DaBehr

Here " up north" we have been using them for years....except we called them "turds". I guess that name was very marketable! By the way, they are killer on brown trout also.

I've heard a lot of good things about the RCBS pot. It sounds like it is worth the $$ if you do a lot of pouring.

I am really fussy about good pliers! The pliers that I eventually found and use successfully are: https://www.barlowstackle.com/-German-Round-Nose-Nesting-Pliers-P1025.aspx And the best split ring pliers by far are (they are the only split ring pliers that work for me!) https://www.barlowstackle.com/Premium-Split-Ring-Pliers--P1019.aspx My favorite gate cutters are: https://www.barlowstackle.com/Gate-Cutters-P1033.aspx I already had a good pair of padded handle round nose, flat nose and high quality wire cutter like https://www.lowes.com/pd/Crescent-8-25-in-End-Cutting-Plier/3547276

I am not constrained by budget, but my keep it simple advice still stands. You can pour any mold with a ladle. The big pots are nice if you are pouring 50+ jigs at a time. But what the heck, get both a 4lb pot and small ladle and a big pot and see which you use the most. The only thing I use my wire former for was for inline spinners ( Mepps) but eventually I got the hang of good pliers and found that even easier and opened up even more options like turning spinner baits into chatter baits. Bending my own spinner bait wires was never worth all the effort for me (I have done a few). Really good pliers set you back some $$$, but they are worth it! The place to spend money if you have it is one REALLY good ventilation! Check out the Do -it site for some how to videos and check out their ventilation system! I've been to their HQ and I have serious work space envy!!! Like I mentioned, I make darn near everything using a pot and ladle and I can make them a lot faster than I and a couple buddy's can loose them!

The best piece of advice when I got started many years ago was to start simple with a Lee 4lb pot and a small ladle. Now, 100's of baits (and many dozens of molds later) that is still all I use. I can pour enough spinner baits and bass jigs in one afternoon than I and my fishing buddy can use in a year! " Keep it Simple" !

Is the shrink tubing stencil less likely to scratch than the plastic sheet? That would be a BIG plus for me!! The only way I can get the two sides the same is using an Insane Custom stencil and paint the design onto my curved stencil. You can wipe off mistakes until you get it perfect and then cut the stencil. http://www.insanecustomstencils.com

I really don't know if it is as durable as another plastic. All I can attest to is that so far...it is good enough ...for the baits I use it for. That being said, I molded all my new Basstackle swimbaits in Do-it Essential. That stuff is tough! I doubt the is a plastic that works best for all applications. The MF bounce does float like a cork!

I often use MF...especially the new Easy Float Bounce and I take it to 350 to start. http://www.pouryourownworms.com/BOUNCE-SuperFloat-Gallons-BOUNCE-Gallons.htm I love that plastic and it really does FLOAT ! I use it for my drop shot, Shaky and Midwest Finese baits.

I would bet you didn't mix your plastic well enough, or didn't get it to 350 degrees so it completely changed state. The mold would not cause that issue.

I pour using a ladle and have no issues, but I live in Minnesota and craft in my garage, so I always warm the molds and blanks up in the toaster oven first. I have to warm hooks up on other molds too.

I've landed some nice bass with no issues. But unfortunately nothing "big". But I did land two big Northern Pike ( a 36" and a 39") on it this fall with no issues! Probably the best test was a personal best Sheepshead (Drum) that went a shade over 9lbs. Those darn things can really fight! I have no worries that the connection is not strong enough!

I have both the cnc mold and the Essential mold. Both shoot perfect and the baits are the same. I don't know about a bigger one, but a smaller crappie size is in the works. The Paddle Tails come in big sizes. The 6” is a BIG piece of meat! It was really effective this fall for bass and Northern Pike molded in bluegill colors. I really like the action on those baits. I'm in the process of getting all the sizes to follow the shad cycle from small to mature.

My ice fishing plastics came from Do-it and Jacobs baits http://stores.jacobsbaits.com/crappie-panfish-bait-molds/ My #1 is the Do-it Nano. http://store.do-itmolds.com/1in-Nano-Fry-br-16-Cavity_p_253.html The wax wiggled has been popular http://store.do-itmolds.com/11-135-Wax-Wiggler_p_1259.html

I would suggest you give Do-it customer service a call. It sounds like you are doing everything correctly.

I have the Do-it mold and it makes a good bait. http://store.do-itmolds.com/7-Ribbon-Tail-Worm--2-Cavity_p_135.html

I like the Essential Series Two Penny 4" mold. https://www.barlowstackle.com/Do-It-Essentials-Two-Penny-Twintail-Mold-4-P3683.aspx Also look at the BassTackle 5" mold. http://www.basstackle.com/product_p/twintailgrubmold.-5-inch-.htm

I use Floating plastic on all my wacky baits. The end of those baits really shake and you can really feel them buzz when you give them a pull. I can adjust the fall rate by the weight of my Do-it wacky jigs

A chatter bait with a swim bait as a trailer is Pike candy here in Minnesota. It is definitely my "go to" bait if I am taking someone fishing that wants to catch a Northern. The catch big bass too!

Search motor and you will find all sorts of input.

Very good! I killed the Smallmouth on that bait this year.

I use shrink tubing that I buy at Menards on the eyes of the hooks. Shrink it leaving a small tab at the top, and then paint. When you take them off rotate them back in forth the direction of the hook eye and they normally pop right off. Otherwise get a fingernail under the edge and push it the direction of the eye wire. Don't pull them off sidewards or you occasional tear them and it's harder to get all the tubing off the hook eye. Take them off BEFORE you bake your jigs!!! After you get the hang of it it goes really fast and you have zero paint on the hook eye. I use 3/32 tubing for most bass hooks. 3/16 for the large hooks. At less than $2 a pack (even cheaper in bulk) it's pretty cheap per unit!

It's is one of my "standards" for both Drop Shot and Finesse worms. I have been shooting it in the new MF Super-Float Bounce and I REALLY like how it stands out on drop shot. I'm a big fan of the Eseential Molds and I have had no issues getting good baits with the mold . (I live in Minnesota and I have to pre-heat ANY mold in the winter when I get started. But once it is warm you are good to go) http://www.pouryourownworms.com/Super-FloatBOUNCE-Medium-FirmBOUNCE-4-Gallon.htm The float material makes great wacky worms because when they throw the worm, just keep an eye out for it to float to the surface and reuse it!

I've caught a lot of bass on the Do-it Mad Dad 3 xl. Bob's T.S. molds are great...but they are not available and it's unlikely to find one. I'm a big fan of the Do-it Essential series. Great baits at a great price. I also like all of the BassTackle molds I have.

I don't have any issue putting on skirts, but taking them back off can be a bit of a trick.

TJ's Tackle sells a spray kit. That's what I use and it works great. https://www.tjstackle.com/