Internal Reinforcement For Soft Baits

[Piscivorous Pike]

I have been fishing soft plastics by nose hooking and the plastic is giving out and lures are coming off.

I know one company reinforces the noses of their baits with a harder plastic.

I made lure locks and they help but there has to be something better. link: Inexpensive lure locks

I tried folding screen into a V and that lets me hook top and bottom or side to side. But the screen slips sometimes when pouring or proturdes and looks ugly.

I tried braided cord. The plastic does not penetrate it, just imbeds it. And it moves around to much when pouring.

I tried to roll the screen into a tube and that did not work well until I took a strip and wrapped a pencil on an angle like a barber pole. I glued the overlaps with dots of super glue.

I cut these off into little screen tubes that are easier to position while pouring.

BBC offered an idea of using washers inside the lure. It works good.

What experience do the rest of you have?

[MTfishingrods]

I have been fishing soft plastics by nose hooking and the plastic is giving out and lures are coming off.

I know one company reinforces the noses of their baits with a harder plastic.

I made lure locks and they help but there has to be something better. link: Inexpensive lure locks

I tried folding screen into a V and that lets me hook top and bottom or side to side. But the screen slips sometimes when pouring or proturdes and looks ugly.

I tried braided cord. The plastic does not penetrate it, just imbeds it. And it moves around to much when pouring.

I tried to roll the screen into a tube and that did not work well until I took a strip and wrapped a pencil on an angle like a barber pole. I glued the overlaps with dots of super glue.

I cut these off into little screen tubes that are easier to position while pouring.

BBC offered an idea of using washers inside the lure. It works good.

What experience do the rest of you have?

I stopped worrying about having plastics destroyed about the time I started pouring my own. If they are lost on a fish then great, they did their job. If they start to tear or get destroyed then they get remelted and poured over again. You start adding different things to the plastic like fiberglass mesh and screens it gets harder to remelt. Just my opinion.

[Piscivorous Pike]

I stopped worrying about having plastics destroyed about the time I started pouring my own. ..

I agree with you, Shane, to a point. I am only adding about 1 inch of material in the head of the 9 inch pike jerk bait. I believe you may be refering to reinforcing the whole thing to make it last all day. Even if you do not make your own tossing them out is why they are sold by the bag!

As you know those fish are a life support system for TEETH! and with the very soft Calhoun plastic the baits do not last long. I had one I kept chopping an inch or so at a time off each time it got pulverized and before long it was 3 inches short and that changed the presentation immensly.

When these are shot I only have to pinch off the head, about an inch and I can remelt the bait without anything messin' up the process. The laminate two color I cut and seperate the colors for remelting.

Edited December 15, 2009 by Piscivorous Pike

[GB GONE]

I can't remember who offered this up years ago but I know it works good. Cut a dryer sheet in a strip to go in your lure. It can be as wide as the bait and as long as the bait or just up in the front of the bait.

Works GREAT and is CHEAP!!!!

Jim

[Piscivorous Pike]

I can't remember who offered this up years ago but I know it works good. Cut a dryer sheet in a strip to go in your lure. It can be as wide as the bait and as long as the bait or just up in the front of the bait.

Works GREAT and is CHEAP!!!!

Jim

Ah ha! I know what you are talking about, thanks, Jim. That material is almost a cross between fabric and paper and is porous and appears to be pressed like a felt.

From a fabric store a seam tape, "seams great", is made of similiar looking material, stronger though and already available as a roll in varyous widths. Bet that would work too!

[nova]

I have been fishing soft plastics by nose hooking and the plastic is giving out and lures are coming off.

I know one company reinforces the noses of their baits with a harder plastic.

I made lure locks and they help but there has to be something better. link: Inexpensive lure locks

I tried folding screen into a V and that lets me hook top and bottom or side to side. But the screen slips sometimes when pouring or proturdes and looks ugly.

I tried braided cord. The plastic does not penetrate it, just imbeds it. And it moves around to much when pouring.

I tried to roll the screen into a tube and that did not work well until I took a strip and wrapped a pencil on an angle like a barber pole. I glued the overlaps with dots of super glue.

I cut these off into little screen tubes that are easier to position while pouring.

BBC offered an idea of using washers inside the lure. It works good.

What experience do the rest of you have?

If you want an easy way to nose hook a bait all you need is a bunch of split rings.

I'm assuming you are pouring in an open mold. As soo as you pour the bait grab a split ring with a pair of tweezers and drop it flat into the position that you want it. When you rig your bait just pass the hook right through the ring. I think you will find that this will hold the hook without hindering the action of the bait.

The best part of this is that once the bait gets too ripped up to fish you just take out the ring an re-use it.

www.novalures.com

[nova]

Sorry for the double post. If the mods want to remove one that would help.

Nil

[Patrick]

I have been fishing soft plastics by nose hooking and the plastic is giving out and lures are coming off.

I know one company reinforces the noses of their baits with a harder plastic.

I made lure locks and they help but there has to be something better. link: Inexpensive lure locks

I tried folding screen into a V and that lets me hook top and bottom or side to side. But the screen slips sometimes when pouring or proturdes and looks ugly.

I tried braided cord. The plastic does not penetrate it, just imbeds it. And it moves around to much when pouring.

I tried to roll the screen into a tube and that did not work well until I took a strip and wrapped a pencil on an angle like a barber pole. I glued the overlaps with dots of super glue.

I cut these off into little screen tubes that are easier to position while pouring.

BBC offered an idea of using washers inside the lure. It works good.

What experience do the rest of you have?

I pour a "screw lock" insert into the nose of my slugs and sluggos

I then nose hook the bait through the front attachment section of screw lock

P~

[Piscivorous Pike]

If you want an easy way to nose hook a bait all you need is a bunch of split rings.

I'm assuming you are pouring in an open mold. As soo as you pour the bait grab a split ring with a pair of tweezers and drop it flat into the position that you want it. When you rig your bait just pass the hook right through the ring. I think you will find that this will hold the hook without hindering the action of the bait.

The best part of this is that once the bait gets too ripped up to fish you just take out the ring an re-use it.

www.novalures.com

BBC sent me a PM and he uses a washer the same way. Very good idea!

I pour a "screw lock" insert into the nose of my slugs and sluggos

I then nose hook the bait through the front attachment section of screw lock

P~

I tried to cast my screw locks in, but the angle of the nose caused them to slip and not line up, other wise it is also a very workable solution if you have the correct size locks on hand.

[Artificial All The Way]

I mostly use large sluggo type plastics. I pop the hook straight through the lure a half inch back from the hose and let the lure free hang. Tried all kinds of stuff inside then to help rip outs. Lots of stuff works. I found these plastic eye things with bards sticking out of the shaft while with my wife in a crafts store. They work great but you need to time the cooling so you can add then at the right time and have them suspend mid lure. Fiberglass in sheets as well as pulled apart as in strans and added in larger amounts also helps with this issue but again. More work not to mention that crap is nasty to work with. I itch just thinking about it. Any kind of clothe works as well.

But by far the easiest way I have found to stop rip outs is a double dipped head using stiffer plastic. I add some hardener to a small batch of a diff color or the same. Dip an inch of the head and I’m good to go. No effect on action and I didn’t have to play with other materials or parts. Just dip and hang. You can now also use much softer plastic for the lures for more action.

Pink head on my pearl white sluggo kicks Striper butt.

Jay

[bojon]

I mostly use large sluggo type plastics. I pop the hook straight through the lure a half inch back from the hose and let the lure free hang. Tried all kinds of stuff inside then to help rip outs. Lots of stuff works. I found these plastic eye things with bards sticking out of the shaft while with my wife in a crafts store. They work great but you need to time the cooling so you can add then at the right time and have them suspend mid lure. Fiberglass in sheets as well as pulled apart as in strans and added in larger amounts also helps with this issue but again. More work not to mention that crap is nasty to work with. I itch just thinking about it. Any kind of clothe works as well.

But by far the easiest way I have found to stop rip outs is a double dipped head using stiffer plastic. I add some hardener to a small batch of a diff color or the same. Dip an inch of the head and I’m good to go. No effect on action and I didn’t have to play with other materials or parts. Just dip and hang. You can now also use much softer plastic for the lures for more action.

Pink head on my pearl white sluggo kicks Striper butt.

Jay

[bojon]

I have used the dryer sheets for many years to reinforce balsa hard baits,and my soft plastics.It works great,but recommend that they are used first for their real purpose.This softenes the paper like fabric,and opens the weave to allow for penitration of glue,plastic,or what ever.It is free,cheap,and effective.Can't beat that.Email me

[Piscivorous Pike]

You fellows have given me great ideas and suggestions and I have been pouring baits and testing these out.

I have a big problem with shaking and my pours look so nasty because, I cannot keep it in the cavity. Walmart has a plastic measuring cup along with the Anchor glass cups. It will craze if you heat plastic in it although it says it is microwave proof but the lip is very good for pouring out of! I melt and cook in the glass and dump the glass into the plastic cups to pour. Or with a scissor cut down a soda can and bend it a little for a lip.

I fixed my laminations that came apart by pouring only a few of the belly and then while still very liquid and soft pour on the top. Sometimes I drop the reinforcement into the nose after the first pour of the belly color.

Some times I hook a jerk bait so to lay sideways. Swim baits and jerk baits hooked this way is novel and the fish have not seen it . It works good on pike and musky. This method is pioneered by D. Stange, In-Fisherman.

I need a reinforcement that is 3d to accomomdate hooking from two sides. Drier sheets are best for one direction of hooking. This is what I have tried.

I will use dryer sheets for a 2d hooking and it will work by placing between the top and bottom of my two piece molds, holding it in place with the two pieces.

I have cut fiber glass screen into 3/4 inch strips and wrap them barber pole style around the wire of a coat hanger after rubbing the hanger with bar soap. Then I touch super glue up one side down the other to the over laps, or if using a brush brush the whole side. I then work off a tube of screen and cut it at a 45 angle and set these in the nose, the angle matches the contour. I have tried pouring over it or adding on top of the first half pour.

If often touches the sides of the cavity and proatrudes. Looks bad but works good.

I have found coarse braided synthetic line, shoe laces too in nylon and poly. Usually it is @ 5/32 in diameter, 1/8 is too skinny.

These float so I put them on top of the first 1/2 pour. They move around when pouring, can be difficult to use.

Tulle, the material that bridal veils are made of and you use to paint fish scales with an air brush when making hard baits. Tulle is stiff, heavily startched and often you can roll it and it will hold its shape without the glue. Not as strong as screen but less visible, better looking lure.

Sctoch Bright scouring pad. Cutting a strip of this gives you a 3D piece that really can grip the molten plastic. The dark green blends well. It is easy to place and does not protrude when place correctly. It can be easily cut to any shape or size. A paper cutting board speed the process.

All these methods are good. So far the scotch brite is fastest and easiest to use. Looks best too.

Thank you all, your ideas refreshed my stuck brain, I have come up with some ideas to make new lures. One method is to make a two piece mold but to make the two halves perpendicular to the center line in lieu of the usual paralel.

I have designed a 9" swim bait. Not pretty but the lines are smooth. Using drills , 4 sizes, step it to be symetrical around a center line. A long tail shaft cylinder , a larger lower body diameter cylinder, a larger again thorax cylinder and then a short cylinder larger than the lower body, smaller than the thorax for a head. This is a stylized lure and the profile is always the same no matter the position viewing it. The tail fluke may be three shafts angling 60 degrees off the tail cylinder. Except the tail fluke, this could be cut into a block of pop with drills!

A line down the middle could make this tought for salt water or Esox s.

Because you made me think, I came up with fresh ideas. Some may even make it to a hook.

Thanks again.