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This
guide to making bibbed lures was produced with the assistance of
Rob Meade who demonstrated to me how he began making his own bibbed
lures which are now registered under the name of "Goblin Lures".
What follows is an illustrated version of that demonstration.
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1.
First step is to make paper templates for the profile, plan and
bib. These may be traced or transferred to more durable material
later on, but basic illustration skills are needed for this step.
A. The profile of the lure is
simply drawn to the size
required on a piece of paper. The approximate position of the bib
is marked.
B. The plan is also drawn to
size on a piece of paper which is folded down the central axis.
This enables the plan to be made symmetrical by folding the drawing
and making corrections on a light box, or against a window.
C. Likewise the bib is drawn
to shape and size and the drawing corrected in the same way as the
plan.
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| 2.
Select a block of coarse-grained wood like cedar or pine, and - using
your profile template - mark the point at which the bib angle starts. |
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3.
Remove template and mark in the angle of the bib slot using a bevel
gauge. An angle of around 40 degrees is suggested initially. |
| 4.
Put the block of wood in a vice and cut the bib angle with a hacksaw,
checking continually to ensure a true cut. |
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5.
Using your profile template again, mark out the profile of the lure
with a marking pen in respect to the bib angle.
Then,
Using a belt sander with a fine belt, and
continually checking to make sure the block is square throughout
the procedure, shape the profile of the lure.
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6.
Having shaped the lure to the profile template, mark out the plan
using the plan template and marking pen. Then sand to shape as in
the previous step, once more continually checking the alignment.
At
this point you may also drill holes for the eyelets
using a 1/16" (2 mm drill).
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A.
Excess wood is whittled away carefully with a sharp knife or scalpel
so the portrait, or facing view, is elliptical. Finish with sandpaper,
progressing from coarse to fine.
B. Facing view, or portrait, of
lure should be elliptical. |
8.
Eyelet positions are marked with an awl or similar
sharply pointed device. |
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9.
Eyelets are fashioned from 0.8 mm wire: In this case using a Du-Bro
wire-working tool called a "Kwik Twist". You can however,
make up a wooden jig with a pair of protruding nails or metal pins
to do the same job.
The
ends of the eyelets are then splayed out flat with
hammer and anvil to provide more surface area for
glueing.
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| 10.
Holes are carefully drilled for the eyelets. This is how Rob demonstrated
this step using a power drill and 1/16" (2 mm) bit. I suggest
you will find drilling the eyelet holes easier at an earlier stage
when you can hold the block of wood in the vice. |
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11.
Position and penetration of the eyelets is shown. |
| 12.
Beginning with the nose, the eyelets are inserted and glued into place
with 24 hour Araldite. |
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13.
The lure is either dipped in, or painted with, model aircraft dope
and hung up to dry. This seals the wood making it impervious to paint
and water. After the dope is dry you can paint your lure.
A piece of cardboard in the bib slot, which you can remove when the
dope dries, prevents it from becoming clogged. |
| 14.
Using your bib template, mark out the shape of your bib on a piece
of polycarbonate plastic like Lexen. |
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15.
Drill a fair size hole in the section of the bib which goes inside
the lure to help the glue anchor the bib in place. Then smooth the
bib around the edges, first with a file, then with an emery board,
the kind buy at the chemist for shaping fingernails. |
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16.
Clean out the bib slot with a piece of coarse sandpaper, glue the
bib into place, add split rings and trebles, and your lure is ready
fish with when the glue on the bib is dry.
Tips
on adjusting swimming action:
1. Lure swims to the right: Bend towing
eye to the right.
2. Lure swims to the left: Bend towing eye to the left.
3. Lure has little or no action: Bend towing eye down.
4. Lure has erratic action and bursts from water when being
retrieved or trolled quickly: Bend towing eye up.
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Making
lures is a craft and craftsmanship requires practice, and the skills
which come with practice. The steps outlined here are procedural
guidelines only.
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