DIY: Paint Custom Lure Patterns That Will Catch Fish and Anglers Alike

I’ve been intrigued by the idea of making and painting my own lures since I was a kid. Until recently, I just never took the time to initiate…But as the saying goes, necessity is the mother of invention.

During the pandemic, I’ve found certain goto lures and sinker sizes hard to come by…particular 4oz pyramids. This led me the route of pouring my own jigs and sinkers which I documented in my post How To Pour Your Own Fishing Sinkers and Jigs.

As most things do, one thing leads to another: pour your own jigs -> paint your own jigs -> paint your own crankbaits -> etc… Today, I’m going to discuss how to get setup to paint your own lures. This will describe everything you need to get started…from that point on it is up to you how creative you can get.

Materials Needed

• Master Gravity-feed Airbrush
• Compressor (I use my shop compressor, but nearly any will do getting started)
• 1/4 in. Male Steel Industrial Plug
• 1/4 in. Male Steel Industrial Coupler
• 1/4 in. Air Line Filter/ Regulator with Gauge
• 1/4 in. x 10 ft. Braided Nylon Airbrush Hose
• Airbrush Cleaning Bottle
• Createx Paint (Pearlized for most work, white opaque for base coats)
• Createx Reducer
• UV Resin or Two-Part Epoxy (Clearcoat Finish)

Getting Setup

Step 1: Setup Regulator

When using an airbrush (or any air tool for that matter), its important to filter water out of the air hose. In addition to any built in regulator on your compressor, ensure you have a regulator (ideally with a built-in water filter) near your workstation.

To prepare the regulator to attach to the compressor hose, attach a 1/4″ male fitting input side of the regulator and attach a 1/4″ female fitting to the output side of the regulator. Use teflon tape on both to ensure an airtight connection.

Step 2: Connect the Airbrush

To connect the airbrush to your regulator, attach a 1/4″ male connection to one side of the nylon airbrush hose and screw the nylon airbrush hose to your airbrush.

Step 3: Connect Compressor

Once the airbrush and regulator is attached, you can run the air hose from your compressor to the input side of the regulator.

Step 4: Set Pressure

Set your compressor regulator to 60-80psi. The regulator near your workstation will be used to further regulate the air pressure.

I default to 40psi for airbrushing, but depending on the paint you are spraying and how much you dilute it, the pressure will need to be adjusted to avoid sputtering.

Step 5: Load Paint into Your Airbrush

Depending on how much of a color you plan to spray, load the desired amount of paint into your airbrush.

I dilute the paint at a 2:1 ratio using distilled water or Createx Reducer and stir thoroughly with a toothpick.

Test your spray on a piece of cardboard to ensure its not sputtering.

Painting A Plug

The plug I’m painting here is a topwater popper I plan to use fishing the surf. The same techniques can be used for painting bass lures, jigs, etc…

Step 1: Apply A White Basecoat

I prefer to use transparent Createx paints. If you want the colors to pop, first apply a white base coat.

Step 2: Apply The First Transparent Color

When using transparent paints, the paints will naturally blend together. I’m only using one transparent color on my Reckon I’ll pattern, but you could easily add a bottom color that will nicely blend with the top color.

Step 3: Apply An Opaque Top Color

Use an opaque black on the top of the lure. This is an effect you often see on shad patterns used for bass.

Step 4: Glue the Eyes

Each lure blank has a recommended eye diameter. Be sure to match the eye size to your lure blank and add a dot of super glue to ensure a strong bond.

Step 5: Apply the Logo

This is actually a tip I learned from Baker Builds, a great channel for learning to paint lures. Using transfer paper, you can add all kinds of great effects and logos to your baits.

Tip: Adding A Logo to A Lure
Great tutorial from Baker Builds on how to add a logo to your bait with transfer paper. Learn How

Step 6: Apply Clearcoat

I’ve attempted to add clear coat by painting two-part epoxy, painting UV resin and dipping in UV resin. By far the best results are from dipping in UV resin.

Some folks build drying boxes, but I prefer to just sit them outside and let the sun cure the UV resin.

DIY Making A Cup Turner:
If you choose to paint on your clearcoat, you will want to build a cup turner to ensure the epoxy coats the lure evenly Learn How

Step 7: Add Split Rings

The lure blank will often have a recommended split ring size. If you don’t know, size 3 is often a good choice.

For saltwater lures, I prefer to use the extra strong split rings.

Step 8: Add Treble Hooks

Again, the lure blank will often recommend a hook size. If you are unsure, find a similar size lure and find the corresponding size hooks.

Cleaning Your Airbrush/Changing Colors

Step 1: Wipe Out the Paint Reservoir

Using a paper towel, wipe out the paint from the reservoir.

Step 2: Flush Out the Paint Reservoir

Holding the airbrush upside down, use a pipet to flush the reservoir with water until the water dripping out runs clear.

Use an old jar or coffee can to catch the water and paint you flush out.

Step 3: Clean Airbrush via Spraying

Using a pipet, fill part of the reservoir with Windex and spray out the residue. Windex is just an alternative to the expensive Createx Cleaner.

Step 4: Dry Out the Reservoir

Using paper towel, wipe out the reservoir one more time. The airbrush is good to load with a new paint color.

Deep Cleaning the Airbrush

For deep cleaning, Iwata has a great video showing how to clean your airbrush:

Catching Fish on Your Lures

Catching fish on your lures is a huge confidence builder. Since starting my lure creation journey, I’ve actually had great success on both my jigs and poppers. Its pretty exciting to see a fish blow up on a lure, not to mention one you’ve created.