hobby turned career
Pro : Cliff Pace Craft : Designing and building balsa hard baits
Necessity is often the mother of invention . It certainly was for Pace .
“ Back when I started fishing , you didn ’ t have the huge array of products you have available now ,” Pace said . “ So , we had to make our own . I can remember the first modifying I did was when I was a teenager . I ’ d take nail polish remover and take the paint off plastic crankbaits to make them more transparent . Now , those crankbaits are everywhere , but they weren ’ t available back then .”
Growing up fishing shallow rivers in Mississippi , Pace also quickly realized the crankbait void went well beyond just colors , but also applications . The plastic versions on the market simply didn ’ t do what he needed . So , he started building his own crankbaits out of balsa to make sure he had specific baits to match specific applications . Were they pretty at first ? Pace laughs and says no , they were “ pretty crude .” However , to say he got better is an understatement . After all , he now
A lineup of Black Label baits await the next step in Pace ’ s shop .
“ make something you can personally benefit ( from ) and enjoy using .”
owns Black Label Tackle , which specializes in selling handmade balsa crankbaits .
Yet , even though his hobby has turned into a job , he still loves it just as much . Pace continues to find ways to keep tinkering .
“ I have my big shop for my business , but I have another shop at home that ’ s my hobby shop ,” said Pace , who doesn ’ t have any of his original crankbaits , but says he has one of his hand-carved baits hanging in his house that he used to weigh a bass in his first Bassmaster Classic . “ That ’ s where I ’ ll do small modifications on lures and tinker . I may work all day building crankbaits , but then I ’ ll go home and may work on skirted baits all night .
“ It ’ s my job and business , but still my hobby , one I ’ ve always gotten an immense sense of satisfaction .”
PHOTO BY JOEL SHANGLE PHOTO BY TIFFANY PACE what ’ s in the sauce ?
Ever wondered how a lure gets designed and created ? Well , every company has a different process , but the one Cliff Pace uses for his Black Label Tackle is similar to most , with some tweaks because of how he goes about building his lures .
It all starts with a target idea . Maybe it ’ s a crankbait that runs a certain depth , has a certain wiggle , has a particular profile , works well in a certain type of cover or situation , or some combination of each .
From there , he draws out the shape on a piece of paper , transfers it to a piece of balsa wood and then cuts out the profile and lip slot . Next comes sanding the lure to the shape he wants , followed by adding the ballast .
“ Every crankbait needs a ballast ,” Pace said . “ So , you can drill a hole in the belly and pour lead into it , or glue specific-sized weights in . This is one of the biggest guessing games at first . Moving the weight a little forward or further back or increasing or decreasing the weight all changes the action . It ’ s a lot of trial and error .”
Because of that , Pace often builds the same lure in batches of a dozen or even 20 , all with different weights , weight placements , lip angles and pull points . He ’ ll then seal the wood with multiple coats of sealant until there ’ s a smooth , paintable surface and then paint and assemble them , which is a process that can take up to two weeks .
Then comes the most fun ( or most frustrating ) part : taking the baits out and seeing how they run .
“ Sometimes I ’ ll nail the process first try ,” Pace said . “ But sometimes it may take 40 or 50 tries , constantly going back and tweaking this or sanding down that in order to get the desired action . It can be frustrating when it ’ s not doing what you want , but when you figure it out , you know it , and you know exactly what it ’ s going to do .”
PHOTO BY TIFFANY PACE
44 MAJORLEAGUEFISHING . COM | AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2023