anything he could paint. With these, he simply dips the
lure in spar urethane and allows the wood's natural color to
remain. These are some of his prettiest.
Once the lure dries, Vince adds wire ties, hooks and eyes.
Then it's ready to test.
Testing Facilities
Where else would a talented wood carver test the
practicality of his latest creation? A backyard swimming
pool, of course. "I spend a lot of time at the pool," he admitted.
Once Vince's lures have been designed, and painted, he
ties them on a rod and puts them to work in the pool, but
not without a fair warning before he casts. "I can't make any
guarantees this will swim." Like all crankbait anglers, he's
looking for a lure that wobbles seemingly uncontrollable as
it swims but also in a straight line.
Minor adjustments can be made to help the lure, such
as adjusting the lure's tie eye, but sometimes they just
What took Gewinner days to create when he fi rst started
can now be done in hours.
An attractive wood grain can be used to create a beautiful
fi shing lure.
This northern pike imitation has never met Gewinner's
swimming standard, but the fi sh haven't seemed to mind.
Gewinner's topwater lures, like this one, can be used for any
fi sh, from largemouth bass and northern pike to muskies.
36 Nebraskaland • March 2024
