Lure Making

[hair jig]

Caney creek molds has a wide selection of stuff for pouring plactics!!!

[wicklundrh]

Jann's Netcraft has some really decent "Basic" stuff for the beginner.

I opted NOT to make my own. I enjoy making jigs, (pouring lead comes with it's own set of risks) but the cost didn't make sense to me. I will say this however: It is very gratifying to be able to build something with a purpose in mind (like catching fish) and then go out with what you made and make it happen.

I think they sell some decent safety stuff too....
I didn't wear a helmet, drank from a hose, came home after dark and I'm only mildly screwed up!

[jackie53]

Do-it has some great videos for the beginner!! Be safe!!! on their web site Do-it.com!!

[Spoonminnow]

Your grandson should have no problem making soft plastic lures for any species. There are some young kids that age as well as adults demonstrating step-by-step, how-to on YouTube.

Plastics are safe and not difficult to make as long as certain guidelines are strictly followed if you're serious about getting into the hobby with him:

The fastest and easiest method of heating is using a microwave oven and Pyrex cup.

Never heat plastisol (new liquid plastic from a jug) more than needed. The range is usually around 300 degrees or lower. Use a glass thermometer used for cooking oil that can take the heat to get an idea of that temperature. After a while you can tell by stirring with a metal butter knife how fluid the plastic is for pouring. Overheated plastic smokes and can be deadly! Heating in increments of 60 then 30 seconds and then 15 seconds to check fluidity is what I do to be safe to get the correct pouring temperature.

Leftover plastic or melting down old lures can be reheated and takes less time than the first time plastic is heated.
Three different grades of plastic are sold: salt water firm, medium soft and soft.

Dyes and flakes are available. Glitter must never be metallic and anything metal must be kept from getting into the plastic or microwave or risk a fire and deadly smoke. Many sites sell heat resistant glitter that won't shrink or melt down. Glitter does shrink with constant reheating and some colors like purple bleed into the plastic. Also, water must never come in contact with molten plastic to avoid splash burns.

There is a no-mold lure I came up with that catches 5 species of fish and that I use 95% of the time for all pan fishing, including crappie. I can send you instructions.

Many lures can be copied in plaster of Paris and as long as you don't sell patented designed lures, no worry for personal use. Lurecraft.com has over 500 examples of lures no longer patented and the cheap silicone molds that produce them. Injection and non-injection aluminum molds come in many designs and the result is professional looking and flawless (not that the fish care).

There are many kinds of lures you can make for bass/ pickerel, where the components are sometimes cheaper to assemble than buying a manufactured lure, plus color schemes are up to the imagination. The easiest and quickest to make are skirted jigs and spinnerbaits. Silicone skirt color selection is unbelievable and silicone doesn't react with plastic lures.

Different jig designs are sold on different sites as are blades, swivels and split rings. Soft plastic trailer are easy to make in colors you decide on. (Note: zip ties work great to attach skirts, making the use of thread unnecessary.)
Other skirt materials also have their favorites such as fur or feather and Mylar hair where thread tying is required along with a coating to seal. Hair jigs are exceptional for bobber fishing and ice fishing.

Lure craft is a great hobby and a nice pastime when fishing is out. Using creative juices that lead to hundreds of discoveries that can catch fish, is the most single satisfying experience and for me is as important as fishing. You grandkid will thank you and remember who introduced him to the hobby long after your gone.

[bugman]

It would be a great hobby for him as long as he follows a few simple safety guidelines and would give him a thrill every time he catches a fish on one of his baits.Do it has the safest plastic out there it is a bit more pricey but worth the extra investment for the young man.One mold,gallon of plastic,heat stabilizer,injector and a few bottles of coloant/glitter would be a killer present much better than say a video game....lol.

[Spoonminnow]

One thing you might want to consider to get him started with plastics is making hybrid lures. I'm always playing around with lures to see if some parts go better with other parts. All you need is a candle, some scissors and an imagination to melt the ends of two different parts and fuse them together.

Lurecraft is about understanding,through experience, the range of lure actions that entice or provoke a fish to strike - any predator fish. You and he will see that some tail actions are superior to others and that fish activity levels determine how many.

Lure designers have been experimenting for years and made money coming out with new and unique lures they claim are the next best thing, next to the invention of the barbed hook. But making and using my own lures put that into perspective the first time I caught fish on my own creations. I got the bait monkey off my back permanently and the proof of that was not buying any lures 50 % off at my local tackle shop on black Friday. My basement is the graveyard for over a thousand lures of different types, many of which I'll never use in my life time.