mark poulson

Does Eagle Claw make any worm hooks with that wire and configuration? I used to use the Mustad Megalite 5/0 EWG hooks for thick soft plastics, like Fat Ikas, but they stopped making them, so I'm looking for a substitute. Never mind. I just went through every worm hook on the Eagle Claw site, and nada. Drat!

I use Rustoleum Clear X2 Gloss as a top coat on jointed baits and crankbaits, and I love it. But I've found that it doesn't play nicely with soft plastics. I think the softener in the plastics actually bleeds over and softens the X2. I would keep that in mind for any spray acrylic that you use. This is not to say it won't work, but you do need to be careful what you leave it in contact with for an extended period, like overnight. Do a test piece first, to see if plastisol baits will affect it. I use clear nail polish as a barrier on baits that have soft plastics attached, like rats, in the area of attachment, and I remove the tails after I'm done fishing for the day. I store the tails in the same plano box as the rats, but in a separate compartment, and there's no problem, so it's really prolonged direct contact that is the danger. I also keep my rods rigged with hard baits on one side of my deck, and soft plastic rigs on the other side, to avoid problems. An hour's contact doesn't seem to cause damage, but I'm careful not to let them lay together on the deck, anyway.

That is a beautiful master. Be sure to seal it well before you make your mold, or whatever you need to do to protect all that great carving!

Once you've finished a bait with a gloss topcoat, you can knock the shine down to matte with fine steel wool.

I was able to get a wobble on the fall of my spybaits by a combination of shape and ballasting. Spybaits like the Duo Realis 80 look very much like the baits in your video, and that's why I've suggested my method of making them. I used one of their baits as a model for my first spybaits. I work with PVC trimboard, which is totally waterproof, and as buoyant as med. density balsa, so I can float test without worrying about water intrusion. That lets me play around with ballast placement more easily than if I had to seal a wood bait before testing. I keep the bottom flat to create the vortices Dave was talking about on the fall, so the water passing the sides exerts a pull on the sides alternately. I keep the sides flat, and the top barely rounded over. I found that having the ballast spread along the bait more or less evenly helps the bait to fall level. And putting the ballast 1/3 above, 2/3 below the centerline of the bait, drawn from line tie to tail hook hanger, makes the bait just top heavy enough to be unstable on the fall, exaggerating the wobble caused by the flat bottom . If I were going to use balsa, I would finish shape my lure, add my hook hangers and line tie, drill a series of ballast hole up from the bottom along the bait, and then seal it well with runny super glue. Once it was sealed, I would find whatever amount of ballast (3/16" lead wire in my case) I needed to get the bait to fall at the rate I wanted in my 5 gallon float testing water bucket. Then I would divide the ballast evenly along the length of the bait, and push each piece of lead up into the bait body to get the 1/3 above, 2/3 below position. Once that was done, I'd do another float test, in case I needed minor ballast adjustments, and then I'd pack the holes with facial tissue paper, and add some more super glue to make it waterproof. I've found that tissue works fine this way, and is lighter than bondo. I do use bondo for the final filling of the ballast holes, and sand it to shape. Be sure you have all your hardware, including split rings and hooks, attached before you do your ballasting, so you get a true reading of how the bait falls.

I find a bone bait I like to give me a starting point. To me, bone is a white/yellow/brown blend. I start with a base white, and then add a few drops of yellow to get close. Once I'm close, a drop or two of brown usually does the trick.

Dude, you really need to use the search feature at the top left under activity. Most of your questions are already answered there. You can also go to Make Lures/Larry Dahlberg on Youtube, and watch some of their plastic bait making videos.

Have you tried gold glitter fingernail polish? https://www.google.com/search?q=gold+glitter+nail+polish&newwindow=1&tbm=isch&source=iu&ictx=1&fir=bnAxXbEpSuel4M%3A%2CQGrUC2fgo_hReM%2C_&usg=AFrqEzdsFps1PWe_TU3dW8Z454ug_hBM5A&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjsoYjj05rdAhW9HjQIHcHrB9gQ9QEwBHoECAYQDA#imgrc=bnAxXbEpSuel4M:

If it's metal it may be a problem in a microwave. Ask the manuf. if it's microwave safe. Most of the glitters I see on plastisol suppliers websites are polyester.

I would test it on an old rod before I put it on one a cared about. You can remove the old tip with a cigarette lighter, and then do your test. Just be sure you get all the old glue off, because any left over glue under the epoxy will give you a false reading.

Bob, I just love it when you talk dirty! Hahaha Seriously, it's great when someone who actually knows about this stuff chimes in.

Check out this facebook page: Soft Plastic Bait Mold Makers

A cheap digital thermometer will help you to heat the plastisol to the right temps., 350 degrees, in order for it to kick over into a usable material, without burning/scortching it. Just be sure you stir it before you take it's temp, because microwaves heat from the inside out, and the plastisol in the middle will be hotter that what's on the surface. I always add a little heat stabilizer, because I usually err on the too hot side, and I reheat a lot.

A word of warning about PVC in lure building. I make whopper ploppers from PVC, both the body and the tail. In carving out the tail fin, the PVC gets down to 3/16"+-. I have found that the PCV is brittle when it's that thin, and will crack off if it hit's a hard object, like a garage floor. Don't ask me how I found that out. I have to reinforce the carved fin by adding some gap filling super glue to the inside of the fin. I add a few drops to form a thicker layer, and then use accelerant to set it quickly. If I do it correctly, with several applications to be sure I've coated the inside well and evenly, but not too thickly, the fin is much stronger and doesn't crack off when fished.

For me, putting the split rings on blades requires a patient touch. There is a knack to it that you only develop by doing it repeatedly. I learned pretty quickly to put the split rings on the blades before I put them onto the swivels. Hahaha

Thanks.

I am just a hobby pourer, but I don't look for the cheapest stuff, I look for what works. It's like glue in furniture carpentry. A glue might be more expensive, but you use relatively little in the actual construction, and if a glue joint fails, you've wasted all your labor, and that is the most expensive part of the piece. The same is true with making baits. I'd recommend you start with one of the suppliers who sponsor this site, and see if their products work for you. Then you can find out what successful pourers use, and why, and decide if you want to switch, based on what your needs are. People who make and sell baits can't afford product failures, so they use stuff that works for them every time.

Salt is optional, but it does give baits a natural flavor when the fish bites. I think they hold a salted bait longer, because it tastes like a live prey item. But salt will make baits stiffer, so that's why some people add softener. I do add softener for senkos, because I add lots of salt to them, which makes them stiffer, and they need to be soft enough to shimmy on the fall. I also add salt to other baits, like creature baits and craws, but not enough to warrant additional softener.

You're right, you can always to that, as long as you have the original master.

I had trouble with split rings opening on big blades, so I found some small #3 regular split rings whose wire would fit through the swivel hole once, and used them. I put them onto the blade first, and then threaded them onto the swivel and rotated them until the split in the ring was at the swivel hole. The wire was too thick to go through twice, but they work just fine, since the swivel still turns, and the blade swings free. No more lost blades.

What brand of colorant? I guess I should quit trying to make orange from red and yellow, and just order a bottle of orange! Did I ever tell you I'm cheap? Hahaha

Those look great! Give me a call when you're up here, and I'll stop by to say hi.

Buy a small bottle, so you can have it on hand if you find your baits are too stiff. I only use softener when I add salt to senkos, and then it's a teaspoon to a cup of plastic.

Since you can make molds and prototypes, that would be the safest method for me. That way you always have the master, Let's hope you get it perfect the first crack out of the box. Then you can have your master to mount over your workbench, to remind you of the whole process, and to give you a shot of "atta boy" when you're dragging.

You can use a table saw, too, with a jig. The main thing you need is a way to keep your round blanks properly oriented, so the cuts will be symmetrical and parallel to the center line of the blank. Round things like to rotate when they're being cut.