tinkering....

[ctom]

In a different forum here some conversation about making tubes was taking place and Keith Pace shared a picture of a home-made tool to make his tubes. Man, that rod he was showing really got my mind working so I grabbed some stainless rod I've had around collecting dust, cut some 10" lengths with the bolt cutter, then did some handy bending ala the vise. Now I had the tools and only needed to practice a bit with some junk plastic and here is what I have come up with. Thank You Keith for the idea.

 

I am going to say that for those who want consistantly clean tubes, this is maybe not the way to go. This operation is time intensive and you have to concentrate on what you are doing IF you want a nice end product. Me? I'm planning to feed these to walleyes later this fall into early winter and since those guys have teeth I'm not paying any particular attention to pretty but I do try to keep my work showable. Jason has molds that produce super clean products and those molds will make a bass bait that will hold up to the rigors of a bass. I don;'t know yet if what I am creating will hold up to a walleye but be darned if I am not going to try.

The longer of the two shown is 3" and the smaller right around two. Since I am using mandrils that are unmarkd for length, length tend to be whatever it is where the razor falls. The smaller ones are in line with crappie chow.

Here are some things I have noted if you are going to try dipping these tubes:

First, keep your plastic hot so it won't gel up while you are working with each dip. Second, do only one rod at a time in one color. Third, if you are adding eyes leave the bait on the rod to apply them and to dip them. Fourth, if you are a panfish angler, when you finish a dip of one color and would like some baits of that color for crappie fishing, turn the rod around and dip the handle end....why not make full use of your rods. Dip a color, trim off the end 1/2" and re-dip in a second color just slightly past the first color for a good weld [maybe hold it at that point for just an extra second].

I've been using nails to dink around with tubes and that is fine if all you are going to do is a straingt single or two color dip, but if you want to mimic a minnow you need the bent rod and the end results can be very rewarding.

[andrewlamberson]

I think it's good to see how we did it "in the good old days"....and it demonstrates why I am SO grateful for the CCM tube molds!!

Dipping was kind of fun....but it is a slow process! I know there are all kinds of dipping rods....and cutting tools. etc. etc. but for me....I just had to ask ...why...when I can make it faster and better via the molds (but I have zero artistic skills....!).

[Denny Welch]

[u (but I have zero artistic skills....!).][/u]

Tell me about it.

[412BaitCo]

I met a guy over the weekend that still uses this process. He had 50 dial rods with a wire hooks at the top that he dangles off a wire in his garage. His were absolutely perfect he did this thing were he flipped them upright held to one side held and the other side and it eliminated a majority if not all runs. It was amazing to watch. Had a really neat device to cut them using a vice also.

[Jason]

Awesome Tubes Tom.  Great job!

Jason

[ctom]

Thanks guys.

Honestly though, if a person wants to make tubes, the mold is the way to go, especially if sales are on his mind.

Money is a bit tight around here right now and to make things work, I have to settle the time consuming and less than perfect to get what I want, so.....these rods and I are going to be best buds for a while. I plan to keep these real close to home and I won't be dipping a ton of them.

In all honesty, I don't use crappie tubes much any more, but in some situations I'll reach into the nether regions of one satchel and bring "the box" out into daylight. I guess making plastic baits has re-newed an interest in tubes since colors and sizes are  my call when making them. My real interest is in the walleye sized tubes for late fall/early winter jigging. And even jigging is a misnomer.....I hang a dead stick rod over the side of the boat with a similar bait and just let it wiggle along about a foot off bottom while I jig another rod with a minnow or shad shaped bait or maybe even a jig/twister. That dead stick will get as many fish as a jigged bait will get.

[412BaitCo]

Those look great btw.

[andrewlamberson]

CTom has an advantage with his significant artistic skills! His stuff always looks top notch.

 Really hard for a guy like me that thinks that purple and burgundy are the same color and  i and I are the the same length (they kinda are!).

Heck, I still need grid paper to draw a box. (I'm not kidding).

[Denny Welch]

I can draw the box ok, but it's round and has wavy lines.

[Finesse13]

If you don't mind telling me , what do you use to hold your plastic ? I have been looking for something to hold my plastic in to dip baits.

[hawgthumper]

Mini loaf pans on a griddle work well. A large Pyrex cup will also work.

[ctom]

If you don't mind telling me , what do you use to hold your plastic ? I have been looking for something to hold my plastic in to dip baits.

I found a bunch of Pyrex custard cups and ramakins in a thrift store and the tops of the ramakins are quite wide, so they get the nod for dunking to bent rods. For single and two-color tubes needing a stright-in dip I use a 6 ounce jelly jar...Kerr or Ball are both high temp glass. Keep in mind that the tubes of two colors that split lengthwise and dipped horizontally.

[ctom]

A friend locally asked about maybe doing a firecracker clear over chartreuse. I just don't care for red glitter in anything so I whipped up a real strong bluegill in clear.... no copper glitter or hi lites in this blend.



After I made these I got the bucket out and dug thru my late fall river plastics and found the product the friend had been referring to called a Super-Doo made by B-Fishin-Tackle. This is the bait I sort of mentioned earlier but couldn't quite place the name. These get fished on a dead stick while fishing in another style on the other rod while drifting. This tube affair should have way more action since the Doo has a solid body and hook-ups should be more consistant for the same reason. I don't know why I forgot this color as its always been a real solid combination. Plastic fumes maybe, eh?

[Dave]

Tom those are awesome. I use a grub very similar to that color and I promise they will work like a champ! 

[Botanophilia]

Having just tried this method out, I have to say I'll wait for a mold.  Not that it's difficult, but just way more time consuming than I want to deal with.  That and I can't cut a straight line to save my life!  Tom, I have no clue how you get such great looking skirts on these!