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JRammit

Your Arsenal: Homemade Vs Store Bought

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How many "renaissance men" do we have here? Who can make it all, and who still buys some?.. How much of your arsenal is homemade? If you still buy lures, what kind and why? Is there any bait you cant recreate? Or is there one close to your heart that you still buy for sentimental reasons??

So far ive replaced all my soft plastics with customs, but i just started hard baits and havnt made any spinners yet... I keep a few store bought cranks and spinners in my box, but am too stubborn to use them..... With the exeption of 2: Rapala original floater, because as a kid i caught more bass on it than any other bait.. And the Bill Lewis Rat-l-trap, because my grandfather passed away when i was too young to remember him, but my grandmother gave me his old tacklebox which was FILLED with them!... Unfortunately that tackle box was stolen several years ago, so i still buy the traps, for sentimental reasons....

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I have never bought a single crank or soft bait. I bought a few spinners when I was in Sweden 8 years ago. Prior to joining TU, I only used bait, as is the general mode of fishing in the UK.

Dave

Always been curious about other freshwater territories... What species are prevalent in the UK? Sweden? Indonesia?. Same diversity as the US?... I grew up fishing in Texas, then moved to Colorado for 8 years.. Quite the culture shock for an angler! Shoulda seen the looks i got walking down the bank with heavy action rods, 15 lb test, 8" worms ect... Eventually learned light tackle and bait were the way to go there Edited by JRammit
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In the UK, I fished for tench mostly, but other fish like perch, roach, rudd, crucian carp came my way. Occasionally I would travel further afield and do some trout fishing. Most of the time I would be using 1.5Lb breaking strain mono.

 

Sweden was a tidal river, mostly perch with a few trout.

 

Indonesia is all stocked concrete ponds. The two I fish are bawal, a piranha type fish and another pond does catfish. They allowed me to use my lures at first, but when I took the prize fish on the first day, they banned artificials after that. My next plan is to make an artificial from a foodstuff, so that I can demonstrate validity by eating my own baits.

 

Dave

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I don't buy any lures except for plastics. I'm toying with the idea of starting to pour but not 100% sure if I'll like it. I don't pour lead but buy unpainted jig and spinnerbait heads. I'll never pour lead. Also looking at making my own rods.

Whats not to like about plastics? Kinda makes me feel like a one man factory... I wasnt sure if i would like hard baits, but man, they REALLY get my wheels turning!!!... Havnt considered rod building, maybe some day, but ive always relied on the ol Ugly Stik.. I know there are better rods out there, but not for the price... Plus im ROUGH on my rods n reels!!! But the rods ALWAYS outlast the reels

Makes for a good question to any rod builders reading, how difficult is mending fiberglass to graphite?? Anybody make their own version of the Ugly Stik??

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The only thing I don't like about soft plastics is the 350 degree plastic. As an accident prone guy, the thought of spilling it on myself is a little scary. Plus, if I take up anymore space in my apartment with lure making stuff, my wife will kill me. She showed me the knife. When we move this summer, I'll be setting up a better work space and I'll give it a more serious thought.

As for the ugly stiks, it's hard to beat $30 for a rod. Especially since very few companies make 2 piece casting rods. Hard to maneuver a one piece 7 foot rod in a CRV. Lost one to a power window.

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Man, my wife has me posted up in the corner.. Weve been fighting over the laundry room, ill get it one way or another!!!... But in the mean time i know all about opperating in minimal space!... I also know about 350 degree plastic!.. Gloves and long sleeves from now on!!!... I just assume it happens to everyone once, so mine is out of the way!.... Wasnt that bad, only about 9 blisters on my left hand, biggest one was only the size of half an easter egg..... Not to discourage, hot plastic is no more dangerous than the power tools you probably use to make hard baits

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Ha! This thread is all over the place, but that is OK, we are in the docks after all.

 

Yes, power tools can rip a couple of fingers off in the blink of an eye and blind you in the snap of your fingers if you have two left. Just like with plastics, it is all about planning, clear thinking and safety attire. AND, just like with plastics, it is the hidden dangers that can cause the most damage; plastic fumes and wood dust, both at the very least will make your latter years a misery.

 

Take care my friends.

 

Dave

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Alsworms - from what I have read here on TU, plastics do out fish hard baits. So why do we go to so much time and trouble to make a lure that gets out fished by a plastic. In the time it takes to make one crank, you could probably turn out a hundred or more plastics.

 

I can't explain it, but I am going to carry on doing it :)

 

Dave

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Interesting topic. I never made hard baits, but would take a few store bought plastics just to compare them to my stuff. For the most part, my stuff would outfish the store stuff, but when it didn't.........I sure heard about it! LOL

I havnt bought a bag of plastics since i joined TU last year... But i did fish mine against a store bought once... 2nd bait i ever made was a little 2" shad shaped crappie jig, 2nd time i used it was fishing against a buddy who use to fish professionally and his favorite panfish assassin jig... He smoked me 30 somthin to 20 somthin!!!... But he always outfished me anyway, so i cant blame the bait...

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Alsworms - from what I have read here on TU, plastics do out fish hard baits. So why do we go to so much time and trouble to make a lure that gets out fished by a plastic. In the time it takes to make one crank, you could probably turn out a hundred or more plastics.

I can't explain it, but I am going to carry on doing it :)

Dave

Dave, that was my reasoning for starting with softies... But there are some things a chunk of plastic just cant do... Theres a time and place for everything on the water.. Fish arent much different from women... Sometimes you gotta finesse em soft and slow.... And other times... Well... You gotta give em the hard bait!

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The power tools I don't have to worry about as I don't use any until I use my airbrush. My super sharp carving knife is another story. I always have a large supply of band aids near by. My wife said I should stay away from the whiskey while I'm carving. I have to disagree.

Dave, that was my reasoning for starting with softies... But there are some things a chunk of plastic just cant do... Theres a time and place for everything on the water.. Fish arent much different from women... Sometimes you gotta finesse em soft and slow.... And other times... Well... You gotta give em the hard bait!

Now that's funny!

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My super sharp carving knife is another story. I always have a large supply of band aids near by. My wife said I should stay away from the whiskey while I'm carving. I have to disagree.

Ha!... I'm thinking the next addition to my "man corner" will be a mini beer fridge next to my cardboard paint booth.. More efficient than walking to the kitchen fridge!

Im strictly power tools on hard baits, carving dont i well do!... Hand me a big block of wood, after an hour of carving ill hand you back a smaller block...

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Ha!... I'm thinking the next addition to my "man corner" will be a mini beer fridge next to my cardboard paint booth.. More efficient than walking to the kitchen fridge!

Im strictly power tools on hard baits, carving dont i well do!... Hand me a big block of wood, after an hour of carving ill hand you back a smaller block...

A beer fridge is a must. It'll help you work stress free. At least that's what I tell myself.

I'll be investing in a lathe and a scroll saw once I get a house or condo. Can't continue to carve due to what I believe is carpal tunnel. Last time I went on a carving binge, my hand was almost useless for a month. Painting KO's has been helping my lurecraft cravings.

You selling anything you make or are you doing it for fun?

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A beer fridge is a must. It'll help you work stress free. At least that's what I tell myself.

I'll be investing in a lathe and a scroll saw once I get a house or condo. Can't continue to carve due to what I believe is carpal tunnel. Last time I went on a carving binge, my hand was almost useless for a month. Painting KO's has been helping my lurecraft cravings.

You selling anything you make or are you doing it for fun?

Check this out, i was thinking of getting a scroll saw too, but this thing would save alot of space!

http://www.dremel.com/en-us/Tools/Pages/ToolDetail.aspx?pid=MS20#.VVP43dAo5ms

I havnt sold anything yet, actually at this point if someone bought one of my baits it would only be out of sympathy (ha ha!).. But i think im improving.. Still trying to achieve my 1st goal, which was to replace my WHOLE arsenal with all customs, im almost at the halfway point... After that, who knows??

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I bought the circular saw Dremel attachment - The most useless and DANGEROUS tool in the world. Be vary wary of Dremel attachments. They are superb mini drills, but that is all.

Dave

I would imagine so! As a regular dremel has NO electronic brake and no handle for leverage to balance out the torque of a heavier blade.. I think that attatchment may have been designed as a weapon rather than a tool!... Years ago i had an actual scroll saw made by dremel, only problem i had with it was misplacing it durring a move.... Wish i still had it!

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When I can turn out something that is the equal or better than a commercial or custom wood bait, I build it. So there are lots of shallow wood baits, plus a few super deep divers that I make for myself.  But I still fish at least 50% commercial baits.  To me it's not about trying to build every bait under the sun.  Neither I nor anyone I know has ever been able to do that well.  It's all about fishing the best baits available.  Does anyone make a wood bait that does the same things a Megabass Ito Vision 110 can do?  No, and so I fish a few of them regardless of the cost.  How about a #5 Rapala Shad Rap?  I'm sure I could build some after a lot of trial and error prototyping.  But at around $6 per Shad Rap, I don't see the point.

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I fish a lot of my own baits (cranks, top waters, and soft plastics) but have no issues using commercial.  I used to pour a lot of soft plastics but couldn't even begin to fish what I have stored bought over the years.  I typically found stuff on sale or clearance and bought a lot of it.  Makes it hard to make things when you can buy for so cheap and use your time to fish or do other activities.  I don't mind pouring baits but there are many things I would rather do.  As Bob mentioned it gets where hey I could make this but the price of the product  is cheap and frankly doesn't get much better that the commercial offering in some instances.

 

For some things their isn't much satisfaction for me as no real sense of accomplishment in making the bait.  That really is a big factor for me, does making (insert whatever) present itself as a challenge, a puzzle, and or do I find it enjoyable to do.    I always enjoyed making a master and the molding process much more than the final product making when it comes to soft plastics.    I always like hand pouring more so than injecting but don't find myself getting the molds out very often anymore.  Every once and awhile I may knock something out if I am in one of those moods but I think it has been well over a year the last time I messed with any soft plastic.  Most of soft plastics can be done by anybody with a heartbeat with the products now readily available to the hobbyist.    I used to sell but so much of it was becoming I need 100 senkos in watermellon, blah, blah,  it was just boring to do and fortunately not in a situation where the money was needed as purely got spent on buying other molds or product.

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