Homemade Lures (Pictures and Videos)

Over the past few months, I have been working on creating my own soft plastic lures. It has been a very fun journey of learning different techniques and perfecting the craft of making lures and I would like to share the experience here. Soft plastic lures are fairly expensive and when you’re like me and go through 2 packs of them every time you fish, the cost adds up quite quickly. I got the inspiration from a youtube video that I saw and figured that I would give it a try as it seemed fairly simple. As it turned out, it wasn’t. Hand Making fishing lures requires a precision that truly requires to be mastered. The first step of the process is actually obtaining a mold for the lure. There are plenty of open-pour models of lure online that you can buy for $70-100 and are made entirely of aluminum. However, if you want a custom model it has to be designed in a 3d modeling software and either 3d printed or machined. Once you have this “mold master” it has to be molded. I prefer RTV molding silicone as it creates a very accurate mold that is heat-resistant and relatively cheap. Once this is done your plastic (bait-making plastisol) needs to be heated to between 350 and 400 degrees Fahrenheit. If you have one, I recommend using a vacuum chamber to remove as much air as possible from the plastic before it is poured in order to have the best quality baits. Before pouring add your colorant (mica powder or oil-based dye) and temperature-resistant glitter to your plastic. Then pour evenly and make sure not to overpour as it will leave flashing on the edge of your lure that is difficult to remove cleanly. Wait until your lure is cool enough to touch and remove it from the mold. Lay on a baking sheet or on a flat movable surface and there you have it. This journey of lure-making has not only taken my creativity to the next level but it has also given me something to do through the pandemic into today. It has become one of my favorite hobbies and I hope that some of you will come to enjoy it as much as I have.