I want to make my own bucktails...what do I need/advice?

[Musky_Madness]

I would really like to get into making my own bucktails this summer. I teach, so have the summer off (hold comments please) and would really enjoy making some lures of my own to try out and learn a ton about muskies and lures over the summer. I was talking with Thorne Bros and they were guessing about $100 to get started. Any tips would be appreciated.

Thanks! Awesome Expo over the weekend!

[cjac]

Hey Musky Madness,

Look at posting this in the new forum titled "Rod Building & Lure Making" a few up from here, you'll get the info you're looking for there. The crew up in that board is amazing!

[liveaqua]

There is a company in Chippewa Falls, WI I believ it's called Falls Bait Co.

They sell equipment and materials for tying your own flies and lures. At a good price. I don't have a number by if you look on the web for Falls Bait Co. INC you should be able to order a catalogg

It's been years since I bought from them. I used to teach rod building and fly tying to the Boy Scouts.

[Musky_Madness]

Thanks so much for all the help already! I love this site!

[b1gf1sh1]

yeah 100.00 to get started if you buy pretied hooks, a few 051 wires and a cheap pair of round nose pliars, minimal bodies, beads,blades in assorted sizes, assorted clevises, and the like. in my basement lure shop i've got well over 2000.00 in supplies and tools for making all type spinners, jigs, plastics, fly's, bucktails, marabous and assorted other stuff. woodshop add on in back of my garage has about 4000.00 worth of tools and supplies for making jerkbaits, plastics, topwaters, and whatever else i need to do. i.e. fix house doors, retool locks. you can get a decent set of round nose pliars for 30 bucks, .35 per .051 wire (.06 per bulk) .45 cents .061. say 20 to start,7 bucks, or 9.00, pretied hooks, cheap ones 4.00 per, good ones 7.00. good luck finding pretied marabou, or tinsel. lure bodies .062 hole at least 2 bucks for three, solid beads assorted, semi-bulk 20.00 for all, large quality clevises, 3 bucks for 25, blades, size 14 (13 under some size charts) 4 bucks per, size ten 2 bucks per, size 8 around a buck per. so far a little under 80.00 for three ''medium'' quality baits with bodies if you get 1 blade per size. then between 6 and 12.00 for each additional bait depending on what blade and pretied hook and if you choose to use a body untill you run out of the rest then add that to the cost., so around 100.00 gets you 5 medium quality baits. tieing your own hooks and springs gets alot cheaper,''in the long run'', and your assortment and possibilities drasticly get more diverse. then those 27.00 bucktails(supermodels) are 11 bucks and they are much better quality than they are for the 27.00. but then your looking at buying alot more gear, assortment of supplies,and, and ,and, it never ends. if your still interested i'll give you more. if not let me know. by the way. i steel speel reel gude huh teech!

[50inchpig]

Hi MM, before you do anything take apart a bucktail you already have, paying attention to how it's put together. Go ahead. Cut it apart. It's ok.

Also browse the different ones at the bait shop for ideas. PAY ATTENTION TO SPACING, which parts are spaced, what is used to space them. Write down the different parts and order them from one of the suppliers listed or Staminainc.com.

Your most important parts of building are going to be tying your bucktail clumps and spacing. Less is more when tying, don't try to do too much at once. Add a little clump of tinsel or hair, make a few wraps, add another.

As far as spacing use small plastic beads to spread things out, experiment a little, test, rebuild, test, rebuild. Once you find a design you like you can duplicate it and concentrate on different color patterns. There's not a right or wrong way to build one, you just need to develop the skill to tie through trial and error and get your spacing down. Alot of fun overall. If you're in central MN, Thorne bros has most of the components too and rod building thread is easy to learn with because it won't break.

Good luck, it won't be much cheaper but it's alot of fun to come up with you own design and catch fish on it.

[b1gf1sh1]

o.k. this question got me interested in seeing really what i had into my inventory. so i did some counting and adding up over the last couple days and the number i came up with blew my mind. counting epoxy,jig/spinner/spoon molds, plastic worm/twistermolds and plastic in assorted colors with some dye thrown in, powder paints, dedicated oven, rotisseries, paint , lure parts i.e. lips, hangers, eye hooks, eyes, etc. etc., wire for leaders, wire for forms and inlines (including bucktails) in assorted sizes, terminal tackle i.e. snaps, swivels, split rings, hooks etc. etc., flourocarbon in 10 different tests, blades for spinners, blades for snells/lindys, buzzblades in several styles and sizes and colors and material , blades, blades, blades wire forming tools, hand held and bench top with accesories, fly tying vises, tools i.e. cutters, pliars, round nose, assorted crimps, tying tools/bobbins/thread/cement, skirt spreaders,color assortment of bucktails, color and size assortment of marabou, misc hair, i.e. moose, elk, deer body, rabbit, mink etc. etc. assorted misc feathers, i.e. golden pheasent, ringneck, hackle, etc. etc. this list goes on and on and on. anyway it's over 5000 dollars just in my basement, and i'm afraid to go out back and count. now musky madness. you wont need all this stuff for bucktails really but to be able to do even a three color tie takes alot of stuff. over time you may want to get in deeper and if you do you will need most of this list and more not even mentioned to do it. i buy alot of stuff in bulk, i.e. .051/.061 wire by the thousand in 12'' and 15'' length, blades by the hundred, bodies by the hundred, etc. etc. alot cheaper if you do alot or just want to do it a long time. take .051, anywhere from 25-35 cents per, and .061 about 40-50 cents per. .051 at 1000 it's six cents per. .061 it's 12 cents per. both in 12'' lengths so right away your going to pay more for them. my bucks have all top of the line components are better quality(more hair, feathers,red VMC hooks, etc etc) and are less than half the cost. you at first with just regular hooks and good quality components more than half. but the cost is the last thing on my mind when a fish hits that lure and i know i tied it. adds to the whole experience. anyway i'm sure your yawning. so have at it.

[Huey]

I'm not a bucktail maker but for whatever it's worth, I saw Bruce Shumaway put together a custom bucktail at the Expo. His only tools were a round nose pliers, a wire cutter, and a regular pliers. The round nose pliers were for forming the ends of the main wire shaft. He did the wraps by hand while holding the end loop with a regular pliers. Then trimmed with the wire cutter. Maybe you can try tying bucktails like this before investing too much in gear.

[Rebel9921]

I have cannibalized several bucktails... sometime I would just for heck of it take two same small bucktails, take both apart, then combine both to make one bigger bucktail...

On a large scale, it would be good idea for you to get something like Musky Mayhem had at their booth at the Expo... Makes things very easy with making bucktails

On a small scale... I usually get my wires from Stamina... sometimes its just straight wire... sometimes its pre-looped... I usually cut the pre-looped off and reloop it myself... wrapping the wire around 4-5 times... it may be overkill but I feel safer that way... All you need would be a good round-nose plier and a long nose vise grip plier... Just bend the wire using the round nose plier til you get the loop you want... then leave the wire on the plier... grasp the tag end of the loop with a vise grip plier and make your wraps...

Word of advice... always put the hook on last... you'll need a good split ring plier for this... and having split rings to attach the hooks are helpful... easy to switch out the hooks if its cut or whatsoever...

[SJonesi]

The best advice I can give is to start small, meaning you should PLAN on the number, size and style you're going to make and keep this in mind/hand when you purchase materials. Building bucktails is like "Muskie Crack".The only limit is your imagination and the color possibilities are endless. I look at the "wall of parts" at Thornes and I get the shakes. Sooooo many options, I could drop a G without batting an eye.Wait til you catch the 1st fish on a bait you made, you'll have permasmile. Another post mentioned SPACING. This is HUGE and there's also something to be said about balance.I like using hollow metal beads for spacing , because they're cheap, don't add much weight, and don't deteriorate over time like plastic may.I also like using a super small bead above and just below the clevis(s), which act like bearings. Have fun! Steve

[eyehead]

Hey Musky_Madness, another thing to think about is going in on materials with someone else who makes thier own bucktails. My brother and I usually buy swivels, hooks, ect. in bulk. Cuts down on cost a little bit. Just a thought.....

[b1gf1sh1]

yeah bruce has got a nice vise there too for tying all those custom colors, and a dream of a selection in materials. forming loops this way is alot of fun and with practice you can't tell if it was done on a wireformer or by hand. this way and especialy with vise grips you have to be careful about puting nics in the loop if you plan on tying the bait directly to your line. i grind the long nose teeth smooth and pliars also. another tool is sheet metal clamping vise grips. already smooth and turning the wire is easier as theres more surface area. best advice for you mayhem is look at your own bucktails and try and copy it, after awhile you get it down and just make one without a hitch or any study.. just get a few things and have at it. your a teacher so i know your smart. gl i don't worry about what materials i use like plastic and that because if something breaks it's two minutes redoing it and back in the water. or just do it later and use another. you'd be surprised how much noise glass beads make.

[50inchpig]

Good call on the hollow metal beads for spacing steve. I haven't been using my own creations enough find the weaknesses in my components and didn't consider that the plastic would break down over time. I used the plastice becuase it's CHEAP and so am I. It's been hard to find quality hollow metal beads.

[b1gf1sh1]

hollow metal beads... mills fleet farm. made by Worth.