I've never made a plug in my life, but my recent frustration with trashed umbrella rigs leaves me wondering about how to defend against the blues. I'm imagining an umbrella with plugs, or some kind of "swim bait"... im not too familiar with the terminology. Am I crazy? Would this not work for some reason? I'm thinking hand made plugs, simply because of the cost of store bought.

Like Karl said. But if you do start turning, never,
repeat never ,add up what it costs to make a plug. :doh:
Ya don't wanna know. :)

i clearly need to learn more about this. i do have load of tools at my expense tho, my dad has a machine shop for his company in my basement...yes, i live at home... summer break from college.. none of which are a manual wood lathe, but a CNC i do have. im thinking about programming my designs in, and letting the machine do the work. is it the materials or tools that add up? maybe time? im missing something.

For me it is the time involved. Just never seems to be enough.

My garage was basicly a fully equipped cabinet shop before I started building plugs so I didnt need to buy any equipment at all.
I'm down to about $375.00 per plug now!!

Dude,
rig with small pieces of surge tubing on hooks, not storm-shad style baits... catches bass just fine and fairly bluefish impervious

I'm down to about $375.00 per plug now!!

That's a bargain WB. :hihi:

all these knowing and buddy-buddy posts about the price of making one of these plugs are funny, but none of them are helping me get an idea of why these things are actually so pricey. Anyone?

Time. All the steps involved. They are a piece of cake to actually turn and machine. Really pretty easy to do the whole thing if you have mechanical ability but then you got all the holes and eye counterbores and sealing and priming and painting and hardware and assembly and epoxing and wiring. I am sure I forgot one or two. Lots of ways to screw up along the way. You also have to buy all the hardware and wire and weights too which are getting more expensive every year. None of this is hard just lots of steps which takes time if you want a nice looking product. Once you start into this you will realize why the really nice plugs are so expensive. All I can say is try it and find out for yourself. Paul

Time and materials.. and tools....

Wood lathe, drill press, skews, drill bits, forstner bits.... or...
you can start with a belt sander and a dowel.. lot of guys have...
but... quickly upgrade.

Eyes.. weights.. thru wire, what grade?, swivels.. what brand?.. or hook hangers.. hooks.. vmc or mustad?.. 4X or 6X?... or screw eyes...sandpaper... zap a gap... epoxy.. sealer, primer.. paint.. clear coat.. decisions on what methods to use, and which products to apply. And don't forget wood!.. price goes up everytime you buy stock.. unless you have ways to scrounge useable wood, and know what type of wood is good for the type of plug you are attempting to build.

Experiments.. prototypes.. test swimming.. lot of factors and variables..the prototypes that didn't make it.. the blanks that split on the lathe.. the thru drills that didn't quite make it.. the stuff that makes fantastic kindling wood.. but, once again factors into the overall cost.. and Time

Time.. it all takes Time. what is your Time Worth?
I was once given this equation.. There is no Free Time.. your Time off= the Hourly rate you earn (if salaried, divide your salary by your avg. hours) times 3, as your time off is worth 3 times work time..
So.. them plugs get expensive quick!

Time...ways to cut it.. you'll think duplicator.. jigs..... you say you have cnc.. great.. figure out a proven plug, and dupe away.

Do some searches on this forum.. been some great discussions on what to use, and ways to do stuff.. but.. I would gaurantee.. you will find no two builders who do anything the same way, or same sequence.. or who use all the same products..

But if we all sat down, and really figured the cost laid out totally for each plug we've ever built.. well I won't say we'd cry.. but we would have a good laugh, at whatever notion we had about building plugs, to save money....

Oh man ,that is a Classic.

Should be made a sticky. :hihi:

all these knowing and buddy-buddy posts about the price of making one of these plugs are funny, but none of them are helping me get an idea of why these things are actually so pricey. Anyone?

A lure will cost you approx $5.00 to build yourself. But that is buying items in bulk. Then you have to figure out how to do it. (this forum is an excellent source of information)

The tools and associated items can run quite a few dollars. Don't get discouraged when some of the ones you make come out like crap or don't work like you want them to. It happens. It also takes a while to learn all the aspects of building. ie; wood types, machinery,finish types etc.

Then like Karl said, TIME. Once you learn all the above you should be able to get your time down to approx 1 hour per plug. (cumulative) This won't happen overnite though as it takes TIME to learn. You will also learn from your mistakes. And believe me, you will have them. Every builder does.

If you have any form of OCD, don't even consider getting into building plugs. It will grow and fester until it eventually consumes you. Taking up every free moment. Don't ask me how I know this.................


My advise is do like Rockhound said. Try the plastic tubing and save yourself al the future grief.

Mac is right about the OCD! I suffer from that and measure my plug bodies with microcrometers :scream: :bc: but I still enjoy building plugs.

My original post about having all the tools and still spending a fortune is true. As most of the guys have stated, TIME is the major factor but also plug building supplies are going to cost you some money. Do you want to buy one piece of wire for $1.00 or will you buy 100 for $20.00? Those $20.00 bills add up fast.
I could show you reciepts this year alone for well over a thousand dollars worth of just material. No tools. An example would be every color of createx paint is going to cost around 3 or 4 dollars to get a 2 oz. bottle. Spray cans are not cheap either.
I suppose you could save money if you cut a broomstick and attach hooks but plug building is a major addiction and those are usually expensive. This is not meant to sway you away from this great hobby. It's just a fair warning that saving money is not realistic. With all that said, GO for it. It will add a whole new dimension to your fishing experience!

thanks a lot for the clearer answers guy. and i am more than familiar with expenses that add up with getting involved with a new hobby. fishing aside there has been model airplanes, which i still enjoy but have somewhat escaped from, golf, photography... and so on. I am very inclined to get obsessed with something, but it tends to wear off a bit after some time. I am also at less risk because as much as I dont want to admit it, i have to head back to school in early september.... I KNOW ITS WHEN THE FISHING REALLY PICKS UP AGAIN!! :af: ... and plug building isn't really practical with the school work i'll be doing and the :gu:. luckily for me, time is not really a big concern... although all this thinking about lures has me dying to get back on the water... which might lead me to the tubes on the hooks. in any case, it has been fun to learn a little more about a hobby that clearly has some of u hooked... so to speak.

Enjoy BRF, it is very rewarding and you'll meet some of the best people ever.

Good Luck, and be sure to post pics. :)