shell squid fabrication

[andrewd]

i recently started building my own spreader bars/daisy chains etc.--i do a lot of tuna fishing and would rather not pay 80 dollars for a spreader bar i can make in a half hour. but i was wondering if you have done or have any ideas about fabricating your own shell squid. thanks

andrew

[dahlberg]

Actually, I'd not given it much thought, but if you tell me exactly what you are trying to accomplish and what the most common problems are I'll see what I can come up with to get you heading in a productive direction.
best
L

[Questor]

My first thought is to use a tube bait mold because the squid are essentially tube baits. Since it may not be possible to find one in the 8 to 12 inch size you are likely to need, it may be worth buying a small mold and reverse engineering it for the larger bait. That should work, but the baits could be expensive because of the amount of plastic needed. Plan B might be to buy cheap plastic worms, then add the impression of bulk by tying on fish hair and flashabou. Depending on availability of squid in your area, using real squid might be the most economical and effective approach.

http://www.lurecraft.com/catalog.cfm/mo ... 5x836:1931

[Questor]

Another option might be to buy about a dozen spoons from Netcraft. They sell spoons that don't have hooks on them, and the cost is much lower than buying other spoons. It seems to me there are many options, almost none of which are direct replacements for the commercial plastic squid.

I routinely add bucktail to the hook of a 3.5" spoon to give it a total length of about 8". That spoon and bucktail combination might be a good choice. I'd try that first.

[Terry G.]

take a look at these , might be cheaper.
http://www.p-line.com/product_detail.php?id=129