How to Carve a Fishing Lure

Fishing lures are typically carved from lightweight wood such as balsa. Other types of wood may also be used, but they should generally be easy to carve and buoyant. Begin the carving process with an pencil-drawn outline of a design and then slowly and gradually remove wood and shape the lure.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Things You’ll Need:

Balsa wood block Pencil Hobby knife Sand paper Paint
Balsa wood block
Pencil
Hobby knife
Sand paper
Paint

Step 1

Draw a basic lure design on a piece of balsa or other wood. The wooden block should roughly match the shape of the lure. For example, when carving a torpedo shaped minnow lure, the block of wood should be rectangular in shape to help reduce work.

Step 2

Remove excess wood from the block and begin to form the shape of the lure. Use a pocket knife or larger hobby knife for roughing out the lure.

Step 3

Continue to shape the lure by switching to a smaller hobby knife. The small knife blade will allow more precise removal and shaping.

Step 4

Sand the lure with a medium-grit paper such as 40 grit. Begin with a coarse grit but keep in mind that soft woods such as balsa and pine will not require excessively coarse grits. Continue to sand and shape the lure by reducing the grit until a fine grit such as emery paper is used.

Step 5

Paint the lure with appropriate colors to attract fish or match the natural coloring of the bait being imitated. There are many attractor patterns and colors available. Keep in mind that water color and time of day may determine the colors that attract fish.

Tips & Warnings

Bright colors such as chartreuse, pink, red, white and orange are often good choices especially when designing a lure for use in muddy or stained water. Also consider painting lures to match the natural coloring of bait fish.

Bright colors such as chartreuse, pink, red, white and orange are often good choices especially when designing a lure for use in muddy or stained water.

Also consider painting lures to match the natural coloring of bait fish.

Use extreme caution when carving. Make sure to always push the blade away from you, especially when working with softer woods such as balsa and pine.

Article Written By Tara Dooley

Tara Dooley has written for various websites since 2008. She has worked as an accountant, after-school director and retail manager in various locations. Dooley holds a Bachelor of Science in business management and finance.

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