canuck 2

Big Epp Just a word of caution about live uncured road kill type of free resources. Organics like tails, feathers, furs have a natural tendency to carry with them bugs parasites larva etc. Some still have active degrading fleshy left overs. Do some research about prepping them or treating them to avoid un wanted elements creeping into your other materials possibly ruining a high priced cape or hackle collar. Some people will micro wave ( radiate) tails and fur to kill unwanted unseen pests, (not in your personal home cooking micro, use a cheep older one dedicated to only that use)... some people cure tail ends with salt to dry them up to stop wrought and odors. A lot of people protect there stuff by storing it in moth balls after treating. A some what seemingly free road kill tail can cost you a ton of lost money and material if untreated or properly prepped . I am sure your probably already aware of this but thought it might be worth a mention. I have used road kill racoon tail and grey squirrel tails ,deer tails with good success and yes you can save money by doing so. As you get further into the addictive qualities and free your creative spirit of tying. I found it so much more fulfilling and less work with piece of mind to purchase already treated products from specialty suppliers. Yes some what expensive to purchase but will last a very long time if you look after them. Bags of mixed craft stuff like feathers are very low quality in my experience and you have to sort out through a lot of substandard feathers to find the right size, length width ,lie barring etc not worth the time to me now . It is a process or evolution. I think it is limited to your budget and imagination Great hobby and pastime. Hope this helps. Happy tying.

maybe try Latulippe outdoors.canada for your maribou. I think they are out of montreal or quebec city

try luremaking.com out of hepworth ont. They are a great resource right here in ontario.

William. A fisherman may try to adapt or modify a lure in the field by adding weight to a hook or by putting a weight ahead of the lure on the line using some kind of swivel or leader to get the bait to sink deeper or cast further. Adding weight will effect action by imparting drag and will change retrieval angles etc. I would not say that hook weighting is a preferred option. But it may give someone a chance at putting a lure in the strike zone when you don't have any other options available.

Do it refers to the EWG 10777 90* jig hook size#1 for the WMF-6-A mold. Is Victory the only supplier of this hook right now or is or will there be supplier options moving forward?

Thanks for all of your replies. I just poured some 5" shads with it and was feeling that they were going to be too soft ,but after a few days of cure time I have noticed that they have firmed up considerably. Will have to water/ fish test them but so far it looks like I wont need to add any hardener. Time will tell. As far as reheats and darkening of lighter colors the more you reheat. I am a small time 1 cup at a time pourer so my experience is geared to just that . I have made myself aware that while micro waving reheats the volume of the plastic in the cup changes every time that I draw some for a shoot so time in the micro needs to be adjusted( lessened accordingly) to avoid over heating on reheat I use a very precise digital type k thermocouple probe thermometer and check regularly not just rely on physically feeling the runniness/flow consistency of the remaining plastisol. I don't know how challenging it would be to use a hot plate / electric heat source to control the whole process. Kind of like the micro system and its working for me so far. Note also that I have built and use a well enclosed work bench/ station with ventilation hood/ exhaust system plus wear a two cartridge respirator mask and use crossflow open window fresh air make up while doing this process. Will need to extend my hood to pull fumes from above my drying/curing wracks to avoid stray fumes from contaminating the surrounding work space..basement work shop. Stay safe people.

Thanks Wallyc14 for sharing your experience. The learning curve has been made shorter and the road to success less costly thanks to the continuous generosity of the people on this site. Thanks to all who have helped me become a better lure crafter. Cheers

Thanks wallyc14, I would be looking at using plastisol clear hardener from do it just to keep the products used from the same company. Less chance for unexpected hick ups.

Thanks Frank for your reply and comments. It was not my intent to create a negative product bashing post here . Maybe a chance for users to reflect on experiences that did not go so well and share some of their learning curve while using this or any product. Part of my question is due to the fact that here in ontario we have only two suppliers of plastics for lure builders that I am aware of. I have been relying on this product and so far it has delivered. What other advantages would be by using another blend? Better detail , shinier finish, tougher cured outer skin? Any chance I get to avoid paying import duties and dollar exchange rates over and above is well worth it to me. As globally we all want to shop locally maybe one bad experience for what ever reason shouldn't lead to a life time of bias against any product that is basically designed for our craft. Just one guys open thoughts. Cheers

I have heard so many people say that they do not wanting to use do it plastisol for baits and was wondering just what people experienced to cause this kind of negative reaction. I am fairly new to pouring and have used soft do it plastisol successfully for three gallons now and had no issues. I do add several drops of heat stabilizer to every cup and have done very well with re-heats and a mix of old baits and sprues etc. I do also make sure that while heating with a micro wave that I stage the heat times and mix a lot between heating intervals until 350*f is attained. I also add fresh plastisol while using left over color chunks and make sure these chunks are scissor cut into small pieces and mixed thoroughly before heating. I would like to move forward by adding some hardener to the soft plastisol to get a bit firmer mix for swimbaits and frogs etc. Any feed back on that would be appreciated plus what ever bad experiences people have had while using this product that has been so great for me so far. Thanks.

Hello Fern, just finished reading your post and was wondering what you thought about kill dot proportion/ size compared to eye size and pupil color. Your pictured baits are finished very nicely. I am just getting into pouring swimbaits and wanted to gain information about adding detail to the baits. So thanks for that . I guess my question is should a kill dot be larger than the eye detail to be a worth while/ effective added detail? Thanks for any feed back.

thanks aulrich for the fast response and helpfull information. Planning to order on monday so this will really help. Cheers.

Are you needing to use a sprue extender to avoid air bubbles while pouring your 6 inch paddle tail single? Would shooting the double 5" require the sprue extender as well?

What weight size of football swing head do you use for the 6''?. Am thinking about trying the 5inch paddle and the Fbb6-swg which goes up to 7/16 oz would that be heavy enough in your opinion?

I use a bodkin from my fly fishing equipment. Basically a long needle with a wooden dowel type handle. Try to slide the tip in under the eye to pull it away from the backing rather than stabbing into the eye. It can be a bit finicky at times but as you drop the eye down in to place there is less surface area for adhesives like crazy glue to grab on to the round needle surface, yet it provides just enough surface area to hold the sticky backside of the eye while moving it from paper to lure. I then use the rounded handle end to press fit the eye down into the crazy glue to set it in place. I have had a few drop off while moving from backing to lure but nothing is perfect . Hope this helps.

Product info says that the duel system from do it will do both 4 and 6oz injectors. The nozzle o rings fit both sizes. Hope that helps.

21xdc your blades are outstanding. You can really see the attention to detail and the passion for your craft. Have you ever considered/tried up sizing to say a 4",5" or 6" blade for pike fishing ? Custom blanks and molds I suppose? Any thoughts or suggestions? Again very nice work!

Thanks Hillbilly for you help and suggestions. The possibilities are endless and the creative juices are activated. I can see a lot of time in the shop happening real soon. Thanks again.

Smalljaw. I certainly will. I mainly target pike so build my baits with1/2oz 5/8 and 3/4 oz heads to stabilize the larger blades that I like to use. 7,6,5's. It will be interesting to see how everything turns out with this style head.If it works I will also try to down size the blades and wire frame for shallower fishing and a different fish chasing bait presentation. Starting holidays tomorrow for a month so lots of time building/finishing and yes even fishing. Correction on the previous note : should read hobby addiction. Thanks again for your continued support and for doing so many great videos. I have learned a ton of stuff from your efforts and you have advanced my building style/comfort level immensely. Thanks to all whom endlessly contribute to the betterment of this craft and great site.

Thanks guys for your insight and opinions. i like the tubing idea for a test spacer to see if I can get the blade rotation to start and hold up. I was thinking along the lines of using a thread ball and changing its position on the shaft to get this figured out. If that works I will use a thread ball and a heavy chenille yarn ball winding and add scent to it as an added attractant. The two blade upper wire is definitely an awesome rebuild idea. I will post my results once I get a chance to get back to these. As always you guys and this site are top notch.Can't say enough about being able to be a part of it as a member and hopefully contribute to this great hobby addition. Cheers.

Sorry guys only one image came through.I will look at the stirup clevis hole to wire size as a possible drag causing the blade to stall.The blade dose rotate easily with a bit of hand movement rotation in the air at the bench.Just not in the water.Thanks for your help.

Sorry for the unclear description smalljaw. I am attempting to put up some pics. All of what you have said makes sense.I may also have to move the blade and beads further up front of the head. Hope the pics come through.

Thanks again .Hopefully the air velocity will generate enough pressure to start the blades and a water test will be the final check. Still a bit peculiar having that lazy blade . Will try and get a pic up of the lures to show you what Im working with. Something obvious to others may jump out that I am missing.

Thanks Mark thats a great tip. Never thought of using air. Will save a lot of trips to the river bank.