Lunker Research Blog

Author: Kevin Lentz

  • Nephthys Sandworm

    Nephthys Sandworm

    Nephthys sandworms are burrowing predators who live in the beach sand near the high tide line. They are quick and highly specialized to their burrowing habits.

    These interesting polychelate worms are a staple food for many species around Southern California that live in the intertidal and nearshore zones.

    While the worms burrow they are hunting for grunion eggs, juvenile invertebrates, diatoms, and any other small prey items. They will also scavenge on larger dead prey items.

    This mold design I have come up with should allow me to make 8″ long sandworm styled baits.

  • Mysid Shrimp

    Mysid Shrimp

    I have been going through my list of bait ideas and really like how this turned out so far!

    Many fish species feed heavily on these shrimp with it making up the bulk of the diet of many large sportfish when they can find large aggregations of these tiny shrimp.

    There is still a bit of work to do with adding some more details to the design but like I said I couldn’t be happier with how this is coming along.

    Hopefully I will get around to making the mold pretty soon!

  • New jerkbait line!

    New jerkbait line!

    These jerkbaits have been on my mind for a few months and I finally had a breakthrough!

    It was tough to choose a method for production with these jerkbait designs… Should I solid cast them? Injection mold? Carve from wood? Or rotocast them? Of all the methods rotocasting seemed like the method I wanted to pursue the most because it had slightly more pros than cons.

    The pros are that it takes less material, you get a hollow lure, the epoxy cures quickly, and the main con is just that I need to build a rotocaster to really move forward with these designs but my initial tests were successful beyond all expectations!

    This first prototype has some issues and not the most even coating but I was rotating it by hand for this initial test.

    It is so cool to have an idea, make the 3d model, and then to see it come to life as a real object. That never gets old!

    Hopefully these should be available soon on the shop in 150mm/6″, 130mm/5.125″, and 110mm/4.3″ sizes.

  • Hot Stamping Foil

    Hot Stamping Foil

    Who doesn’t like reflective shiny scales? Once I found out about hot stamping foil I knew it would take these jigs to the next level!

    I liked the classic stripes I was prototyping the jigs with and will probably offer them in that style as well.

    The 1oz size jigs are looking really great too!

  • Chunky Twin Tail

    Chunky Twin Tail

    These have been a design that I have had in mind for a very long time.


    Scampi style baits have always produced well for me and I have never understood why nobody makes them with a chunky ribbed body form instead of the worms and swimbait like shapes.


    The mold has vents that are a little too aggressive but I was not sure how well the segments would fill out or if bubbles would be a problem. A little flashing is not a big deal at all!

    On to the next bait design!

  • The goal

    The goal

    Here at Lunker Research I am constantly experimenting with developing new lure and bait concepts to catch the biggest fish possible!

    There are a few soft plastic bait designs and metal jigs that I am currently working to perfect as well as a number of exciting other fishing items coming soon.

    Keep your eyes on this space – you don’t want to miss out!

  • Metal Jigs

    Metal Jigs

    I have been prototyping these metal jigs in a 2.5oz/3.5″ (70g/90mm) size so far and they show a lot of promise. They offer a wobbling action on a straight retrieve and excellent flat fall flutter.

    They are painted with UV reactive paints so that the fish can really key in on them even in low light conditions deep underwater.

    I am testing out a few different color schemes but will likely settle on the white stripes with orange, pink, or yellow UV reactive paint.

    I am working on 1oz/2.625″ (30g/70mm), 3.5oz, and 4.25oz size options as well!

  • Super Realistic Squid Bait

    Super Realistic Squid Bait

    After looking around at the options on the market for realistic soft plastic squid baits I was less than inspired by them and set about designing my own. This was my first prototype.

    After a few more attempts I started getting results I was really happy with.

  • Getting Started With Jerkbaits

    Getting Started With Jerkbaits

    As part of my start into this bait making adventure I first tried my skills out on a few hand carved wooden jerkbaits.

    First you need some lure blanks which were not too hard to make with my shop setup. I designed two different body styles and cut them out.

    After making the lure blanks, carving them to shape, adding through wire, and gluing together the halves together it was time for the most fun part!

    Painting these lures was quite a challenge but also extremely rewarding to see them come to life.

    The second design offered a bit more of a challenge.

    I still need to catch a fish on one of these but I am a little too scared to fish with them…

  • Torpedo Sinkers

    Torpedo Sinkers

    After returning to fishing I was a little surprised at the prices gear sells for these days. I remember when 1oz torpedo sinkers were sold 10 for a dollar!

    With some of the sinkers I also noticed they were not even the 1oz I was paying for. They often weighed in at only 0.75-0.85oz! I decided there must be a better solution and set about making my own casting molds.

    This casting mold is one that still sees quite a bit of use and I have another with different sized sinkers as well.

    I was quite impressed with how closely the calculated weight in the 3D model matched up to the finished product: