At the Bench

Well, Really the Glue-Up Desk

There are plenty of moments in lure building that look exciting from the outside — shaping timber, painting patterns, testing a new design on the water. But the reality is that a large part of the process happens in the quieter stages, and today was one of those days. Not at the shaping bench, not in the paint booth, but at what I call the glue-up desk.

This stage is where the individual components of a handcrafted timber lure start to come together. After the cutting, shaping, and preparing of the individual pieces, the focus shifts to assembly, alignment, and bonding. It might sound simple, but this part of the lure building process is critical. If things aren’t straight, balanced, and seated correctly at this stage, it will show up later in the lure action and swimming performance.

Over the last little while I’ve been slowly bringing a handful of custom fishing baits together. Nothing rushed, nothing forced — just steady progress as each lure moves through the early construction stages. Timber selection, body alignment, and making sure everything sits exactly where it needs to before the adhesive sets. With timber lure construction, patience is everything.

The goal with this current batch is to have them ready just in time for what many anglers know as the end-of-season big bite. As the water temperatures shift and fish begin feeding differently, it can be one of the most rewarding windows of the year for lure fishing. Having a few fresh handmade fishing lures ready for that period always adds a bit of excitement.

If everything goes to plan, these custom timber lures should be ready and available next week. As always, I prefer to take the time needed to get things right rather than rush them out the door.

For those interested in picking one up, keep an eye on this page over the coming days. I’ll be sharing more lure release details, updates from the bench, and a closer look at the finished handcrafted fishing baits as they move through the final stages.