Maine outdoorsmen must contend each winter with early darkness, long evenings and often cold, dreary weather on weekends. In truth, there’s only so much ice fishing and varmint hunting that stormy weather and short days will allow, especially when we endure an “old fashioned” winter like this one. The trick to preventing cabin fever lies in finding an enjoyable hobby to help pass a few hours here and there.

Snow months are perfect for reading outdoor magazines as well as books about hunting, fishing, canoeing or any other outdoor activity you’re passionate about. There are some great television channels to watch dedicated entirely to a wide variety of rod-and-gun outings, and of course some very realistic and challenging cast-and-blast video games are available as well. Like myself, a lot of regional outdoorsmen maintain sanity between blizzard advisories by preparing for the distant but ever closer vision of “next season.”

We tie flies, load shells, carve decoys and build rods. Fly lines are changed and tapered leaders fabricated in the den, and gunstocks are refinished and canoes refurbished in the cellar. A few folks carve and shape duck calls or boat paddles, some build fishing nets and a handful fashion snowshoes the traditional way with no aluminum or synthetic webbing involved. And each and every one of us has his eye out for another pastime that piques our interest along with helping hold off the winter doldrums during the countdown to spring.

Lure craft

There aren’t many leisure activities pertaining to hunting or fishing that I haven’t tried at some point in my life to help me cope with snow season. Some really didn’t catch my fancy and were a “one and done” effort, while others, such as tying classic salmon flies, still enthrall me year after year. Last winter, much to my surprise and pleasure, I discovered a brand new hobby, to me anyway, and I’m getting a lot of enjoyment from it. Perhaps some of you might have some fun with it as well.

It all began a couple of summers ago during a smallmouth bass outing on the Penobscot River. A small-bladed gold spinner bait with a 4-inch soft plastic rotor-tail grub drew strikes with amazing regularity while other plugs and plastics were pretty much ignored. By the end of the trip I was down to my third and last spinner, so went to the local fishing shop to restock the very next day. Not only didn’t they have any in stock but they couldn’t find an exact duplicate to order, nor could two other outdoor stores in the area. I then began perusing fishing gear catalogs, but either the color or blade size wasn’t available, and I was becoming very frustrated.

I was lamenting my problem to a bass fishing buddy later that week when he asked why I didn’t just make my own spinners to match the size, shape and shade desired. After explaining I’d never even heard of such a thing, he retrieved his own well-thumbed copy of Cabela’s Tackle Craft Catalog and the rest is happy history. That very evening I placed my first order for hooks, split rings, blades, stirrup devices, wire, a couple of wire cutting and bending tools, split ring pliers and a how-to book, and by the weekend I was able to construct a duplicate of the special spinner that was unavailable in stores.

Not only couldn’t the bass tell the difference between a factory-made and a homemade bait, it was even a greater thrill to catch fish on an outfit I’d actually built with my own hands. It’s the same exhilaration as taking trout or salmon on a personal hand-tied pattern. Since that eye-opening foray into tackle craft, I’ve expanded my horizons even further and now build French spinners, inline spinners, lures, spoons and even skirted spinnerbaits for not only large and smallmouth bass, but also for pickerel, muskie, trout, togue and landlocked salmon. Beyond the self satisfaction, the greatest reward is that my creations really work!

Along with the benefit of helping pleasantly pass a few winter evenings, lure craft keep my tackle box stocked with a wide variety of spring lake trolling lures, small casting lures for spring and summer stream fishing and even spoons for deep downrigger fishing. For most anglers, if the tackle shop is out of a certain style of lure or spinner, or perhaps doesn’t stock it, you’re out of luck. But with an ample stock of components and a bit of craftsmanship, now you can make what you need. Sometimes with a bit of experimentation, a bait can be built that looks, moves and catches fish better than stock editions.

Getting started

As with any new hobby, there’s an initial investment in materials, components and tools, but in the end high quality lures, spoons, and spinners can be produced at half the cost or less of purchasing an equivalent product. Since I wasn’t able to find what I needed locally, my first order of business was to peruse the Cabela’s Tackle Craft catalog which my friend lent me. Since I was just getting started with this new hobby, purchasing a kit that contained an array of components to build various sized spinners seemed the way to go. To complement the assortment, the “Complete Book of Tackle Making” by C. Boyd Pfeiffer seemed apropos for a rookie, and I also requested my own annual copy of Cabela’s Tackle Craft catalog.

The how-to book was $20, full of illustrations and, after just a quick glance through, I knew I’d be building more than spinners. When my $25 French spinner kit arrived, it was just like I was 12 again with a new model airplane kit; I just had to open it up and get started that very night.

There were four sizes each of brass and gold spinner blades, three sizes of treble hooks, brass and nickel beads, two sizes of stirrup devices and four dozen wire shafts. It was like a jigsaw puzzle, but instead of a picture you got to catch fish with the final product. I highly recommend a spinner or lure kit for novice crafters, it’s the perfect way to get your feet wet with minimal expenditure, and after learning the basics, you can branch out with individual components to match your fishing needs.

Colorado and Indiana spinner blades come in a dozen sizes and an unbelievable array of polished metal, painted, flecked and holographic coatings. Also available are Dakota, fluted, deep cup, willow leaf, and perforated, vibrating blades in sizes for panfish to muskie. Of course there are dozens of metal beads and lure bodies in many shapes and sizes and to add color and flash, a wide selection of plastic skirts, glass and plastic beads and even glowing Mylar spinner wings. Spinner combinations are limited only by the imagination of the tackle crafter.

Other options

Once my supply of spinners was up to par, I turned to making lures and spoons, which of course necessitated an additional investment in components, but the enjoyment and results were tremendous. My spring trolling, summer deep trolling and stream casting tackle cases abound with a vast variety of spoons, lures and plugs. Although many lure and spoon bodies are prepainted, some plain colors can be greatly improved with application of prismatic or molded eyes, prism tape, fluorescent paint or vinyl glow paint. It’s a creative process which becomes particularly satisfying when your unique lure is the only one that consistently takes fish during an outing.

I’ve discovered a few other advantages to lure making beyond the wide variety of color combinations. For example, I can bend and shape various blades to elicit special motion. For trout and salmon spoons, just the right curvature promotes a flutter motion similar to an injured bait fish that drives game fish wild. Slightly changing curves and contours of metal blades takes a bit of practice, and encompassed a lot of trial and error for me, but I learned from every experimental lure. Now bending blades is second nature.

Another boon to constructing and decorating metal and plastic baits is the chance to use higher quality hooks and split rings. Furthermore, it’s possible to use any size hooks and rings desired, a factor that has provided better hook sets and fewer lost fish when comparing home-built lures to factory-manufactured products. Bright, shiny stainless steel hooks add a bit of flash when trolled or retrieved, and rust is never a problem. Matching hook size to the intended quarry is also a perk of making your own lures; on many bulk-produced baits, the treble hooks are at least one size smaller than I would prefer.

What began as a whim to help pass a few hours during the snowy months has turned into a truly fun and productive pastime. What I assumed to be an unconventional pursuit with a meager following turns out to be far more popular than expected. Go online and type in “lure making” or “tackle craft” and you will be amazed at the sites to check out. In just the past year I’ve noted that more lure-building components are appearing on regional fishing shop shelves. In case you still can’t find what you need, go to www.cabelas.com or call 1-800-237-4444 to order a tackle craft catalog or components. And if you’re not sure which pieces and parts best fit your needs, there’s even a customer product review section online.

Just in case your winter is passing slower than usual and you’re looking for an option to while away an evening or two, maybe it’s time to “tackle” a new hobby. Lure building will keep you busy and keep your fishing box full for when spring finally arrives.

bgravesoutdoors@ainop.com