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MA
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Mission Objective: Investigate & Reveal
Target Acquisition
Handcrafted
Fishing Lures
Have you ever wondered what goes into producing the tackle, gear and accessories
we use today? Anglers and boaters often take for granted the tremendous effort
it requires to engineer, design and manufacturer the countless components that
combine to enhance our on-the-water experiences. You name it, and somewhere
in Florida skilled craftsmen are dedicated to producing the finest equipment in
the world. We wanted to learn more about these professionals and about the
products they take such great pride in. We’re confident that you, too, will be
fascinated with what we discover in our ongoing investigation. Staff Report 
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Handcrafted Fishing Lures ›››
Similar to hunting, fishing originated as
a means of providing food for survival. The
harvesting of fish for substance likely began
in prehistoric times when the methods of
procuring a catch were quite primitive. The
techniques and introduction of specialized
tackle slowly evolved over time and while
the earliest known lures were made of metal, it wasn’t until 1883 when the first wooden lure was offered to the
Caption
public. The introduction of
wooden lures was a result
of advanced techniques,
as anglers looked to a
more buoyant offering to entice game fish
on the water’s surface. Introduced by Harry
Comstock of Fulton, New York, and distributed by Pfleuger, the Flying Hellgramite is
considered the first known wooden fishing lure. From the early 1900s, the firm of
Heddon and Pflueger led the production of
commercially made wooden lures. Except
for a cult-like following of striped bass anglers in New England, the introduction of
new-age materials and construction techniques have pretty much wiped wooden
fishing lures off the market. Until now!
For this edition of Made In Florida we
thought it would be fitting to focus on a father and son duo that continues the tradition of handcrafting wooden fishing lures.
Dr. Fred Hall, a semi-retired veterinarian,
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and his son David have enjoyed fishing
Florida’s fertile waters for many decades.
Having a deep love for both fishing and
woodworking, they merged the two hobbies into a full-time business venture and
have developed a very unique and highly
effective series of lures. Located in Orlando, Florida, Hall Em In Lures is the proud
producer of what are arguably the world’s
finest handcrafted top-water plugs.
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When it comes to fabrication, it should
come as no surprise that the process
starts with wood selection. Depending on
the desired action, weight, and density,
Spanish cedar, cherry, maple, walnut or
hickory lumber is selected. Spanish Cedar
is used as the standard selection for most
of their lures because of its density, lightweight attributes and superior strength.
Custom orders can also be fulfilled, with
wood selection significantly affecting the
buoyancy, retrieve and action.
The lumber arrives in 5/4 planks and
before the process can begin the timber
is inspected for quality control. It’s essential to check the density of wood, as older
growth cedar is much more desirable. Over
the years the forestry industry has worked
on methods to accelerate the growth of
trees. They’ve accomplished this through
science, but the faster-growing trees aren’t
as dense as old growth lumber. The older
trees produce much stronger wood that’s
not as porous. When the planks are selected they are cut to size so they are easier
to handle  (Image 1). The planks are then
measured  (Image 2) and cut into 6” sections  (Images 3 & 4). Depending on the
desired finished product, a rattle may or
may not be installed. If a rattle is selected,
the 6” blanks are cut in half and a hole is
bored through the middle or both pieces.
A single flange 7mm glass rattler is placed
in the hole and the two components are
then epoxied back together.
Without the use of cutting edge technology or advanced CNC machines, these
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Without the use of cutting
edge technology or
advanced CNC machines,
these works of art are
manufactured one at a
time strictly by hand.
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works of art are manufactured one at a
time strictly by hand. The timber blanks
are turned on a lathe  (Image 5), which
requires an extraordinary amount of skill
and patience to create a product of exacting specifications. A variety of gouges,
chisels and parting tools are used to shape
the timber  (Image 6). The lure starts
to take shape and is sanded to create a
smooth surface  (Image 7). Once the lure
has been turned, knurled and sanded, it
is cut off the remaining block  (Image 8)
and the ends are sanded smooth  (Image
9). The lures are then taken to a drill press
where they are pre-drilled for the appropriate hardware  (Image 10). Various jigs and
templates are utilized to pre-drill the plug
for molded eyes and hook hangers.
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The lures are then impregnated with
a lacquer sealer  (Image 11). The sealer
bonds to the wood and repels water intrusion if damaged by a toothy predator or
errant cast. From here the lures hang dry.
Next, an oil-based Zinsser primer is adhered to the wood  (Image 12). The plug
is then sanded with 600 grit sandpaper
and another coat of primer is applied. After a final sanding the plug is now ready
to be hand painted  (Image 13). A skilled
artist applies approximately five coats of
enamel  (Image 14) and the plug is set
aside to cure for 24 to 48 hours. Finally,
each lure is then sprayed with either a
silver or gold fleck. From here, it’s time
to install the molded eyes  (Image 15).
Next comes the hand-dipping process,
and since these offerings are made one
at a time they gather approximately 100
lures to streamline the process.
The finishing process is the most time
consuming of all. Utilizing a two-part epoxy, which has an approximate pot life
of 45-minutes, each lure is hand-dipped
tail to head  (Image 16) and placed on a
hanging rack to cure for an additional 24
to 48-hours  (Image 17). Once cured, the
lures are sanded to remove any bubbles or
minor imperfections. The plugs are once
Handcrafted Fishing Lures ›››
again hand-dipped from tail to head. After
another curing and sanding session the
lures are finally ready for the third and
final dip. The last coating is applied from
head to tail to even out resin coverage
and increase the lures overall durability. 12
The reason the first two resin coatings
are applied tail to head is so there will be
a buildup of resin along the head. Toss a
typical plug over and over and you will
surely notice scratches in the lure’s finish where the front treble hook swings.
Hall Em In Lures’ unique dipping process
eliminates the possibility of marring the
durable epoxy finish. After the third and
final dip the excess resin on the head and
tail is removed with a belt sander, and
the hardware holes are drilled again to 14
remove any excess resin. From here, 1”
Because of the personal
touch applied to each
and every lure, these
museum-quality
offerings deserve to be
displayed in the nearest
art gallery, as much as
they do your tackle bag.
to 1-¼” stainless steel screw eyes are positioned  (Image 18). Next, 2x split rings
and special order 6x VMC black nickel
hooks are installed  (Image 19). At this 16
stage other variations such as fore and
aft spinners can also be installed. After
carefully scrutinizing each and every aspect of the lure’s finish and symmetry, the
finished product is placed in a plastic case
where it is ready to be shipped to anxious
anglers across the country  (Image 20).
While woodworking is an art form in
itself, creating handmade wooden lures
that offer consistent symmetry and enticing action is an even more difficult trade.
Because of the personal touch applied
to each and every lure, these museumquality offerings deserve to be displayed
in the nearest art gallery, as much as they
do your tackle bag. Through independent
field research and extensive testing the
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father son team of Fred and David Hall
has succeeded in combining modern day
components with old world craftsmanship to achieve optimum performance in
casting, durability and most importantly,
fish catching effectiveness. FSF
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