Do they really?.....

[j.burch]

On 5/13/2017 at 10:41 AM, mark poulson said:

And the winner is????

The top is glass and the bottom and salt  the glass came out better in my opinion   

[Apdriver]

On 5/11/2017 at 1:24 AM, MonteSS said:

 

That is why the baits are dull and less transparent then

I think there are some guys that have these essential molds that have developed a method with these molds to make smooth baits. What they have done is tape over the cavities then using an exacto knife, cut the tape off the cavity. Afterwards, use a high temp engine paint and spray the cavities. Maybe several coats but until the finish is smooth. Then peel the tape off the face of your molds. Shoot as normal but produce smooth baits.

[AZ Fisher]

 

[edgecrusher]

On 5/14/2017 at 11:58 AM, mark poulson said:

Bear in mind I am a hobby pourer, and pour only a couple of days a month.

I spray the barrel of my injector between loads with Spray PAM, and, although I hear the glass medium as I push the plunger, the O rings have held up for three years+ so far.

I must use the wrong rings! I chew mine out constantly! without additives in the plastic!

[Baitjunkys]

Its the media, you need to use non recycled media as it is not crushed and pointy, Only use media that is spheres.

 

[mark poulson]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/8-LBS-Glass-Bead-Medium-Grit-MIL-SPEC-8-70-100-grit-Sand-Blasting-Abrasive-/111672165459?hash=item1a002e0453:g:VocAAOxydgZTKU6c

[Tiderunner]

Because of this thread, I just ordered a "trial size" of the glass media. 3lbs to start.

When do you add it to the plastic? Before you heat it? Before you pour? Any time in between whenever you feel like it?

 

[mark poulson]

I add it before the first time I heat the plastic to 350.

It probably wouldn't hurt to add it after the plastic has been heated the first time.  Just stir it in well, and reheat to pouring temps.

[bryanmc]

My experience is that it clumps if you add it to heated plastic and becomes a real pain to get mixed properly.  I always add salt and / or gbm to raw plastic before heating.

[j.burch]

What is GBM?  I keep seeing post about it but don't have a clue to what it is or what it does?

 

[j.burch]

Never mind....as soon as I posted that, it hit me...LOL!!  GBM = Glass Bead Material?  LOL....GEEEZZZZ im such a dork!!!

 

[Cub48]

I have the the do-it mold and i do not like the finish on my worms the fish may not care but i do i like a smooth shiny finish

i tried the paint process on the mold it helped some but not like i like. The mold works great but not my cup of tea!!Cub48

[j.burch]

On 6/1/2017 at 4:11 AM, Cub48 said:

I have the the do-it mold and i do not like the finish on my worms the fish may not care but i do i like a smooth shiny finish

i tried the paint process on the mold it helped some but not like i like. The mold works great but not my cup of tea!!Cub48

Yes sir...I do not like the finished look of the stick bait with the DO-IT molds...I spent a little money and got a BT5 - stick bait mold from  Basstackel and it was night and day difference....I do like the DO-IT lizard mold thou.  

[Senkosam]

On 5/8/2017 at 8:34 PM, Anglinarcher said:

First, NO, transparent is not necessary to catch fish, but Senkos are, by nature a finesse bait.

Finesse baits have been proven to be more effective if they are understated in color or super realistic.  Transparent is a great way to go understated. 

No, fish are not art critics, but they are programed to compare what they eat with what they are observing to eat.  Transparent gives them less cues to turn them off.  Pretty tough to pour super realistic and in many of our experiences transparent seems to give less negative cues.

Still, opaque colors will catch fish.  Black is, by nature pretty understated though.

Execellent !

 

My current investigation is discovering designs that fall into the finesse category. The only thing I differ with the above is the match-the-hatch comparison to the real thing. I do believe fish are programmed to respond to many different design cues - subtle or not - and that color is of importance only to enhance a lure's motions-by-design.

Finesse covers a large range of lure actions that server to provoke fish to strike vs convince a lure is one prey animal or another. There are just too many examples of lure designs that act and look like nothing in nature. Negative cues that distract fish from a lure's action intended to cause fish tantrums, result in a lure being melted down to make one that causes a tantrum as exhibited by hard strikes or repeated strikes on the same retrieve.

Rather than ever use transparent soft plastics, I prefer translucent colors with flakes (flash or dark flakes), though there are a few bright opaque colors that do fine in most designs.  If there are any negative cues that put off the strike, lure design and presentation are by far more important considerations than color. W

hen discussing what makes a bait a finesse bait, design parameters include action parts (body, tail, legs, etc.) but also lure softness as it affects the whole lure when twitched or dropped vertically as in the case of the Senko or other bottom hopping lure and of course lure size and the size of action parts.

Lure size per species fished is more specific than size alone. A 5" Senko would be considered a finesse lure in action and size for bass but not for pan fish whereas a 2" soft plastic lure rigged on a light jighead would be considered finesse for any species or size fish.  Last year I caught a 7 lb channel cat on a Joker grub for example.

Though I have caught hundreds of fish on black jig trailers, black or grape is not a color I prefer for finesse lures rigged on light ball head jigs - the combination being my most successful catching any fish species. I like subtle translucent colors that pique a fish's interest against a background that is tinted with algae or tanin stain as well as against the bottom.

Very slow moving lures sometimes require the absence of the negative cues as quoted above because fish have a lot more time to consider if the lure is worth the energy to attack. A slight bit of flash may be the ticket in a lure that has other attributes going for it  and my confidence level is at it's maximum using colors that fit into a small group that I believe add to a lure's attraction.

You gotta attract them and hold their attention before you can catch 'em!

 

 

 

 

Edited June 19, 2017 by Senkosam

[Anglinarcher]

Sam, I think you are heading in the right direction, but I think you need to think this one through a bit longer. 

I read the above as and attempt to convince yourself, not answer questions on a post that had been dead.

Still, for the most part, I think we agree with you.

[smallmouthaholic]

5 hours ago, Senkosam said:

 

"You gotta attract them and hold their attention before you can catch 'em! "

1- Location

2-Seasonal pattern/water temperature/weather conditions

3- Preferred artificial presentations within that seasonal pattern pattern

4- water color,stain/sunlight/cloudy

5- Fishing pressure

 

1-5 are paramount for prime consideration for success prior to any artificial bait presentation.

 

[Senkosam]

I agree with everything except fishing pressure.  Fishing pressure to me happens when anglers take fish from spots everyone know about leaving those spots fishless. (For the life of me I can't figure out why some local tournament anglers pre-fish small waters a tournament is held on within a few days of the tourney.)  Even lakes that have anglers that fish them more often than others, I trust my  knowing the water and 1-4 to ensure me catching fish.

As to the post, I think I answered each statement.  :

Do the the natural colors on senkos really need to be transparent in order to catch fish?  Black isn't so why are the natural colors?   Colors don't need to be "natural"  ( if there is such a thing ) and what about  black leeches or black silhouettes against a sky when fish are looking up? Color is over rated.

Also, when making a black with blue flake, what color of blue flake are you guys using?  I have Navy Blue, Canadian Blue and Royal Blue.       Like fish care!

 

Edited June 19, 2017 by Senkosam

[Senkosam]

On 5/8/2017 at 8:34 PM, Anglinarcher said:

Finesse baits have been proven to be more effective if they are understated in color or super realistic.  Transparent is a great way to go understated. 

Not in my experience.

[Anglinarcher]

32 minutes ago, Senkosam said:

Not in my experience.

You should have your own fishing show on TV.

[Anglinarcher]

36 minutes ago, Senkosam said:

Not in my experience.

Are you still trying to convince me or convince yourself? 

[Senkosam]

Can I assume you've been fishing with your own lures for a long time? You have tried different lure designs in different colors and sizes on different fish species?  If you've produced and fished only lures based on "natural" and  "realistic" properties, than you have convinced yourself that such is the only attributes that get fish to strike.  I stopped making believe that  that was the case years ago.

I've proven to myself the ideas I presented once I started making and testing lures - first from molds I bought, to molds I made and, within the last few years,  different designs I've come up - some not needing a mold. If you think fish pay close attention to a lure's details, comparing it to something in real life, I would classify that as self-deception - yours, not the fish's.

On the other hand, if you believe fish senses are stimulated by various basic attributes lures have by design, then we're on the same page.  Natural and realism  are human concepts fish don't possess as proven by the hundreds of unnatural and unrealistic designs and colors that catch hundreds of fish.  

I present ideas for consideration based on many experiences and experiments with many lures, not to preach or argue  concepts, but for lure maker-anglers to simply see for themselves if they so chose anytime they fish or if others use their lures and report back. I have and gotten reports from anglers in different states acknowledging the lures I sent them did well.

...and no, I don't sell lures.

We agree to disagree.

Edited June 20, 2017 by Senkosam

[FATFLATTIE]

On 5/13/2017 at 4:53 PM, smallmouthaholic said:

My 2 cents-

1-Too much coloring will make the baits cloudy regardless of GBM or salt

2-Use finely ground salt ( Bear''s Ultra fine) and you sticks will last longer

"Glass beads are like a fine talcum powder. They are actually sand so no harm "

3- GBM will scratch/score the rubber quad ring,the edge of the plunger and the interior of the injector.They are not like finely ground talcum powder. Why are they called glass bead media?"?

Montee SS states that GMB is sand. If that is true then why does my original mix of salt and sand  NOT scratch the interiors of my injector for the past 8 years. Bass could care less if your sticks are clear,transparent or translucent.

He was stating that glass is sand as far as health is concerned. And glass is literally nothing but sand, no debate about it. And he clearly stated that they will scratch the inside of your injector and noted it as a "negative" to their use. 

 

About the blue flake, I use Canadian blue (I think I'll have to check) in one of my black colors that absolutely kills the fish where I'm at. I use small Canadian blue flake and large silver flake together and it works really really well for me. If you're wanting a bait like almost everybody else has when making black and blue flake then the royal blue I believe is what you're looking for. I will check my flakes tomorrow afternoon when I get up and make sure for ya.

Edited June 20, 2017 by FATFLATTIE

[FATFLATTIE]

It is actually ocean blue from Do-It that is the lighter colored small blue flake (like a Carolina blue) and it was Royal blue flake from Bait Junkies that is like the blue flake found in almost all "black with blue flake" baits.

[Baitjunkys]

10 hours ago, FATFLATTIE said:

It is actually ocean blue from Do-It that is the lighter colored small blue flake (like a Carolina blue) and it was Royal blue flake from Bait Junkies that is like the blue flake found in almost all "black with blue flake" baits.

I got Ocean as well, it is the best blue IMO, makes a bait really pop..

[FATFLATTIE]

Yeah, the ocean blue looks good in a lot of different base colors. I really really like using the small ocean blue with a large silver flake in a black bait. I catch the crap out of fish on that color on everything from finesse worms to senkos to punching baits. It just really works in all different kinds of water.