GB GONE

I like 1 or 2 drops of amber or pumpkinseed with white pearl in 6oz of plastic!!! Start with one drop of your "dark" color and pour a bait. If it looks good, go on...if not add another drop til you get the shade you want. Jim

You may find that they all are the best!! I like some colors from one supplier and some from another!!! A lot of it becomes individual to you as the bait maker!! Jim

Yes...you can thin with acetone (I use my wife's finger nail polish remover !!)... You may want to use high heat enamel spray paint for that mold. It doesn't "plug" up you small details like devcon tends to. You will probably need 2 coats of paint and you have to wait at least 48 hours or else your baits come out sticky!!! You can get it at Walmart in the auto area!!!! Jim

WOW ...cool cutter!!! Is that a finger I see off to the side :

Just to let ya'll know...I had emailed Del while posting the question about the plastic. Little did I know that April had called my cell phone, emailed me once and Del had emailed me twice. WOW!!!! We are still playing phone tag because of the time difference but is that service or what!! My mom doesn't even call me back that fast !! I will be hard pressed to use any other plastic from any other supplier :!: Plus, he makes some mean molds !!!!! Jim

Just added a little softener though...guess I should run some baits before adding any though...just never occurred to me. Hope I can get some more from Del as I've got a BUNCh of orders to pour this weekend!!!! Thanks guys!!!

Just opened a gallon of plastic (Calhoun's)..mixed it as always, added a cup or so of softener (to the gallon), as always and then put some in my pyrex to pour. Poured out some really, really, really soft baits??? Not sticky though!! So I went back and re-mixed my gallon for a full 2 minutes (whew!!) and repeated the process of heating in the mic. Result....really, really, really soft (to soft) baits???!!! This is my..ummmm..guess I lost count...gallon of plastic and I've never had my baits this soft...they are just to soft for me!!! Anybody have any ideas??? Jim

Have fun HOMER!!! If you apply your passion for fishing into this "hobby", you will never be able to stop!! Just don't let it get in the way of you fishing time (like happens to so many of us )!!! Jim

I add mine after I've heated my plastic and I'm adding my flake. I have had a few batches of light colors (chartreuse, lime green, etc.) that have discolored almost immediately after heating when I added the scent up front. Other scents may not be this way but Kick'nBass has done that to a few batches. I probably added to that color change as I probably overheated my plastic as well Jim

Oh yeah buzzbug: Try either of these: http://www.bobstackleshack.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=25&products_id=46 http://del-mart.com/store/index.php?cPath=21_29 I'm sure you can find them from some other places as well but aluminum molds produce some great baits. Jim PS If you look at the tutorials, you may want to just make your own molds with resin, plaster of paris, durham's, etc.

Guess I should have said rattle traps and small cranks!!! The maker of the G-blanks rods claims his rods are lighter than G Loomis and far mor durable...around 3.4 ozs. WOW!!! Jake.....I need a loan from u!!! $229 is steep for me!!! My wife would get a lot of pairs of shoes in compensation for that rod !!

How cool!!! What a great post!!! Really gives some of us "want-to-be's" hope!! Thanks for taking the time to put that together and sharing it!! Jim

Looking to spend about $150.00 on a good all around rod. Something I could actually throw a crankbait on, then maybe fluke or worm fish and then maybe switch to a spinnerbait (1/2 oz, no more)... Can anybody recommend anything?? I'm interested in a G Blank rod. They use the Shikari SHX blanks. I can get one for about $140.00. Also looked at a custom rod from www.jimborods.com. (No relation to me ) I believe he uses All star blanks. Any recommendations appreciated!!! Jim

Attitude: Never tried Chompers in my plastic but from my experiences, when you add something and cook it in your plastic, the scent fades. You want oil-based scents. Water based will blow up!!!! Jim

LOL!!!

Some of you may know I pour soft plastics and my "company" name is Ghost Baits. Well, I thought I needed to get the word out more so I bought some magnetic signs for my truck from a real nice lady on Ebay (signs by Jeri...shameless plug). The signs are great and have a look of dripping blood from the website address. There is a ghost logo on there as well. Anyways, down here in South Georgia (and MANY other places across the world), we have some folks that either can't read OR are just kind of strange (to me). In the past 2 days, I have been approached by some interesting characters at the local gas stations (jiffy store if you live in South GA ) asking me if I could or would catch ghosts for them. They saw my signs the last few weeks and just got enough nerve up to come ask me. One ladt even asked me if I had a price I could give her :!: :!: WOW!!!!! I thought I was having fun pouring baits.....So I guess my real questions are: How much should I charge and does anybody have a good supplier of ghost buster supplies????!!!! Man...we are having fun now!!! I'm guessing I better spool up some 50lb test at least!!! Jim

You know what they say Kamakazee....imitation is the greatest form of flattery!!!! Great website and super looking baits!!! I might try to flatter you with a few colors I saw also !!! Just kidding!!! Jim

Everybody has there own personal favorites and "secret recipe" they are adding to their baits. I like Kick'n Bass. The garlic is a little weak after you cook your plastic but that is how I like it. The overall line of scents at KNB has impressed me. Sure you will get others to weigh in. Jim PS In a pinch, the scents at Walmart are OK, I believe they are called BaitMate. Avoid Bang as it will make your plastic go "BANG"!!

I've got about 100lbs at work that I scavenged from the old xray room. Someday i will chop it up and melt it down.

Awesome idea...consistency of your colors is real important!!! Thanks for the tip!! Jim

Correct on all accounts. I met Rich Tauber not to long ago and he and Aaron are good friends. He did say that the color Aaron's magic came from Aaron Martin. Rich also said that he was the best surfer and dropshotter on tour. Dude was a real fun guy, with the energy for fishing like when you were a kid. He inspired me to have a great time when fishing and in life!!! Jim

My guess is that you amy not have mixed your plastic well enough PRIOR to pouring it into your pyrex cup. The plastisol separates into "parts" that, if not mixed well enough, will result in very sticky, soft baits. You will find if the plastic isn't mixed well the baits can be very soft and very sticky...they will get ripped apart easily by the fish or sometimes even on a cast. Try mixing really well, especially the "stuff" that is down on the bottom of the pail. Use a long ladle or something and mix for at least a minute or 2. Jim

M-F's Indigo is the best I've tried!!! It was a pain to me to add alot of LC Black grape AND some black with MAYBE a little blue. Color is good but just seems better and easier with the Indigo plus more consistent from batch to batch. I use the green flake medium. Looks great with the medium blue also!!! Jim

Hey Marc: We have discussed this a few times and basically to get a good swirl you have to be using an injector setup. If you do a search, you can find the full discussion on what to try. i think there was a semi-successful technique that Delw had with using a small metal rod being put into the cavity and agitating the plastic. If you get any good ones, let us know how you did it. i always thought if you poured your baits into your mold and you had the mold on your hot plate, you could swirl the plastic while it was liquid. It would be very time consuming to pour a few as you would then have to wait to "de-mold" your baits. Good luck!!! Jim

Lewdawg is correct regarding the MSDS (Material Safety and Data Sheet). When you order plastic, softner, etc you should get one as well. There is a Federal Law called the "Right to Know" law that includes references to hazardous chemicals and there uses. An MSDS is required by LAW!!! If your supplier refuses, you can go to the OSHA website and start a complaint process however if the chemical is not hazardous...there is NO requirement to give out its ingredients. Just don't put all our suppliers out of business !!! Seriously, we should know what we are dealing with as someday down the road we may all end up with another eye or something!! Jim