Sunday 15 December 2013

The Handmade Fisherman


I have finally made a start on building my new website, “The Handmade Fisherman” hopefully this will be a base for visitors to land on and explore. At the moment it seems still like I have a couple of thousand things to deal with before everything is up and running and I can get back to making some videos let alone doing some fishing.


I also did a bit more experimenting with my real minnow, adding another hook hanger and a diving lip. I may get chance for a couple of testing sessions next week, it swims great in the bath but that is never a judge of how it will work out in the real world. Weight wise I have ordered some tungsten 4mm fly tying beads which I think will work out better than lead free shot I am using at the moment. Carving the balsa is still a bit of pig so I made up a face out of layered paper covered with foil, this feels like cheating a bit. Another great thing I discovered about working on something this small is when I go back to making larger lures like the crank bait the feel massive by comparison. 


16 comments:

  1. Best of luck with the new website, I enjoy this blog and your tutorials are great. I have to get a few more of your lures made in the new year when I get time off of college.

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  2. thanks, good luck with the lures, I am just drawing up some new designs

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  3. Its the most wonderful time of the year for nipping down to B&Q and snapping up all the discounted tinsel and assorted sparkly stuff !!!!! ( Other diy stores are available.)
    Good luck with the site, very inspirational ,quick question about crank,jerkbaits ,apart from the aesthetic does the symmetry matter that much. When I sight down a diy hand sanded lure one edge or surface may not be rounded the same as the other side . As they are going to be jerked about anyway this may even enhance the action. I guess on the retrieve it may not come back in a straight line though. Anyway maybe I should start a lobsided lure site ,might be a niche it the market. Cheers,Bry

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    1. i have never made a perfect lure and faults always become more obvious the longer i spend looking for them. But to make lure plans available i feel i have a duty to test out the designs and that means working accurately so the results i get are not the results of inconsistency in my shaping. In saying that i find it rewarding to get to know a lure,what it will do and how it moves in the water, i spent a long time making casting spoons which where a tyoe jerk bait with asymmetric sides the wobbled and darted randomly, one of my favorite memories of fishing with them was watching a bow wave of pike run twenty feet towards my lure and then snatch it.I suspect there is no right and wrong in lure making just lots of messing round in a shed cheer

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    2. Thanks ,didn't mean to sound like I was criticizing your meticulous presentations its great to see such inventiveness relayed in a manner which encourages the viewer to have a go themselves ,I was just wondering really about my own efforts and how perfect in real life they have to be .I am currently using my pedestal drill like a lathe ,holding short lengths of 9mm dowel in the chuck and sanding them down to devon minnow shapes (after drilling through first) ,been trying to use ring pulls glued in as propellers with variable success ... least you have a shed ,i,m on the kitchen table.
      cheers,Bry.

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    3. Despite the workshop, the best place to film is the living room table. I didn't take your comment as a criticism. I made a few minnows last year, in a similar fashion, cheers

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  5. Hi Paul
    Great vids on lure making, invaluable to someone starting out.
    Is it safe to use regular glitter in the liquid PVC that goes in the microwave?
    Regards
    Keith

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    1. I have only ever used glitter that i bought from my soft plastics supplier, but it maybe fun to experiment with small amounts of craft shop bought glitter, if your microwave goes bang then i am guessing it is not suitable.

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  6. Hello. I was so happy to have found your tutorials for lure making i especially liked the ones for soft plastic paddle tails. Here in florida i use more paddle tail lures for snook an redfish than any other lure. I recently have purchased a lot of supplies to make my own lures. I go threw them so much i think it is cheaper for me to make them myself, plus i can customize them with any color or glitter i want.

    I just thought i should drop in here an tell you thank you an i look forward to seeing more of your tutorials so that I may make my own lures now so on that note thank you very much.

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  7. He mate, what rubber solution do you tecommend use for making moulds and soft paddle lures, thanks

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    1. I normally use Polycraft GP-3481-F RTV Silicone from mb fibreglass in the uk or Oomoo RTV silicone from Smooth-on via Bentley adavanced materials in the uk also. For the soft plastic i use lureflex from Lurefactors in the uk. There are a number of suppliers spread round the world so I would recommend giving whoever is local to you a chance and maybe order small quantities and see how you get on

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  8. Paul

    I am a disabled vet and I would like to start making lures but have not clue or how to get around the internet to well. Do you have a link I can go to so I can download some templates or shapes I can start with. Also where do you get your supplies?

    Thank you
    Arlin

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    1. if you send an e-mail to paulpadam@aol.com I can e-mail you back the templates, lists of tools, materials and some suppliers, thanks

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  9. Can I ask? How long is this pattern?

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