Mountain Man 26 Posted April 17, 2011 Report Share Posted April 17, 2011 Just wondering what thoughts and opinions some of you might have about Hollow Belly Molds. How close are they to a "true" dipped bait? How close is the action to the original trix? Who makes the best mold? Thanks for any replies. I would love to see some pictures of your work or links to it. Thanks as always. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patrick reif Posted April 17, 2011 Report Share Posted April 17, 2011 I have the Basstackle mold with the single rod. It does a nice swimbait, and I really like being able to dip the rod in a darker color to get a core shot. I use Polyone soft to shoot this, but have found a need to add a touch of softener in order to get the action and feel I want. The space between the bait head and core rod is nice and thick and allows a secure area for the hitchhiker to be screwed in. The paddletail produces a nice thump, and I have great hopes with this bait for muskies this year in the summer weeds The only real complaint I have with the finished bait is that the rod is a bit small(narrow). It leaves quite a bit of belly plastic to cut through in order to form the hook slot. That's nit picking, but you asked. Bears mold uses a wider blade and it should eliminate that "problem". I doubt you could go wrong with either mold. I'm heading to the shop in a bit to shoot some worms. I'll try to dig up some swimbaits and take a picture Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mountain Man 26 Posted April 17, 2011 Author Report Share Posted April 17, 2011 Thanks Patrick for the info! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SHK Posted April 18, 2011 Report Share Posted April 18, 2011 Thanks Patrick for the info! i own three different hollow body molds. they all shoot great. the slick shad (i think) and the pot belly from basstackle i havent fished yet, but they look like they will fish great. the rods are fairly easy to remove as well. Bears i have been fishing for the last year. it can be a little more difficult to remove the insert. it also fishes awesome. i like how much easier the basstackle rods are to remove from the bait, but, they only leave a little hollow cavity (which seems like enough to let the bait collapse), where as bears is a little harder to remove the insert, it make the same type of hollow cavity the basstrix baits have and performs very well. none of the baits look like a dipped bait out of the mold. i paint them, put eyes on them, then dip in clear. after the dip they look close to a true dipped bait Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mountain Man 26 Posted April 18, 2011 Author Report Share Posted April 18, 2011 Thanks for the info This helps alot! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
powerworm Posted April 18, 2011 Report Share Posted April 18, 2011 SHK if you will take some scotch brite pad and work it on the edges of the inserts really well it will smooth them up alot and i found mine to be loads easier to remove after having done it!! i do the same as SHK but i only have bears so i cant speak of the others!1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SHK Posted April 18, 2011 Report Share Posted April 18, 2011 SHK if you will take some scotch brite pad and work it on the edges of the inserts really well it will smooth them up alot and i found mine to be loads easier to remove after having done it!! i do the same as SHK but i only have bears so i cant speak of the others!1 done that, its because it has more surface area than the BT brass rods. and the brass is polished. a little worm oil on bears inserts helps a ton as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TBaits Posted April 29, 2011 Report Share Posted April 29, 2011 (edited) I have had a couple of the Bear's ones and they shot really well. Making the "core shot" is a great addition to the baits too. More versatile than some of the other types of molds. You can do so much with swimbaits as far as eyes, core colors, paints, dipping, etc. Edited April 29, 2011 by TBaits Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blanx Posted May 21, 2011 Report Share Posted May 21, 2011 (edited) I have had a couple of the Bear's ones and they shot really well. Making the "core shot" is a great addition to the baits too. More versatile than some of the other types of molds. You can do so much with swimbaits as far as eyes, core colors, paints, dipping, etc. i dont mean to hijack this post but what kinda forumal are you all using. i have made these several ways an they rip and get torn easy. store bought seem to hold up a bit better. just currious. i like the action of the super soft but 1 fish 1 bait doesn't work for me. btw great pics. i love my hollow belly mold. i have a few inserts if im only doing a few i leave the insert inside the bait put my eyes on and use it to dip them. if i make a bunch i oil the insert each time before i shoot it comes out with no problem. Edited May 21, 2011 by blanx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
