[ghostbaits]

As I ponder the hype of tube swims, I find myself wondering what other ways we can use the new techiques we are going through to make better fish catching baits.

Has anybody else thought of other things?

Example, I have made some recent 2 piece pop molds for a trick worm styled bait but purposely left a tiny area near the bottom uncovered as I covered the other areas with e-tex. Purpose....To allow some bubbles to enter the bait. Most stay down at the end of the bait...

Never made sense to fish a carolina rigged bait that would sink down to the bottom completely and quickly. Same goes with a texas rigged worm. Watch one, even without salt, eventually, they will fall to the lake bottom completely (if they have flake).

With a "tube" worm, they stay floated up off the bottom.

I know this isn't earth shaking news and we have used syringes to put air into baits or just poured baits with floating plastic but ther may be other avenues where "tubing" is good.

I have also found that a dip of hard plastic just at the nose of my drop shot baits help them stay on the hook better and I can catch more than 1 fish per bait many times.

Just wondering if this stuff is getting the wheels going or frustrating most. I keep thinking about them as I am out tournament fishing trying to trick the fish into biting something plastic!!!

Jim

[Joe S.]

I'm always wrecking my brain trying to think of that one feature, that will stand out, have thought of a few things especially creating that air pocket, but to make them for sale would be tough, you could create a mold to make the pocket but you would have to the melt the spot to close the hole, which would make the bait slighlty imperfect, I wouldn't mind but customers can be finicky if it is not perfect.

[earthworm77]

Jim a long time ago, like when I was a kid, maybe 16 years ago or so, my fishing pal got a package from Bass Pro shops that had some experimental baits that they never officially released. On was a 5" gitzit shaped tube bait without the tails cut. In fact it was the exact shape of a Senko. I fished the bait on a split shot rig because it floated up off the bottom. It was deadly. I guess they just didn't think it would take off for them.

Do you think it would be more effective to use a special mold to allow air in or maybe to use the tiny air bubble additive for floating worms?

It is funny...this game. There are times when I am so blocked up I can't think of any ideas and then there are times when I have so many, I have to put them on paper before I forget about them.

[tubinator]

I've been working on a modification to the regular cylindrical tube bait. Made a mold like we are using for the paddletails, but I formed some "crawdad" pinchers that will be bent back towards the nose of the bait. The pinchers will be hollow and hopefully standup floating in the water. The mold is shaped like an M with the center being the tube. Planning on dipping them on Saturday. I will post picts.

[BassnRandy]

Venom has a bait called a hotshot or hotrod. It is a tube that is kinda shaped like a fat senko with out the tails cut. It is awsome as it floats well. But it never took off for them.

[ghostbaits]

I think the float additive is best as you can control that. The bubbles just go anywhere. If you had a rod inserted though and then sealed the whole, you could have a great pocket of air (or scent, glitter, etc..) in the end or middle of the bait...

Reminds me of the old soft plastic Pop'r s... They came and went and I loved them things!!! I still have a few s tehy were fish catching baits!!

Jim

[wardsmit]

The marketing "experts" decide where or what to sell and their criteria is only to maximize sales. Can hardly blame them because they are trying to increase bottom line. I have tried a lot of things over the years that have caught fish but would probably not sell well due to not being painted fancy or not perceived as a viable lure. I think that most open minded and creative fishermen are always thinking outside the normal parameters. I see that here in hundreds of posts daily. I know there are many items that are sold which may only catch a fish if the fish is so aggressive that it would bite on anything. They were designed to catch fishermen and not necessarily fish. There are however true well designed lures with great quality and do catch fish. The advantage that people in this forum have over others is most want to experiment and make items that are their own design and idea and will catch fish. Many have said that it is a great feeling to make something different and go catch fish with it. I was making fishing equipment before I started school that caught fish and still get satisfaction from modifications of most everything I use. Seldom do I use anything as it comes out of the box.

[nova]

Jim; there was a worm that came out about 15 years ago that had a "tube" from the tail to the egg sac. I can't remember the name of them but it was 6" long and was a finesse worm. The "tube" was about the diameter of a coat hanger wire. I think I got them from BPS. I'll look through my old stuff to see if I've still got some and post a pic.

www.novalures.com

[earthworm77]

Ward, there was an interesting article recently in FTR magazine that talked about Berkley/Pradco. They felt that the poeple who are actually designing and testing the baits should choose which ones go mainstream, not the guy in charge of the budget. It is definately a logical way to do things, unfortunately so many products are made based on how cheaply they can be produced.

[Mattlures]

Ok Jim i'll give an idea or two. If you went with a rod though the nose of your worm , after you pulled out the rod you could seal the nose by dipping in a harder plastisol. you would create you airpocket and have a hard head for longer lasting baits.
#2 you could create the airpocket by a slit in the belly that is bigger on the top of the slit creating a pocket when the plastic rolls down the sides of the slit peice. You could then seal it with Mend-it! soft plastic welder glue stuff and you would have a clean seam and your air pocket succesfuly sealed it.