CARE & MAINTENANCE OF WOOD LURES

All BIG FORK LURES are made out of select grades of white cedar. This is an ideal wood for lure building as it is easily shaped, finishes adhere to it very well and it has inherant bouyancy which imparts a lively action to the lure. We use a high build epoxy topcoat that protects the finish very well from hook rash and chipping but it is not industructable. There are things you can do that will greatly increase the longevity of the finish.

• TRY AND KEEP THEM OUT OF DIRECT SUNLIGHT AND EXTREME HEAT. Examples would be hanging in an enclosed clear plexiglass tackle box or lying on the deck of your boat for long periods of time. We only use kiln dried cedar which gets most of the moisture out of the wood but sometimes the small amount left can expand and crack the wood and epoxy topcoat with overexposure to the sun.
• HOOK RASH AND CHIPPING WILL EVENTUALLY HAPPEN; were dealing with big toothy predators and banging rocks that will cause some wear and tear. These are best repaired with a slow set epoxy in multiple coats (damaged areas only, no need to completely recoat the lure). Try to avoid using a quick set 5 min. epoxy, it has poor adhesion properties and will yellow much faster when exposed to sunlight.
• The stainless steel diving lips on our Reef Diggers rarely if ever need tuning. They take the abuse when pounding rocky bottoms and will not mushroom like others on the market with soft aluminum lips.

Taking the time to perform these tips will greatly extend the life of your wood lures for many years of hard use.