To me, teaching a man to paint to impress the human eye is great. Teaching a man to create his own lure that will fool a wary fish to strike - is art.
There is no question in my mind that tying your own flies or creating and painting your own lures adds a new dynamic to fishing that many of us have never experienced. For angler, blogger and lure creator, Tommy Ellis, it happens all the time. He has found a way to tie together his love for art and fishing into a meticulous hobby that fools big fish.
According to Mr. Ellis, most anglers have forgotten a time before our current factory-made, carbon-copy fish catchers were purchased by anglers. In my interview with Tommy, he says,
"I create these lures because I love to provide people a piece of our fishing history. Historically, you ordered your lures and paint job from craftsmen and artists. Then, you waited for them arrive. Many people don’t know that is how it was done back in the day. Easy access to mass production has lost this bit of fishing and art history."
Through a series of interview questions, Tom shares the 'how and why' of his handmade, and signed, lure creations.
1. What was it that started you out in down the wildlife artist and cedar lure designer path?
I believe most people that are artists are born not made, you either have that passion or you don‘t. I can’t remember a time when I didn’t draw or paint animals. I began winning contests in the first grade in art and writing so it was always there. Neither of my parents did anything artistic so not sure where it came from.
As for the lures, they came about when the original Big O hand made crank bait came out. My friends and I were kids and didn’t have $30 to spend on one but we had time and materials to make wooden baits of our own. Over time we also made spinner baits, plastic worms, sinkers, tied flies and built custom rods. Our parents were supportive and encouraged us to do what we did which is pretty neat considering we were city kids.
2. What skill set would be required to do what you do?
For watercolors that takes years of practice and a wider range of skills than people realize. Not just in drawing and painting but knowledge of how things work in the wild. Hunting and fishing has helped to push my art past where painters that don’t hunt or fish go with theirs‘. You simply learn to see what is right and needed in a painting to relate the outdoors experience especially when showing it to others in those sports. Watercolors beyond anything I have done in art does require a very different touch. Since you paint backwards it is harder for some people to do. Being a good photographer helps in getting reference material but a good photograph rarely makes a good painting.
For the wooden lures or just repainting some old baits you might have laying around it is a bit easier. You need some woodworking skills plus a bit of painting ability. I use an airbrush for most of my baits but spray cans can be used to get very good finishes that look good and catch fish. I have painted many lures when I started with nothing more than a brush and model paints. I started carving baits by hand with a sharp knife and sandpaper. I use a few more woodworking tools now but still keep it simple. If you have a bench sander you can quickly make shapes you can refine into the lures you want. A Dremel tool is great for shaping baits, a lathe is super fast way to make top water lures which tend to be cylindrical.
I don’t use templates to check my shapes often because I want that imperfect hand made feel but those do help. You can draw your pattern on graph paper and use it to check as you carve or turn your lures. You can also buy lure “blanks” in plastic or wood if you don’t think you can make your own. You can by the way. They may be ugly at first, mine were, but you can carve your own and when you are done, they are all your‘s. I promise the lure police won’t come get you for making an ugly bait.
3. What kind of things contribute to the inspiration of a particular lure design and color? What kind of time goes into a crank design.
I look at designs as an artist first and then as a fisherman sticking with the forage in the area the bait will be used. I build and paint lures as a sort of homage to our fishing past, the way things were done way back when. Anyone can go to a store or online and buy beautiful baits that are mass produced and very effective. I build for people that want something a step beyond and back, a color or action that maybe the fish haven’t seen a thousand times or that someone may want to set aside as art.
I love top water and most designs I make in cedar are for top water lures which aren’t used in this area like they once were. I just love to see a bass come up to hit on top.
As far as time, I admit to looking at existing baits for inspiration. There are just so many tried and true baits that it isn’t hard to find a good shape. I like to make changes in small ways to make them unique but my biggest changes are in the paint.
4. Is there one lure that stands out in your mind as being significant - and why?
To the industry/sport as a whole it would be the original Big O. That bait made huge changes in what we fished and how. You don’t go to a store or open a catalog and not see the influence of that one lure.
5. How could someone get started painting their own cranks? Can you briefly describe the process?
The easiest way is a few spray cans of paint in the colors they like. Use tulle or a bag onions come in to make a template for painting scales and you are set. The way you apply the paint is a learning process and there are tricks but part of the fun is learning how to layer the paint. I start light and go to dark but this might be my watercolor background. You can simply spray the bottom half white or silver and the top half in black or grey and you have a shad pattern. Paint the eyes and spots then use a clear coat to seal it.
With an airbrush you have the ability to add patterns and blend in a much more controlled, realistic or artistic manner. The basic painting is the same as the spray cans but you can add so much more with the control you get with a good airbrush.
One tip for beginners, do not buy a single action brush and cans of air and expect to get the results the top painters get. You need a double action brush with a compressor to get the best results. A good moisture trap/pressure regulator makes a huge difference, too.
I paint the detail such as eyes and spots on shad on my lures, that is part of the hand made look I want but you can buy eyes in many styles to add realism.
6. What does the future hold for you and your plug designs?
I do these as a side to my art, woodworking and fishing just because I like doing them. I will keep making them, mostly in the older shapes but with updated patterns and new colors. I do these because I love to provide them to people as a piece of our fishing history, back when you ordered your lures and paint job from craftsmen and artists then waited for them arrive. Many people don’t know that is how it was done back in the day, easy access to mass production has lost this bit of fishing and art history.
7. What do you find to be the most rewarding aspect of your art?
There is an easy answer to that one. I get to paint. To an artist, doing what you enjoy is the reward. Is it nice to sell a piece? Well, yes it is, since there are bills to pay, but I love to see something come together the way it is in my head. Whether it is a painting or a lure, seeing it finished just never gets old.
At times your hands override your intentions and you get a spectacular piece but have no idea how you did it. Those are the best to me. You are so involved that thought goes away, the other side of your brain takes over to create what you meant not what you thought you meant.
8. How can we inspire a new generation of anglers to enjoy fishing as much as we do?
Get them out there. Hand that kid a simple cane pole when they are young and let them catch a dinky little fish then make a huge deal out of it. Repeat till you have a fisherman. Let them out to see the frogs, bugs, plants and teach them what they are and how they work. If you don’t know, learn with them when you get home. Show them the importance of books as learning tools not just the internet along with the outdoors, why these things are important to us all. Let them have fun, don’t make it a chore or contest. If they want to wander and catch bugs, let them and when they see it as fun they will be asking to come back.
Start a scrapbook for them, not a file on your computer but an actual book that they can add to. Photos, pressed leaves and notes they write. This gives them a way to show friends what they are doing and a sense of accomplishment as it grows.
Contact Tommy Ellis through his blog or Twitter profile.
