Guess I've always tinkered with lures in some form or another. Started fly tying in the mid 70's. Jigs came soon after that. From there, spinnerbaits, buzz baits, spinners, etc. Made my first couple of plugs around 94-95. Pocket knife and a piece of scrap pine shelving. Made two small (1/4 oz) poppers for sunfish. Pain in the butt to make them, but they worked. Didn't attempt any other plugs until 2001. Basically saw the cool stuff that the guys on the other site were making and decided I needed to give it a shot.
Favorite part: beating the snot out of them
Also enjoy hearing about others doing well on a plug I gave them. As far as the building part, I like tinkering with designs. Basic R&D to get something to work how I want and in the conditions I need to fish it. Nothing like getting back from a day of fishing and trying to figure out how to better imitate the bait I was seeing that day.
Least favorite part: the time between when I finish a plug and when I get to fish it
Probably wiring and drilling are my least favorite parts of building.
Jigman