Swimbait molds

[guillotm]

Hey guys,

Just started getting into lure making and have a question regarding swimbait making. Is it possible to replicate swimbaits such as Huddleston and Castaic? What types of Alumisol would I need and would I need some type of internal structure to make the swimbaits swim better. Thanks in advance for your help.

[BBK]

In the words of Mr. Dahlberg, "with all the right goop, you can make anything you want".

Absolutely you can make those swimbaits, but if you want them like the real deal then you would need to have an internal support. Castaic's soft swimbaits with the single hook out the back is a one piece steel form with lead in the middle. That would be very hard to duplicate, but you could always fit a 30º jig hook in there as your top hook, then run a dropper of formed .035 wire off the hook shank for your bottom loop if you want a treble also. Then for the weight you could use the powdered tungsten slurry, as shown in the complete mr. whiggley video.

[guillotm]

Thanks for the reply but I was reffering more to the catch 22 series that has a fiber support. I figured if I get the right alumisol I wouldnt need the internal support.

[BBK]

You will just need to make a wire form, Larry has done it several times on his hard bait videos. It is the same concept, except you will be pouring alumisol instead of super plastic. You will have to weight the belly of the bait somehow in order for it to run correct side up, either pour a line of tungsten infused plastic in the belly or run a nail weight down by your wire form. Even a bullet weight attached to your wire form inside the belly would work.

You could even play with the weight placement to get different actions out of the bait... the possibilities are endless.

To clarify what I mean, make a loop in .035 wire (this will be your hook tie), run it straight back then down to make the hook tie, then run it straight back up and back to the first bend in the bait. leave it end there. The alumisol will do the rest.

[aka anglinarcher]

guillotm wrote:
> Thanks for the reply but I was reffering more to the catch 22 series that
> has a fiber support. I figured if I get the right alumisol I wouldnt need
> the internal support.

I know what you are taking about. Hopefully all of the spam will not burry this thread before Larry gets a chance to respond.

I have some of the catch 22 lures. The solid inset in the head could be made out of foam. I suggest the Alumilite 610. What I would do is to make your mold and then fill it with the 610. After it is set up, I would then sand down the foam so it formed the insert. Then make a new mold for just the insert. You may need to inject the plastic so it does not cool too fast when it is poured around the insert. This is what I am doing on a lure I am working to design.

The fiber support is for the tail. No alumisol (plastisol in general) that I know of will equal the super soft texture of the 22, and the joints, and still be strong without the fiber support. I am not sure that the fiber support would be all that hard to insert, but I have not tried it (yet-LOL). The super strong and super soft material like what is used on Larry's diver frog is not available to the home/garage lure maker at this time.

Here is what I would TRY. I would make the insert as mentioned above. I would then pull a few strands of cotton thread for the support. The insert would have a small brass tube inserted for the same line through lure method as the 22 (coat the brass rod with mold release before pouring).

I hope this helps. The Catch 22 is a hard lure to start with; it is more advanced. But with a little trial and error, I am sure you can do it.

[guillotm]

Thanks for your help. Looks like I'll just buy a whole bunch of the Catch 22's. The lures are great but I would like to change the location of the hook. If there was a way to make them without the insert I would be interested but I am not ready or prepared to do that much work. Thanks for your help.

[BBK]

I have poured thousands of soft jointed swimbaits.. granted they are not exact copies of the catch 22 baits, but they have 3 cut outs just like the catch22. They all pour absolutely fine and have great action in the water. You may have to put a small paddle section in the tail of the mold to get it to kick well, but that is super easy and will not harm the natural look of the bait.

It is very possible to change the hook placement, you could put it back by the tail if you wanted, but you will need good weight in the belly to keep it level.

[aka anglinarcher]

guillotm wrote:
> Thanks for your help. Looks like I'll just buy a whole bunch of the Catch
> 22's. The lures are great but I would like to change the location of the
> hook. If there was a way to make them without the insert I would be
> interested but I am not ready or prepared to do that much work. Thanks for
> your help.

Sure, you can easily change the bait anyway you want. Here is what I would do if I were you.

1) Take your favorite Catch 22 bait and make a mold of it. Look at the tutorials at the following link, with attention to the methods used for the dragonfly larva.

http://www.makelure.com/HowTos.cfm

2) The insert, and the fiber reinforcement, are really only so they can sell them as able to catch 22 fish. It is not necessary at all for home use. I would use a hitch hiker screw-in line tie like Larry does on his Mr. Whiggley. This is easier and you can attach your trebble hook any place you want. You will need to experiment with location to get best swimming action.

Like BBK suggested, you will need ballest weight in the belley to keep the bait swimming right. Frankly, I need to add ballest to the smaller Catch 22's anyway. Larry and Mike show how to pour a little skin in the mold, then add weight. Continue to fill the mold and let the Alumisol squish out. Trim excess after it cools.

The alumidust is a perfect way to color the lure and you can get results every bit as good as the Catch 22s.

[BBK]

When you are experimenting with weight placement, use nail weights. Then once you find the sweet spot, find a way to incorporate it into your molded bait in the same spot, with the same size weight. I suggest alumilite tungsten powder for weighting your baits once you figure out where the weight needs to be. Use lead nail weights to find the sweet spot first though, so you dont waste the expensive tungsten.

The screw eye and treble suggestion is spot on, that is what I would do to start in order to find where you want your treble... but then I would mold in a wire form to make it a little easier. You can use the same set-up larry uses on advanced whiggley, only run the wire down to make the hook tie instead of wrapping around a tube. Brass .035 is what I would use, but steel will work also.