Custom Baits - Forum
General => General Discussion => Topic started by: ctom on 11/28/15 14:02 UTC
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About 20 years ago I designed a pair of crappie plastics based on a ribbed body one having a stinger tail and the other a paddletail. After doing some searching I found what I thought was a reputable company in the Twin Cities that had ties to Chinese technology for injecting and mold cutting. We worked out a simple deal and this company took my proto-types to China the following spring. A month later the owner retuned to China and came home with the proofs. After the inspection of the proofs the nod was given to cook up 13 color patterns in both bait styles. 20,000 in each color and style were ordered as a minimum order. I received 5,000 of each color in both styles. Here are a few of what was made.
(http://i941.photobucket.com/albums/ad259/cttackle/IMG_1229.jpg) (http://s941.photobucket.com/user/cttackle/media/IMG_1229.jpg.html)
When the baits arrived state-side I went to the company to pick up my goodies and when I saw them I just about filled my shorts. Some of the colors had already begun to fade and or bleed. What was supposed to be fully injected baits came back as hand welded pieces with roughly 40% of them having tails that were off-set, some to the point that the tails were simply dangling by a thread of plastic. Evidently the Chinese company thought that it was simpler to have a couple hundred peons cut and hand well all the tails. The only baits that were fully injected with the chartreuse that you see here in the picture.
So after the business owner in the cities and I got over the shock, he re-connected with the Chinese and they squarely told him that this was what he wanted and that no adjustments would be made as per quality. He cancelled payment and that set off some discussion. In the end the Chinese decided to go back and do the order as per agreed upon as far as injection goes and to use the grade of plastic and colorants that was used in the proof baits. Later that summer the baits came back and what is in the picture is what they look like.
The baits are not available any more because the cost to make them went up and the party in the Twin Cities wouldn't pay the increase as it would have raised the pricing higher than the market would bear in the end at the retail level. I still have quite a few of these baits in every color and I still fish them. The ribbed body catches a lot of air and on a 1/32 head the drop rate is about the same as watching mud slide off glass. Making the proto-types was fun and working with a company to get a bait to market is an experience....until you have to deal with the Chinese. I found out that they'll do anything to screw an American and that was over 20 years ago. It was worth the experience and I did get a pile of tackle in the end. Would I do it again? Nope.
I have been doing some reorganizing here at home and came across my boxes with these baits that go fishing with me and thought I'd get a picture to share. The baits are just short of 1 1/2" and are deeply ribbed thru the body section. As mentioned they have a real slow drop rate on a 1/32 head that drives crappies wild. Having these out again today brought back some memories of the trials and testing that I went thru with the proto-types and then the misery of working with the Chinese. I re-filled the colors box that needed filling and set it back out in the boat. Anyway, here a little splash from my past.
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I like the looks of that paddle tail Wish we had something like that about three and a half inches long! Would be a walleye killer and would look like a goby for ,the smallmouths!
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It's fun working with the Chinese isn't it?
I know people in the tackle industry that have had the exact same problem.
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Those are sweet baits!!!!!!!!!!! What happened to the other 15,000 of each color?? To bad you didn't get the rights to the molds for those. I can see those getting bit by a whole bunch of different fish!!!!!
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I have several pails full of these baits tucked away. I don't sell them and I don't carry but a few in my boxes. All of the bait I have came from the lot that had baits made the way they were intended to be made.
I double-checked the company's site in the Twin Cities and these are actually still available, but the ones they sell are cheaper quality and have all hand welded tails. In a package of 50 baits its not at all uncommon to have 5-8 with the tails completely off and/or missing and the remainder to have tails off-set. I thought they had given up the ghost on these and maybe they're still selling off those flunkies that came over. I don't talk with anyone at the place anymore.
The production molds for these were super expensive way back when. Something on the order of $20,000.00....in China no less.
I have the written portion of the design set under my trademark so it has some protection there. I might try a domestic cnc cutter at some point but for now I just use what I have and am happy.