Thread: Fishing lures

I made lures in Cairns for about ten years. Most were hand carved, but I did make a lot of poppers on the lathe mainly for mackeral and tuna. The smaller poppers were succesful on mangrove jacks, queenfish and barra.
Jim

Jim,
did you set up in some storage sheds in Smithfield industrial area with your lures and then get hassled by the council over it? Just wondering, I was renting some sheds there a few years back (ten or so) and there was a bloke doing lures whom the council closed down for retailing .

Mick

No not me Mick,I've lived only in W.A.the last 15 years.
Jim

The bloke that used to own and make 'C' lures in cooktown used a lathe and copy attachment.
I wasn't a turner last time I saw him so didn't find out exactly how he did it,
I'll ask the Father in law when he get back from Darwin

Mick, I think there is some confusion about 'Jim'. I did live in Cairns '70 - '82, and no I didn't have a shed, I made the lures under my house. Thankfully it was on high blocks..... boom boom. I sold them to Erskine when he was down near the boat ramp. Did you know of Tiny Hayes?

Jim

G'day G'mick, I know the fellow that was in Cooktown, I sold lures to him. There was a fitter of senior years in Mosman (Qld) that made lure blanks on a lathe. I started to make the lure blanks on my lathe. I mounted a hand carved hardwood blank for a template, on dummy centres between the normal centre and the bed. I fixed two bicycle sprockets, one to the nose of the headstock and one attached to the blank, these were connected with a piece of bike chain so they turned at axactly the same rate. The router was mounted on a hand held stand fitted with a finger that followed the template. The router cut the body of the lure, but there was still a bit of cleaning up to do after. I found that the lathe needed to turn very slowly, fortunately I have a machine that has electronic variable speed that allows the lathe to turn at about 50 rpm.
Jim

Originally Posted by powderpost

Tiny Hayes?

Jim

I get a tiny haze after half a dozen heavy beers, Bruce Rampton was the bloke that made C lures in about 1995. Only had it a few years then I think and has sold it since.

Tiny Hayes was one of the fastest turners I have ever met.

Pity about his voice. LOL

G'day gingermick, The fellow that set up "C" lures, (I can't remember his name) has long moved on. When I was dealing with him, he was expanding a mail order business, but that goes back to about 1980. The question about Tiny Hayes was directed to Journeyman Mick. As you can see there has been a bit of confusion with names.....

Jim

, Tiny was one of the most unpopular people in Far north Queensland. He died about two years ago. Yes he was fast on spindles, but he didn't like face plate work. Unfortunately he used to call in here too regularly. Probably best to leave it at that.
Jim

I fish bass in our lakes here in Panama and the best lure is a McDonalds red, blue and white straw, cut about 2” long place the fishing line inside and drag it behind the boat at slow speed. You will be amazed.<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-comfficeffice" /><o></o>

Silver coffee spoon works well with trout up in the high country ;-}