Winter Project Series: Making Your Own Bucktail

Maybe you have a lot of old broken baits sitting around that need to be cannibalized or maybe you’d just like to start producing your own bucktails in magical colors that work on your water.  Honestly, all you need is a pair of good pliers, wire snips, a lighter, and split ring pliers.  You can assemble the perfect bucktail in any color, size and configuration.

For your winter garage project, why not take the time to develop your technique and get a stash ready for the spring.  Musky Shop sells all of the parts and pieces you need to get the bucktail put together in a snap.

Following the Diagram below, the process is simple.  You can start at either end, but for the perfect spacing, we like to start at the bottom.  Twist a loop at the end of your Bucktail Wire (standard .051), make sure to remove tag ends to prevent pokes or hang-ups.  Attach the Treble Hook to your Wire Loop end using a Split Ring of appropriate size to treble.  Once this section is completed, you can thread a piece of Heat Shrink Tubing over the link to keep it sturdy and straight in the water.

Next, add your Egg Sinker.  The egg sinker determines how deep the blades will run in the water column: ¾ oz is a good place to start for musky sized bucktail.  Above the egg sinker, add a set of Spacer Beads followed by the Pre-Tied Skirt (flash or rubber).  Follow that with more Spacer Beads, a Lure Body, more Spacer Beads, and finally a linked set of Clevises and Blades.  Make sure your clevises are placed one leg between the other, or the blades will not spin.  Loop your top wire end and you’re done.  It is very important at the top that the wire is tightly twisted with no tags to hang up the clevises.

Now you’re all done for a great little blade to start the spring season.

Extra Pro Tip: Your finished blades should hang down slightly above the skirt when holding vertical. This will prevent tangling and make sure they run smooth off the rip.