08-14-2009, 01:30 PM
Your asking the Ford vs. Chev question. In my mind there is no "best" material for a crank. They are just tools and each one has its own job. If your cranking a lot of wood or fishing high pressured waters then a wood bait is the best. The will deflect of the cover better, will float when snagged, and are silent. However, they are not as durable as a plastic bait, need a little more tuning from time to time, no two wood baits will run the same, and good ones will cost you a little money.
Plastic baits are more consistent from bait to bait and are much cheaper to produce. Plus they are available in just about any type of lure. Obviously more durable and the finishes are outstanding. I don't know if I would say wood is better than plastic for action, they are just different baits for different applications.
If your looking to make some wood baits there are several places where you can buy the lure building kit for about $5. It comes with everything you need except paint and epoxy. I think you can even buy them with the lip installed [biggest issue when building a wood lure] and a coat of primer for $5-$6.
Many folks offer unfinished plastic baits online for about $2-$3 each. Add paint, epoxy, hooks, and your ready to roll. Its pretty hard to scew one up. But some places have better quality lure blanks than others.
There are lure blanks out there that look just like the high dollar Lucky Crafts and run just as good.
Resin made baits are becoming more and more popular with the custom builders. This requires the builder to carve just one bait and then he is able to duplicate the bait with great consistentacy. The resin mixture can be manipulated to imitate the bouyancy of wood, but yet have the durability of plastic......
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Plastic baits are more consistent from bait to bait and are much cheaper to produce. Plus they are available in just about any type of lure. Obviously more durable and the finishes are outstanding. I don't know if I would say wood is better than plastic for action, they are just different baits for different applications.
If your looking to make some wood baits there are several places where you can buy the lure building kit for about $5. It comes with everything you need except paint and epoxy. I think you can even buy them with the lip installed [biggest issue when building a wood lure] and a coat of primer for $5-$6.
Many folks offer unfinished plastic baits online for about $2-$3 each. Add paint, epoxy, hooks, and your ready to roll. Its pretty hard to scew one up. But some places have better quality lure blanks than others.
There are lure blanks out there that look just like the high dollar Lucky Crafts and run just as good.
Resin made baits are becoming more and more popular with the custom builders. This requires the builder to carve just one bait and then he is able to duplicate the bait with great consistentacy. The resin mixture can be manipulated to imitate the bouyancy of wood, but yet have the durability of plastic......
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