Senkosam

Lurecraft sells a single pour, full-round silicone mold that does a nice job for less than 15 bucks. For pouring many baits you'll need the multicavity aluminum molds from Bob or Del going for over 100. If into mold making, plaster or silicone is the way to go. Good Luck

Reminds me of the Arkie centipede. I'll bet yours works as well!

I'm in a hurry to use the mold ASAP and the plaster is barely hard when I separate the sides, after which I slap on some wall board sealer and start pouring. To me the foil is only a guiding line that I chip away excess plaster until I find areas around the mold to pry the parts apart. The vaseline keeps the facing surfaces from bonding. BTW, I liked your intro. Too bad we don't live a bit closer.

When I posted the tip a few years ago about using aluminum, I should have included a photo. The reason I use aluminum foil is that it tells you exactly where the line of separation is so that when you poke a slim screw drive into the line, you don't destroy the mold. I lay it on the surface of the first side but only a 2" wide strip in the shape of an L. One side goes up the pan or container and the other lies smooth and flat on the plaster surface that was previously coated with a thin layer of vaseline. The corners don't have any foil but they may; it's basically for the long straight edges. Of course, the sides should be at least 5/8" thick to withstand prying the sides apart. Any thinner and disaster can happen.

KISS (not you, but KIS in general). 1. I'm assuming you are using a digital camera and the subject is a lure. If so, most digcams have a macro icon in the quick menu. Use it if available. 2. Most digcams have an auto exposure setting. Use it and you don't have to worry aperture or shutter speed or if your not sure if the natural or incandescent light is enough. 3. Natural lighting - the sun- especially a morning or setting sun, makes for some really nice warm shots. Indoor lighting is nice without flash, but only if you use a tripod (about 7 bucks for a short leg), auto exposure and timer. The object will be in focus and the shutter left open long enough for adequate object lighting. (Heck, a timer and tripod are great to take pics of yourself and your fish when you're alone.) Shaky-hand shots = crap pictures. 4. For close ups, stay just outside the effective focal range unless you are using a macro lense attachment. (I'm buying a kit of 4 lenses on Amazon for 14 bucks and will post some pics.) Blurred unfocused close-up pictures are as bad as shaky-hand shots. I've also propped a magnifying glass over the subject and gotten nice detail. 5. A neutral background (medium dark, like wood or stone) is adequate for most lure color brightness. A white cardboard or cloth background is nice for dark colored lures. Flash is optional, but better IMO for dark colored textured lures. 6. A good photo shop type program produced by Microsoft, is on Amazon for about 19 bucks or if you want a free Google based program, you can download and store or send pictures with Picasa and I highly recommended it! You can use the program's sharpness tool, modify brightness and contrast, hue and color saturation, chose a format size (forum size, on-line storage such as photobucket, photo, etc), alter hue and color saturation, and a bunch of other neat stuff. It can be used to send pics by email or any site. Both are super user friendly. Note: just because you use high resolution to take a shot, doesn't mean you have more resolution. More mega pixels are needed when you want to print a wall size poster. For the 5x5 to 8x10 shots you want to post, the lowest resolution is more than adequate and requires less resizing. JPEG compression will clobber all those little extra pixels anyway and average everything to a smaller size. 7. For underwater shots (ie shooting down into the water or into an aquarium, a polarized lense attachment is nice. (Polarized sunglasses allow us to see into the water.) I'm no expert, but I like the way my shots come out taking into consideration the above. 8. For film type or single lens reflex cameras, you're on your own! (of course, most of the above is relevant.)

First let me say that I admire the eloquence of the previous posters and they are the spirit of creative lure crafting and I'm sure get far more out of fishing than just winning a few bucks or a trophy. My name is Frank Manuele, born and raised in the lower Hudson Valley of NYS, a few miles north of West Point. Winters are long and being over 55, the aches and pains of getting older are shortening my fishing season more every year. Lurecrafting appeals to my creative side; creating lures that fish bite appeals to my ego; creating lures others can catch fish on appeals to my altruistic side and love of the sport. I originally started selling glitter because I was tired of one company ripping off crafters and because of that company's poor service. Now I do it because I have a ton of the stuff in my basement! ! Kidding aside, I like all aspects of lure crafting and if people can benefit from my service, so much the better. I've worked as a medical imaging specialist since 1970 when I was in the military (CT, ultrasound, Xray). I guess taking pictures of guts, bones and babies is kind of creative in a photography sense, and I've always wondered how to channel that into lure modification or making. I've always been curious how lures could be made more effective and the reasons some lures do better than others. Spike-It and nail polish were the first media I used (Spike-It for dying about a hundred soft plastic baits one winter and nail polish to create nice designs on crankbaits). The modifications seemed to increase my confidence in the baits and therefore since I used them more, caught more. (Maybe it was the modifications ---I'll never know.) Six years ago, a fishing buddy asked me how he could extend the use of ripped Senkos and I told him that I had been repairing plastics with a hot knife for years. He then wondered about getting into pouring his own and found Lurecraft. I liked his creations from the kit and thought, 'hey, this is really cool!' A handpour fanatic was thus born. Tacklemaking.com once had a great forum to learn from, but died from owner disinterest. Lluckily TU was born. It's been nice to share, nice to pick up tips and admire the extreme talent exhibited in the gallery. Just like fishing with others inspires ideas, being a part of this site accomplishes the same and there are no other sites in the world that have as much post-and-reply regarding lurecrafting as this one. TU has come a long way and I hope many of the talented members who stopped posting, start to again. It sure makes the long NE winters tolerable!

LC's electric blue is different. The color combo used by BPS was light purple plastic with .015 blue flake. It's still a great color! June Bug has been a standard for years and no one has a claim on it. The first firetiger that I first saw used, was by Riverside. It consisted of a combo of pearlized colors: florescent orange belly, lime back and chartreuse with .015 and .040 square black flake. The whole bait was second dipped (or injected most likely) with clear plastic. Old Bayside and Zoom adopted the exact color process (or were copied) in tubes, grubs and trick worms. The Fire Tiger Trick Worm and grub are phenomenal (but not so great in tubes)! I'd buy firetiger Trick Worms from anyone if I could find them. Go for it Jim. Our business is to cater to the obsessed when no one else will. LOL

Jim, you have two baits that are currently unavailable on your site. Any reason? Seems all you have to do for the speed worm is to change the name. Not sure about the FF except by definition it means to deep fry in fat. LOL Anyone remember the color called electric blue? Bass Pro had it in many soft plastics years ago and if you used the name today, I doubt there would be a problem using the name or duplicating the color combo. Zoom can come up with any color they want, but duplicating it isn't illegal. I suppose the name can be a trademark, so change the name. All the big boys use the firetiger name, but it started out being used for crankbaits years ago.

Jim, tell him you'll make a 100 for him in the color he wants, but only if he swears if anybody asks, that he got them from Zoom. Just make sure you don't confirm the sale on TU. LOL! (oh, and make sure you package them in a freezer bag with your finger prints wiped off and enclose it in a plain brown paper bag.)

I don't remember commenting on Stanley frogs. And no, I have never used Stanley frogs and therefore have no opinions concerning them. Have you used Zoom's Horny Toad? Would love to hear your pros and cons.

So true Mike! Whether you copy/modify or produce and original that was copied by someone else, bait quality and consistency, competitive price, and the service you provide will keep customers coming back. Matt has a quality bait and good service and therefore a loyal customer base that is no different than Yamamoto. Will people still only buy the Senko from GY? Definitedly. Will anglers continue to by EW's sticks at a lower price? Definitely. Originality doesn't guarentee customer loyalty. Most of my good glitter customers have been buying from me for over 4 years. Is my stuff better or the same as M-F or LC? At least on par quality, but with comparable good service. Many retailers will not even attempt to take orders as long as there is a supply issue, no matter how original or popular the bait -ask Tacklewarehouse.com. This opens the door wide for the competition to sweep in with k/o's. Who said business is supposed to be fair? BTW, I agree that the tails of the Horny Toad are flimsy and too much salt makes them that way. For a surface bait, I can't see the need for that much salt weighting and I have to reel faster to get the bait to stay near the surface. The patented design of the tail hooks is great, but I prefer less salt for topwater plastics.

Good points Craig! What you've stated, I believe is the crux of the matter. Where does pure copying start (and pawned off as the original) and modification or variety end? Someone selling a fake Omega time piece with guts made in Mexico, is stealing. Someone pirating CDs and DVDs is stealing when they make money by selling copies, but yet taping music off the radio or taping movies from cable tv isn't against the law unless you try to sell those copies. The law says you can't copy a bait for personal use, which makes no sense since you can legally tape a tv show or music off an FM channel. But if you copy and burn music to give to a friend from a CD you own, I assume it's illegal regardless of the fact that money did no changed hands. This brings up file sharing and the law. It's illegal to share music on line period. Where does all this leave the handpourer who creates lures for himself or fellow anglers? There are so many shades of ethics, it boggles the mind and the law is vague regarding lures in general. What is meant by an original? The Creme plastic worm was original, but the law has been interpreted over many years to mean that the thousands of modifications to it were legal because something unique was almost always created. Creme copied nature and no one has legal rights to that original!

Good Question! I guess all of us have been so used to seeing gloss finish lures of all kinds, we assume that it looks better. But to who or what? LC stick molds were my first 8 years ago and man did they catch fish! All baits came out dull until I started coating the cavities with Original Fish formula oil, which produces a shiny finish. But as EW says, "it matters when it matters", meaning some days you just feel like casting shiny lures of a certain color; other days it doesn't seem to matter. Pretty much a human thing. But one thing to keep in mind if you're a believer that color and surface reflection matters at times. Shiny surfaces sparkle as sunlight hits it; flat surfaces absorb light. So in a sense, with shiny lures you get sparkle and color; with flat colors, all you get is color. But like Boskabouter says, depth and water clarity matter - the deeper you go and the murkier the water, the less light (spectrum) reaches the lure, the more colors are absorbed by suspended particles or vegetation and the less source-light is reflected from a glossy surface and at different angles as the lure moves. Does the slime coat of a prey fish sparkle reflected light or is it the silver scales or florescent colors (y.perch) that produce the visual effect? Does it matter as long as the bait's vibration and action speak loudly!? Would you, with confidence, cast dark colored crankbaits or spinnerbaits with dull chrome blades or a crankbait with a flat surface? But think about it: white and colored blades are flat, as are most traditional fire tiger (Bomber, Heddon) finishes, so maybe shine doesn't matter for brightly colored crankbaits after all. (BTW, I've painted cranks gloss white and have had little luck. ) I'm sure many of us has used clear soft plastic sticks and crankbaits with great success. I have, but feel they might not have worked as well with a dull finish. One thing last to consider: what is it a fish sees looking up at a bait? It seems to me that more light is transmitted through a shiny translucent bait (opaque baits aren't included in this train of thought). Dull baits might appear to be like looking through slightly frosted glass (which is the reason I no longer flour-grind salt to add weight). The effect I usually want is colored light contained by shape to be seen, which uncut fine salt crystals allows. If the bait is strictly to be used on bottom or at night, dark and dull are fine (ie. living rubber skirts). There's no final answer to the question except that if it matters to you or the customer, it matters.

Superb quality!! Guareneed they'll catch bass and pike! Keep up the creativity!

One other rec is to use a high gloss, water soluble, wall board prep. It lasts forever and dries in 1/2 hour.

Mike, I visited your website and found many near-copies of classic baits )ie. Gator Tail Worm, Uncle Josh Pork Frog, Craw Chunk (generic), Ring Fry, finesse straight tails and Mr. Twister Phenom) as well as a few originals. Lurecraft sells hundreds of molds that produce mostly discontinued lures that are not restricted for home use or reproduction for sale. Del and Bob sell the T-Stick Mold that produce sticks that are significantly different (and better IMO) than the Senko. The selection of near-copies is huge and the fact that people buy them by the thousands speaks to the fact that anglers respect the differences but consider other factors than who copied who. We've had our say and opinions will not change. The desire to produce a bait that people love to catch fish on is one of the most satisfying aspects of handpouring - money being less important. I would never claim that any lure I make is the same as an original and as far as I'm concerned, the buyer is the ultimate decider of the merits of my baits.

Stealing - To take (the property of another) without right or permission; to present or use (someone else's words or ideas) as one's own. By the definition of stealing, you haven't made your point and shouldn't lay that on anyone who modifies significantly a lure and sells it. Tom Mann's Jelly Worm was significantly different than the Whopper Stopper Flip Tail Worm. Was Mann a thief!?? JSC also modified the worm but was stopped from selling it (would love to see a picture). If his case went to court today, Bill Stembridge wouldn't win. The consumer's decision to try a k/o and judge whether it is as good or inferior is what make free enterprise work. Monopolies have existed and were broken up because choice had been eliminated (like in the USSR). You say your product is significantly different and in fact superior to your competitors' and at the same time worth the price. That's your opinion - not that of the consumer who in the end decides those things by trial and word-of-mouth. You and Castaic have fine products that catch fish and now Strike King has come out with a product people are using that is quite similar in appearence and action. You can't speak for the consumer on quality and fish catching comparisons the same way you can't comment on Ghost Bait products. YOU DON'T USE OR BUY THEM! To the consumer, quality and usefulness is number one with price close behind. As a consumer, I want all of the above plus service. The Basstrix is on backorder or not available, as was the Beaver. Who's bait do I try? The k/o. If the k/o has the same or better usefulness, my loyalty to the k/o grows and I could care less if the original becomes available. Classic baits stay around, especially those that have a strong following and are used by new anlgers. I'm sure many of the fine handpourers on this site sell k/o's that are similar and maybe improved, but to accuse them of property theft is going overboard. If the action of your baits is the same as your competitors (a realistic appearance being a very minor thing), then as a consumer, I look at price and durability. It's my right as a comsumer and not your right to take away.

Matt, the fact that you copied and then used the bait is illegal and if illegal, immoral. If your going to be a perfectionist, admit having violated your own rule regardless of whether you liked your k/o or not. IMO you didn't set out to make an exact version or even expect to. You wanted to see what the shape could do versus other soft sticks you've used. But by your definition in the strictest sense, you ripped off the inventor for personal use. (It never entered your mind that you could improve the original and market it?) The Creme design is the oldest plastic worm ever created and look how many versions have been sold over many decades. I'm sure Creme would have liked to have had a monoply on the standard straight tail design, but advances led to more improved designs and plastic qualities that caught on year after year after year with every new modification. The Senko is not on top the hand pourer and customer list for all of the reasons most of us who cast cigar shaped sticks realized after the very first time we used them. Lures are specialty tools that in the right hands fill a specific requirement. Senkos cannot fulfill half the requirements bass anglers need for certain situations. Senkos must be used slower if the horizontal drop is the only presentation required, but if used as a jerk worm, it falls apart after the 10 cast. (One fish per 70 cent worm is not my idea of superior quality and the little and big guys are filling that niche with more durable sticks.) If a super-slow horizontal drop is needed for shallow water, we use less salt or a salt substitute (sugar flakes) to increase density and durability. The shape is not protected; the composition has been changed - what's the problem? Are we thieves? Gene Larew's salted plastic patent ran out years ago and now anyone can include salt including GY. Stealing? Depends which pew your sitting in. (Good points Ryan, Clemmy and Mike. Just more valid reasons I can sleep soundly.)

Excellent points Mike! I feel the same way that if a customer asks if I can modify a certain mass produced bait and give it to him in whatever color or salt content he asks for, the similarities in design mean nothing. I've changed the bait significantly such that it is now unique. Plus, I'm providing a source where none existed and removed the middleman to provide the product cheaper and faster. Do Del or Bob pay royalties to the inventor of the computer-progamed lazer process? They own the machine and produce molds of copies. End of story. If a person tries to pawn off a k/o of a branded product as that product, of course he should be prosecuted. That goes for everything from expensive pocketbooks to pirated DVDs, but products that are generically similar and packaged under ones own trademark, shouldn't cause upsets. I came up with a design 4 years ago, posted pictures of it that contain a date of entry on the website/blog. Two years ago Charlie Brewer company coincidentally started putting out the same exact designed bait. Would a patent pending declaration have prevented the company that mass produces Slider Worms and Grubs from producing them. Doubtful. There is a video on Lunkerville.com that shows the hardnose idea to make a soft plastic bait more durable, a year before Tom Mann bait company started making hard-plastic sections in their soft plastic line up. If I even asked them for recognition, they'd laugh and say coincidences happen. That's the reality of using design ideas others have thought up. Unless the idea was patented (like Zoom's Speed Worm cut tail), you're up the creek. What's worse, is when they come back and try to sue you for using your idea as their creation! Alls fair in business unless it is spelled out by law and you have the resource to sue a violator. When money talks, ethics walk.

The Slick Worm looks very similar (ie the club tail). But that's my point - modifications are creative design in action. A tire might be a tire, but a Goodyear isn't a Michelin.

Jim, at first I thought you only used the name Trick Worm and then visited your site. I can see their point. It's like making a Senko or Beaver copy and using the name or something very similar. I guess according to the law, even using the name or logo is illegal for a totally different design as long as it's deemed a trademark for a product or company. I know of a few handpourers who sell their own Trick Stick which look like the Senko. As far as knockoffs go, the Beaver has 5 copies (with minor modifications)that I can think of made by other big companies; the same for the Chatterbait. The Super Fluke name may be a trademark name, but not Jerk Fluke or or Motha Fluker or even Duke Fluke, regardless of design similarities (which incidentally has also been copied by the big boys and sold by the millions.) Trademark and design patent are totally different and patents do cost thousands plus time to obtain. I don't know if Andre (Reaction Innovations) has recouped his Beaver patent fee by suiing, but from what I've seen, modified copies are all over the place, causing me to believe no lawyer is going to waste his time on a contingency law suit or for anything less than $15k up front to initiate legal proceedings. The little guy provides custom and sometimes better service. His sales couldn't keep up the mortgage payments much less pay for a new bass boat. For Zoom to come down on Jim IMO is petty stuff if they've never gone after other large companies that make the same lures. The Brush Hog design is sold by 4 different companies under different labels and names. Did Zoom give them permission? Doubtful. The Bacon Rind by Gambler is an example of a modified Brush Hog. You can still buy them. No big deal. The k/o's (large company or small) have the same basic action and profile as the original, so what's the big deal when k/o's are never challenged by patent suits? The Senko is a prime example and Gary Y paid over a million to Gene Larew for using salt in his plastic, a patented idea. Even Zoom's Ribbon Tail and U Tail worms were copied from a design sold by Toledo Tackle years before Zoom even existed. Everyone borrows ideas form past designers and the result is reintroduced products under a different name. Unless patent or trademark proetected, it's all fair game. Would you have Lurecraft close shop because of all the molds they sell that produce old, discontined designs? Would you blame anyone for bringing back those designs and selling those baits?

Interesting Jim.

Nice hollow craw bait. I haven't used the 3.25 Yum craw yet. Will try it next year.

http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/links/link.jsp?id=0023355117102a&type=product&cmCat=Search_Results_NYR&returnPage=search-results1.jsp&No=18&noImage=0&Ntt=yum&Ntk=Products&QueryText=yum&Ntx=matchall&N=4887&Nty=1 This it? I've used them in the 4" with a 1/4 oz football head jig and think their great! (Hollow bodied the same as Mad Man.)

http://www.alluringbaits.com/products.php?id=38&cat=CRAW%20TUBE%20(4 Crawtubes. Decent plastics for the price.