"Wood is good"

Have you ever had a wood lure that out fishes an identical copy? Ever wonder why? There's a saying about wood plugs; "wood is good." Now, there's also a second half to that phrase that I usually choose to ignore, "...but plastic is fantastic."

It's true, plastic lures will always be more consistent than wood lures. Hard resin and plastic lures are made of chemically identical materials. Every single one is the same. Wood on the other hand is an inconsistent material, and that's why it's awesome.

Next time you're at the hardware store, take a look a 2x4. It has a different grain pattern/shape, knots, and all kinds of differences. While the cedar I use is almost entirely knot free, each piece of wood is still different than the next.

When plug builders use duplicators and templates, we are attempting to create a copy identical and consistent with the master. For the most part, it works. But each piece of wood we use is different. Sometimes the wood has a tighter or looser grain, other times the grain converges into unique patterns. Every piece of wood is different, even if they come from the same tree, board, or baluster. Most of the time, the effect on the lure swims isn't noticable. But once in a while, you get a lure with a slightly tighter or wider wiggle, or a little more roll. These differences are more noticable in metal-lip and swimming plugs than in needlefish, pencil poppers, spooks, etc. Lure builders who hydro-orient their plugs will know that identical wood lure blanks will sit in/on the water differently.

Sometimes you stumble on a lure that fishes better than a seemingly identical copy. When you do, hang on to it and fish the hell out of it. That lure happens to be made from the perfect piece of wood, a stroke of pure luck, so cherish it.