I should have been clearer….I am getting a batch of handmade wooden baits ready to sell. Have made quite a few for friends and myself. Just wondering if there is a general preference that would sell quicker?

In general….if you were going to spend $$$ on just one big bait….

What are your preferences?

Glide or Swim
Wake, slow sink, fast sink

Ms slammer, 9”

Ha! Just one, not possible.

But, to start with I’d get a wake bait because they are incredibly fun to fish and they float (less likely to lose)
Many of them are versatile, you can crank them down with faster retrieves or wake them on top with slower retrieves.
They are easier to fish—don’t have to dial in a specific retrieve.

There are excellent wake baits that aren’t terribly expensive.
Spro BBZ-1 rat in the 40 or 50 size
MS Slammer
Bucca Bull Wake or 4x4

Phoney or Hinkle

Post a picture of the bait and a swim video would be the best way to get feedback. How much testing have you done with the bait? If it is a glide does it have a wide glide or more of a choppy glide. Does it nose up or nose down on the retrieve and how stable is it on the swim. Those are a few things I look at when I am determining if I would buy a glide or not. As far as a swimmer or a wake bait I look for stability on the swim, if it has good action when fishing it slowly and if it has too much roll or blows out at certain speeds.

Sounds good. Each bait will be handmade and the action will be pretty individual as well.

Plan on pics and video of each bait….showing the fall and the steady feeling action.

First batch will be level fall and will rest gently on the hooks.

Glide…..I will see how wide I can make it with stability fast and slow.

It's tough to do repeatable baits with wood. Density on every piece will vary and alter the action and sink rates. Most of the garage swimbait makers these days have gone to using wood to make a master, getting it exactly how they want it and then using the master to create a mold and then making the actual production baits out of resin (not plastic).

8" Triple Trout

I'd be interested in a moderately fast sinking glide bait. I know glide baits were never originally made to be used in deep water, but with ffs I think it would be cool to have one you could target deep fish with.

Glide baits will sell the best.

Much easier to make a good wake bait out of wood than a good glide out of wood.
As long as the back of a wake bait stays on the surface at a slow retrieve it will track well with a decent sized lip. Wake baits are very forgiving to the lure maker. Glides are not.

As mentioned previously, easier to manipulate resin density and easier to add lead weight to a resin glide bait.

A quality wood glide bait takes time and tinkering.