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Going for a Minnow – First Attempt To Make A Minnow-Type Bait

The Start - July 15, 2010

After what I humbly call a successful venture in the making of a crankbait from balsa block to finish, I decided to give making a minnow style bait a try.

This is my ugly but inexplicable fish catching crankbait.

Just as I did with the crankbait, I started with a small, rectangular block of balsa. I outlined the shape of the minnow type body. After whittling, carving, and sanding away the unneeded material, I eventually arrived at the desired shape.

The slot for the lip and the hole for the lead have been made. If you’re wondering, I accidentally drilled completely through the minnow’s body. Fortunately, it is repairable and should not negatively affect the lure.

I took a sheet of lexan and carved out a lip. Since taking this picture, I have sawed off the two vertical angled sides with a coping saw rounded the top with sand paper. It didn’t dawn on me to use my Dremel tool make the cuts. Doh!

Also like the first successful crankbait, I am doing this “on the fly.” In other words, learning as I go. I am relieved that with the weight and lip in place, the bait lists upright in the water.

I plan to use the through wire method. A couple things still undecided is whether to make it a floater or suspender and its color scheme. So far, so good; I hope this works.

July 19, 2010 – Got through the thru-wire and lip.

I finally got around to shaping the lip into its basic form and forming the through wire body.

Although I was initially apprehensive and reluctant to use 5-minute epoxy (I use 30- minute as a clear coat but didn’t want to “waste” any of it for securing the lip and thru-wire. It’s getting harder to find in my area), I am relieved to now know it is great for use in holding the thru wire in place and gluing on the lip. 5 minutes is plenty of time to secure the thru-wire and the lip.

The next step is to secure the lead ballast and belly hook to the minnow bait, after which I will fill in the belly and hole on top with wood putty.

July 20, 2010 – If it floats your boat

This is always the, “I sure hope it lists upright and straight in the water,” part for me. It would definitely be a major let down if this minnow didn’t float upright. I plopped the body into my low-tech testing tank (A CD case lid. Hey, it does the job!).

I think that I am getting the hang of getting the right amount of lead for the bait. It seems to be getting easier.

After filling the holes with wood putty, adding the wire for the belly hook, doing a final sanding and priming the bait comes the hardest part for me… Painting!

Oh the irony; I work hard to get this far, and I only have the skills of a first grade art student when it comes to painting.

July 30, 2010 – Initial Field Test and Painting

Went to a local lake to make sure it worked properly or there would be no point in completing the paint job and top coat. Relieved to see that it works just fine. The action is pretty lively. Not as lively as a Rapala Floating Original, but still very nice.

The black back, silver body color scheme was the recommendation that received the most votes, so I went with it. Big M suggested using the foil method, which I tried to the best of my ability. Throw in the paint and a substandard airbrush and my minimal, practically non-existent painting skills, I managed to produce another ugly lure.

August 6, 2010 – Project Completed

I used Dev Con 2-Ton Epoxy as the topcoat and I can say that this task is done. I hope to fish with it today but the honey-do list is long this weekend.

I need to give a well-deserved and huge thanks to Big M for his help. He gave me a step-by-step process to do this.

August 7, 2010 – In One Word – Unbelievable!

I got the green light to go fishing and headed out to the lake. It rained all day before which was a few steady days of dry, weather. I arrived at about 7:50 p.m. but didn’t break it out until it was much closer to sunset. I chatted with folks on the dock as I worked a Rapala Skitter Walk.

At 8:30 p.m., I put down the rig with the skitter walk and grabbed the one with the minnow lure. It was time for the trial. A couple I was talking to was hoping to see it catch something before they left. When, they were leaving, the lady said, “Just wait, you’re going to catch one right before we leave.” I was hopeful, but also just a wee bit doubtful.

This is going to be hard to believe, but right when they got to their car, I felt a hit. I didn’t take any chances, so I winched it in as if I were pulling a pig from the pads and swung it over the dock’s rail as you would into a bass boat. They saw the whole thing and were polite enough to cheer and send kind words my way before taking off. I am glad she was right and I was wrong.

I also just remembered just how sharp VMC hooks are. My effort to remove the treble from the bass’ mouth and it’s wriggling combined to make me drop the bass onto the dock. Yikes! Unfortunately, it caught the rear treble on the way down as shown in the picture. It stayed still long enough for this shot and for me to grab my pliers to remove the treble. I am relieved that it was not bleeding.

Bass number two came a few casts later, and it was much bigger. However, I reacted way too quickly and yanked it out of its mouth. Although the lure was a good 60 ft. or so away, it came flying back right at me. I moved to the side to avoid it and watched it whiz by me. You know those sentiments you feel and thoughts that run through your mind when you screw up and lost a fish is the result? Then I need not say more. Argh!

Bass number three came a few minutes later. This little, bad boy slammed the living dickens out of the minnow. Upon reeling him in, I found the belly treble in its mouth and tail treble right where you see it. This one preferred to play dead and that made it much easier to remove the hook and release him.

I was in a state of utter disbelief. I could not comprehend the minnow’s productivity. The little minnow went two for three. In baseball, that is a nice statistic, and on my home lake, where catching just one bass is the norm, going two for three is practically unheard of.

I will concede that until now, the black back, silver body, and red splotch throat color scheme has not been a player in my arsenal, despite the reputation that precedes it, as it is well affirmed by so many.

After today, you can bet that I am now a member of that group. Thanks to everyone who recommended that color scheme and a very big thanks to Big M for his help. I still can’t get over the whole experience. Thanks and praise the Lord!

-ib

PS I want to apologize for the formatting of this piece. All my attempts to make the text font and size uniform were not successful.