# Show off your work



## mbirdsley (Jan 12, 2012)

So, I’ve seen this on other forums and it might work here depends on participation. Here is a thread to show off or brag about your home made tackle. If you made it and either catches fish or just looks cool post it here. Everyone knows Michigan has long fishing tradition. So I would summarized that we probably also have a lot of good tackle makers who have never made a dime and have lived in tackle making obscurity but, love what they do/make. 

Including jigs of all types, plastics, spinner baits, in line spinners, hard baits, spoons, or whatever else as long as you casted, built, painted, bend wire, tied, or added a bunch of components to make a lure. 

Not a for sale section 

Since the boat has been completed I have been busy replacing and stocking my bass jig collection. At the moment I have 3 different bass jig molds. A flat eyed Arkie mold 1/4-1/2, poison tail mold 1/2-1.0, and a brush jig mold 1/4-1/2. 

All of Which, all are represented in the following pictures. I casted from lead, painted, and put the skirts on. The only jigs I didn’t pour were the chatter bait heads. Those are from lure parts. I did paint, added skirt, bent the wire for line tie, installed split ring on the blades and connected to the head. The chatter baits work too. I have caught some monster spring time LMB on them. 



































































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## PunyTrout (Mar 23, 2007)

Here are a few of my flies from the archives. I've posted too many to count here on M-S over the years.


Spun deer hair lure:












'Drunken Sailor' flies:


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## Blackeyes (Mar 26, 2017)

Due to the times decided to try my hand at making and painting musky baits; Hooks not on all yet getting there 1 by 1


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## mbirdsley (Jan 12, 2012)

Ive meant to comment sooner but, I’ve been laid up. Those look very good from both of you guys. Good job !!


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## mbirdsley (Jan 12, 2012)

Made more some jigs up last night to replace the ones I’ve lost already. Most are black and blue with 2 green pumpkins. 4 poison tail 1/2 swim jigs and the rest brush jigs 1/4 and 3/8








oz 


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## whiteymalone (Apr 11, 2021)

PunyTrout said:


> Here are a few of my flies from the archives. I've posted too many to count here on M-S over the years.
> 
> 
> Spun deer hair lure:
> ...


Wow! You must have been cleaning up deer hair trimmings for a year after tying that triple jointed crankbait fly.


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## rtminc (Jan 18, 2009)

I paint ... mostly new unpainted blanks, and occasionally repaint old lures in need.

Last week I started turning musky blanks out of white cedar and poplar, but those still need painting. Should have some ready in a week or two. In the meantime...














































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## Mr Burgundy (Nov 19, 2009)

Just bought a bunch of stuff for spinners this salmon season. Will post some new things I'm trying this year


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## Clairebear (Mar 28, 2021)

I don't paint so I asked Blackeyes to paint up some Flicker Shad look a likes in the colours I wanted.


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## Goinpostal83 (Nov 12, 2020)

soft beads we make.







panfish plastics we pour


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## 6thMichCav (Nov 8, 2007)

Can you make a chatter bait head from a discarded spinner blade, a jig hook, 1/4 oz split shot, one split ring and one snap? Yes, yes you can. Most of the labor is flattening the blade and drilling two more holes. Oh, and don’t break off the hook eye when bending it horizontal…don’t ask me how I know…

Throw on a trailer and a crawler and I have no problems losing these in the river. $5 commercial chatterbaits…not so much.

I also do rough crankbaits based on a Big O or Bomber 5a pattern, but they are nowhere as beautiful as you guys are making.


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## piketroller (Oct 24, 2016)

6thMichCav said:


> View attachment 770450
> 
> Can you make a chatter bait head from a discarded spinner blade, a jig hook, 1/4 oz split shot, one split ring and one snap? Yes, yes you can. Most of the labor is flattening the blade and drilling two more holes. Oh, and don’t break off the hook eye when bending it horizontal…don’t ask me how I know…
> 
> ...


Have you tried one without pounding the blade flat? Just curious.


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## 6thMichCav (Nov 8, 2007)

piketroller said:


> Have you tried one without pounding the blade flat? Just curious.


I have not. I guess you could try the convex side of the blade forward. May give that a try. I did find a Canadian nickel does not work (!). This size blade thumps like crazy.


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## zedzee (Jun 2, 2021)

A few of mine


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## Slimshady (Apr 4, 2002)

Here are some of my custom bandits:







































Sent from my iPhone using Michigan Sportsman mobile app. Slimshady Customs: Custom Painted Crankbaits.


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## mbirdsley (Jan 12, 2012)

zedzee said:


> A few of mine
> View attachment 772731
> View attachment 772732
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I can see if I’m going to keep walleye fishing I’ll probably get sucked into making harnesses. Those look good 


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## rtminc (Jan 18, 2009)

Slimshady said:


> Here are some of my custom bandits:
> 
> View attachment 773195
> View attachment 773196
> ...


Are those decals? The MSU looks awesome


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## rtminc (Jan 18, 2009)

rtminc said:


> I paint ... mostly new unpainted blanks, and occasionally repaint old lures in need.
> 
> Last week I started turning musky blanks out of white cedar and poplar, but those still need painting. Should have some ready in a week or two. In the meantime...
> 
> ...


A few more































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## Slimshady (Apr 4, 2002)

rtminc said:


> Are those decals? The MSU looks awesome
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPad using Michigan Sportsman


Thanks. They are water-transfer decals. Kind of like the fake tatoos that kids use sometimes. I make a powerpoint in my computer and put as many items on the page as possible, because the paper isn't cheap. I usually do a test print on regular paper first to make sure the sizing is correct, etc. After printing the real one, it needs to dry for around 5-10 mins, then I put a light coat of lacquer over it. After that dries, it needs about 5 or 6 additional coats of lacquer, going a bit heavier each time, with dry time in-between. Once its good and dry, I just cut out the pieces and put them in a shallow bowl of water for about 1-2 minutes. Once they are ready, the sticker will slide off the paper onto your bait and you can easily reposition it until it is dry. One tip that I have learned is to put a bunch of decals in the water at once, and then take all of them out after 1-2 mins. I put them on a cutting board. I put the baits into a lure vise with clamps, so I don't have to hold them. Then I can do the baits really fast, one after another. If you leave the decals in the water a bit too long, they will separate from the paper completely and be floating. Once that happens they are nearly impossible to get out of the water without having them roll into a ball and they are done. However, they can stay on the cutting board for 10-15 mins and be fine. If they start to dry out a bit, I just sprinkle a few drops of water over them. 

That's how I do my "signature" on the baits as well. I have found that these decals only look good over a light colored background. Otherwise, you can't even see them. You also need to find the logos with a transparent background. Most of the sports related ones are only for display and may never actually be used for fishing. They are mostly custom requests that I have done for people. 

Here are some more examples:


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## Mr Burgundy (Nov 19, 2009)

Painted some basic blades up today


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## Mr Burgundy (Nov 19, 2009)

Made these up today


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## zedzee (Jun 2, 2021)

A few more new ones I have done recently.


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## Old Whaler (Sep 11, 2010)

Rainy day project, but now I need more rods because there's 5 empty slots...


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## mbirdsley (Jan 12, 2012)

Old Whaler said:


> View attachment 779137
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> View attachment 779138
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Something like that rack is on my todo list shortly. I’m running out of room along the walls due to clutter. Ceiling looks like the better option. Looks good!!! 


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## ramjet (Dec 19, 2003)

Here's some of my "roll-your-own" spinners in trout sizes I took on a recent trip out West.. The brown trout body and the rainbow spinner blade were purchased that way. I love this box, it was my grandfathers. The spinners hanging upside down sometimes cause the weight to slide up the wire, away from the hook (like a couple of the orange beaded ones here). They will slide back down as soon as you start to fish them, or you can bend the wire loop so the end diverges from the main shaft a little more to put pressure on the body to keep it in place.

Anyone know if there are still boxes like this? I'd buy a few more.


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## mbirdsley (Jan 12, 2012)

Here are 2 jigs that I made that I caught fish with today. The first one I believe is 3/4 oz poison jig. The cool thing about the poison tail jig is that it makes a good punching jig as well as a swim bait jig. I was using it as a punching jig today and it caught three of the biggest bass today. The skirt is a generic green pumpkin skirt I bought in bulk on eBay 










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2nd pick is of a arkie jig. Caught 3 bass fish just dragging it on the bottom. 









3rd pick is matching the hatch from the biggest bass of the day puking up a craw dad 










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## mbirdsley (Jan 12, 2012)

1)Weed eaters 
2) Saginaw bay perch 
3)finesse cut Michigan craw color 
4) crinkle cut green pumpkin and blue 
5) pb&j








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## ro2 (Oct 6, 2011)

I just started, got nothing on other people


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## mbirdsley (Jan 12, 2012)

ro2 said:


> View attachment 824438
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Those still look good though 


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## mbirdsley (Jan 12, 2012)

Some walleye jigs I’ve been playing around with










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## Ravid (Dec 8, 2018)

A lipless lure I made last year


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## amped (Jan 8, 2011)

Just finished these


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## MJM392 (5 mo ago)

Tried to make a natural blurple type pattern pikie

Purpleheart/walnut

eyes are birch and ebony


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