SENKOSAM

M-F Mfg. or Lurecraft ultra soft plastic and Diamond fine salt. Figure out how fast you want the plastic to fall and add more or less fine salt to a specific amount of plastic (ie one or two cups). You won't need softener with ultra soft plastic and the salt will firm it up after cooling.

Pour part way in each cavity (80 percent) and top off after a short delay. 300 degree plastic has no problem fusing to cooler plastic in the cavity. If a bubble occurs, cut off the bubble end, place the stick back in the cavity and pour to the top. LC has silicone full-round stick molds. Ask Kim for details. Price is under $15 vs. metal, which goes for over $100. LC has good plastic and great service and is very comparable to M-F in price and shipping. Del's plastic has been inconsistent in quality.

Two very effective methods not mentioned for Fluke style jerkbaits are split shot and drop shot. Use a EWG hook and a split shot (size depending on depth) 1-2' up the line. This excels in shallow water and rocky bottoms and allows you to work water as fast or as slow as the fish want. Drop shotting can also be effective in the shallows and hopping the sinker on bottom makes the fluke dance and dart around. It can be nose hooked or T-rigged, depending on cover. As in split shot presentations, either a EWG hook or circle hook will work. I've caught crappie and perch on a dropshot fluke in 3' near a school. I also like Lunker City's Fin S Fin, soft minnow jerks. You never know what will clobber them.

1. Think cake batter or a little thinner. 2. Stir, stir, stir the bubbles to the sides of the container. Tap the container sharply on the table top to pop more bubbles. Use a popsickle stick or butter knife to be sure the water is well mixed and the plaster consistent. Coat the cavity with some kind of water soluble sealer and pour away in 30 min.! I molded #1 and #2 lures on Sunday for a friend.

Toys for boys. The basics will always be the key to catching bass some of which are: 1. Finding da Fish! 2. Using the right bait and presentation to find and catch fish. 3. All the other stuff that matters (ie sharp hooks, good line, good hook sets, adequate rod and reel, etc) I'd have to say that the majority of fish I catch are shallow and away from the boat on a long cast. Fancy electronics (even Biosonix) don't matter to me in most situations where the cast & search is 30' away. Better lures and line seem to have improved the sport, but only marginally for some, a great deal for others. I guess what it comes down to is that future innovations will help the marginal angler, but do little for the versatile angler that learns from experience, knows the waters he fishes and that can adapt to different situations. All else is toys for boys.

Give him an ultimatum: Either shut up and fish or stay home and take up golf. The less negative talk and the more questions asked and observations made, the more progress. Sometimes it's easy, much of the time it's not - there are no guarentees in fishing, or in any sport for that matter.

KISS (in computer terminology) and you've done just that! Going by what others say who've never fished the waters you fish, is like asking street directions from a tourist who's been to a big city once. The consensus is that all of us have, at one time or other, caught fish on a spectrum of colors. Take it for what it's worth, but my go-to colors are: Crankbaits bass pattern white/pearl firetiger (hasn't done as well in recent years) craw (light brown, pearl, orange belly) green craw shad (silvery/pearl and holo) clear topwaters (Spooks, Sammies, poppers) clear firetiger shore minnow shad bass pattern/ pearl belly pearl Jerkbaits (x-raps, rogues, husky jerks) silver/scale gold blue back/ silver /scale shad bass olive green back/ holo **Note: the natural patterns are not meant to match the hatch - EVER - but to help turn on the strike-switch in their puny brains by the use of interesting and benign color patterns. **Note: Most of the colors and contrasts in a firetiger, color combo are found in yellow perch. Strange to say, but sometimes I find a certain plug action excels with certain colors, in certain water clarities. I've caught far too many fish on dark days, on light ot flashy colors to go by that rule; ditto for subdued colors on bright days and in clear water. You never know.

I can pitch 1/8 oz or smaller lures better with spinning, but only for outside weed edges, isolated cover (lie down) and near steep banks where the boat is around 15' to the target. You can't beat it for 4" wacky rigged sticks.

Lurecraft is a good supplier and the service is A1! Try making your own molds from plaster and check out the tutorials on this site. http://www.bassresource.com/fishing/features.html#lures

Depends on whom I've invited to go fishing on my boat. The simple fact of it is - I like to fish with others and value their input, knowledge and company. If I've made the offer to a newbie, you better believe he needs to tell me if he'll be late, how late and the time he gets to the launch by cell. No cell? Too bad! :'( If I've invited an experienced angler or friend, I would expect a phone call to be able to plan the launch. Heck, I'll pick you up when you get to the launch, but I'll start fishing in the mean time. If you have to wait at the launch, so be it! The other option is to ride in my vehicle to the launch and be on time at my house unless a valid excuse is offered (IE car broke down, traffic jam, got lost, fell down the stairs). I no longer wait for people who have unexpected priorities that prevent them from being ready and waiting (had to get a fishing lic., go to the deli or had to do something for the wife). In my club, we are tolerant of late boaters, but start without them. We bend the rules because we don't treat any tournament like a BASS classic and though competitive, never take things that serious. Fishing is about fun, not frustration, and plan B is always available to minimize disruption of my peace of mind on the water. Some have a different time table, I have mine and sometimes they don't conincide. Being late might be forgiven twice, but not again.

#4 black colorado blades are my favorite for shortarm black spinnerbaits with a black plastic chunk or craw trailer. Works fantastic for working the drops or swimming around and over rocks!

I'm familiar with the colored coat used on ceramics before placed in a kiln, but haven't heard of it being used on soft plastic molds. Might be a good idea if it's thin enough and detailed enough when dry. I use a wallboard coat by Valspar that is glossy, water soluble, dries fast, withstands 300 degree heat and doesn't peel. I'm sure craft stores might have something similar to seal stone, concrete and clay.

http://www.bassresource.com/fishing/pouring_plastic_worms_supplies.html Prices vary for plastic, glitter, softener, dyes and molds and it pays to see what each source charges for shipping. You can make many of your own molds for pennies from plaster of paris or get superb aluminum molds anywhere from $20-120 ea. Lurecraft.com has cheap silicone molds in hundreds of styles, which are adequate for the beginner. Fine salt costs 79 cents /26 oz. at the supermarket and a very important ingredient for weighting plastic. The soft plastics forum on www.tackleunderground.com has specific answers to questions, contributed by some very talented fellows.

Exactly! And if I'm using Gammie EWG hooks that are made from a thin wire, I need the extra weight getting soft plastics to fall a certain way. Again, if someone wants to semi-permanently attach a split shot to the hook, a drop of super glue keeps it in place. To change baits, you have to push the eye into the front of the plastic and then hook weedless the usual way. The glued sinker can be pried off with a pair of pliers. Weighted hooks are very pricey plus I can't find 1/32 oz., long-shank jigheads for my 4 1/4" tapered sticks. Ss solves the problem because my local Gander Mt. sells jig hooks in different sizes and I can order lead ss from BPS. (Can't buy lead ss in NY).

Thanks guys. Refer back to the post ever so often because I edit when new ideas come.

Last year I was fishing with a friend in a bass factory known for numbers versus quality and my buddy was using some of my handpours in a way I wouldn't have imagined. Basically he put a small split shot on the line about a foot above the hook and let the lure sink in 10' between two weed beds. He worked the entire water column and even caught bass deadsticking on bottom. We anchored for an hour and caught 10 bass, between 13" to 3 lbs. This year we fished a different lake and he used the ss right next to the hook and caught bass and pickerel in open water the same way as above, twitching it all the way down. Another angler I fish with said he had luck using the same sticks on a 1/16 oz. jigjead (hook exposed). I tried it two weeks ago and caught fish (all species) like on a grub and jig. The light-weight presentations that caught bass, gave me an idea about the uses of split shot for sticks and other soft plastics and for different rigs. As you can see by the pictures, a split shot has been added to drop different baits faster, but not too fast. The sticks are tapered or Senko style and generally 4 1/4" Note the jig picture with the collar detached from the head and glued further back. Believe it or not, the weight of the leadhead is slightly different and slighty increased toward the center of the stick. Sometimes it's the little things that count! : When using a soft stick (one of the most fantastic designs of worm I've ever fished!), I've wondered about the amount of salt in a plastic versus the way I'm using the bait. Of course, I want an unsalted bait for C-rigs because it will be more buoyant than a Senko and glide higher behind the swivel/wt. For super-slow falling sticks, salt is not needed because the wt. of the hook usually drags the bait down and in shallow water, the slower the better. Also, no salt for drop shot baits that should float horizontally at rest or when worked back to the boat. Note: IMO, Speed is always something that can either enhance a presentation or kill it. Speed of retrieve is a given; the speed of a dropping lure should also be considered and controllable as should the depth you find the fish are feeding at. If bass are feeding 3' below the surface over 35', you've got to work the lure at that depth and at the speed they prefer! Enter the almight split shot! 1. as you can see from the photo, a ss can be attached anyhwere on a hook and either super glued in place or allowed to slide to the rear of the hook. When it slides back on the cast, it center-weights the stick for a faster horizontal drop. If the stick is heavily salted, the drop is noticeabley faster even with a very light ss. When forward weighted, the line tie is to the top of the worm front and acts differently than whe T-rigged with the line through the front of the bait. 2. a slight split shot can be placed on the bend of a jig hook (minus the leadhead) and allow a weedless rig or one using an exposed hook. With unsalted plastic and braided line, the worm won't stay near the surface when worked jerk-style. That little bit of lead makes the worm act like a suspending minnow when twitched along a any depth you please. 3. A split shot above the line is similar to a C-rig and the action of the bait is different than with no ss and is not muted by a 1/2- 1 oz bullet weight that pulls the lure down fast. 4. For drop shotting*, it's much easier to use a light split shot in rocks and weeds than a heavier sinker. A light 1/16 oz bullet wt. can be substituted for the usual bell sinker or ss. I tie on a swivel below the weight to keep it on the line and adjust the length of the leader to the wt. by shortening the leader/ retying the swivel. *Drop shotting represents a new way (for me) to keep that bait horizontal at a particular depth. I can work a nose hooked soft plastic at 3' as well as at 25' and chose the wt. depending on the cover. 5. My latest discovery is using the ss with a wacky rigged salted or unsalted stick and as I said, sometimes it's preferrable to speed up the drop as a way to provoke the reflex strike. I can even work the bait at one depth using a heavier ss, but usually go with a lighter wt. The photo shows the shot attached to a bare jig hook, but I recently used the shot on the line, 6"-12" from the lure, depending on depth. With soft plastics, I believe the rate of drop to be one of the most important tools we have to enhance any sinking bait. In the hands of a good finesse angler (KVD has been placing in BASS tournaments using ligth wt and short worms), a drop shot bait can mean the difference between no fish and a limit. The Slider worm & Slider jig started the widespread use of light & short soft plastic worms and fly fishermen have been using the concept of super light/ forward weighted lures for centuries. The main comparison is the lightness of the lure, but also how much it can be tweeked heavier depending on the fish's mood. Finally, know that there are as many lure styles and designs that have been used with the ss than Carter has pills. Here's a short list: Zoom Fluke/ rat tail grub Sweet Beaver and creature baits 3X baits floating or suspending minnows soft sticks (weedless, nose hooked, exposed hook) 1/32-1/16 oz.hair jigs light spoons using a 4lb test leader small tubes (2.5-3") Fin S Fin (2") (nose hooked) live bait bobber fishing (ie. wacky rigged 3"stick or super-light hair jig with the ss up from from the bait)

I would depend on how thick the metal and the retrieve speed needed to get the blade(s) to turn. I have used French blades for spinnerbaits but mostly prefer them for in-lines. Colorado blades are my main blade for in-line spins and spinnerbaits, as well as willow leaf and Indiana. Can't hurt to try.

Thanks, I checked out the site. Will I have to call about molds not listed or pictured?

In addition to what Glen said, there are four sources of consistently good plastic available. Calhoun's, sold by Delmart isn't one of them. They are: Zeiners (sell M-F gallon of plastic at a cheaper price than M-F) M-F industries Lurecraft (new and improved) Ozark (may be one of the best as more people report) Aluminum molds produce the best possible looking baits that money can buy, but are expensive. ($20-120 depending on design and number of cavities). But for the occasional hobbyist, plaster is cheap (DAP at 20lbs for 7 bucks or Durham's plaster) and mold making is simple. One part silicone molds from Lurecraft are nice, but many of the 200 molds they sell, you can copy a bait as well with many different plasters on the market. Silicone also produces a flat vs. glossy surface lure. For example: If you make an investment in a metal mold, start with this company for price and especially service: http://www.bobstackleshack.com/catalog/default.php?osCsid=05dd96ac278f85f49b46facaf183039a Here's an example of the superb quality of a two part metal mold: I've found this sub-hobby to fishing just as important to me when I can't get out fishing, but most important, you or friends will catch fish on lures you make!

Does S. Collins have a web site or contact info? For plastic, stay away from Calhoun's and consider M-F, Ozark and Lurecraft for consistent quality and good service. Shipping may vary between the three companies and one companies regular soft plastic may not be the same as anothers. Check out Texasbass1's rec about Tackleunderground.com. Many of us are in the business of selling handpoured baits and have a wealth of experience with softerner, plastisol, glitter, salt, molds (plaster, silicone, aluminum) etc.

Senko style and other soft stick two sided molds have the same problem with air being trapped in the top third of the bait. The only way I've gotten around it is to fill the mold to within an inch of the top, let cool (and contract) and then pour the rest and slightly overfill. If the bait is solid to at least half, cut of the solid part, put it back into the cavity and pour hot plastic to the top. (Same idea, different sequence.) You can sometimes pop the bubble with a metal or wooden skewer (kabob), but it's limited to how deep you can go. The most important solid areas are where the hook enters (worm front and mid way down) and small bubbles in other areas aren't a problem or for waqky rigging. You're right, it is addictive and it's a good thing plastic can be recycled.

You can't buy Calhouns direct plus the quality hasn't been consistent for the last six months (bubbles). M-F is the way to go and the shipping is reasonable. Zeiner's sells in smaller units, but is also a source for M-F. Tacklecraft.com is owned and run by Poor Boys and from what I've heard has better plastic than the company offered a few years ago.

A candy thermometer is a good investment and gives you an idea of what the plastic should look like dripping from a stainless steel butter knife when it's ready to pour (no wood should ever be used to stir plastic). I find that the lower the temp the better, especially for a microwave, and the temp range that affects glitter or color least is between 280 and 315. Any hotter and you start to get black clumps. Old plastic is fine, but expect the salt to settle out and the lure to be harder or softer than the original. Used plastic takes much less time to heat than new plastic and care must be taken not to overheat. If you start seeing smoke, it's too hot and the plastic is close to being ruined. The temp should be below 280 IMO. Never reuse 3x plastic or mix it with regular plastic. Not all glitter is equal. Metal craft glitter catches fire in the microwave and curls/pales in color in a soft plastic's Production Pot when overheated. Some colors (violet and maroon) bleed at temps above 320, which is okay for some color combos. Unless a mold is a two part, you'll always get a flat surface. The bait will still catch fish, but have a different action which may not be significant. I used 1-part silicone molds from Lurecraft.com until making my own 2-part stick and grub molds. Visually it is more appealing to humans; bass could care less. Some lure designs only need to have a one part mold (Beavers, trailer, finesse worms , etc) to produce a good lure. Once you start, it's hard to stop and once you catch fish on your own baits, you won't buy the same design from someone else unless the bag is in a clearance bin.

Agree with J. If you make a lure as good, if not better than that made by a manufacturer and in a quantity that keeps you supplied, you are cutting out the middleman and more so of you make the mold yourself. Plastic and other supplies haven't gone up that much for Yamamoto to raise his prices IMO. The store charges 70 cents per Senko (not incl. tax or gas to drive to the store) and each stick only cost less than a dime to make. Do the math. It's worse if you mail order only that lure and pay ridiculous shipping charges. That Senko now costs over a buck each. If you want to try a new color and don't like it, you're stuck! Gander raised it's prices on Black Magic soft plastics by a buck this year. Most are good copies, but now the originals look better considering the lesser cost margin between companies. I've copied their jig trailer in two sizes and instead of paying 40 cents per lure, I'm making it for less than a dime (no tax, no shipping, no gas) and I can sell it for 25 cents each and still make a profit. Same for Beavers, many types of grubs, sticks, hybrid designs, shads, flukes, reapers and many more that don't require injection pour molds (creature baits). The only time you might not save on specific lures is when soft plastics go on the clearance table and sell for a buck a bag. This equates to 10 cents a lure (for 10 in a bag, not incl tax, gas, etc) or less if the count is 25. Strike King Flipp'n Tubes were 25 cents a bag a few months ago, along with their Wild Thing, Tube Lizard and Tube Craw. No way I could beat that! I bought 30 bags.

Use krystal flash (flashabou) for all specie jigs. I also add it to living rubber for my itsy bitsy lite jigs. A good vice from Cabelas is worth the 20 bucks I paid 3 years ago!