Hi-Lites

[ctom]

You need to shoot a bait and look at it outside; or in direct sun and in light shade to get it's effect.  Also, what looks "just right" in a small fry, may not in a  3.5 inch carrot.   

Amen to this. Both sentences. Regardless of how well the recipe seems to work for you, I suggest you treat the use of the hi lites like its a new load for your favorite varmit rifle. Keep in mind that light enters the plastic from a myriad off angles and that's what gets the hi lites excited in the bait. Lack of angles will do an entirely different light play, like in the carrot thats long and sleek without any corners or turns as opposed to say the small fry where angles are many. baby steps is the way to go with the hi lites. And they do mix easily after the plastic has been heated so not to worry about adjustments.

[szuloaga]

Thank You for your help! I think I'm gonna get the High-Lite in Blue and prob another color, but not sure what it'll be yet. 

[Otis Baits]

Thanks for the info guys.That was a really big help.

[superharmonix]

Agreed on making sure to look in the sunlight to see the final effect.  In my experience, I've seen quite the dramatic difference between my shop lights and the sun.  During stormy days, I use the same lights I use in my light box to take my bait pics for my website, and they really do bring out ALMOST as much as the natural light does. 

(I am now probably taking this thread in a different direction, but I am patiently waiting for my Johnson Bag order to get here.  Tracking says "out for delivery" and I know you guys feel my pain there!)

Anyway, the bulbs I use are made by GE and are called "Reveal 100".  The main thing to be sure of is to get "full spectrum" lights to imitate the natural light as close as possible.  These lights retail for around $8.00 for a 4 pack.  like I said, other brands are fine as long as they say "full spectrum" on the package.

[MonteSS]

The gold and blue hilites are the two I use most. Violet being third. fourth and fifth are green and then red.

I think of it as pearls add color to the inside plastic of the bait, where as hilites add a "skin" of color on the outside.

I usually add a smidgeon or two to 8 oz plastic. Get a set of smidgeon, dash and pinch measuring spoons.

Here is a violet pearl with green hilite sheen that I call Mystic Pearl. Looks awesome in the sun.


This is a copy of a Mister Twister color. Very light amber with blue hilite.


I call this Purple Haze


As said. green with gold hilite makes a great bass back color.

Green pumpkin with blue HL is magic craw.

Have fun with it...Bill

[greyphase]

Like I need yet another reason to be out in the man shed pouring baits . Thanks guys, alot of good info here.

[ctom]

I think of it as pearls add color to the inside plastic of the bait, where as hilites add a "skin" of color on the outside.

The more transparent the plastic, the more you'll notice the hi lite on the inside of the plastic. To help not confusing with the "skin" idea, you can cut a plastic in half lengthwise that has hi lite in the mix and it will show all along the cut. Solid color plastics or very opaque ones, tend to show the hi lite on the surface, or the skin, as mentioned. Just a dab of hi lite in a transparent plastic will give the plastic an almost internal character, or irridescence, very similar to what you see in small baitfish. The hi lite mixes all the way thru the plastic.

Pearl additions to your plastic work to make the plastic reflect a ton of light from the inside and make the bait opaque in a hurry and with. Pearl is more aggresive in this nature. You can achieve almost the same thing with hi lite if you add to much, thus the suggestion of adding it slowly in tiny amounts.

[szuloaga]

O man!! Those plastics look real good! I like that blue high-lite. What about a clear worm with that blue high-lite in there?!  Makes me smile thinking about how awesome it would look.

[ghostbaits]

Also remember, the hi-lite/pearl powders will stiffen your baits up a bit. They can affect your action in a bait.

I use pearl powder and hi-lite powder a lot and for some recipes I have to use a blend of soft and medium or else I will loss the desired action on a swimbait.

Jim

[ctom]

I cooked up a few batches of purple today, a color that I tweaked a bit from my usual recipe, and think I am in like with it. Using Caney's paddletail mold I did a few chartreuse tail color shots and then strung one on a jig and took a walk to the river behind me. One crappie in 15 minutes of tolerating a stinky breeze. But one fish is much better than wondering, eh?



I'm not sure if the hi lites come out much in the pic as our sun has adopted a gray cloud mass this afternoon. Anyway, the hi lites were just a small spot of it in violet and under the work light and again in the shop with the sun coming thru the window the purple here just erupted in color. There is some purple glitter and a little blue glitter in the mix too. The purple about twice as much as the blue.

I have to stop tweaking these recipes. man it gets expensive discovering new pet colors. lol

[kipbass]

Here's some freedom fries made with left over plastic which had some mica powder mixed in..I love left over plastic!

[szuloaga]

I know this has thread has alot of great information on it, but I was wondering if somebody could post a video of someone making soft plastics with the High-Lites in them? I'm a visual learner and seeing a video with it being done would REALLY help alot!!  If not, no problem! Sure I'll adventually figure it out. Thank you!

Steve

[MonteSS]

Just mix your plastic, heat stabilizer, color, glitter, scent as normal. Then add a smidgeon of hi-lite powder and stir well. Inject as normal. Thats it.

...Bill

[szuloaga]

Thanks Bill! My High-Lites should be here anyday now. I got blue and gold. I will just give it a go once the arrive. I'll try and post up some pictures when they're finished.