Cost to make lures?

[JerryHargis]

I know there are a lot of variables, but what's a ballpark range for the cost to make a soft plastic lure? Let's say a 6" senko style worm for instance. My son is wanting to start making lures to sell, trying to decide of all the upfront cost is worth it.

Thanks

[Anyfish]

It really depends upon a lot of things, however here would be an example for injection baits.

Mold - $35 for Do-It Essential Series Mold (molds range widely in price depending upon what you want) 

Plastisol - Varies by Brand and size - $50 Gallon 

Colorant and Glitter - $15 total (a few basic colors)

Tools - Injector, clamps,  etc - $70

Total for above - $170.  Some places sell kits so you could get certain products combined and lower the cost.  Like many hobbies 1 mold turns into 10 and 1 color turns into 20 and on and on.  All the molds and tools are resuable so cost goes down in theory.  If you look around you can find sales or used stuff.

In the end do I save money making baits, not even close.  Would I get into the hobby again, 100x over.  

[Bass-Boys]

you also need,,,,, 

 Safety equipment and other stuff .

 Good ventilation is very important . exhaust fans,

 Respirator, gloves,  

 Microwave , cups, stirs, temp gauge, measure spoons,

 If you plan to sell ----   you will need multiple molds -- this saves time.. a lot of time ,, and molds get hot so you can use others while some cool off . Time is money , 

 There is more stuff needed also , but that's a good list  

[Judgie]

After you have purchased all needed supplies a 6 in worm will be about $0.15 ea in material.

[Anglinarcher]

Great responses above, and all true, especially the 100x over.  LOL

I don't make lures to sale, I make lures to get what I can't get over the counter.  For example, in the early 80's I could get a clear 4" curly tail that was heavily loaded with silver flake, very heavy.  That soft plastic caught me 100's of fish in Colorado, but ...... it apparently was locally made and the small sports shop I got them from stop selling them.  That started a cascade of issues for me.

Now I have hundreds of dollars bait making materials, and I have not stopped yet.  OUCH!

[Hillbilly voodoo]

Lure making will cost you time, your sanity and probably even your soul lol

I don’t even want to know what it has cost me money wise over the years.

[Les Young]

Figure out what plastisol you're going to use at a cost per gallon basis then divide that into how many ounces per shot it takes to make the senkos. Most everything i make i do  either  4 or 6 ounces at a time so i could easily figure it up as far as how much the plastisol costs per shot, but don't forget about covering   the cost of glitter, colorant, hardner, softner etc. on top of that to get a good close idea. That's not figuring anything for your time, federal excise tax or any other cost that may go along with it.

[Anyfish]

I almost forgot, once you find the plastisol you like, try and find/buy it in as larger quantity as you will use and can afford.  In the end it is cheaper.  The price per quart may be $15 while the 5 gallon may be $150.  Just one idea to reduce your overall costs.  

[Ed Brabant]

Way way too much money! If you want to work for less than minimum wage you will need a bunch of molds. Pouring by the cup will not make you any money. I have a specific bait that I love to throw. I have 11 molds 2 cavity open pour. That's 22 baits per cycle. And I would still not make any money if I sold the baits. It's a great costly hobby. I also paint hard baits and that's bigger money pit.

[hpssports]

If you're going into it as a business, the up front cost is going to be a lot in order to be competitive. You'll never make enough to make it worth your time if you just have a few cavities of a off the shelf design & getting plastic by the 1-5 gallons.

[Travis]

On 5/25/2021 at 2:31 PM, Ed Brabant said:

Way way too much money! If you want to work for less than minimum wage you will need a bunch of molds. Pouring by the cup will not make you any money. I have a specific bait that I love to throw. I have 11 molds 2 cavity open pour. That's 22 baits per cycle. And I would still not make any money if I sold the baits. It's a great costly hobby. I also paint hard baits and that's bigger money pit.

I used to hand pour a lot of baits.  I easily beat minimum wage then and now if we use $15/hr rate trying to be passed.  

As far as someone wanting to make lures to make a few dollars, easy enough to do even after paying Uncle Sam.  I never was into trying to do poor man production and compete with Zoom, Berkley, etc... and I was never trying to make it a business.  

Edited May 31, 2021 by Travis

[alsworms]

I stopped in a local tackle shop a few days ago and boy have things changed.  I haven't been in there in probably a decade and was shocked at the number of soft plastic companies out there.  I'm guessing 50 percent I haven't even heard of.  Might be a good thing, though, because I bought several packs of unknown baits.  Who knows, right?  

I know this isn't a "cost per lure" thing, but rather an "is it worth it with all the competition" now, but hey.......if you've got something that's solid and will catch a fisherman's eye (like it did with me,) I say get after it!