Here’s a versatile tool that every lure fishermen should have on his workbench. I use a high-quality countersink to de-burr the end of my leader tubes so there are no sharp edges to bite the leader. For simple de-burring, you can use the countersink as a hand tool or spin it with a portable electric drill. When used with a drill, the bit also works great for modifying the faces of your lures to create different actions. The lures in the accompanying photo all came out of the same round-nosed mold.
The lure at the right still has the original shape, but the leader tube needs a bit of de-burring. The center lure sports a small cup face, which adds to the bubble stream. The lure on the left boasts a deeper chamfer for a fully cupped face. The deep cup helps suck the lure down under the surface and keep it there. The lures shown are custom-made Fireball models and not available for sale. I make them for my personal use to catch wahoo and tuna. Each one weighs 8 ounces and carries a 5-ounce slug of lead. My grandkids named them “fireballs” because of the round nose and the fiery-red color.
Jim Rizzuto
Kona, Hawaii