DIY Make your own homemade fishing lure for trout out of a penny

When I was a kid I loved to fish but hated using worms or grasshoppers... or any kind of bait really.  The first time i saw someone fishing the river by my home with a lure was an eye-opening experience.  I was impressed by the fact that only the trout in the river were attracted by the lures.  With my live bait it was always a gamble to see what would bite, a trout, a bony white fish or the more likely "sucker fish" that all called the river home.  I had no idea how to fish with a lure, but I was sure I wanted to fish with them from that day forward.
The problem for me was the price.  I was just a kid and couldn't afford the nice lures that I'd seen work so well to pull trout out of the river.  After examining some in the store, I decided it wouldn't be hard to make my own.  I "borrowed" some of my little sister's awful, plastic beads, dug out a penny and with the help of a nail, a paperclip and an old rusty treble hook that I found inside my older brother's abandoned tackle box, I had my lure!
Shockingly, it worked on its maiden voyage and I caught 2 fish before hopelessly snagging my penny lure, loosing it and coming home.  Even though I'd lost my lure, I came home triumphant.  I'd only lost a penny really, and I'd gained 2 fish.  The biggest problem was explaining to my little sister what happened to her jewelry. (I think she has finally forgiven me.)
So to make a short story long, this blog is here to show you how to make a simple, but effective, homemade, trout lure or if you'd prefer, provide you a link to buy your own penny lure and instruction sheet.  (a great novelty gift idea for kids to keep them busy in the summer)

First, dig a penny out of your couch cushions, find a medium-sized paperclip, some beads and a treble hook (I've used regular hooks before and they will work, but not as well as a treble hook I think).

Second, take a small hammer, rounded if you have one, and pound your penny on a piece of scrap wood or a wood block until in has a concave/convex (spoon-like) shape.

Third, as close to the edge as you can, drill through the penny with a small diameter drill bit. If you don't have a power drill at your disposal, you can do as I did as a kid and use a hammer and small nail to make your hole through the penny.  Do your best to smooth out any rough edges on the hole so that the penny can move uninhibited as it spins through the water later.

Fourth, straighten out your paperclip and using needle-nose pliers, make a hook at the end.  Place the treble hook on the hook and using the pliers again, bend the end of the paperclip around to close the hook, making a tight loop.

Fifth, string the bead or beads on the paperclip as desired and thread the penny on, concave side down so that it spoons around the beads.

Sixth, clip off any extra paperclip, leaving about 3/4 of an inch above the penny and beads.  Make a tight loop with the top end of the paper clip for your fishing line or swivel clip to attach securely onto.

Seventh, go try it out!  Make sure the penny can spin freely on the paperclip to attract your trout.  You may also need to add some weights/sinkers to the line to help things along.
Have fun designing your custom homemade lures and good luck!  I hope you have as much fun as my kids and I have making your own lures.  I will include some of my favorite lure designs for catching the rainbows, cutthroats and brown trout varieties that are native in our rocky mountain rivers here.

If you'd like to make them, but maybe another day, click this link to buy your own penny lure accompanied with an instruction sheet on how to make your own.