Spin fishing is fun: How to make your own metal lures.

Half the enjoyment of fishing is planning of where to go and the preparation of one's gear. There is a huge amount of literature about what is the best fly to use and how to tie it, but little is recorded about how to make your own lures for spin fishing.

Every now and then I make a batch of "spoons" or "wobblers" for catching trout. I frequent Opp shops and Lion's markets so I keep my eye open for suitable tea spoons to convert into fishing lures. Just any tea spoon will not do. Maybe one in 20 is suitable. Preferable are the chrome plated bronze spoons since they are easier to work (softer) then stainless steel spoons, and they must be of appropriate shape having a thin neck.

To make: Clip or saw off the handle close to the spoon part and hammer the residual part flat. Use a hand drill and metal bit to drill a hole about 2 to 3 mm diameter at each end and smooth off with a file. Next add a split ring to each hole and an appropriate size triple hook (range 15, 20, 25 mm length). Hooks and split rings can be bought in bulk from eBay. To disguise the hook I add a plastic tag usually red in color obtained from bread wrappings.

The spoon lures I make are from 5 to 9 cm long, weigh 6 to 10 grams, made from bronze, stainless steel and copper. I have used them to catch rainbow trout, English perch and Golden perch (Callop) in Australian rivers and lakes.