CRESTVIEW — For serious anglers, tying custom fishing lures to attract the big one lurking in the murky depths is part of the fun.
But Crestview High School outdoor education student Sage Campbell’s lure, weighing more than 6 pounds and measuring 3 feet, 1 inch long, is impressive in itself.
“He made it out of cedar he cut down himself at home,” Ernie Martin, the class' teacher, said.
The lure — on display at Bass Pro Shops in Destin — fulfilled a class project. “Our assignment was to make a lure for outdoor education class,” the CHS freshman said. “I thought it’d be fun to make a real large lure.”
With the project due at the end of the fall semester, Sage cut down the cedar tree several months ago to let the wood dry out so it wouldn’t crack when he got it on his lathe.
BROKE-BACK MINNOW
The lure is a “broke-back minnow"; its joined halves simulate a fish in distress when pulled through the water.
That’s attractive bait for the bass it's designed to catch.
“I’ve made plenty of them,” Sage said. “I like the broke-back because they swim better in the water. They look more lifelike.”
Except he doesn’t usually fish with them when he goes angling in local ponds, lakes and rivers. Other lures are more reliable, he said.
Sage’s use of the lure as inspiration for Martin’s assignment had a practical side.
“One of the reasons I had to make it broke-back is my lathe is only 18 inches long,” Sage said. “I had to turn it in two sections.”
'HE WAS PRETTY EXCITED'
Sage, who is considering a career in industrial welding, knows it would be a rewarding occupation, he said, but “my dream is to be a pro bass fisherman.”
Fulfilling his class assignment combined two of Sage’s passions: fishing and wood-turning. He’s also produced a series of bowls, mallets and “anything I find interesting I want to turn,” he said. “It’s kinda my hobby.”
Sage’s dad, David Campbell, said his son poured plenty of effort into the project.
“He stayed on that lathe a pretty good while,” Campbell said. “He was pretty excited about it.”
Sage said he put in 20 to 25 hours of labor on the project. But the reward of having the result displayed at Bass Pro Shops in Destin Commons made it worthwhile.
“This is the first time I really got to put any of my work on display to the public,” Sage said.
And the lure came with an academic reward.
“Sage got an A,” Martin said. “Absolutely.”
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Crestview student's fishing lure displayed at Bass Pro Shops