How to Measure for Eye Placement on Homemade Lures

For many anglers, fly fishermen in particular, making the lures or flies is as much a part of the sport as the actual fishing. If you are getting into the art of lure or fly craft, you are bound to encounter lures and flies that require eyes. Knowing where to place the eyes is dependent on what you are trying to imitate with the lure or fly, what time of year it is and the water you fish. Regardless of the variants, the measurement to place the eyes follows the same principle.

Things You'll Need

  • Small ruler
  • Fine-tipped marker
  • Small nail or brad
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Instructions

    • 1

      Study the fish or nymph you are imitating with the lure or fly. Get pictures of the fish or nymphs and read about the body shape as it pertains to the season and geographic placement (is it fall and are you in Washington State, as an example).

    • 2

      Watch and learn the eye pattern of the study specimen and transfer this to the lure or fly. If you have a to-scale picture of the lure subject, measure the eye distance and where on the head they are.

    • 3

      Measure the distance on the head of the lure or fly and make tiny marks with the marker as a visible marker when you are ready to glue or stick the eyes on the lure or fly. Due to the small nature of the lure and fly subjects, use millimeters for the measurements.

    • 4

      Add your eyes to the lure or fly at the measured distance; the distance is the same as the real-life specimen the lure or fly is made to mimic.

    • 5

      Push the tip of a nail or brad into the upper radius line of the eye. This helps give a visual reference to paint in the large pupil for the lure eye. Use the pin mark as the top center of the pupil and paint in the pupil, making it approximately 2/3 the size of the main eye on the lure. This is more important for casting lures versus flies for fly fishing. After the initial eye location is determined and marked, and the eyes set or painted, be sure to follow through with a pupil placement on the eye. Predator fish react to the large prey eyes and have an understanding that it is a food source.