Fishing lure making garages

[Lone Star Blaze]

My 14 year old son has taken up fishing lure making. So far painting crank baits and making soft plastics. He has come up with some nice looking stuff and even got honorable mention in a lure making contest up against people who have been making lures much longer than he has been alive. He has also sold a few to my coworkers. This time last year I don’t even know lure making at home was a thing people did outside of fly tying. Does anybody here have any lure making set ups in their garage? He and I are looking for a few set up ideas.

 

[kbs2244]

Encourage the idea.
That is how the founder of Bass Pro Shops got started.
At about that age too.
Now it is personal jet and NASCAR sponsorships.

Go in a store and pick up a "history" folder.
Great story, and a lesson in parenting also.

 

[Empty Pockets]

Sounds like an ambitious kid. Don't stop encouraging him

 

[gahrajmahal]

There used to be something when I was a kid where you could make rubbery finger puppets called "creeple people" I think. It had a small heated platen and you squeezed the liquid into the mold and let it set for 10 minutes or so. You ended up with something that was like a fishing worm.

 

[Lone Star Blaze]

Sounds like an ambitious kid. Don't stop encouraging him

I’m not for sure, I think it’s great so does my wife. He has said he would like to pay for as much of his college as he can by making lures. Sounds good to me!

It’s also so much better than sitting around playing video games like kids do or when I was that age I was lighting everything i could drag in the backyard on fire.

 

[Retrosmith]

No setups personally but if he's interested in designing his own crankbaits via 3d printing, take a look at the user fun 3dprint on YouTube. Fusion 360 (free) and 3d printing combined with young enthusiasm can yield life long skills.

 

[Majordisorder]

Just some clean organized benches and storage shelves. My experience was oriented toward plugs flutter spoons, and rod building with some lead jig molding thrown in, so a little metal working including wire bending. An air brush setup was in there as well. Never made any money at, just gave stuff away. About the only thing I do now is tie a dozen flies once a year.

 

[tclark]

An exhaust hood would be great for getting rid of fumes. Good when melting plastics, life saving when melting lead.
Me and a buddy used to mess around with that stuff quite a bit and found a vent hood in an old house that was being torn down. We built a 3 walled "box" on top of an old metal desk with the hood mounted on top about 30" high. We used that for our melting area and it made a huge difference; before we had to have the garage door open with fans going to help with the fumes, with this hood you never smelled a thing.
The plastic may not be that bad, but lead fumes are very bad for ya.

 

[Jazz1]

We make our own just for the wife and I and visitors we take along fishing who lose lures at alarming rate. Only takes us about 2 bottles of wine to make enough for the year. We stick to simple spinners and jigs. Local tackle shop has a huge selection of bulk lure making supplies.
Young fellow could do well pedalling lures as they are dirt cheap to make. I know fellow who sells packages of a dozen assorted

 

[Selo]

Sounds like a sharp fellow. Let's see some pictures of the lures! He may sell a few here.

Selo

 

[Oregon rock crusher]

When I was about that age fishing and hunting were about all I thought about. I saw an add in a magazine or catalog for a simple lure making jig. I don't remember what it cost but it probably wasn't much. It came with the jig, a little wire, and a book "tackle tricks with wire". I still have the old jig and I'm pretty sure the book is still here too. Kept myself and my Dad in steelhead lures for quite a few years. I made a very simple bench for my room out of a thin piece of plywood and some 2x4's. It held some fly tying and lure making bits as well as a couple reloading presses and supplies. Never sold a thing but learned a lot on that old bench. Ed.

 

[volpster31]

my brother does this and he definately has to heat up the plastics..id say some type of heat source(a hot plate would probobally do)and a small work bench is all you need..and tell him to check out lurecraft.com ..they have some really cool molds

 

[helterskelter]

No setups personally but if he's interested in designing his own crankbaits via 3d printing, take a look at the user fun 3dprint on YouTube. Fusion 360 (free) and 3d printing combined with young enthusiasm can yield life long skills.

^ this is a great idea. Anyone who can do modeling and 3D printing has an in demand skill-set that pays very well.

 

[Lone Star Blaze]

I think the vent hood is a great idea. Hot plastisol smells like nothing I can imagine and I have been around automotive paint and body fillers for the last 20 years.

Here is a little of what he has made

 

[Lone Star Blaze]

When I was about that age fishing and hunting were about all I thought about. I saw an add in a magazine or catalog for a simple lure making jig. I don't remember what it cost but it probably wasn't much. It came with the jig, a little wire, and a book "tackle tricks with wire". I still have the old jig and I'm pretty sure the book is still here too. Kept myself and my Dad in steelhead lures for quite a few years. I made a very simple bench for my room out of a thin piece of plywood and some 2x4's. It held some fly tying and lure making bits as well as a couple reloading presses and supplies. Never sold a thing but learned a lot on that old bench. Ed.

That’s awesome you have kept that all these years.

He has a small metal work bench that was a mixing table in a body shop previously. It’s working out very well for him so far. He has a microwave and and toaster over to melt the plastic then the oven keeps the plastic and molds warm between pours

 

[littleponderosa]

There is a fella out your way - maybe MO - who repaints rapalas for recreational & pro guys. There is a still untapped market out there, or at least one with growth. IIRC, he is getting about $7 per, so I'd guess there's money also.
I'm actually living proof fisherman can/have spent sometimes serious money on fishing equipment that doesn't trigger a bite. We will sure as hell give a kid a shot & let him start a helluva hobby that could pay for itself. I like jointed 7's for the Bighorn.
Bill