Senkosam

Was wondering about Spike-It... In any case Lurecraft plastic is a royal pain to remix and yellows after the first reheat. Not sure if M-F or Calhouns has improved in quality or price (which is why I'm considering Spike-It). Haven't used Bear's in a while but liked the samples he sent. There are a few glitter colors that will always stain clear plastic, especially after the first re-heat no matter who's plastic you use. I try to stay around 300 degrees or less.

Unless I go to the limited format, nothing comes up as far as forums or anything else. The full version isn't working

Not sure if this helps, but a few weeks ago I came up with wire guards to replace brush guards on Arkie jigs and add them to tube jig heads. Wire can also be added to ball head jigs with hooks over 1/0 in size. As you can see even small bass have no problem depressing the guard:

Sand drops too fast to stay suspended long enough to pour.

Thanks. When I think of why many use a Gator Tail or Brush Hog trailer, I can't help but think - bulk. The skirt flares and quivers and the center is the meat or solid target bass key in on. That's why I used to use Uncle Josh's jumbo pork frog. Every bait has a target area or center and I think it is as important as a lure's action. It is said bass go for larger prey (for whatever reason) and I believe part of that may due to an animal's blatant tresspass into a bass's territoryand a reaction similar to that of any predator. Fishingskirts.com sells flat wide rubber which I may order just to test the theory that sometimes larger moving parts are better at initiating a predator's mean streak. It seems to me that that is what reflex strikes are all about!

Ah 'Gary's Hog' - got it. The point I'm trying to get across is that finesse flappers may not work in certain situations that may call for thicker moving parts. We'll see.

Where can I see a picture? My refined version:

I've thought that thinner tails in plastics were always the best way to go but since I used the Ugly Otter a few years ago and caught bass, I started wondering, what about thicker tails on jig trailers? Ugly Otter hand pour My brother in law just gave me some Yamamoto trailers which got me thinking. Why not design a chunk trailer with thick appendages and thin connections similar to the thick stuff hanging off GY's bait? The flapper tail was nice but necessary? So I rigged one up on a 1/2 oz jig after I poured it. First cast - missed a solid hit; second cast - 3lb bass. Those nobby legs flopped up and down and sideways creating a larger profile in the murky water of my pond. I'm sure Gary's will work, but I might just replace his thin flappers with those nobby legs.

Did a google search on Dick Nite and salmon spoons were the only thing I could find.

For texture I've added coarse sea salt to the fine salt.

Thanks loads! I'm getting ready to pour a two part injection mold for the first time and want the surfaces to be protected like they were with Valspar. Too bad they don't make the gloss coat anymore. Come to think of it, it is like glue, can be thinned with water and has the same milky appearance. Thanks again.

I've been using Valspar but the can is old and I may not get many more uses. I've read on TU that some like Elmer's glue, some like epoxy. What is the consensus for ease of use, permanence and cost? Frank

Diamond brand fine salt in supermarkets is cheap and stays suspended long enough for multiple pours.

The fall rate in any temp water should be the same. The flex action might not be. I will try the MF sinking plastic. Beats adding a ton of softener!

But only if we eventually catch more fish with it. LOL Nothing breeds confidence like success, but unfortunately (me included) many anglers believe the bait they just caught a limit of lunkers on was the best bait in the world, forever and ever, and fail to realize one truth that usually accounts for that success - right place, right time. It's great for those who sell lures because once a lure stops producing, in the storage box it goes never to see the light of day for years, replaced by another that has about as much potential as the last. Kind of like the carot in front of the donkey...

I would think that cold water stiffens the plastic reducing the tip action. I might try freezing a few sticks and checking the action.

Hopefully the 2nd week in April - the weather has been lousy in March in NY. We can only hope! LOL What combination of factors do we basically believe make some lures more enticing depending on mood? : shape/ profile, color, density/ softness, action at different retrieve speeds, rate of fall (if applicable), noise (if applicable) and anything else that tickles the lateral line. Bait size determines many of those considerations. Did I leave anything out?

Same as MonteSS - Del's Think I'll start ordering soft plastic and go from there. A lot of salt firms plastic if I'm not mistaken so I might still need to add softener. Of course the final softeness can't be determined in my sticks until they set for at least 48 hours or more, which I think reveals the biggest problem with even GY senkos or other brand sticks - namely that though they feel soft going into the bag, turn out to be much stiffer than thought. I have a few GY bags of crap Senkos that I bought on clearance and will melt down.

I had to keep adding softener until the lure was soft enough to counteract the addition of so much large crystal sea salt. I'm tempted to pour some salt into both halves along with a thin layer of plastic and then close them for the final pour. Should add wt. and texture. I can't get it over 11 g no matter how much I stir.

Also added some to a millipede. I figure the longer a bass stares at a bait deadsticked on bottom, the more cues it needs to eat it.

For some reason I thought to weigh my Senko copy loaded with large grain sea salt and compare it to GY's bait in softness and weight. The most I could get it to weigh and still maintain a softness and flex equal to GY's was 11 grams. YUM Dingers weigh 10 grams and are equally soft. Big Bite Baits are stiffer but also weigh 10 grams. I'm not sure if the extra gram makes a difference but softness is a must and especially for slower falling stick.

Bass are used to seeing crawfish with antennae so I added some 20# fluorocarbon to a double tail bait. Super glue hold the loop in place and I used nail polish to make the it black. You never know...

Because of the limited time to edit, I'm reposting the laminate mentioned in my previous reply. Sometimes I move images around on photobucket killing the link. Again, this is top and bottom of the same 5" lure.

This was your idea and a good one at that! Thanks. (Maybe my wife's 550 degree hair dryer? .....)

Thanks. For those that don't know, those are top and bottom views of the same bait. The key is plastic about 320 degrees and fine salt from Diamond. As you can see on the blow up, the green pumpkin didn't go all the way to the bottom of the tail so I poured some hot plastic on top of the pearl half and used a razor to reshape the edges. The most important final step with any lam. is sealing all edges with a flame or soldering iron to prevent separation. Maybe an injector might have saved me from doing the last step vs. hand pour in this 5" two-part. The extra few inches allows the plastic to cool too fast flowing downward, preventing the best melting together of the halves. Didn't mean to digress from the topic.