CK_32

Depends, on the weather, the water conditions, where/what I'm fishing. Most of the time, being I live in sunny CA for salt fish like halibut and bay bass . I usual go to is a 3.5" swim bait by hammer. But I just started pouring my own so pretty soon my own baits are ganna be my favorite. Hopefully

Well I tried the glue/water and it worked ok. No one else has any tricks?

Like posted above its not pick buy and dump. There is a little more to it than that. I just started hand pouring for my self a few months ago. I got into it for about $200 to start. That's going to the 99¢ store, buying some tupper wear containers, Walmart pirex cups and junk metal knives and Home Depot for plaster of Perris ($40 ish bucks all together) to start makeing molds. Then I went and searched online for cheap but good supplies. Got 3 jars of glitter, 5 dye colors, 1gal of plastisol and an old microwave from my GFs garage (about $130 ish shipped) and some other small odds and ends to get pouring. My first week was just junking supplies learning the dos and donts, how to mold and how to pour, still learning. But now I'm finally getting usable plastics. I've done the math and am getting a standard 3.5" swim 2 color bait for about $0.28 a pop. That run $0.75 at my local shop. $0.40 for one color craw dads which run about $1.20 at my local shop. So it's not dirt cheap to get into it, it's actually frustrating and confusing. But now I have it about down pat and am able to make what ever my mind can think of and customize my baits for me and my buddies. They aren't flawless but I'm not in it to sell, just fish my own baits and have fun doing it so my 98% sexy 2% ugly baits is good enough for the fish to bite. Cause let's face it, 90% of the fancy colors and looks of baits are for the fishermen, not the fish. So if you have $200 to blow it's do able on a budget, if you want quality sellable baits expect around $400+ to get started. So if you get into it, expect a ton of trial and error, wasted product and slightly less sexy baits but the fun and great feeling of making your own and doing what ever your heart desires. The other reason aside from plaster of Paris being cheap and easy to work with, you can carve away and start with your favorite factory baits and get to customizing and mocking up your own custom baits and make changes on the fly to what features, ridges and bumps your bait has. Where aluminum is buy what you get and $$, and silicone is $$ and not as easy to cut and mold for custom add ons. Each way has its own pros and cons. GL and happy. Molding bro!

Anyone have any tricks or tips on how to get POP molds to press out shiny plastics? I'm not liking the full finish. I know it's more of a fishermen cosmetic but like the shine personally. I saw a truck on using 50/50 water and school glue, epoxy, basically breaking the contact and creating a barrier between the plastic and POP to let is cute and shine and not soal into the mold. But don't want to lose defenition in my molds. Anyone have any tricks to get some shine out fresh from the mold?

Alright just got my stuff from Spike-it (Lureworks). Been pouring all night. This stuff isn't that bad. cooks up clear, heats and sets with out any head stabilizer, no yellowing\. Bubbles a little, but that's the struggle of a hand pourer. Their medium is a little softer than I prefer, fills pretty good tho since its so soft. Spike it sent me 2 jugs of softener to test for them, don't think I'll use it with this batch. Already too soft for my use. Actually need a hardener for this one. Takes well to dyes and colors. I'm going to call spike it a win. Probably try Bait Junkies for my next order just to try it out. But will come back to spike it, their stuff is legit. CS is awesome too, like I said they threw in 2 quarts of 2 different softeners to test for them free of charge. Thought that was pretty cool. Also talked me out of getting a specific red due to it being known to bleed. Anyone wanna trade some hardener for some softener??

Gotcha! Depending on how this spike it plastic does for me, maybe I'll give them a BJ a look.

Care to elaborate a little more? What brought you to that conclusion? Color? Heat? End plastic result? Ect ect. Why do you like it over the others, why don't you like the others? Pro's con's? I'm getting my shipment tomorrow morning. Probably be cooking by tomorrow night. But am really interested in what you have to say about the whole line up. Might save me some time buying, testing or avoiding others.

Yea I saw that literally 10 min after posting this. But what is so "premium" about their premium plasti? I'm curious what "premium" plastic does. Cause I've used thousands of different soft baits and I can't recall ever feeling a plastic that's THAT much more superior. But even that plastic is about $8 more than other places. Am I right in assuming do it is just slightly higher priced than others? Or do they actually have superior products?

Spike it plastisol is about $32 for a 1 gallon jug Do-it plastisol is about $65 for a 1 gal container but comes in a neat little box and spout. I just started pouring my own baits with POP hand pours and rubber molds. I see people reccomend do-it as "the best" plastic there is. Is it really worth exactly double other places like spike it? Even if it is better is it 2x better? 2 gallons is a lot of lures vs the 1 gal your paying for "premium" plastic. Have any of you guys tried either or? Or know the actual difference? Is it really that much better? I'm a salt water guy and hardly use finesse rigs, so is it worth even opting for the "premium" rubber? I just ordered a tub of spike it and tried make-it-lure previously. Am I missing anything? Or is it just the box and spout what your paying for?

Alright so I've been bass lake fishing and shore fishing for the past year now. Lovin it. So far I'm running - Shimano Convergance 1pc 7'2" / Shimano Sahara 4000FE - Swing bait, jerk bait Shimano Clarus 2pc 7' / Diawa Legali - Swim bait, drop shot, jerk bait Diawa Excelcior 1pc 7' / Some cheap $30 reel - drop shot, swim bait Diawa Strike 2pc 7' / Strike combo reel - Drop shots Now I'm looking to get a bigger rod and start messing with charter boats and hang with my buddies and catch some 5 to 7' sharks at our local shore spot. So whats a good shark/big fish rod for around $80 and under $100?? I've seen some guys fish Okuma Avengers and some other cheaper rods but see a lot of horrible reviews. So whats a good big fish stick? Also while your at it, kill 2 birds whats a decent big fish reel for it??Also semi affordable please.

Never used a top water bait. Only a jerk bait and a drop sinker. Still new to fishing really. My experience is very limited. I'll look into wrist rotations at home and see if that helps, if not maybe a brace. I just wanted to see if this was something the body overcame, just have to live with, or I'm doing something wrong.

I've tried, when I do it turns into a dragging motion more than a jerk. It does aid in the wrist fatigued but it's a totally different bait action when I do.

Does anyone else get wrist fatigue when fishing jerk/swim baits? I'm going about 2/3 times a week now and my pole wrist I jerk the rod with is starting to get sore after the first hour or so of fishing.. Anyone else get this? Is it something that goes away over time due to using new muscles? Am I doing it wrong? I've tried posting he rod on my hip while I drag, I've tried bracing it with my arm, but he repetitive motion lifting or dragging the rod is irritating my wrist.

Yea I now know not to hook it through the guide. My new Sellus and Convergence havs hook guides which I now use, and on this old pole which doesn't I hook it through the guide feet for what was mentioned above. As for the sea bass, I'm still new to this whole taking fishing seriously thing and more veteran fishers told me this was a "silver sea bass" and the yellow stripped ones I snag are spotted bay bass, so I just go with that. All I know is it's a fish and as far as I know some type of sea bass and I love catchin em'. What's funny tho is the bigger ones usually don't fight much, it seems the smaller baby bass give me more grief. But little rays, sand sharks and halibut, now those suckers put up a hell of a fight.

Picked up my Shimano Sellus/Sahara 4000 till my 2 piece Convergence comes in to the shop. I'm diggin it. Running a soft 3" swim bait, with a 1/2 oz weedless green head. Dam fish love these things. (Baits have paddle tails, bass nipped the tail off just before pic. Casted back out and hooked him next throw)

Got me a 17" silver sea bass. Mmmmm mmmmmm them was some good eats! Got about 12 fish today. A few baby bass, 4 mackerel, little shark and the big daddy you see above. Guy next to us snagged a 17lb shovel head but it snapped his line just as he was pulling him into the dock.

I thought bass was the food fish?? Reason everyone fished it?? I've always catch and released, whats the main eaters? I was just about to go and try and catch some bass for the table this season. What are the good fish I should look for to put on the table? Sorry, not trying to thread jack, but don't wanna make another thread about almost the same topic.

Went to the shop today and the guy was more than helpful to get me going. He personally ordered a 2 piece convergence and a Clarus 2 price both in 7' med and med heavy so I can feel the 2 and pick which ever one I wanted. He said it's no big deal when I told him he doesn't have to do that but he said no biggy they are good rods and he'll sell them sooner or later. Awesome guy but I think a convergence 2 piece is what I'm getting and he also told me run a 4000. And he reason guys snap these is because the tip up fish which would snap any rod.

Thanks for the replies. I think I'm going to bite the bullet and see about a medium vs a med death rod. Assist with less stress on the tip if I screw up and high pull. I hope it holds up. I'm just so thrown off to realize these $30/40 combo set ups have run and felt so great. I thought these were $100 rigs. But the shimano did feel amazing and again I'm only scared because I'm still a new wild fisher. I don't know the dos and don't I just yank and crank. My pole has been holding up no problem but it's a big aged or else id keep her running.

Just got into fishing and need some help picking my new Rod/Reel combo for casual weekend fishing... (Pretty set on the reel, the rod is where I'm stuck) As of right now I'm looking at a Shimano Convergence 7'2" Graphite Med/Heavy with a 1000 spinner. Lookin about $160 OTD at my local shop. My only fear is, I've seen a lot of talk of these rods snapping at the tip. At first I thought ok that's cause its Graphite, I know its said to be brittle if not fished right. But then I looked and my current Daiwa SK-12H I got from my grandfather is graphite as well and bends and handles like a MF. I thought it was fiber glass this whole time because I've lifted fish and done what all these videos say not to do on graphite rods... I'm looking to replace my Daiwa rod.reel because it's old and the guides epoxy is chipping and the tip guide just started coming loose. I am a noob and this is the first time I've really ever gotten into fishing. I've always been handed a cheapo rod/reel and said have at it and just drink beers more than catch fish. But recently I caught the fishing bug. My goals for this rod are to again replace the aging Daiwa rod I have, and be a good spinner for both rock/shore fishing, and during spring/winter time be my main lake rod/reel. About $150 is what I'm looking to spend for the rod/reel. My local shop got me hooked on the Convergence Rod and 1000 reel. But I don't like seeing reports of these breaking. Will this rod snap on me?? If so why do these snap on people?? I watched a video and it made it sound like all graphite are brittle, and fiber glass rods bend, I thought my rod was a fiber glass but saw all my rods and families rods are graphite. Are these convergence's good to go? Or Garbage?? Appreciate all your time/help. I'm as lost as ever on what to believe, go by or trust. I asked on another forum with little to no help on what to get or if this rod is trustable to last. Just people telling me what they use or their biased brands and tell me "oh spend xxx more and get this" (which I get but that doesn't help me). $150 is my max, and I don't need anything high tech just enough to last me and hopefully give my kids a decent rod.