Mallard Lures - Hand Crafted Top Water Baits made in Orlando, Florida

Construction I routinely fish with lures that are over 40 years old. I intend to be fishing with lures I am making today 40 years from now. It just takes a little extra effort and care to to make a great bait. Since I make these baits as a hobby I am in no real hurry and have no motivation to cut corners. This extra effort is why hand crafted baits catch more fish.

	Step 1 I start with a solid Western Red Cedar board or an Alaskan Yellow Cedar turning spindle. The bait is rough cut using a template or turned on a lathe and then sanded to shape. Screw holds are drilled and lead weight is added as necessary. Saltwater baits (and a lot of my freshwater baits too) are center drilled for wire-thru construction.
	Step 2 Each blank is sealed with thin epoxy coating to seal the wood. At this time the lure is temporarily rigged with hardware and pool tested. Lead weight is adjusted as necessary.
	Step 3 At least two coats of primer/sealer under-coating are applied
	Step 4 Paint is airbrushed or hand stroked, depending on the effect desired
	Step 5 An epoxy sealer is applied to protect the finish
	Step 6 Final hardware is attached. At this point the bait is pool tested again. Each style of bait must meet certain performance standards, for example, swimming baits must be tunable by adjusting the line tie. Tuning and adjusting hardware are my favorite steps. This is where the bait develops it personality.
	I would love to say I make my lures one at a time, but as you can see, I tend to make them in pairs. No real reason, it just seems to work best for me.

Hand crafted Florida Lures and Baits