Lure Design

When I start thinking about lure design I'm usually trying to solve a particular problem that I'm facing on the water. We all do this kind of thinking and it's a key place where new lures and presentations are born.

In this article I'm going to discuss some of the reasons why fish strike and how certain lures have been designed to take advantage of those reasons.

In my mind hunger and reaction strikes are among the top reasons a fish will hit a lure and these are the ones I focus most on in my designs.

Hunger is a great one to start with because a lot of our fishing behavior is heavily geared towards addressing it. There is a reason for that. It's a lot easier to catch fish that are already thinking about eating. Everything we do from the times we fish to the lures we buy are mainly focused on when fish have historically been hungry and what they are eating. Because of this, lure companies (mine included) focus on those key types of forage and do their best to mimic them.

If it was just as simple as creating a pattern that looked like a key type of forage then the best lures would all be photographic and mechanical duplicates of their living counter parts. Why then do patterns like Fire-Tiger and Citrus Shad or Black Fury do so well even on fish that are just plain hungry? I believe it's because each of these patterns has elements of key forage but stand out much more than the real forage. The real forage has evolved to blend in with it's environment so that it can survive. When we present a Citrus Shad the lure has the general profile and wobble of a bait fish so those are hunger triggers. What makes this pattern so successful is that once the hunger trigger is pulled it's a lot easier for a fish to see and track a bait fish that is also colored bright lime green with high contrast markings and a rattle to tap it's location with every wobble.

That said there are times when fish will shy away from a presentation that is too bright and will still hit a more natural lure. That's why you do see many lures that in fact do mimic a bait fish as best as is possible. With my lures I have tried to hit a middle ground. I've created patterns that look very realistic but use MUCH more high contrast colors than mother nature's versions and I also use a number of contrasting shapes to try to get the best of both words.

The key things to think about when trying to trigger a hunger strike are simple. Try to mimic something your target fish craves as best as possible while making sure that your bait stands out from the rest of the school.

When designing a lure that I think will trigger reaction strikes I think more about the movement and not as much about the colors. One of my favorite reaction baits is a black on black jig-n-pig. I believe that when a fish sees a jig-n-pig fall past them they only have a split second to decide if they will eat it. In that split second a jig-n-pig simultaneously looks like it could be a crayfish, a leech, a tadpole or even a small snapping turtle. All those things are very eatable for a fish. What the jig-n-pig doesn't do is give off many negative indicators. A fast moving black outline that is very fluid and natural in it's movements doesn't give a fish a lot of reasons to proceed with caution. That's exactly what I want in a reaction bait.

Another bait that gets great reaction strikes is an almost completely clear crank bait with just a small amount of flash. When a fish hears this lure splash down they naturally look in that direction. When they can't really see anything I believe they go for a closer look out of curiosity. A lot of times they end up with their noses a couple inches away from the bait and still can't see much. That's about the time I'm about to sweep my rod once hard to make the bait dive fast. As soon as the bait moves it gets hammered.

This pattern works very well and they way it plays out is very consistent. I believe that the reason the fish hits has everything to do with getting all the "right" signals and none of the wrong ones. When that happens I don't think they can help but react.

Best of luck,

Kevin Braun
Champlain Bait Co.
Web: www.champlainbaits.com
Email: info@champlainbaits.com
Twitter: champlainbaits

Making a Tired Old Crankbait Better Than New

As an independent lure designer/manufacturer I'm all for folks buying all the new lures they could possibly need. That said, I also love the idea of reusing and recycling as much as possible. With that in mind I'm writing this quick guide on how to take an old crankbait that has lost it's luster and make it into a lure that will likely catch more fish than when it was new.

What we are going to do is paint the entire crankbait in a new pattern. Specifically we'll be painting it in a leech pattern. Most folks don't think they can do this but I assure you what I'm about to show you will only take about twenty minutes, requires no special tools and will cost you just a couple dollars in nail polish.

To start off you'll need a crankbait that you no longer throw because it just seems a little too worn. You'll also need a small bottle of black nail polish and another of orange or red nail polish. These colors mimc the medicine and tiger leeches shown above. You will also need a small cup to set the bait on while it dries. That's all you need and if you consider what it would cost if you had instead bought a new crankbait you'll see that the paint pays for itself on the first bait you restore and becomes profitable on any you do after that.

Ok, now that you have your bait, paint and cup for drying handy all you need to do is paint the entire top of the lure black including the lip. Hold it by the lip and start by painting the top of the body all the way down past the half way mark. Let it dry for a while and then once it's dry paint the lip black.

Once the black is completely dry flip the bait over and paint the belly including the lip orange or red. You should end up with a bait that is 2/3 back and 1/3 orange when viewed from the side. Lay the bait in the cup on it's back and let it dry. If you painted your bait while the hooks were still on you can hang it from a piece of fishing line that is suspended between two objects.

That's it!

You now have a leech pattern crankbait that no one else is throwing and that I know for sure will catch you a lot of fish. Check out this one I got on the first cast I made with mine.

Best of luck,

Kevin Braun
Champlain Bait Co.
Web: www.champlainbaits.com
Email: info@champlainbaits.com
Twitter: champlainbaits