The Tenkara Net Maker

I am not sure i could get anymore obscure than video abut a deceased Japanese Tenkara net maker, but he lived his dream and luckily somebody managed to tell his story with a video.

haru834.DIYSINKING PENCIL Lure

This one of series of video from Haru834 one of my favourite youtube lure and video makers. Rather list all the videos here I strongly recommend you check out the rest of his work, there is no language barrier as most are silent films but yet manage to deliver the important information.

Making a Balsa Minnow 1,2,3,4,5

this is your Sunday evening viewing sorted, no don't thank me just get some balsa on order and join the fun.

Making Stick Baits with Shigenaga of Japan

For me the perfect holiday would be spending a week locked in another lure makers workshop; I would be happy just to brush up and catch the odd glimpse of them working. On the other hand it is great when lure builders make videos of what they do, saving me from all that nasty travelling and hanging about in airports. This is a two part video from Shenanigan a Japanese lure maker, it really gets into the detail of how he works. I think there is always a fear with lure makers that sharing a process will somehow give the competition a foot up. Watching these videos and the way he makes lures I kind of realized no matter how much he gives away, there will be few who can give the commitment required to produce these amazing lures.



check out the action



Link to Shigenaga Facebook page

Longin Making a Metal Jig

A little video from Longin Lures of Japan giving a glimpe of jig making. Check out their site http://longin.jp/

Yoshihiko Ando, Serious Silly Style

A.H.P.L / Yoshihiko Ando Lure Exhibition 2015 from devilhead on Vimeo.

In Japan they queue for lure makers, but who wouldn't to meet this guy. My own little skull jig head owes a lot to his work. When the fun stuff is over he can carve and paint replicas that have a breathe of life about them.

Duo lures, there is only one or possibly two

I like the title of this video most which includes "There is only one," despite the fact that Duo means a pair. But never the less even after watching this I get the feeling this is just a bunch of home crafters in a rather large garden shed, with maybe a few more bits of kit but not much, nice all the same.

The Disposable Chopstick Minnow

Lure builder - Yusuke Wada

I suppose I am obsessed with Japanese lure builders it is almost the land of lure gods, I often fantasize about owning a small lure shop in japan and spending my days carving balsa, with bamboo wind chimes in the background and sushi for breakfast, dinner and Tea.

Foiled Again

Image Above: Phox Minnow meets Aluminium Foil, waiting for some coats of Epoxy

I had spent the morning playing around with finishes on the weight shifting minnows, starting with foil and epoxy resin. Having finally come to the end of messing with their guts I thought it was about time I looked at some alternatives to my standard paint job. I have a love hate relationship with foil and fishing lures, I love the results but I hate the finicky nature of the material; I have suffered too many bad foil days. With the lures turning on the drying rack while the epoxy cured I set off for the lake knowing full well that almost all of its surface was covered with a thin sheet of ice.

The small patch of water that remained open was basking in the long rays of winter sunlight.  I felt warm in that superficial way that allows the coldness to creep into your bones un-detected until the only remedy is whisky and a roaring fire.

I flicked jig heads and threw lures into the stillness of the afternoon as dog walkers eyed me suspiciously judging me for my addiction as they would the alcoholics and drug users who also frequent the place.  Sometimes I understand that to be happy I need only a fishing rod and bucket of water to aim at.

After half an hour another fisherman ventured down the path towards the lake sporting a collection of plastic bags, a net and a handful of rods. He asked if he could set up next to me and being that the ice had reduced the options of where to fish down to a choice between which side of me and that I have never laid claim to any section of back I said yes.

So I threw some more lures and we talked about fishing here and in Australia from where he had escaped. He tossed a dead bait out and then set up a float rod to pick off any roach that were brave enough to head out from under the ice. He offered me mackerel as bait so I made up a trace and sent it out past the reeds.

It was hard waiting as the sun began to drop taking the temperature with it, a passing lady asked if we had seen her missing dog, a small grey terrier. My new fishing partner asked for the dog’s name and she replied “Woolfy”, without acknowledging the irony. When the wait got a little too long I decided to have a go at twitching the mackerel on a slow retrieve. After a few casts my retrieve was ended by a large swirl in the water; the bait bore the marks of a pike a little beyond the hooks. We speculated that the pike was probably full after snaffling Woofly down.

On the edge of darkness the ice began to set up on the clear water and I found I was now casting onto fishmonger’s slabs that had drifted from the main sheet; it was time to look for whiskey and fire. 

Image Below: Fishing on the edge of ice

Back To The Drawing Board

Image Above: The Phox Minnow Blueprint 

Despite owing a few drawing boards I rediscovered CAD this week after downloading a free to use program called Draftsight.  It has been a good few years since I last used this type of software but I am slowly picking up the bad habits I got into last time.  So I have set myself a bit of a challenge to come up with a set of plans and instructions on how to build a Balsa Minnow for anybody with a bit of spare time on their hands. One of the hardest tasks I find while making lures by hand is getting uniformity. The other is waiting, watching resin dry can be pretty nerve racking.  

One of the big disappointments I often find with lure making tutorials and books is the reliance on a well kitted out workshops and a range of expensive power tools.  So I have set myself some limitations as to tools and equipment.

As for the lure design, this is a refinement of a minnow I built a while ago that just keeps catching fish. The inspiration behind the design came from Japan and minnow lures that are still made by hand by craftsmen who should be working in temples rather than workshops.

Hopefully I will get the first vid out around the weekend and a PDF of the Plans.  Watch this space.