Pork Fat

[bluegrasslover]

I picked up some netbait super t-macs (basically big trick worms) at a fishing expo today. They say they contain salt, scent (anise), and pork fat. Anybody ever try putting any kind of fat in their baits? Is it for scent?

I also picked up some stick baits with hook slots that look pretty cool.

Greg

[gone2long]

Delmart sells the stik bait mold with a hook slot, and no I never heard of pork fat being used, unless its smoked like bacon I don't see it being used for scent and if it is I would think it would overpower any other scent that was added.

Chris

[longhorn]

V&M has used pork fat for years. Here's some of their advertising I got off Land Big Fish.com I can't find a site for V&M.

ATTRACTANTS: OK, sure they smell, but once again it's simple: non only are fish not blind, but they can smell and taste, too. Early on we discovered that Pork Fat cooked into every V&M bait not only attracted fish but made them hang onto our baits longer. The process of actually cooking the pork fat and other ingredients in the bait means that fishermen are assured that they are getting the right amount of attractant on every bait, plus there's none of this spraying or squirting in. Fishermen go fishing to fish, not spend their day treating bait with an attractant that eventually washes off anyway.

Edited January 10, 2010 by longhorn

[bluegrasslover]

V&M has used pork fat for years. Here's some of their advertising I got off Land Big Fish.com I can't find a site for V&M.

ATTRACTANTS: OK, sure they smell, but once again it's simple: non only are fish not blind, but they can smell and taste, too. Early on we discovered that Pork Fat cooked into every V&M bait not only attracted fish but made them hang onto our baits longer. The process of actually cooking the pork fat and other ingredients in the bait means that fishermen are assured that they are getting the right amount of attractant on every bait, plus there's none of this spraying or squirting in. Fishermen go fishing to fish, not spend their day treating bait with an attractant that eventually washes off anyway.

I guess it just proves what I've always thought that everybody loves bacon!

[WorstHunterEver]

V&M has used pork fat for years. Here's some of their advertising I got off Land Big Fish.com I can't find a site for V&M.

ATTRACTANTS: OK, sure they smell, but once again it's simple: non only are fish not blind, but they can smell and taste, too. Early on we discovered that Pork Fat cooked into every V&M bait not only attracted fish but made them hang onto our baits longer. The process of actually cooking the pork fat and other ingredients in the bait means that fishermen are assured that they are getting the right amount of attractant on every bait, plus there's none of this spraying or squirting in. Fishermen go fishing to fish, not spend their day treating bait with an attractant that eventually washes off anyway.

website for V&M:

My link

[bluegrasslover]

website for V&M:

My link

Thanks. They have some nice looking baits.

[bluegrasslover]

Anybody have an idea about amounts of fat one would put in a recipe?

Reason I ask. Last year I was fishing an overflow from the bank. I wasn't having any luck at all. I saw a worm that someone lost in the rocks. It was one of the netbaits. I'd never heard of them. I decided to use it and I caught 2 bass almost immediately. The fishing expo I went to is the only time I've ever seen them for sale so had to buy some.

[t-billy]

I was thinking of trying the pork fat thing myself. I'm a big fan of Net Baits paca craw. Those flappy claws draw lots of bites. I don't know how much the pork fat helps because I soak all my craws in bang pure craw. I rig the middle size paca on a baby boo jig and bass eat it. I've reeled up more than one backlash to find either a fish on,or my jig laying 20' from where it landed. I wonder if the fat softens the plastic as well as give it flavour? Might be why the claws flap harder than other brands I've tried.

[njones]

I know my buddy's friend throws a pice of bacon in with his rubber worms when bass fishing. He uses a strip of bacon and just throws it in package with the worms and goes. Never heard of it let alone seen it before, but it sure worked. So I tried it for bluegill and worked pretty well.

[carolinamike]

Guys the way they're probably incorporating the pork fat into the plastic is by melting or rendering out the grease, in other words, frying it. Then you can actually take the pork grease and pour it into your liquid plastisol. This is an oil so it should blend nicely. If you don't want to put it into your plastisol, then pour it over your mustard or collard greens right before cooking for seasoning. Tastes delicious! Fish and people love Southern cooking.

[bluegrasslover]

Guys the way they're probably incorporating the pork fat into the plastic is by melting or rendering out the grease, in other words, frying it. Then you can actually take the pork grease and pour it into your liquid plastisol. This is an oil so it should blend nicely. If you don't want to put it into your plastisol, then pour it over your mustard or collard greens right before cooking for seasoning. Tastes delicious! Fish and people love Southern cooking.

Southern cooking is the best. I remember my mom and grandma always had a pot of bacon grease in the fridge for seasoning the collards, peas, butter beans....pretty much any vegetable. Delicious.

I'm with you on the fat. I think if one would want to try this it would be with some good ole lard which I guess it is the solidified rendered fat (maybe that bacon grease from mom's fridge). I'm going to pick some up and try it. Another bonus for pouring your own baits.

njones, maybe you should get some bacon strips and dip them in some plastisol for your buddy. mmmmmm bacon worms....

[bluegrasslover]

Guys the way they're probably incorporating the pork fat into the plastic is by melting or rendering out the grease, in other words, frying it. Then you can actually take the pork grease and pour it into your liquid plastisol. This is an oil so it should blend nicely. If you don't want to put it into your plastisol, then pour it over your mustard or collard greens right before cooking for seasoning. Tastes delicious! Fish and people love Southern cooking.

I got some real lard and tried it out last night. I put 1 tbs in 1/4 cup of plastic scraps. As expected, it lightened the color. I'm not sure if the lard is buoyant or not but the worms still floated. I don't know if the bass will like the lard smell or not but it's certainly in there. Bonus is that the worms are slightly slick so they probably don't need any worm oil at all. I'm going to hold on to these and try them out when it gets a little warmer. I'll let you know.

Greg

[carolinamike]

I got some real lard and tried it out last night. I put 1 tbs in 1/4 cup of plastic scraps. As expected, it lightened the color. I'm not sure if the lard is buoyant or not but the worms still floated. I don't know if the bass will like the lard smell or not but it's certainly in there. Bonus is that the worms are slightly slick so they probably don't need any worm oil at all. I'm going to hold on to these and try them out when it gets a little warmer. I'll let you know.

Greg

Greg, I'm glad to hear that the pork fat incorporated into the plastic well. The only thing is, the store bought processed lard is nothing like the old timey lard that Grandpa and Grandma used to make at home. I think you'd be better off frying some slices of salt pork and then using that grease in the plastic. You get the pork flavor plus the added salt. I believe rendering this out would be closer to the homemade stuff.

[bluegrasslover]

Greg, I'm glad to hear that the pork fat incorporated into the plastic well. The only thing is, the store bought processed lard is nothing like the old timey lard that Grandpa and Grandma used to make at home. I think you'd be better off frying some slices of salt pork and then using that grease in the plastic. You get the pork flavor plus the added salt. I believe rendering this out would be closer to the homemade stuff.

You are correct. I used a hydrogenated product which I'm quite sure that my grandma Sadie Belle made. Now that I know it works maybe I can find the real thing or make some myself. Nahunta (you're probably familiar with them being a NC man) has a pork "outlet" at the farmer's market in Raleigh. I'm betting they have some of the real stuff in there.

Greg

[Artificial All The Way]

You might want to do a few tests before adding this stuff to a big batch. Fats that turn solid at room temps (bacon fat) as well as oils from foods (fish oils) can and will go rancid if not properly processed. Add some of whatever you want to add to your baits and then put them in bags. Put some in the sunshine on the counter and some in the shade for a couple weeks at room temp and you have a science project.

WARNING: open the bags outside.

[hawghunterbaits]

Stik bait stink baits HUMMMMMMMM!

[Tubeman]

Also, be carefull how much pork fat you put in as it will exude/leech out of your baits in a month or so if you put to much in. Plastisols will accept oils, but only so much.

[COBRA]

wow, i used pork fat and advertised with it probally up until 2004 so about 5 years i used it. i stopped using it, the baits would leach it eventually, and it would look like crap on a store wall. discolors light colors, pork fat eventually rots and will turn rancid. yes the baits caught fish, but not any better than my normal scent. if you want to use it, go to the butcher, and ask for straight pork fat. if you have to pay for it find another butcher! we would take a big cast iron skillet and just melt it and strain it. then throw it in the freezer in containers to solidify it. as far as amount, not much! maybe a teaspoon to table spoon per 1.5-2 cups of plastic. like i said it will leach out. i actually have a few containers in the freezer of fat i made over the past year for some testing on a project. but in no way do i think or consider it the best scent out there. i would store it in a container and have it on the pouring station and it would sit there fine. so give it a shot, it works ok. i have some of my early baits in my collection with the old label and pork in them, i should post a pic of what the stuff looks like leached. just like how i cut out almost all the salt in my baits except for sticks, i barely use any, its a filler and a advertising game. people think they need salt. why do you think stick baits rip and fall apart? you have a filler that makes the molecular bond of the plastic very weak, its like a sponge, but all the holes have a piece of salt, which disolves in water, so they get weak and come apart. larew had the big deal over salt for years. i dont find my baits to work any different now a days or catch less fish, i think they actually work better, and of course floating plastic floats better when salt(a form of rock) isnt waying it down.

[mark poulson]

Steve Merlo, THE hand pouring genius out west here, shakes popcorn salt over the top of his baits after he pours the, but while they're still hot, and says it soaks in enough to create a salty "cloud" around the bait for 20+- minutes.  Fish eat his baits, and don't spit them out.  Robo has a similar automated system for dusting their worms with salt, and fish eat Robo worms.

Gary Yamamoto said he helped Gene Larew make a lot of money by having to pay for using Gene's salt inclusion idea.

In all my years of fishing, the only baits that fish hold longer than Senkos and Ikas are live baits.

So I add salt to my soft plastics, in varying amounts.  A little goes a long way for flavor.

I am going to add some bacon fat to a small batch of plastics.  Even if they don't get bit, I can still enjoy coffee and bacon on the boat, since I use coffee for a scent, too.

Seriously, I am a hobby pourer, so I can play around just for fun.  If they do get bit, I will keep the baits out of the heat, because I don't want them to turn rancid, and I'll store them in the frig in the warmer weather.  It's not a problem now, with temps at 33 at night, and a roaring 55 during the day.  Hahaha

Edited December 19, 2015 by mark poulson

[Big Ray]

Yeah I like that video Mark. Merlo calls the Popcorn salt Bass Crack.