Haven't got a mold for a super thin flat tail grub? - try no mold

[senkosam]

I've found a way to pour a super thin tail for my minnow grub design which requires no mold. The lure caught the great majority of fish today - over 50 fish of five different species in a shallow, clear water pond.

Anyone interested?

[Muskygary]

Sure, were always interested in new ideas! It's surprising how many ideas come up on this forum that we can all use.

[Apdriver]

Why yeah. New stuff makes me think out of the box a little. I'm game. Can you show me how to post a pic here on my iPad? I'd be interested in that too!

[senkosam]

1. heat plastic as usual such that it pours easily
2. I use a glassy surface - ceramic floor tile - that can take the 300 plus degree heat
3. tilt the surface,  pour along the top letting it form a thin coating
4. pour the same or different color across the film, but inches away from the top. The tail is the band near the top and the thicker 2nd layer/pour will be the body
5. cut the shape and size you want with a box cutter razor blade
6. holding the shape by the thin 'tail', dip the 'body' in heated plastic until the body is thick enough  (an example is how candles were made old fashioned way - dipping to make the candle thicker). Note: plastic that is too hot will melt the body rather than make it thicker
7. have shallow dish of water handy to cool the body in order to start on the next lure



The minnow grubs caught fish all day long, including 12-13" crappie in a school


body/tail shape and lure dimensions are what you want them to be:


drop shot lures:

[Lamar]

Wouldn't it be easier to buy a Mo Magic mold and just make them ?

[Mike J]

I agree it seems you want the same thing as a Mo Magic. Do-it molds are great quality and easy to use and you would be able to make baits a lot faster and more uniform.  But its kinda cool you can do it with out a mold to I guess.  Even though it doesn't matter to the fish I like the professional look I get from shooting a quality injection mold.

[senkosam]

Mo Magic design is very different (ordered the 2.5" mold last week). A few days ago I was in pan fish paradise hooking very large perch and sunfish. I tried Mo Magic and got few bites; put on my lure and cleaned house! At times, both work equally well - happened a few weeks ago with me using mine and another using Mo. But when the bite gets tough, I use mine in 2-2.75" as search lures to pattern fish and then fish both designs on an off as a change of pace.

Pretty is as pretty does.  My lures look as good as any mold produced lure, and you're right, fish want action not pretty. Mr Twister is pretty but the curl tail design no longer stands up to flat tails to the numbers of fish caught and versatility.

I'm looking into having my designs made into an injection mold (there are 6 designs that have produced). Once satisfied the copy is exact, I'll order different sizes in each. At present, it takes less than 1/2 hour to make 20 or more lures in any size and design I want without having to have a lot of molds laying around. The only reason to buy my own aluminum molds is if I want to mass produce my lures for sale, which at this point seems pretty remote.

Again, design and size matter and making them this way is not only a nice way to pass the time when fishing is out, but not fall into a rut of using the same lure over and over, thereby being able to experiment with size/design/color combinations paired with different presentations.

[ctom]

5. cut the shape and size you want with a box cutter razor blade
6. holding the shape by the thin 'tail', dip the 'body' in heated plastic until the body is thick enough  (an example is how candles were made old fashioned way - dipping to make the candle thicker).

Lots of work in the process and little to develop any consistency. But you will have originality. The way you are making these baits erases any chance of doing a clean two or three color bait or creating core colors. Tail colors might work on some color combinations, but transparent plastics are going to end up challenging.

I went down this road a number of years ago myself and trashed the idea quickly. I didn't like the mess and I didn't like the inconsistency in the baits, but in the end the injected baits simply made more sense to me. Everyone does their own thing here and if the baits are working wonders for you, keep it going.

[senkosam]

I didn't like the inconsistency in the baits

If you believe it matters, as it does to many, mold baits are a must. Confidence in any lure much of the time decides how effective in an angler's hands, yet it doesn't matter most of the time to fish depending on the following:

design versatility - being able to be used with different presentations (d/s, float, vertical, horizontal,...)
design - one or more things that attract attention and then motivate fish to strike
colors -  a few will do that consistently produce
size - small to medium size range availability is key

Lure consistency is unimportant to fish as long as the above is present.  Granted, for hard baits it matters far more, but for many soft baits, not really depending on design. IMO.  (IE creature baits must be made exactly the same every time (design requirement); many crappie lures have less need to be exactly the same yet still work  for half a dozen species - mine do!) None of my bass jigs and spinnerbaits or trailers look exactly the same. I don't need to use a jig or spinnerbait mold  but just buy components (jigs, skirts, blades, swivels, zip ties, etc.).

Note: clear lures with sparkle most of the time will do as good if not better than translucent or opaque lure colors. Clear is not clear in the water because the rounded surfaces create a 3D effect by internal reflections of the plastic coupled with a modified environment background color through light filtering. Most water we fish is stained and the effect indisputable - clear is never invisible - especially with flakes.

Lure making is time consuming - mold or no mold - and a nice way for me to smoke my pipe with a cup of java and watch TV-on-demand at the same time. Hobbies are like that. Fishing is a perfect example - inconsistent results most of the time versus the effort spent. 

[ctom]

Lure consistency is unimportant

We all come from differing areas of the country where water color affects the color value of any bait. What works in your region may be poison in another.

I'll be sure to copy this and let my customers read it. Maybe its just me and I'm putting too much work into what I do.  lol  Like I said, everyone does their own thing. Consistency is just part of the pride I put into the finished products I use or show or share or sell....again, maybe its just me.

I have used some pretty off-the-wall looking home-tied bucktail jigs as well as some gosh awful stupid looking plastics I've cooked up because I put them in my tackle pail and use them myself....and caught plenty of fish on them. But I also have a couple of accounts at bait shops that demand that what I put on the hooks is consistent and clean looking so that's the direction I strive to get to. The mess-ups that occur while injecting are either re-melted or they hit my pail and I use them so the idea behind your comments on inconsistency holds some water. My customers demand otherwise.

A little heads up on the pipe though. You should consider quitting that habit. I have COPD and swore while I was younger that it would never happen to me. And, yes, I smoked a pipe. A friend who also smoked a pipe lost about 60% of both lips to cancer immediately associated with his pipe habit. Then he died when the cancer went into his esophagus and trachea. Not nagging, just letting you know that nasty things can happen with tobacco.

I could write volumes on stupid things that I have come up with while inventing tackle or trying to get that "golden egg" but I'm afraid Lamar would take a couple days off and come over here and slap me. lol Now....I have to go look in the bucket to see how many of those lopsided jigs Ihad are left. I'm going fishing Monday for some bent fish and need a jighead that will track the same as they swim. I may have to get out that special mold.

[senkosam]

Know what I said about inconsistent lures? It wasn't about lure quality - that must be consistent to catch fish along with another important detail: one or more details that attract fish. The detail I'm taking about is the thin flat tail attached to Mo Magic, Jason's Crappie Flopper and my hand pour.  When it comes to Jason's Flopper, the ribbed body is for the sake of fishermen and sales, not fish. MO grubs work as well with a smooth body because of the thin tail and nothing more. The tail must be thin enough always.

You and I know all will work regardless of inconsistent color or shape. As far as selling them, my caveat to the buyer would be - no guarantees when it comes to non-molded lures. I would only sell baits I know work for many species and that fish are fish, whether domestic or swimming in Japan. Anyone who buys the idea that fish differ depending on which region they swim in, have got issues and I assume are prone to believing in things like wearing unwashed lucky underwear when they go fishing. 

I've given my lures to friends and all have done extremely well catching sport fish and pan fish, but only after I gave them a lesson about finesse jig presentation. In fact much of the time the wrong presentation (technique) negates the best lure designs. One must complement the other or it will seem like the bait is crap when it rarely gets bit.

Again, I can give lures to people, but I can't be there to be sure how they use them. One angler I gave mine to who lives in another states trolls for crappie 99% of the time. Duh! No wonder they didn't work; just don't blame it on the lure! Another misguided belief about a lure's ability is the body of water. Some lakes suffer from poor quality fishing for many reasons I won't go into. A great lure won't catch many fish in those lakes that don't hold a good population of fish to begin with (one comes to mind locally).

My advice to anyone regarding ideas that don't mesh with established biases, try it you may like it and you'll never know until you do.

You're right about the risks of smoking a pipe. Been smoking a pipe since I was 22 and now I'm 67 with no lung problems or oral cancer - yet; breathing in the fumes from hot melted plastic doesn't help either. Good thing I don't smoke often - a dozen times a week or less and some weeks not at all. (Reminds me - I got to reorder about 10 of my favorite tobacco flavors.  )

[eyedo]

Ctom you might as well hang it up and go ahead and change your drawers, you can't tell someone anything when they already know everything. your friends just had a bit  of bad luck as did 3 of mine  I Might as well throw away 60 or 70 of my molds . If I only need 1 size 1 shape 1 color bait for all waters every where . ANd I don't need barbs on my hooks . Dang what an eye opener.

[Lamar]

I'm just so thankful I don't fish for crappie. I can see now how it's a so a one sided affair.

[Carolina Fisher]

I have 6 lakes within 30 minutes of the house , 2 15 miles apart I need to take this guy fishing so I can see how these fish act exactly the same no matter where they swim .

Sure would make me alot of money during tournament season , but I have never seen someone that wins frequently be successful on both lakes .

Glad I don't crappie fish either Lamar .

[AJayToRemember]

I've fished in ponds where fish don't act the same on opposite sides lol. Luckily for me there are so few people that try to catch bowfin I never have anyone to argue with.