and Learning Along the Way

I drilled a hole through the center of the pencil lead for the wire that would hold the belly hook. Next, I drilled a hole in the belly to insert the lead. I used screw eyes for the nose (for the line tie) and tail (for the rear hook). I realize this might be a risky move given the softness balsa possesses. It is a chance I am willing to take. I will try though-wire construction for the next one. I will look into other materials for the lip and body too. I cut a slot for the lexan lip and attached it with epoxy.

I am going to secure the pieces into the bait with epoxy.

It has been a challenge but rewarding at the same time. I am glad that it floats and balances, but does it wiggle? That is the question indeed.


Wednesday, June 17, 2009 – First Field Test

It works! I stopped by my home lake yesterday to see if the crankbait would work. I wasn’t sure if it would work correctly and the creeping thought that it might not work was something I couldn’t remove from my mind.

With eager anticipation, I tied the Rapala knot for their cranks without a split ring and pitched out the lure. It made the typical plop, splash, dip, and rise back to the surface that a crankbait is supposed to do. Yes!

Next, I walked along the dock and was biting my nails figuratively as I watched the line in front of the bait become taut. The lure started wiggling back and forth. Yee Hah! That's exactly what I shouted, along with a few fist pumps and Sho-Ryu-Kens.

It was working, and working very nicely. It has nice and loose wiggle, reminiscent of a swimbait. It dove down deeper than I thought it would, probably somewhere in the 4-6’ range. Other folks on the dock thought it was pretty cool too. All right!

I tried a few “real” casts and it casts as well as a Rapala DT6. Ahh yeah!

I am very stoked about the how far I’ve gotten. I primed it with white paint this morning and have to come up with a simple color scheme. I’ll be facing my biggest challenge and weakness… Painting.

Friday, June 19, 2009 – Optimus Primed

The crankbait has now been primed in white as shown. Sorry that the picture isn’t too clear. I am still undecided on the color scheme!

Thursday, June 25, 2009 – Painting 101 Class Required

I have to work on my painting skills, maybe even take a class. Although I am not proud of the paint job, I am proud that I saw this project through to this point.

I find it odd that I can shape and carve the wood with ease but I cannot paint worth beans. Here are some images of the finished lure.

As for the shark teeth, they are my signature trademark on my poppers and prop baits. I thought it would be interesting to see on a crankbait. The painting was done with regular hand brushes and acrylic paints.

Oh well. I will make more when I have more time. I plan to paint rainbow trout, perch, and bass color schemes on future crankbaits.

Friday, June 26, 2009 – More Field Testing

Simply Unbelievable! Praise the Lord!

3:00 PM – Session Number One

I got to my “home” (Steel) lake to give my crankbait its maiden trial and to get its action on video for the archives. Although it was a bit of a challenge to troll the crank on foot and film at the same time with my limited capability digital camera I managed to capture what I needed.

Next, I tried to film a cast but wasn’t too successful. I reeled the crankbait to about ten feet from the dock and stopped to put away the camera when all of a sudden; an 18” bass comes out of nowhere and zips right up to my floating bait to within kissing distance. It stops, circles it like a shark and swims away.

My excitement level shot up. Next cast, nothing. After a few more casts, a school or about 10-12 baby bass came out to inspect it and turn away.

The positive thing is that it has gotten the fish’s attention but something was missing from the equation that prevented them from committing to strike. I rubbed some scent on the body, casted it out, and got a hit! Unfortunately, I acted like a dear in the headlights and the command from my brain to my hand to start reeling was left in the queue and not getting through. The bottom line was I lost this one. I had to pick up my son from school so this session was over.

8:00 PM – Session Number Two

Enter lake number two, Bradley Lake. I make it to the floating dock that was already occupied by a few people. I talked to two guys on the dock that had been there pretty much all day and learned there was no action. However, I didn’t let it deter me. I made a cast right next to some submerged grass and my son tried his hand at reeling one cast in. A few more casts (all casts were made in a span of about five minutes), SMASH!! My rod slammed down hard and the two guys next to me immediately took notice.

This time, instinct took over and not the deer in the headlights action that happened earlier. I don’t know what is wrong with me, but I have been “Iaconelli’ing” it lately when I have hooked into decent-sized fish. I was shouting out things like, “Yeah!! That’s right!! Yeahhh (mental fist pump)!! My first fish on a homemade lure!! Yeahhh (mental double fist pump)!! Yeah (mental high five)!! That’s right, baby!!! Yeahhh!!! I embarrassingly concede that everyone within a 150’ radius heard me because a group of people suddenly appeared along the bank on both sides of the dock.

I knew I had a good-sized fish on but something was telling me it was probably not a largemouth bass. A long, slender, and silvery-pale torpedo shaped body nearing the water’s surface confirmed it. It was a trout. A big trout! I was not targeting trout, but I will take it.

I observed that the trout hammered the belly treble quite aggressively, such that it wasn’t going to come off. My Shimano Curado 101D and Clarus trunk rod made short work of this most excellent battle. The gentleman next to me was kind enough to offer his net and assistance. I carefully guided the trout into the net.

I removed the treble, took two photos, measured her, and released this beauty as soon as I could. She measured 20” and I give a best guess estimate weight of maybe 2.75 lbs.

This is a kiss that would make Jimmy Houston proud.

My heart was still pounding and my hands were still shaking ten minutes after this blessed experience as a million thoughts coursed through my mind. The first three thoughts were:

1. The first fish off of my first homemade crankbait.
2. The first fish I ever caught out of Bradley Lake after numerous attempts through two seasons.
3. The biggest trout I ever caught in my life.

I revived her before I released her to fight again another day. Everyone thought I was nuts to let it go.

Here is a photo of Bradley Lake. You can see the dock in the background.


My son reminded me that I promised to take him to Krispy Kreme for a treat, and who would I be to disagree? After all, this was definitely an occasion to celebrate.

This lure making journey has come full circle, from inspiration to conception, from to construction and examination and finally culminating into a hooked and landed fish.

Thank you for tagging along on my journey. I hope it wasn’t too boring of a ride. One of the things that I like about this story is that it is not the typical fishing report that we have all come to enjoy reading. I hope it is a tale worthy of a Fetha Styx rod in the eyes of the judges. I have liked their look and feel in my hands since the day I first held one at an expo.


-Alexander Arceo