Painting Homemade Lures

Painting homemade lures enables you to make custom artificial fishing baits that will attract fish or just look great in a case. You should select two colors that blend well together, such as yellow and green or red and blue. Ultimately, the color choice will be a matter of preference and your own experience of what colors work best. However, studies have shown that fish are attracted to colors such as blue and yellow.

  1. Selecting Colors

    • To start painting homemade lures, you will need to visit a hobby store and purchase some model paints. You may be able to purchase specific reflective paints from fishing stores. Reflective paints have an advantage over standard paints since a surface finished with them will reflect light and provide a shimmering effect that fish may mistake for an insect. Try painting a variety of lures different colors, and experiment to see which colors the fish are most drawn to.

    Paintbrushes

    • Find a flat paintbrush made of high-quality synthetic hair or horse hair and a detailing brush. Using a small brush will make it possible to add details to your lures. If you want to go for a bicolored or tricolored lure, a small paintbrush will make it possible to paint the lure without obscuring the colors. You don't need an expensive brush; most hobby stores will have a good selection of brushes that are designed for creating intricate details, broad strokes and everything in between.

    Mixing Colors

    • Choosing to use two colors makes it possible to create a realistic appearance by overlapping both colors on certain parts of the lure. Consider painting the top side of the lure blue and the bottom side of the lure yellow. Overlap the yellow paint slightly with the blue paint where they meet to make a green color. The added hue will make your lure more colorful. The colors may mimic the natural colors of insects that fish are drawn to, or you may choose bright colors for easy visibility. Natural colors are green and yellow, more vibrant colors include those such as red and blue.

    Painting Designs

    • There are various designs you can experiment with as well. Use a striped candy cane design with yellow and black colors to mimic worms. Dotted colors may resemble certain insects, while solid colors may look like plants or vegetables. Finding the right combination of colors will take some experimentation. Sometimes, the colors don't even matter so much as simply changing the color of the bait. Fish may become used to a certain lure and learn to avoid it.

    Additional Precautions

    • You will want to let the paint dry before attempting to use your lures. Most paints will dry fairly quickly within an hour, especially if the paint is left in a warm location. A primer or finish is not required since the lures will likely be used only a few times. Painting should be completed before you attach the eye screw on the scalloped end of the lure. When you are finished, attach the lures to your fishing line and test them out.