Custom Crankbaits

There's something sweet about custom crankbaits. Every time I see one I imagine someone sitting at a workbench sanding, whittling, shaving, gluing and all the other work that goes into making one. I sometimes wonder how they can part with them after all that effort, but not for too long. Money is quite persuasive.

Honestly, I haven't fished many custom cranks, but everytime I see one I start in on a thorough examination. I look at the hook eyes or wire to see what gauge was used. I imagine how it will swim based on the bill shape, size and angle. I wonder how it might swim differently with a slightly thicker body or shorter tail.

I blogged about this subject in the past, and I have been writing about it often lately. But I keep coming back to crankbait design when I think about fishing. I even have a pile of sawdust in my bedroom/workshop where I started tinkering with my own custom creations. They are all yet to swim, because I am currently working out some of the construction processes. But soon I will seal them and toss them in a pond. That's when I will really learn about crankbaits and how each detail affects its performance. And when I tweak the designs, I'll learn even more, until, I hope, I can work in reverse. Rather than build it, test it and see the result, I can decide what result I want to achieve, and design accordingly.

I doubt I will ever sell any of these crankbaits. But again, money is persuasive. I just don't think I can part with any of them yet. Considering the time I put into them, I think they are all wonderful, despite what anyone else may say when they offer a critique. Plus, if they don't swim worth a hoot I will have some very cool Christmas ornaments.

- Curt Niedermier