Senkosam

Sounds good, but what does the turkey taste like later?

Too thick. It begins to cool fast as soon as it hits the walls of the mold. Some heat the mold before using it.

All is not lost if you get a tube of air at the top (typical of a cold mold), cut the stick(s) down to the solid part (usually only 1/3 or less) and refill with hot plastic. You can take a wooden skewer (for ka bobs) and poke the bubble at the top and then pour some more, making sure to overfill.

M-F still stinks (smell-wise that is).

As you can see from the blog photo-links, you are only limited by your imagination and the time to try out all those wacky creations! LOL

It's so simple, yet such a great way to transform anyone's plastic into something totally unique that can catch fish. 1. start with a soft stick 2. cut in half to simulate the repair of a torn, 70 cent Senko. (Your own soft sticks are easier because Senkos have too much salt for a clean weld, though it will still work.) 3. hold both halves over a candle or stove flame such that they catch fire or beging to melt a little. 4. Hold the halves together and blow on them a little. 5. If there are some seams or bulges of melted plastic, you can either roll the joint over the flame and then cool or use a soldering iron to smooth any areas you want. I also use the iron to melt off flashing in tight areas of molded plastics. (Radio Shack has great Iron with dead-man switch and power light for under 15 bucks.) A few more: http://zipperworm.blogspot.com/ http://2005effectivehybrids.blogspot.com/

http://www.bassresource.com/fishing/pouring_plastic_worms.html Cheap plaster of paris works great for most one flat sided baits. (7 bucks for 20 lbs at Home Depot.)

Thanks for the well informed reply and demonstrating the use of some glitter that does bleed. Remember our long phone conversation about making a chameleon watermelon (watermelon with violet or maroon flakes)? Well, I've found other chameleon combos just by heating plastic to over 340 and letting the glitter color tint the plastic. Use enough fine glitter and you don't need dye. Question, if you heat clear plastic twice to the temp you normally get it up to, does the plastic stay crystal clear? I've always had a problem maintaining clear plastic after I reheated it to 350 - 360.

My glitter will not hold up to temps over 325 or to three or more reheats. The mass producer needs higher temps to save time, prevent bubbles and save on energy. I don't have those problems because my temps are kept around 300 degrees or less. (Jim, get a flat rate envelope for $4.05, ship me back anything that is unusable and I will reimburse you for the product and shipping, no questions asked.)

Hey, the more sources of supplies the better! The better the product that meets lurecrafter needs, the better! Thanks for the new source Jim. I might even try their purple at 350 to see if it's colorfast (as long as it's not LC's blue grape). You're right about kelly green being the color different manufactures of June Bug use. It's the brightness of the green that works in blue grape.

Thanks. The hardest thing was to find fish that would bite the baits I made! LOL Interesting how Mann Bait Comp. had the same idea within a year of me coming up with it. You sell less baits that way, but of the customer is happy, you might get more return business and referrals.

Copies of a trailer I made from a plaster mold. Quite easy.

I started making hardnose baits in 2004. You can see them in use on Lunkerville TV. http://www.rockville.tv/lunkerville/episode205macgyver.html

Someone, who just ordered from me, was surprised at the price difference between Del and me. Price/oz. is one factor. Then one has to look at a greater color variety in more sizes, smaller unit price for lesser amounts, service (fast delivery, free samples), money back guarentee, low shipping (not based on dollar amount of order) and an immediate response to e-mail inquiries. M-F has a great color selection, in more sizes and great service, but costs are far higher for shipping and for smaller amounts. So when it comes to dollars and cents, the customer makes up his own mind if dealing with a company is worth the cost and that is where loyalty comes in. Good service is rewarded as long as the product fits the consumer's needs. Poor service, poor quality control, chronic lack of inventory, little or no feedback = bad reputation, even if the per unit cost is less, eventually result in declining sales. BPS and Lurecraft (before the take over), fit the last statement and have lost a great deal of my business. If the competition fits my needs better and causes me little frustration or disappointment, small increases in price are no big deal. How many of you are turning in your gas guzzlers at the current gas prices? Even at $3/gallon, people justify staying with what they have, the same as the Senko diehard at 80 cents a worm.

If the average angler knew what handpourers offered who sell on line, I'll bet many would convert away from manufactured knockoffs that don't come close to the Senko. If a handpoured bait came close to a Senko at less than 1/2 the price, taking into account local taxes, gas, shipping, etc., I think a percentage would go with certain handpours. Look at Sweet Beavers. One guy on this site sent me samples and I immediately caught bass last season and they had a flat surface! Are RE baits that much better than what we make? Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. GY is also presently going on the name to charge more for other styles of baits, so overall we are talking about what and are amazed that the public is willing to pay for the name. The fact of marketing, overhead, start-up costs, time to make each lure, etc., is relevant to all of us and we know that we couldn't get 70 cents a stick or we would! Maybe it's a little bit of jealousy, but unless we know what it takes to inform the general angling public what we have to offer, the big boys rule.

Very cute kids (they must take after April); nice bass! You proved my point. You can catch fish on plastics that you know can catch fish- the pink worm being one of them, made with your own hands and to your specifications. When I sell lures to people, I give them the following choices: 1. Hard nose plastic (I came up with the concept over a year ago and demonstrate it on a Lunkerville.com tv show) 2. softness (three kinds) 3. salt content 4. color Are they superior baits? Depends on what the customer wants as far as their specialty uses and do I dare say it? Yea.... better than Senkos for the uses they need the bait for, just like your pink stick. (Don't mean that in a Brokeback Mountain sort of way.)

Del, you are right on the main points: 1. the consumer determines the worth (price) of a product (it's called something in macroeconomic jargon) 2. the lesser sales of an alternate product, may have nothing to do with reality (the cost of materials, workmanship, design) 3. Gary is a swell guy (I'll take your word for it) But, 1.Gary Y has done miserably on his own baits in many tournaments and the only award he got last year was for most improved. His Japenese pro counterparts also don't use Senkos to any great extent. 2. Most BASS opens have not been won with Senkos, if they were ever even used. KVD doesn't even fish them in tournaments to the extent he fishes other lures. 3. We are not comparing apples to oranges. Plastic, softener and salt. That's it! Tiki's suck in my opinion and comparing them to Senkos is like comparing apples to oranges! lol Even the Comida has a better action and the Comida is half the price of the Senko with a very comparable action. 4. I would guess that most anglers do not do the tournament thing and just because some anglers win money on Senkos's doesn't mean the average Joe should blow 70 cents a worm, no matter how it's rigged. For me, my style dictates that I use the horizontal drop infrequently and the vertical jerk far more, to cover a lot more water. If I need to go after fish in deeper water, I'll use a dropshot rig with finesse bait. Price tag of either bait .... 30 cents or less off the rack; a nichel if I make them myself. Do I care if I'm not throwing the best bait ever made? First of all, that's a confidence thing and I've done better using other lures in the shallow lakes I fish. Second, to believe that Senkos are the best soft plastic lure ever made indicates a fixation with one lure and a limitation on the part of the angler (my opinion and experience having fished with many anglers). I'm glad for Yamamoto or any company that can sell high priced, quality products. Would I buy a Lexus? Not if I could buy two Toyota's or two Accura's for the same price! Am I just settling for a lesser product? No way.

Funny Del, but Tiki Stiks are sold for 2.99/10 at Walmart and have a big following, along with many of the small handpoured products we make. Granted, Senkos are unique, but not the only stick that can catch bass. When if comes to GY's other products, how come every other major manufacturer such as Gene Larew, Twister, Zoom, etc. etc., that have also had to also invest huge sums of money to mass produce baits, charge 35 cents each or less ? Is the plastic and salt GY uses any different or special? I think that's what EW was getting at is that gouging the customer due to product loyalty, will get old after awhile, especially considering that the average bass angler doesn't want to lose a 70 cent product every 5th cast! Supply and demand also dictates a product's value. You and Bob make a good, but unique product. Someone selling two-part and offering quality molds for half the price, will leave you in the dust as far as sales. Money talks, loyalty walks!

One. Recoat in a year if needed. Holds up to hot plastic better than other sealers I've used and doesn't get absorbed, requiring a base coat.

Thanks, fish sure as H*** like it, especially picks.(Lost 10 in one morning! ) After a few months, colors will migrate through the entire plastic. My biggest use of dye is single color enhancements:ie chart/gold flake/chart dye; chart. over pearl; pumpkin dye on craw trailer bodies/ chart dye on claws; quickly used laminates : pumpkin on half/ chart on half using dye over clear. Multiple pours are the only way to insure little bleed, but even chart and red will bleed into light opaque baits. I do use Original Fish Formual oil to keep the skins from touching in the bag.

Jim, the yellowing is only in the salt water plastic formula. Regular formula also smells, but no yellowing. I didn't expect the smell after what people wrote on this forum and I never had to open a window either.

Reminds me of LC's sharp odor, plus I've had some yellowing over 320. It surprised me because the samples M-F sent were great! Never had the smell with Del's plastic (just bubbles, which I'll go back to the pot to correct).

Thanks Del for the positive report. Calhouns and M-f are by far the best plastics sold. (Now if I could only get a break on s/h.)

Clear plastic, softener, .090 black flake (distort into weird shapes) and then I used Spike-It chartreuse and fire orange, swabbed on with a Q-tip. Lighter colors fade a bit in sunlight after a month, after which I apply more dye to freshen the colors.

I figure that if I have a lure ordered in watermelon, pumpkin and chartreuse, I don't have to cook up anything but clear plastic, after which all I have to do is dip the clear lures or swab on colors for laminates, which are a real pain to pour in molds that have small pour spouts. Here's an example of a firetiger pattern: The plastic was clear with .090 black flakes.