I was wondering if a guy was to go buy molds or make a few of his own, and start pouring his own soft plastics, is it cost effective, or do you just get the gratification of catchin fish on your own lures??

That really depends on the quantities.  

If you buy in bulk, almost anything can be cost effective.  

I have a simple philosophy on luremaking.  Don't reinvent the wheel.  There are a ton of lure companies and a ton of lures.  Most of them work great and if you find something that does work great you should stick with it.  

Now, if you want to design something different or create a new color combination that is a different story.  

If you have money to waste and want a neat hobby I say go for it.

J

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.

i really don't look at the cost of making my own soft plastics. i save everything that i use, and i am in a club and asked the members to give me their used soft baits. i look at it this way, i want to make a bait that nobody has. if it works and you start stroking fish on it then you have a bait that will catch them and only you know about it. i make my molds out of plaster of paris.

I really appreciate it, thanks guys, i am going to start making zoom chunck trailers and simple soft plastics thanhks