Senkosam

The minnow type grub I pour has worked very well based on its action tail for over three years and having experimented with different colors, have come to the conclusion that only a few will do. In particular are two colors or I should say, brightness variations, that pretty much cover light availability and lure contrast against a background. White and white pearl with or without .015 silver flakes is the brightest opaque color I use. The other may be considered just as contrasting when using glitter that flashes through a transparent / translucent plastic. The two plastic colors I've become fond of are very light green pumpkin and the bleeding of violet flakes on the second reheat creating an iridescent color plastic - a brownish/reddish color. The flakes that stand out in both are .035 chartreuse flakes, .040 black flakes and in particular, .015 green lime or Kelly green flakes as the major color. Along with subtle tail action is the minute flash of flakes that provokes bites from small and larger fish. A few days ago I decided to up the size minnow from 2" to 3" rigged on a 1/8 oz. ball head jig vs. a 1/16 oz. The fish were larger on average and in greater numbers. Five species hit the lure and the strikes were aggressive enough to be detected easily. Now, I can't speculate that the colors mentioned had more or less contributed to my successful day, but as with anything lure related, I chose to believe that lure contrast coupled with the right action, presentation, etc. are key to provoking a sedentary fish into attacking. I also chose to believe that most fish we catch are sedentary until provoked and once provoked, can not easily turn off the attack mode as indicated by a missed fish being caught on the second or third retrieve. The right lure, the right place, the right presentation and possibly the right color and color contrast are all that's needed to catch fish day after day. As far as matching a forage's color, I leave that for others (who believe) to pattern lure and color choices after what may or may not be the prevalent forage in color or shape.

Sounds good to me!! Hate to see good plastic go to waste.

Mixing completely produced salt water plastic !! I hadn't mixed the stuff well in over a year and just used the top plastic which produced soft baits - too soft at times when a didn't throw in old plastic lures. So now I own a gal. of Baitjunky's salt water plastic and will now need to buy soft plastic to created medium soft. There is a big disadvantage using plastic that's too soft especially with baits having an action tail. Wondering though if adding fine salt would firm it up producing a more resilient plastic. Thanks all for your suggestions. Frank

Unless Lurecraft has improved as far as their plastisol's fast settling is concerned, stay clear. I bought weedless jigs with weed guards that fell off with a little pull. I was told to send them back at my expense for an exchange. Haven't ordered from them in five years.... Service is as important as product quality.

Micheal's craft glitter doesn't break down in 300-350 degree plastic!!?? I've never heard that adding softener make a difference when it comes to glitter.

Try the laser glitters if you haven't already. I just might. Had a problem with customer service a few years ago and haven't ordered since.

I just ordered a gallon Baitjunky plastic because of all the positive posts. Calhoun and Spike-It plastics were considered. Any great difference between the three?

I sell glitter and was asked for purple that doesn't bleed after the first heat. Unfortunately the bright violet I sold will bleed completely after the second heating and produces a brown/reddish plastic. (Needless to say, I don't sell it without the caveat of only using it on small first time pours.) Most purple glitter is too dark for my taste and I prefer violet. I haven't found a purple violet that doesn't bleed. Has anyone? I've noticed that pretty much all other glitter colors shrinks after the 2nd reheat at over 325 degrees and more must be added to clear or translucent plastic to maintain the same color-reflective quality. Is this common for everyone? Frank

I just ordered degassed Baitjunkys hard soft plastic to mix with Lurecraft medium. Originally I ordered a 5 gal. amount of LC and put some in a few quart bottles after mixing. LC is the worst plastic for settling and a pain to mix the hard bottom sediment so when I don't, I get soft plastic that's too soft for the lures I need medium for and thin parts tear too easily. Will the mix work?

The sky's the limit when shaping or adding texture and for adding different tails to other soft plastic. The ribbed grub had a curl tail. Just make sure the plastic isn't too hot or the body will be melted thinner rather than thicker. After the last body dip, I lay the lures in a cold water bath, either side down (not nose first). The reason the original was called the spoon minnow was because I used a metal spoon to stir glitter into hot plastic and noted how thing the plastic. Remembering my craft days of dipping candles gave me the idea of dipping the plastic in stages to thicken the body. Pretty neat, huh? Again, better more often than any panfish lure I've ever used and with the jig keeper I designed, stays on for 20 or more fish. Also a good bass dropshot bait.

The sky's the limit when shaping or adding texture and for adding different tails to other soft plastic. The ribbed grub had a curl tail. Just make sure the plastic isn't too hot or the body will be melted thinner rather than thinner. After the last body coat, I lay the lures in a cold water bath, either side down.

Okay, here's the deal: equipment: single edge razor blade ceramic floor tile or other heat resistant surface hot plastic method: pour a sheet of plastic down a tile tilted 45 degrees after it cools, pour another sheet across it at 90 degrees using the same tilt angle, leaving the about 1/2" of the thinnest edge alone (the tail) cut out a shape with the razor (width according to whether the lure will be a minnow, worm or creatur dip the form into the hot plastic 2-3x to build head/ body thickness, allowing it to drip back each time. You may reform the tail if needed and shorten the lure. To give the lure a head , pour a third coat at the end the head will be.

that's why she only put out plastic knives... hint: it is a four part process.

Al is on the right track.

Someone has to have a clue how these lures are made. Free baits to anyone who figures it out as well as some jigs designed to hold on to any soft plastic 10x longer without slipping back.

The action is more like the slowly fluttering tail of a minnow, same as the shape. Nice thing about it is that I can make it any size and shape I wish thereby making it more appealng to more species. The thin tail is key and the natural shape adds to the action.

You may have a point s.m.aholic about injection pours being prettier and more professional looking than handpours, but that still begs the question - does pretty mean more apt to catch fish? For the inexperienced that have never used anything but manufactured lures and for those that sell to those anglers, slick looking baits are the only ones they will buy or make. But, those of us that started out using Lurecraft silicone molds when metal laser cut mold didn't exist, we were blown away by the coarse looking baits that those molds produced and that caught fish first time out. After that, my soft plastic and other lure type purchases decreased year after year because how cheap they were to make and how well they worked. My validated belief that fish don't know pretty from ugly started when a fishing partner of mine heated some old lures to made a very ugly looking nothing of a bait and caught crappy on it. Another friend caught a three pound bass the first time we went fishing on a 4" Lurecraft stick in a weird ochre color in eary April. I just posted a handpour in someone's topic looking for a crappie bait that is poured with no mold and it is one of the most versatile soft plastic baits I've ever fished!!! So when it comes to lure design and process of pouring, action speaks louder than 'pretty' anyday, the proof being whether an inexperienced angler can catch fish after fish the first time using it and thereafter. My grandkids 4-8 are proof since the day they caught fish in my pond immediately as well as anyone in my fish and game club who used it. Lure design has nothing to do with how professional a bait appears to the buyer, but more to do with how and where the lure is used. IMO fish are easily provoked because irritation and the bully instinct make them strike, even from a neutral activity mood. Once one fish strikes, more in the area become interested and active. This assumes fish aren't actively feeding, which is a good way to target fish. Anymore, to me finesse lures and presentations after each species spawn in warm water seems to do better for me after midday under a sunny sky, coarse looking sticks and my minnow as prime examples of effective baits. The only concern I have about injection or handpoured lures is do they work for me? Apart from that, the rest is just a sales pitch to pay for pretty for a lot more $.

I designed and now pour a multispecies lure - no mold. All panfish are caught on this lure and last year, as years before I'm guarenteed over 700 fish depending on schools discovered.

BaitJunky, I'm not sure what provoked the reply, but politics are dirty business whereas what we share here is because of enthusiasm and enjoyment of lure making and designing. He has his opinions, you and everyone else have their own. A sarcastic comment expressed regarding my posts a few times, leads me to ignore the poster from that point on and encourage others to do the same. On two other forums, a clown named CheapHooker has been hounding me for months. The mods have warned him, he gets suspended temporarily and then starts up again. But life's too short to worry about insignificant unhappy people who find a hollow satisfaction verbally abusing people who disagree with them. Besides, everyone has a right to their opinion as we have the right to agree or disagree openly. BTW (What the H*** does the president have to do with his post and how does it pertain to the subject of lure making?) Just curious... But thanks for the support, if that's what it was....

If you sell and stock, the more expensive injection multi-cavity molds are a necessity. For the hobbyist that uses fewer baits because of the use of many other lure types, hand pours are fine. Laminates don't hold much interest for me and I see them as gimmick to sell more. I've done just as well on solid colors. As far as salt settling, I got around that years ago when I ground salt in a coffee grinder making it finer. It stays suspended in molten plastic but as most of you know, extra softener is needed to offset firmness. The only difference between large grain salt and floured salt is the color is milky in clear plastic and a bit less in dark colored plastic. Senkos aren't much different. Glitter I don't have a problem with when it comes to vertical pours. I always use a steel butter knife to mix everything (including salt) before every mold pour and my plastic rarely is heated beyond 290 degrees.

Hand poured are usually cheaper and make a bait as good as injection molds. Laminates are only possible with hand pour molds unless there is an injector with double color pour capability. The only problem I've had with hand pour worm molds it the air pocket at the top. Bear sells an extender (his molds already have it built/carved into the mold), but for my older stick molds I use a socket (from a socket wrench kit) over the hole and produce solid baits every time.

I don't like the original design and have modified the paddle tail similar to Ugly Otter's paddle or added a Brush Hog tail (pictured). Doubt he would or could sue for that and besides, there are companies in the 2014 Bass Pro cat. that have copied the ridged body and shape but changed the tail.

P-o-P molds of this design are easy to make - even two part molds. Here is a copy of a 3.5" laminate I poured: http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j36/senkosam/Fishing/lure%20inventory/creature%20baits/45inbeaver_zps62e06e03.jpg~original Doubtful anyone could cry patent foul if the lure was modified: http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j36/senkosam/Fishing/lure%20inventory/creature%20baits/brushbeaver_zps482b485b.jpg~original

Will definitely buy a jug of baitjunky when my supply of LC dwindles.

Bear's is the only aluminum mold made I know of with a sprue at the top of the pour hole. Other company top-pour molds had the air bubble problem until I used sockets (from socket wrench kit), placed them over the holes and then poured down them - perfect baits every time. Now I don't have to sell the molds on Ebay. Anyone still buy molds from Del?