[Jon Illsley]

Here's one I made last week. I'm slowly perfecting the techniques required to make a first class lure and each one is better then the one before. I'm currently making a Tide Minnow type as I'm too tight to buy them.

Jon

 

[Bagpuss]

Jon

That looks the business. I don't make my own lures but I know a BASS member that does & he catches lots on them too

 

[Simon L]

Great 1st post Jon !!!!

That's a great DIY effort :clap: i wish i had the patients & time to have a crack at that myself.

 

[Ben Field]

Nice one Jon! Great finish on that one! I've not got around to trying yet, but probably will one day.

 

[Steve Lewis]

Jon,

Great looking lures there mate, are they a wood or plastic body ?

 

[Matt Spence]

Excellent creation Jon. How does it fish in bath tests? I see you've got that final paint finish using a net/stockings for scale patterns nicely perfected. What did you use for the silver finish underneath? I have have struggled with metalic silver paint finishes in terms of them running and their look. Tin foil or hologrphic wraping paper can work but tends not to be robust and difficult to get a smooth fit on the contours of the lure. Good luck with your further efforts, I'd be really interested in your progress with the tide minow type lure. In 8 years of carving lures I still havent seriously attempted divers as I have got it into my head they are too chalenging and will not prove effective at catching so I tend to stick to top water lures (or jerk baits at a push.) BTW I might be the BASS member Nigel was referring to!

 

[Dave M]

In the middle of having ago will put a pic up when I have finished (if they are any good that is lol).

 

[Gary Evans]

Nice lure!
Which epoxy do you use to get the high build finish on your lures?

 

[Bagpuss]

Excellent creation Jon. How does it fish in bath tests? I see you've got that final paint finish using a net/stockings for scale patterns nicely perfected. What did you use for the silver finish underneath? I have have struggled with metalic silver paint finishes in terms of them running and their look. Tin foil or hologrphic wraping paper can work but tends not to be robust and difficult to get a smooth fit on the contours of the lure. Good luck with your further efforts, I'd be really interested in your progress with the tide minow type lure. In 8 years of carving lures I still havent seriously attempted divers as I have got it into my head they are too chalenging and will not prove effective at catching so I tend to stick to top water lures (or jerk baits at a push.) BTW I might be the BASS member Nigel was referring to!

Matt

I knew that you made poppers but I was referring to Richard Bourne who makes diving lures.

One of Richard's creations & a nice bass caught on it

 

[Jon Illsley]

Thanks for the comments everyone. This lure is mahogony, cut out on the band saw and sanded to shape. The whole thing is covered in normal silver foil that has been pressed onto the knurled handle of a ratchet to give it a pattern, this is then glued on with spray glue and gently pressed onto the lure. Matt - If you want a smooth finish on the silver foil roll a smooth round bar over it and all the wrinkles will disappear. Then I airbrushed dark green over the top half and black scale pattern over that. The gloss finish is standard five minute epoxy smoothed on with my finger.

I'm just painting the Feed Shallow Minnow type lure, I'm just doing it chartreuse and silver so it won't look anything special but it should be a good catcher. Next after that is something like a Xorus Bad Boy sinking lure. I don't get much time for fishing even though I live on Portland as I work full time and run a farm so I tend to just grab an hour whenever and don't get to plan trips for the best time and tide. I have never caught anything bigger than a schoolie so if anyone wants to buddy up sometime to show me how it's done I would love to meet up for a lesson sometime.

Cheers

Jon

 

[Dom Sheppard]

what a fantastic lure Jon, looks like a baby Arapaima

 

[mike symons]

Great looking lure Jon. I hope you catch on it after all the effort put into making it, well done.