Before you can make any kind of fishing lures you must have the proper tools. In fact, without the right tools you can't do a good job, and you'll soon become discouraged. On the other hand, if you are equipped with the right tools you'll find lure-making easy and highly enjoyable. So the best procedure is to obtain as many of the necessary tools in advance before you start making your own lures.

Most anglers will already have some of the tools described here. The rest can be bought without too much of an investment, and the others can be acquired as the need arises for them. Unless you want to make all the lures in this book, you won't need every single tool listed here. If you read the chapter on the particular lure or lures you want to make, you'll get a good idea of the tools you'll need. Then make a list of the tools which will be needed to make those lures. Naturally, many of the same tools will be used for most of the fishing lures. But some lures will require special tools which must be bought or obtained.

The biggest single item needed for making fishing lures is a bench, table, or desk. Fortunate, indeed, is the man who has a basement, den, or special room where he can have a permanent workbench and various power tools to pursue his hobbies. For many this is out of the question, and they have to do their work on a kitchen table or desk which must also serve for other uses. This tends to discourage many who are irked by the chore of taking out and putting away tools and materials every time they want to work on fishing lures. If you have no permanent workbench the best solution is to keep your tools and lure-making materials in a chest, cabinet, or drawer where they are available quickly.

After you have such a bench, table, or desk you need a vise (Fig. A) which will hold the various lures for drilling, filing, bending, and other opera­tions. Almost any bench vise of good size will serve the purpose. Unless you have a permanent workbench, this vise doesn't have to be fastened to the table or desk until needed.

A small anvil is also useful if you plan to make many metal lures or parts for such lures. It is used for cutting, bending, punching, and riveting. How­ever, if you get a big bench vise of the machinist's or utility type you can use the anvil surface found on such vises. Or you can use a small block of iron with a smooth surface as a makeshift anvil.

A hammer, of course, is a basic tool for any kind of work, and for mak­ing fishing lures about two or three hammers will suffice. If you already have a claw hammer (Fig. B), you can use it for many lure-making jobs.   How ever, you should also get at least one ball peen or machinist's hammer which can be used for shaping metal, driving punches, cold chisels, and other uses. A 12-ounce ball peen hammer is a good size for all-round work. Another type of hammer which is good to have is a soft-faced hammer. These are made of plastic or have rawhide, fiber or lead faces. The soft-faced hammer is used for bending and shaping metal and leaves no tool marks. A wooden mallet (Fig. C) is also needed if you plan to shape your own metal spoons or spinners.

At least two saws will be needed. If you already have a hand saw (Fig. D), it can be used for working with wood. Since most lures are small, how­ever, a back saw which has a thin blade and fine teeth is even better than a large hand saw with coarse teeth for accurate cutting.  The other saw which is needed is a hacksaw (Fig. E) that is used for cutting metal and other hard materials such as plastics.

There are many types of hacksaws on the market, but the adjustable frame with a pistol grip is best. You will also need several kinds of blades to use with the hacksaw. These blades have from 14 to 32 teeth to the inch and come in all-hard or flexible tempers.

Each type is best for a certain job, depending on the metal or material you are cutting. If you have one or two blades of each kind you'll be prepared for any cutting job. Some kind of drill is needed for drilling holes in wood and metal. If you have a home workshop with a drill press you can use it for most of the work to be done. It is especially useful when drilling holes in metal. A portable electric drill (Fig. F) is also a big aid when drilling metal, especially if you have to drill many holes. However, when making fishing lures most drilling is done in wood or softer metals such as brass and copper. Here an ordinary hand drill (Fig. G) will serve the purpose. Such a hand drill will usually take drills up to V4 in. in diameter. When buying a hand drill it's a good idea to get the best you can get. A cheap hand drill may not work properly or will soon break or wear out.

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