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  1. #1
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    building your own balsa squarebills

    In only a few months it will be time to put away the fishing gear where I live in Iowa. I'm contemplating trying my hand at building some squarebills this winter. Just wondering if anyone has any recommendations on good articles or videos before getting started? I've never attempted lure-making in the past, so I'm completely new to this. But I love to fish squarebills and I think it would be really cool to catch fish on something I made myself. Any info would be appreciated. Thanks!

  2. Member
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    #2
    Look up Tackle Underground. Many things in there. Also Marlin baits on YouTube shows many different lures being made, he is awesome to see his work. Many others just do searches.
    Praying for a Cure

  3. BBC SPONSOR Whitaker201's Avatar
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    #3
    Tackleunderground.com is a good place to start. You can search through a TON of forum posts about making crankbaits there.
    Brad Whitaker
    whittyoutdoors.com --- Use code BBC5 at checkout for 5% off
    Whitty Outdoors handmade crankbaits

    08 Stratos 201XL 250 HO E-tec
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  4. Member
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    #4
    Thanks guys...I'll take a look and go from there.

  5. Member basscatcher89's Avatar
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    #5
    When I decided I wanted to give it a shot I looked at everything I could but it finally just took sitting down with some balsa and making a ton of throwaways before I got something worth finishing and fishing. Biggest thing is finding a way to reproduce a pattern if its something you like. I have a vinyl cutter and would make my patterns on adobe Illustrator and then cut on the cutter and transfer to the balsa. Once you do a few you kind of see where you messed up and what to do different next time and eventually you just kind of work your way into your own process.

  6. Member
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    #6
    Thanks for the info. If I was smart I'd start by making flat-sided crankbaits, but since I primarily use "fat" cranks that is what I'd like to try doing. Should be interesting, that's for sure. Better buy in bulk since I have a feeling I'll be making lots of mistakes to start off.

  7. Member
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    #7
    Like others said, www.tackleunderground.com is a good source of info for all things tackle making. On YouTube, 2 users to look up are The Handmade Fisher and haru834. Both guys have some really good info on making some specific baits with patterns available, be a good jumping off point to get some confidence making a few that work right off the bat, and learning techniques. From ther you can apply the principles learned there to start designing your own.

    You mentioned fat cranks, haru834's latest video is just that, a wide body crank
    Last edited by sayner; 08-01-2019 at 05:56 PM. Reason: added info