Soft Bait Ideas

Hi all,

I started playing around with clay and plaster a while back, making soft plastic molds. I was wondering if anyone out there (who better to ask than fishermen/women) had ANY suggestions. I completed a 6 inch sanddab mold recently. I am putting the final touches on a 10 inch lamprey for Striper. My next projects are realistic Greenling swimbaits, a baby dungee with legs that will move on the drop and mini "hula grubs", kinda like the ones that gitzit used to make.

So any bait that you have thought "boy, i sure would like to have this way", or "i wish it was this size", or info on weight, color shape, any ideas would be greatly appreciated.

Finally, i am not looking to sell these to NCKA members. If someone gives me ideas and i can make a product that might be sellable down the road, I'm sure i can keep them in them year round. I will also need testers. I will let everyone here know when i have projects to test and i will send them free. If they end up being something good that catches fish, i will make sure that there is plenty of swag to go around for all.

Thanks guys

+1 on the hula grub style baits...those are one of my favorite go-to baits.

One thing I would like to see made is a curly tail grub/swimbait combo.  Something kind of like a big hammer with a big curly tail...single or double!

Or even a swimbait/fluke body with a long worm tail.

Man, I've always wanted to get into making my own molds/baits but have never got around to it...so many things I've thought of, but never got around to doing.   

Looks like you've got yourself a new fun hobby!   Best of luck to you Grimkeeper.

post pics of ur products

I plan on posting some pics. I am awaiting a catalog so i can purchase a 5 gallon bucket of saltwater plastic, dyes, flake, eyes and paints.

So far i have been melting down bargain bin plastics so i can test action but they aren't the correct colors yet.

I'll pour one of each real quick anyways and post 'em

The 6" Sanddab. This is an ugly cheapo plastic here. No glass eyes or paint yet obviously.

I'm thinking drop-shotted on a swimbait hook?

Looks pretty damn good, did you make the mold with a real dab?

This is the 10" lamprey. Real rough still and poured with that ugly cheap plastic. Obviously both baits i posted are the incorrect colors.

I plan on making the lamprey a very glossy black with glass eyes. I tested this one out at lake Shasta yesterday just for action. With a "walk the dog" action applied to the rod, this sucker darted around pretty flamboyantly.

Looks pretty damn good, did you make the mold with a real dab?

Thank you. No, I sculpted it out of clay from pictures and video.

That is awesome man if you got an spares layin around ill pm u my address

That is awesome man if you got an spares layin around ill pm u my address

Thank you Derrick. I am going to need testers soon. Pm me your mailing address and i will give you some when they are ready to go out. Let me know what one(s) you are interested in. I would like an honest critique of them please. 
Thanks
Jesse

That dab is sick, nice work. I've been playing around with rtv and clay and doing a little pouring. I started with silicone, that was a smelly mess. I'm working on multi-colored pours.

I like the swimbait/curly tail idea!

Mike

If it swims i fish for it man im willing to try any kinda bait you can pour i just started pourin lead heads having some issues with it not going down the hook for the double barb every time gonna buy a tourch to try an pre heat the mold see if it helps.

I always wanted a 12 inch big hammer, greenling color would be killer!

Great sand dab man! I would put it on a heavy lead head as opposed to the teaser and you may try like a salt and pepper color or glow. Don't know jack about eels and striper though.

+1 on the jumbo 10+" swimbait but you are likely going to need to make a lead mold for the 8-12oz. lead head and 9-10/0 hook. Not a whole lot of commercially made options in that size w/ a barbed collar although modding a production mold for the barb would probably be easy. Don't know if Andy1976 does any that heavy but I think he may. Red/orange are my favortie colors in swimbaits.

One bait I have a lot of interest in will is a lure with a paddle tail but a body more like a worm (cylindrical). Imagine something like a scampi body with a swimbait tail. The thicker head of the bait should be durable and less prone to splitting at the jig collar. One like 8 or 10" made in soft plastic would be awesome. Sincoast proposed this idea when I asked a similar question but I haven't started with the plastic pouring yet.

Another lure I have seen a few times from custom guys is the soft plastic octopus. MattS made a great looking one and I have always been intrigued by them myself. Seems that they are a bit tough to rig though if I remember correctly.       

Good luck though man and keep us updated. Also I pour lead and make molds so if there is something lead wise that you need prototyped I may be able to help.