“From the perspective of a small-time lure-maker, wood is readily available, inexpensive and fairly easy to work with,” said Larry Shanker, who has been hand-crafting Legendary Lures for 30 years. “From the view of the fisherman, some like to show the fish something different. They feel that fish in a heavily fished lake will become ‘educated’ to popular fishing lures.”

“Different woods behave differently in the water. Some lures need to be soft so they’ll float along, like a crankbait,” offered Dan Smalley. In Rhode Island, Smalley makes Gibbs Lures, a line that includes many favorites among saltwater striped bass anglers. “For other fish you might need a lure that sinks a little. The variety of woods, and their buoyancies, gives you that kind of versatility.”

“Wooden lures give you an added buoyancy,” agreed Jack Smithwick. “Their specific gravity is obviously lighter than water so using a balsa lure, all you really have to do is throw it out there and make it happen.” Smithwick sold his Smithwick Lures to another manufacturer who continues to make the popular wooden lures.

At the same time, buoyancy doesn’t compromise castability.

“Wood distributes its weight in a more friendly way,” said bass guide Richardson. “It lets you control the depth better than other lures. A premium-grade balsa lure will take a lot of belly weight. And that means you can really load them up with lead and they’ll cast a long, long way, but remain buoyant.”

Versatility is a word that comes up over and over again in any discussion of wooden lures. I was admiring some of the exotic woods Veach carves when an old salt picked one up and told me they fished as good as they looked. “You’re kidding,” I said. “These look more like collectors’ items.”

“Well, you can do that with them, too,” he said. “But I guarantee that one you’re holding will catch redfish.”

On the advice of a friend, Veach has begun to sign and catalog each lure for collectors, but his chief interest is in making lures that catch fish. I bought the redfish lure for a friend who promptly caught two keepers with it and then retired it to his mantle where it dangles from the mouth of a large, wooden bonefish. Versatile.

“Wood floats higher and consequently you get better action from it,” said Bob Snider of Snider’s Lures. “That’s where you get a lot of catches. Ninety percent of my lures never hit the water though,” continued Snider. “A lot of collectors are buying wooden lures today, but not to fish with.” Snider began making wooden lures in 1969 and designed them for 30 years prior to that.

“There isn’t a whole bunch of people out there using wood; that’s what I like about using them,” said Banner. “I’ve tried the stuff that rattles and vibrates, but I keep going back to one particular wooden lure I consider lucky. It’s hard to say if fish hit it as a reaction or what, but all I know is I sure catch a lot of snook on that thing.”

Heddon, 1906

Gene Young has been fishing Florida waters for more than 30 years and a few years ago began using wooden lures to fish the shallow waters around St. Petersburg. “I’ve got half a dozen wooden lures,” Young said. “Some are better than others, but it’s hard to say how much of that is fishing technique. I’m a little fickle. My favorite lure is the one I happen to be using when I catch something. I like the way the wooden lures look and sound in the water though. Cigar smokers don’t light up a good cigar with a cheap lighter; they light a hunk of shaved cedar, then they use that to light the cigar. I see fishing the same way; there’s a whole Zen thing, a symbiotic relationship of wood, water and fish. It just feels more natural to use wood in water.”

FS