SENKOSAM

I believe that people take life for granted and get complacent in old beliefs or misconceptions - good or bad. Fishing would be a good opportunity for many to wonder again, just like when they were kids, and allow them to experience something beyond the daily grind. (Ever see Field of Dreams?) Not knowing and then being surprised or astonished (pleasantly) makes one adjust one's perception just a bit and feel the mystery that will always be a part of fishing and religion. Fishing can remind the unlucky that luck is where you find it and what you learn from it, no matter what the endeavor, brings more good luck and opportinity. Replenishing one's spirit, self confidence and well-being through the looking glass of nature is as close as one can come to feeling significant and reconnected; a needed reminder in these days of confusion and negative distractions. Just to be at peace if only for an houre or a day .... To paraphrase a saying, perhaps it's not only the fish that anglers persue.

I agree - lurecraft.com is a nice company to get started with, as is M-F Mfg. ( http://www.fishingworld.com/M-F-Manufacturing/Contacted.tmpl) Delmart has some good molds, but service has been a problem as well as the plastic he sells. Making plaster molds (one or two part) isn't hard after a few attempts and plaster is the cheapest to use. This site has a few articles on how-to and what is needed to get started (2 are mine).

BTW *** are the best Senko k/o made (other than my own) and at the best price. Where can you get a stick of consistent quality for 20 cents or less and that is durable? (Just wish they made a green pumpkin/ chartreuse laminate similar to the watermelon/chart. lam.) The Vibratube sells for a lot more and I hooked my friend up to *** tubes. First time out he caught bass. I didn't think the ridges would make a difference, but I chose lures with interesting textures and profiles vs. matching prey species, so it made sense immediately. This is his second year of using various lure (under my tutelage) and the first time using a tube. (He used it with no wt., swimming it over shallow weeds.)

Good Tubes - unique ribbing! BigBiteBaits.com have similar tubes and their ribbed grub is phenomenal! (I order 100 grubs at a time and split the bag with a friend. Much cheaper that way.)

Agree with Tin and Rboat Action, cadence, speed = splash/ noise (colors are blurred anyway) Two split rings on the rear hook Replace original rear hook with a quality treble (the front hook is usually a size smaller than the rear on my Spooks; I find it keeps the nose higher than the usual rigged trebles) I've fished Spooks and Sammies for years and I like certain colors, but wouldn't rule out the favorites mentioned. Shore Minnow, clear, fire tiger, bass (lm or sm) and pearl are the only colors I would replace if lost. Braid is a must. Has anyone used red trebles on Spooks?

Plastisol (soft plastic) usually doesn't have an odor and is easily scented by using scented oils, Mega Stike grease or garlic powder in the bag. The plastic baits I pour have zero odor after a few days unless the plastic was overheated. BPS plastics, in general, have no odor and their salted baits taste like salt and nothing else. Can't say I'm a fan of the Tender Tube, having found better from a variety of sources. I like bulkier 4" salted tube.

Thanks Tony. I don't care about weird as long as it has a shot at catching fish part of the season. The vibration reminds me of Helin's Flat Fish, with its maximum side to side action. Could be a good spring time reaction bait in emergent weeds or over rocky flats. But I won't buy one until the price comes down or the bait's on sale. There's no reason they cost more than good spinnerbaits.

Agree with RW about low costing X-raps and Husky Jerks. For cold water (spring or fall) you can't beat the hard jerk minnow. When I pour my own soft jerk sticks, I use a harder plastic and have found they excel when used in colder vs warmer water. That drop in temp seems to get them feeding and attacking near-surface wobblers that suspend in place and shimmy with the slightest rod twitch and pause. In my waters, the fluke's usefulness will end soon, being replaced by hard jerks.

With all the new lures constantly hitting the market, it's interesting to note which will be filling the bargain bins next year. Is the Chatterbait (and k/o's) still catching fish? What trailer has been the best for you? A fishing bud catches picks on them but few bass, but for the absurd price, I'd just as soon use a spinnerbait if that's all I'm going to catch.

I've had partial orders sent that had no reason to be partial since the customer rep said everything was in stock. It also happens at times with Cabelas, but at least I get an e-mail within a few days telling me that the item was discontinued, backordered or I could cancel. Cabelas and TW do have a much better way of dealing with problems and so my choice is to order little from BPS and more from everyone else. D*ck's and Gander are only 20 minutes from my house and though badly managed in the fishing dept., at least have good sales and some things I would just as soon not pay shipping for. There is also a family run sporting goods store 5 minutes from home and good for must have now items, even at manufacturer list prices. For such a small store, they put Gander to shame in every category, including service and inventory. BPS used to be king of the mail order. Now they're on par with my local Gander and D*ck's and my yearly 500-1000 bucks is spent elsewhere.

What makes a fish go after a lure or pass it up? Everyone who has fished for various species with a wide variety of baits knows that a variety of baits have a good potential of getting attacked at any one time, water and location. Versatility allows one to fine tune the best lure action, color and profile and presentation to the conditions, structure, depth, season, time of day and the average fish's aggression level. If you look at baits that work in spring on prespawn bass in shallow water, you find a huge assortment that fit the bill. If a bait cannot get even a nod from a bass during this time period on a consistent basis, the lure is junk! For those diehards that insist the lure is worth the money, report back to us after using the bait when the water is warming from 50-70 and the weeds are emegent and tell us how the Snake does as compared to the standard baits that always catch fish in spring in shallow water. I have used the lure in spring and it cannot compare to the success of even the most basic lures I've used for twenty years. Not to bust someones bubble, but I'm only here to warn others that gimmics are rarely worth the money and that includes this lure. Fish are dumb but super sensitive to their surroundings and anything that enters it's domain. If you thinks in terms of a snake that gets stepped on and bites to a toy mouse that is stalked and then attacked by a cat, you understand that fish aren't much different. Reflex is one thing; getting in position to pounce is another. If a lure and angler's manipulation of it can get the sequence of stalking to pouncing to occur, the lure is worth using. But, if you can't work a lure more ways than one to get a fish to strike, you're better off finding lures that can. The snake is uni-action, uni-location, uni-usage. This causes me frustration because I like to be able to work a lure in ways that might not have been thought of by others. The snake is one dimensional and poor at how it's supposed to perform at different speeds. I would have been more careful before associating my name with this bait. My opinion, for what it's worth.

Negatives: 3x material sticks to pads and is a pain in weeds. 3x is not kind to other plastics and reacts to form a melted mess. Action is not that great since you have to work the lure fast to get any wiggle. CD doesn't show any bass attacking the lure. Why is that? Banjo Minnows are far more productive and also not worth the price. Other topwaters are cheaper, better made and more effective. Positives: Occassionally gets a strike or two. (Kept the hooks, threw out the lures.)

You produce quality baits! Good luck selling them. (Flashabou is my best jig skirt for panfish and other species! Peacock black is superb!)

After the Protec is cooled in cold water, I cure by holding over the same candle flame, rolling the lure but avoiding the weedguard. I'm wondering if epoxy coating will work. Lurecraft.com sells some bright colorants, as does M-F (http://www.fishingworld.com/M-F-Manufacturing/Default.tmpl?Cart=11926387929896054). Both offer great service and variety!!

Initial costs seem like a lot, but a little goes a long way. If you plan on staying with the hobby of handpouring one or many designs, consider the total cost of buying off the shelf or through the catalog. Tax, gas to go to the store, shipping if by catalog and waiting time. Standard colors or colors you wish were offered, softer or hard or saltier or no salt options, unique designs, etc. are something you have control of. No worry about running out of stock. But one thing to realize is that buying in smaller amounts is way more expensive than buying in larger units. ie 2oz of glitter will cost up to 2 bucks/oz whereas buying 6 oz is cheaper per oz. (ie 1.40) The same for plastic. Buy the gallon and save a bunch versus buying a pint or quart. Plastic and lures you've made can be reheated to make new ones, but colorant and new glitter need to be added after multiple reheats. Plaster of paris is a cheap and easy way to copy most lures. Other than that, lurecraft.com has many inexpensive silicone molds, including a decent full round Senko mold.

Fortunately bass aren't into what is attractive and sometimes ugly is good! ;D My first sticks from Lurecraft.com molds produced flat sided baits and those baits caught a ton of fish the first year! I didn't even use salt or softener and they got clobbered! Lurecraft.com has many fine silicone molds and have copied hundreds of unpatented baits. Some detail may be lost in silicone, but the action is adequate to catch multi species. In fact most swim grubs and swimbaits require silicone because the attachment to the tail must be thin. Lurecrafts full round Senkos mold is nothing more than a block of silicone with a cavity running down the middle. The different size molds all produce perfect full round baits but each mold only has one cavity. The 6" is a thicker stick and preferrable to thin sticks at times. Good service and decent prices for most lures you can't make from hard mold materials. Check them out.

Question: How did you find out how deep the bass were caught? If caught in less than 30 FOW, would it make any difference that they were kept in a livewell for 6 hours or longer? Question: Were you able to count the number of dead fish at weigh-in? Do you know for sure the percentage of dead fish per total caught? Do you have an idea of total harvest for that lake? Guessing or assuming doesn't count. Question: Does law inforcement have a boat on the lake on a daily basis or during every weekend? Will local law enforcement accept a picture of the boat registration as proof when a boat speeds in a no wake zone? Will they investigate? Question: Do you belong to a club or organization that fishes the lake often? (If so I have a suggestion.) Granted, slobs can ruin a day, whether they be anglers, ski boaters or jet skiiers; slob clubs can hurt a fishery (thank god there a so few!) The problem is dealing with what can't be fixed or if it can be fixed, acting realistically. I'm both rec and tourn. angler and sympathize, but realize that I can choose when and where to fish so as to have a nice day. I'm lucky in that I don't have to use my bass boat since I also have a 4wd truck for off road, a canoe, 12' jon boat and waders and many peaceful out-of-the-way waters I can schlepp to at a moments notice within an hour from home. If the fishery is declining, the DNR needs proof so as to institue slot limits or restrict tourney permits. If there is no state sponsored protection available, take up pan fishing because anyone with a license can keep fish and even release the half dead ones. :'( Fishing clubs and federations should buy newspaper space to educate the public about C&R and bass mortality. Each federation should send messages to each club reminding them about proper livewell care and boater courtesy and safety. We all tend to forget. Other than that, if some clown cuts me off and is racing to a spot, I find his boat and circle it. If he asks why, I tell him why and show him my digital camera.

Occasionally there are a few good tips regarding presentation and new lures, but I'm not sure at times what is hype and what is valid. As far as what the pros used to win, I'm convinced they would have used something totally different on my local waters, depending on conditions. I don't usually watch fishing shows for the same reasons and that started with Roland's, Jimmy's and Bill's half hour infomercials that didn't correlate to my waters at all! Seems like the best info I get is through forums such as this!

Nice report and photo. Keep em com'n!

Man, that's a long tournament and a long time to sit on a piece of structure! I agree with the consensus. If you don't have a sonar and haven't confirmed the bottom drops, hardness and objects, you don't know what you're casting down to. If the pattern is shallow, no problem; but if it's over 10, you're blind. Last Sat. I fished a new lake, had no sonar with me and didn't have a clue about the bottom except for what my lures showed my. I swore I'd never fish this beautiful lake again unless I had sonar and a note book to map primary and secondary deeper structure. Catching 8 legal bass (one 3lb) in shallow shady water was easy; finding fish along deeper drops, was time consuming and frustrating without the sonar. Location, location, location applies to deeper summer time structure which, in my experience, should be saturated with casts and slow presentations that keep the bait on or near the bottom, longer. The problem is IMO that fish aren't chasing and it's like playing with my cat --- nudge the toy mouse an inch, repeat and then move the bait faster for the pounce. If the attack doesn't happen on the first retrieve, it usually happens on the next.

The single tail Bacon Rind you show may be good, but I like the double tail Brush Hog creature bait when not using a chunk style or Paca Craw by Netbait. This is one I copied from a Gander Mountain brand (Black Magic) that floats.

You've never been to Dicks then. They are the worst! Gander in Middletown, NY is getting there, but the bigger problem is the re-organization, or should I say disorganization of all the stock. For two years you could find things easily because of the logic of putting like-tackle together. Now things are separated and mixed up.Walmart may not keep stocked, but at least the stock is in the same place every time I go. I don't like to pay the shipping for cat. orders, but what choice?

The reason they might not have caught much is that either the bait isn't being moved from unproductive areas and that you are covering more water or the live bait they are using isn't the best for that water, the same as for artificials. If you use sonar and know the structure you're targeting and they don't, they have no idea of how deep the bait should be unless they are split shotting. If they've never watched fishing on tv or read any basic angler books, most likely they either don't know the specialty tools of the trade or don't really care and as long as it ain't work and are happy just to soak a few worms! If you look back at your early years as a newbie, you probably remember how mysterious everything was when it came to artificials and finding active fish, but you still had fun. I didn't have a clue 30 years ago, but once I joined a club and took in all the media my brain could absorb, I found I couldn't go back to those simpler and less varied ways to catch fish. Am I a better angler than the shoreline angler who uses live bait? Only the fish will tell at the moment they see both baits, especially when ice fishing. Of course, keeping something simple is not always bad, especially if it's not the catching that's important.

The Black Magic brand is made for Gander by a company that makes soft plastic baits for other companies, the difference being the salt content, scent and plastic firmness. The sticks were okay for 2 bucks a bag when the store first opened, but not for 3 bucks. Just not enough salt or softness for my liking. Black Magic has so many copies of baits, I've stopped counting and new ones come out every spring. Their craw jig trailer is the best I've used and I haven't found the same design anywhere so I copied it in plaster and pour my own. The Sweet Beaver copy isn't too great, but the crappie grubs are as good as Kalin's. Strange how Wave Industries have lowered the price of Tikis, Bamboo sticks, etc. for Walmart and Gander, but are full price on line.

Jig man is right - plastic changes when it's reheated. Many manufacturers use additives which make plastic too hard or too soft when reheated and if salt was present, sinks to the bottom of a pyrex cup before the bait can be poured. Fresh plastic (the kind the handpourer uses) can be remelted and repoured more times if the temp doesn't get higher than 300 degrees. But, the color will not be the same and any glitter will eventually shrink to colorless specks, requiring more glitter and colorant to be added. I always save my old plastic and add new plastic, the same color, salt and flakes to it to get the same effect. Lately I've been cutting off the torn part of the bait where the hook entered, putting the lure back in the mold and add clear salt water plastic, which is the toughest plastic anyone can buy. I started doing this a few years ago before Mann came out with his hard nose baits and the lure lasts even longer than before. I doubt anyone will give you a break on pouring new baits from your old plastic. The time and labor are the same, which is 80 % of the cost of making lures for sale, not to mention the shipping.