It all starts with a wood block (usually basswood but sometimes I stray in to other varieties). The hardware components are stainless steel and affixed with epoxy resin. Lead is used for internal weighting, I use poly-urethane/polyacrylic wood sealants, The finishing work is done using acrylic paint, hard resins, glass eyes and (if applicable) Lexan polycarbonate lips and fins. The hooks are typically coated high-carbon steel for optimal sharpness and are affixed using heavy-duty stainless stel split rings. Other materials may be used depenting on bait type.

every single freek bait is designed and built for maximum durability. that being said, they are not entirely indestructible. If you blast one off of a rock, a pontoon, or a gunwale, it will most certainly incur some level of damage. Extended use may also cause some light scratches in the topcoat (i.e. hook rash or, hopefully, teeth marks), but this will not impact the bait’s action or performance.

The price for each bait is determined by a number of factors. The type of bait, the size of the bait, the complexity of the design, and the time required to build, just to name a few. What I can guarantee is this; the baits you will find within this site are priced considerably lower than anything of comparable quality on the market.

I have a deep respect for lure painters and have learned from so many of them and I have created blanks for others to paint in the past. However, the drawback to that is that I am uncomfortable with sending an unfinished bait out the door. If someone is paying for one of my baits, I want it to be as perfect as possible. Paint and clearcoat are important to my build process and can drastically impact the action/sink rate of a bait. I’m simply unable to guarantee how the bait will act if I don’t personally finish and tune it. Therefore, I currently do not offer unpainted blanks.

Your bait will be beautiful and beauty does not always equal perfection. as much as i would love to tell you that every bait is perfectly perfect, I can’t. I am a singular craftsman, making baits in the corner of my garage. That means that I don’t use any elaborate, mass production processes that can eliminate any an all issues. What I can say is that I go to great length to make each bait as perfect as I can possibly get it. Sometimes, small imperfections may occur, but I won’t list or sell a bait with a glaring defect. I keep those for myself.

I save all of my lure templates. So, in theory, yes. However, each lure is hand-carved and hand-painted. That means that no two lures will never be identical. This is what makes each Freek bait special and I don’t plan on changing that.