So I built my first decoy!

[swampbuckster]

While cleaning up the garage today I came across a large musky crankbait. Remembering from a summer trip to Lake St. Clair that it had less than appealing action, I decided to make a sacrifice and try to build my own pike decoy out of it.
First things first, I clipped the eyelets holding the o rings for the treble hooks, clipped the main eyelet and then ground the acrylic diving lip down.

I then dug up an old broken open face reel from a pile of them that i keep for parts and pulled all the small hardware off. Perfect amount needed for what I had to do.

Next I had a few pieces of galvanized sheet metal laying around and fabricated a tail fin. Note the rounded end to clip over the baits body.

I then secured the tail fin to the body with two small screws. I then gave the tail fin what I thought the proper bend.

Next it was time for the lower fin plates. The end of this crescent wrench gave me the perfect stencil to trace out the fins and. Keeping them even.

I installed the fins where I thought they should go. I now think the back fin should have been installed farther back a little. I drilled a few holes along the top and bottom to allow for water to fill the cavity then filled my laundry tub up and sunk the decoy and found where my eyelet should go. I installed that next. Upon testing the decoy, the nose was too light so I crimped 2 splitshots
To each side of the front fins and that helped level the decoy.

 Then gave the decoy a little paint job. Lol.

I did get the chance to try it out afterwards on the lake I live on. I was impressed for my first decoy and it actually pulled a 30" in but when I went to grab the spear, the weight of my foot crushed an ice chunk under the floor of the portable and the pike took off. I will take a vid next time because I forgot my phone tonight and didn't feel like walking back across the lake to get it. It has nice action while pulling up and even though falls kinda flat on the fall, it is overall the same as the Lakco decoy I bought. Out of the two, this quickly became my favorite decoy! Lol.

[StabinCabin]

Hope it works?

[swampbuckster]

Hope it works?

It already did work. Tested it out after completing it and pulled in about a 30" northern. I'll hopefully get some footage before the warmup. Might be able to get out tomorrow.

[jasonmichalski]

If your decoy falls flat, bend the front fins slightly down in the front to make it dive on the fall more on the turning side same with the back ones that will make it glide, and back fins must be higher then front fins.

[swampbuckster]

Thanks. I'll try that.

[Whopper Stopper]

Looks like it will be a good one.

              WS

[P Meyette]

good start make more

[Higgins]

1.Does it sink slow or fast (slow is best for the most part)
2.and as it sinks does it go slightly forward (it's supposed to)
3.and does it sit level in the water front to back or list side to side (this doesn't need to be perfect)

None of this matters if it brings them in but just something's to think about

Nice job by the way, it's all ways a added bonus when they come in to look at something you made

[swampbuckster]

1.Does it sink slow or fast (slow is best for the most part)
2.and as it sinks does it go slightly forward (it's supposed to)
3.and does it sit level in the water front to back or list side to side (this doesn't need to be perfect)

None of this matters if it brings them in but just something's to think about

Nice job by the way, it's all ways a added bonus when they come in to look at something you made

It does sink slowly. It will drop slightly forward if not lifted too hard but I want to work on that. It sits almost level. Tilts a little towards the tail. I may try it out again early tomorrow morning if its not raining too hard.  Like I said, I had one pike come in to it just wasn't able to spear it. I'm excited to get back out.

[MJ1657]

That will definitely pull a pike in.

Great ingenuity

[Pikeonice]

That look s good.  Glad it worked on the first trip out.
That has also got me thinking I have so of those big lures that I never seem to use but now I know what I will do with them.

[RLWagner]

Very creative Swamp. Well done.

[jedhead]

Nice creativity with an otherwise useless bait!