Handmade Exotic Wood "Cedar Plugs"

Started by mmayo, May 07, 2015, 07:45:49 PM

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mmayo

Hand turned 6" "cedar plug" using exotic purpleheart, paduak and bloodwood hardwoods.  This is NOT your grandfather's cedar plug. It is smooth, protected in a semi-gloss finish and ready to fish. The plug's weight is more than those with a stock head and the lighter cedar wood.

A new addition is a larger 7" plug with a 6 ounce jig head. SEE BELOW

The cedar plug CAN be rigged with 80 pound Izor blue monofilament crimped and manually tested to 20# of drag strength. That is appropriate for 80# fishing gear or less. The cost of a hook and rigging is $3.00 - my cost.



Here is a one order that will become two daisy chains in purpleheart (3-4" + 1-6") and six 6" cedar plugs. Note the colors (top to bottom) bloodwood, padauk, and purpleheart.



Here is what the raw wood looks like.  Unfortunately, the bloodwood available is not the deep red color and may never be for sale again, but what is shown looks great.



Comments from those who purchased my cedar plugs:

"Mark, received plugs. Almost too nice to fish( I'll force myself though). Thanks...Greg"
"Absolutely beautiful...David"
"Nice plugs...Jeff"
"Fantastic Mark!  They look great.  You do really nice work...Dan"
"Mark the plugs came today.  Thank you.  They are beautifully crafted.  The heads and wood match up perfectly...Dominick"
"Got my cedar plugs today. They are WAAAY too nice to fish with...Eric"
"I just received my order, thank you. They are absolutely awesome...Bruce"
"Mark , I received my order, there AWESOME... Tony"
"Thanks Mark, got mine in the mail today. I understand what other people are saying when they get them about whether to use them or frame them! They are a work of art...Nick"
"Just received my order. I think I might put them in my shadow box with all my other memorabilia that hangs in my office. These plugs are just too beautiful to fish with. My wife even thought they were cool and she has absolutely no clue as to what they are used for! Anyway, thanks Mark!!...Roger"
"Got them in the mail
today.....beautiful!...Ron"
"Hey Mark, got my order in yesterday and they are truly a work of art...Marco"
"Just got home and the plugs where in the mail box. They are awesome. If I was a tuna I would not be able to resist them. I will  let you know how I did when I get back from my trip...Nathaniel"
"Thank you !!!!  They are sooooo nice, love them.  Happy New Year...NORM"
"Mark,  You totally rock. Fast, quick, and big time quality. I hope the fish like them as much as I do. The only problem is now i have to wait for the fish to start biting...Tim S."
"Not that an artisan of Mark's caliber needs any more encomiums, but I just wanted to say that I recently bought one of his paduak wood cedar plugs and believe me when I tell you that it is something gorgeous to behold... to heck with the fish, I wanted to bite it!  Grin. Seriously, if you're going to be trolling this summer you should get one of these... truly the finest of its kind any of us are ever likely to see.  Thanks, Mark!  
"Quick testimonial: When it was my turn to troll on a recent 8-day, I put out one of Mark's paduak wood plugs and it was slammed in less than sixty seconds by a fat YFT.
These things are flat-out amazing... get some!   Cheesy. Smiley ~A~"
"Yes they are great, thank you very much for the speedy shipping. I can't wait to use them...Dean"
"Mark my wife arrived home yesterday (here in new Zealand) with the Plugs, they are works of art, thank you.
Its mid-winter here so will try then out in the spring and let you know how I do...Peter"

Contact me at   mlmayo2@verizon.net  or marklmayo@gmail.com
(Second letter is a lower case L)

$15 per plug in 4", 5" per 6" lengths. Shipping is $4 per plug and if you want them rigged that runs $3 per plug.  Each plug is $21 rigged and shipped. Quantity shipping deals available.
Kites fly the highest against the wind, not with it.

Cortez_Conversions

I couldn't make up my mind, so I bought one of each! ;D
Thanks Mark!!
Visit: cortezconversions.com
Forget about all the reasons why something may not work. You only need to find one good reason why it will.-Sal

coastal_dan

Mine arrived yesterday and I am stoked about giving them a shot over the summer.  Hope to post some BFT pictures at some point with one of these in its mouth!
Dan from Philadelphia...

Where Land Ends Life Begins...

egarratt14

Still waiting on mine (no hurry, I will wait my turn) and anxious to get and show them off.  I too might not fish one and instead build it into a table with fishing related items embedded in the finish. 

Dominick

Quote from: egarratt14 on June 08, 2015, 11:06:48 PM
I too might not fish one and instead build it into a table with fishing related items embedded in the finish. 
Now that is a photo that we would all like to see.  Dominick
Leave the gun.  Take the cannolis.

There are two things I don't like about fishing.  Getting up early in the morning and boats.  The rest of it is fun.

egarratt14

Mark,

Awesome buddy. 

Dominick, Might take me a while as I have a few projects in front of the table, but I will get to it.

mmayo



Just caught yellowtail like this at Santa Barbara Island on a private boat along with bonito.  We released most of the 40 tails caught and all of the small bonito, but they ate the plugs very well.  The plugs outfished the rapala and feather completely.


More next month...
Kites fly the highest against the wind, not with it.

mmayo

#7
How to make a hand made cedar plug

Buy some wood



Cut the wood to size



Drill the wood for the line, hook and lead head



Make a lot of very pretty wood shavings as you turn the wood round and cut tenons for the brass ferrules





Turn the lead heads from egg sinkers or preformed heads. Test fit everything to be sure it will fit.



Epoxy glue the heads, ferrules and rounded hardwood blanks



Turn the blanks into cedar plugs and sand them smooth



Apply finish



Rig them



Troll them behind a boat and get bit

The 7" plugs are $25 per plug, $5 rigging and $6 shipping

From the buyer of these 8 plugs

Thank you !!!!  They are sooooo nice, love them. Happy New Year - NORM
Kites fly the highest against the wind, not with it.

mmayo

Some new wood plugs for Steve Fukuda.  I do not know the wood species and the treatment, so don't ask for any just yet.  They are pretty.







If I ever get some of the wood, I'll add it to what I sell.
Kites fly the highest against the wind, not with it.

mmayo

To see a dozen or so different exotic wood cedar plugs in ETSY.  Search "cedar plug hardwood fishing" and they will appear.
Kites fly the highest against the wind, not with it.

Reel 224

Quote from: mmayo on April 02, 2016, 09:36:07 PM
To see a dozen or so different exotic wood cedar plugs in ETSY.  Search "cedar plug hardwood fishing" and they will appear.

For us abbreviated impaired, what does ETSY mean.

By the way the knife gets many comments.

Joe 
"I don't know the key to success,but the key to failure is trying to please everyone."

sdlehr

Joe, Etsy is an on-line shopping site.

Sid
Sid Lehr
Veterinarian, fishing enthusiast, custom rod builder, reel collector

Reel 224

Quote from: sdlehr on April 03, 2016, 02:55:06 AM
Joe, Etsy is an on-line shopping site.

Sid

Well that explains it Sid, that's why I don't know that site. Because I'm anti cyber social!  ;D

Joe 
"I don't know the key to success,but the key to failure is trying to please everyone."

Aiala

Not that an artisan of Mark's caliber needs any more encomiums, but I just wanted to say that I recently bought one of his paduak wood cedar plugs and believe me when I tell you that it is something gorgeous to behold... to heck with the fish, I wanted to bite it!  ;D

Seriously, if you're going to be trolling this summer you should get one of these... truly the finest of its kind any of us are ever likely to see. 

Thanks, Mark!  :)

~A~


I don't suffer from insanity... I enjoy every minute of it!  :D

Patudo

They are beautiful.  But does the density of the wood have much of an effect on lure action - ie. if the wood section of the plug was a heavier/denser material than the original red cedar would the lure action be noticeably different?  I'm thinking about how these plugs would fish in the field - the aesthetics of them are, without question, outstanding.