DIY Top water baits
Printed From: The Fishing Website
Category: Saltwater Fishing
Forum Name: Popper and Topwater Fishing
Forum Description: If you're into a bit of action on top, this is the forum for you
URL: https://www.fishing.net.nz/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=56320
Printed Date: 28 Jan 2026 at 6:36am
Topic: DIY Top water baits
Posted By: ReelAppealLures
Subject: DIY Top water baits
Date Posted: 12 Aug 2010 at 12:04pm
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Heres a few that I turned this morning, hopefully get some time this weekend for sealing, painting and epoxy if the weather warms up!!! On the left are pencil poppers, a swim bait and big mouth popper in the middle and jointed piper stickbaits on the right and below. The rear section of the piper stickbait will give it more action, and if all goes to plan these should sink slowly when not retrieved, where they will be snapped up by a 20lber if nothing is happening up top
 ( Think big I say ) |
Replies:
Posted By: SamMcK
Date Posted: 12 Aug 2010 at 12:12pm
| Top stuff, what wood are you using, and what kind of through wire system are you thinking of going for? |
Posted By: ReelAppealLures
Date Posted: 12 Aug 2010 at 12:20pm
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These are all pine, I use 1.6mm stainless fully through wired on all of these. Wire passes through the swivel in the belly and is wrapped at the tail. |
Posted By: Falco
Date Posted: 12 Aug 2010 at 1:46pm
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AHH if only I had a lathe...very cool work RAL.
Any tips for getting the wire loops nice and even,im struggling a bit with the wire I have,and lack of tools...
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Posted By: shad
Date Posted: 12 Aug 2010 at 4:07pm
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Check out this site for some info, http://www.poulsencascadetackle.com/pages/twis_tech_movie_flash.html - http://www.poulsencascadetackle.com/pages/twis_tech_movie_flash.html ------------- LOVE THE FREEDOM SHAD |
Posted By: Raumati South
Date Posted: 12 Aug 2010 at 9:33pm
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Great looking poppers on the way there RealAppeal.
I have been making poppers for a while and will put up some photos shortly. Mine are strictly for personal and friends use although the technique and components are similiar to yours. I use a 1 to 1 1/2 oz ball sinker in the tail to give them a bit of weight. They end up between 80 to 120 grams and are mainly used when fishing off the rocks. That weight suits my gear and gives a good aerodynamic cast. It is an extra buzz to deal to a good fish on a lure you have made yourself.
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Posted By: ReelAppealLures
Date Posted: 13 Aug 2010 at 7:24am
Do you mean the loop/eye or the wraps at the rear of a lure?
You can form the eye pretty much how he will in the link, some people have a barrel wrap on the eye some don't, it will take some serious drag to straighten an eye just bent with no wrap.
If you are lacking in tools this link will be great for you Falco, pretty simple. I use Knipex circlip pliers instead of a allen key but only because it is quicker.
http://www.lordshiplures.com/wiring.html - http://www.lordshiplures.com/wiring.html
Another tip Falco is buy pre-bent wire
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falco wrote:Posted By: ReelAppealLures
Date Posted: 13 Aug 2010 at 7:32am
Shad, there is quite a few of these on the market, but man have you seen the prices!!!Some are $800 US
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Posted By: ReelAppealLures
Date Posted: 13 Aug 2010 at 7:37am
Sweet Rau, would be cool to see some photos. Its good to see some other people into making lures and like you said that extra buzz makes the fiddling round worth it.
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Posted By: ReelAppealLures
Date Posted: 13 Aug 2010 at 5:39pm
Another popper ready for epoxy, I tend to save them up and have an epoxy session otherwise I waste too much... 165mm and will be 4oz ( 110ishg ) when rigged. Added some aluminium dots for strike triggers. Colour not to great in photos, but is black fading to green to blue.
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Posted By: Kid Gigity
Date Posted: 13 Aug 2010 at 6:49pm
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Pretty wicked man! Beats my eva grip with the treble hanging out the back lol ------------- "Computer games don't affect kids; I mean if Pac-Man affected us as kids, we'd all be running around in darkened rooms, munching magic pills and listening to repetitive electronic music" Nintendo CEO |
Posted By: ReelAppealLures
Date Posted: 13 Aug 2010 at 7:02pm
Kid if it catches fish whats wrong with the EVA gropper
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Posted By: Ocean Blue
Date Posted: 16 Aug 2010 at 11:59am
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They look great ReelAppeal - can't wait to see a few pics of them beaten up and covered in teeth marks! ------------- Fishing Vanuatu - Trees & Fishes Anglers Lodge | Vanuatu Mothership Adventures | New Caledonia | Malaysia |
Posted By: ReelAppealLures
Date Posted: 19 Aug 2010 at 1:05pm
Base coats are down and dryed. Right now they are flat white, what colours have been working for you lot? I will try and keep some of the piper shape lures as realistic as I can, I have some aluminium tape for the silver undersides, but as for paint jobs / colours for the other any ideas? May try some paua sheet for inlays etc....
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Posted By: Raumati South
Date Posted: 23 Aug 2010 at 8:24pm
I've made a bit more progress on the latest batch of poppers so it is about time for post.
This is a progress shot from the top is the partly shaped wooden blank. It has a groove cut down the middle plus a hole for a ball sinker at the tail. This is a new shape I'm trying - a long tom imitation.
Then jumping to the middle one is the popper with the wire / ball sinker / swivel attached and a goodly layer of builders bog holding the lot together.
Closest is the near complete small model popper all ready for some day time work. - (That could be some time off down here in Wellington)
 A couple more models including the dark early morning or late evening variety and the stick bait type at the back. As you can see the spray can paint job is fairly basic but it does the job.
It is fairly time consuming making them up but a lot of fun using them.
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Posted By: ReelAppealLures
Date Posted: 24 Aug 2010 at 2:47pm
| Good Stuff, like you said it is time consuming, but the more you make the more of a technique you develop. Good luck and let us know how they fish, I am picking the middle popper in the botton photo to put up some good splashes. |
Posted By: timfish
Date Posted: 24 Aug 2010 at 5:36pm
| Nice one Dadsy, we'll get a yellow fin hangen off them for sure... |
Posted By: Nathan
Date Posted: 30 Aug 2010 at 10:15am
| Heres a pic of my first attempt. A whitled and sanded job. Cant wait to see how it goes! |
Posted By: Nathan
Date Posted: 30 Aug 2010 at 10:18am
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Posted By: Raumati South
Date Posted: 30 Aug 2010 at 9:03pm
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That one looks good Nathan. I'd be keen to hear how it swims.
Good luck
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Posted By: Nathan
Date Posted: 31 Aug 2010 at 11:25am
| Hey RS - how did you shape the mouth of that popper? |
Posted By: Raumati South
Date Posted: 31 Aug 2010 at 9:32pm
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Hi Nathan,
I have a rounded router bit which makes semi circular hole giving a pretty good start to the mouth and I have a round stone type bit I stick in a drill and ream it a bit more. A bit of a play with the sand paper and there you have it.
I have to admit to trying all sorts of techniques before settling on this.
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Posted By: Don18025
Date Posted: 31 Aug 2010 at 10:58pm
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Can anyone tell us where to buy the stainless wire from in the Auckland region? Thanks guys |
Posted By: unlimited
Date Posted: 01 Sep 2010 at 7:39am
you should be able to find it in any welding supplies shop like weldwell or BOC or they will be able to help you to get some ------------- keeping it reel |
Posted By: Don18025
Date Posted: 23 Sep 2010 at 7:27am
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RealAppeal Have you finished those sticks yet? Love to see some more photos of them as you complete your work. |
Posted By: ReelAppealLures
Date Posted: 23 Sep 2010 at 7:50am
Hey Don, all my lures have somewhat ground to a halt whilst I have been chasing 20lbers from the shore here in Hawkes Bay
I had finished a jointed stick bait unsure if I have posted it some where on here?
Heres some pics.
   And here is one pencil popper finished in the traditional red/white
 Chad if you see this, still haven't epoxied this lure for you...yeah I know slack
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