No point buying new stuff when I own more than enough for 5 lifetimes

[SenkoSam]

"Not anymore. I have several lifetimes worth of baits already that either hardly get used or have never been out of their package"

Quote from a gent in the previous post about stocking up when we can't fish.
Like him, I also live in the northeast and don't bother fishing when it's below 60 degrees. But, unlike most members on ultimatebass, I make use of soft plastics to make hybrid lures - proven and unproven - as well as modifications. I keep coming up with different unique shapes and actions that catch panfish, catfish, bass and even a large white suckers. Other than hybrids or mods, I pour plastics into molds.

The one on the left was made using a tablespoon for the body and attaching tails that were cut from a film of soft plastic poured on a ceramic tile. The claw baits were hybrids using the claws from one lure and the body from another. A candle flame is all I need to join parts.

[Donald Garner]

Sam, tks for sharing those pictures with us.  Those are some cool looking baits there.   

[SenkoSam]

Thx Donald. I really appreciate replies of content I hope are useful or interesting. To continue:
I started making lures many moons ago starting with tying hair jigs. Then I moved on to in-line spinners like the Mepps. Having primarily fishing for bass, I got into buying Arkie jigs and tying Living Rubber skirts on them in different colors followed by buying short arm and long arm spinnerbait forms.

The cool thing about the above is experimenting with various elements of those lures such as blade shapes and color, skirt colors and trailers. Silicone skirts replaced Living rubber not only because they last forever, but the huge range of really cool colors.

You can't help but learn a few things when you craft your own that at the same time dismisses all the suggestions posted on fishing media (TV and fishing magazines) that prompted me to buy crap for the wrong reasons. But the essays did give me ideas where I could test those suggestions supposedly based onfacts.

Making soft plastics was inevitable. The nice thing about buying molds is that they last forever and a jug of plastic can produce a sh-load of lures. Color dyes and metal flakes opened up a whole new world allowing me to experiment with color and see which did the best for certain lures. I even made copies of lures I bought in plaster of Paris such as Uncle Josh's pork frog. Other than dyes are Spike-It color pens that allow more color combinations on a single lure.

The nicest thing about soft plastics is that some shapes in some sizes catch everything that swims. Heavy jigs and spinnerbaits exclude catching anything but bass, pickerel and larger fish, Of course 13" crappie and white perch are nothing to sneeze about. Modifying lures can be as simple as removing the curl tail from a Mr Twister as seen in the photo. Another simple but effective mod is cutting off some of the belly of a Sassy Shad. The action is totally different!

There are great lures I can't find molds for but last a long time such as Mann's Shadow that caught the crappie. In fact, a mold wasn't necessary to make the minnow shapes. I floor tile and razor blade accounted for the shapes and dipping them into hot plastic to increase body size worked great along with a Spike Pen.

[chrisD46]

For most of use its about picking selectively either to fill in gaps of existing lures / equipment or trying a proven hot new lure ... Pass along all you own to a family member who bass fishes or donate all to a high school or college bass fishing team when you pass away.

[chrisD46]

Now just be focused to choose wisely for the occasional truly innovative lures that are worth the purchase versus just buying "me too" lures whose main purpose is to separate you from your money .

[SenkoSam]

choose wisely for the occasional truly innovative lures that are worth the purchase versus just buying "me too" lures whose main purpose is to separate you from your money

I read a few articles recently in the latest Bassmaster Magazine. Win this, win that on this brand-name lure to come in first place! Articles were more advertising than informational.

In a sense, the commercialization of fishing has contaminated the sport with dreams of winning or catching the big ones every time one goes fishing. I'm just happy to catch small to large fish in numbers on my light action rod and 6# test braid. The ultimate challenge is tiring out a 7 lb catfish or 3 lb pickerel with a rod close to snapping in half!

(Man do I look old, but not as old as Biden!)

[DMTJAGER]

Quote from a gent in the previous post about stocking up when we can't fish.
Like him, I also live in the northeast and don't bother fishing when it's below 60 degrees. But, unlike most members on ultimatebass, I make use of soft plastics to make hybrid lures - proven and unproven - as well as modifications. I keep coming up with different unique shapes and actions that catch panfish, catfish, bass and even a large white suckers. Other than hybrids or mods, I pour plastics into molds.

Just my 2c worth but I gave fishing a try from shore as soon as the water surface temp past 40* back in early March at least six weeks earlier than I ever started fishing before and for the next six weeks. I did way better than my wildest expectations and wore out my knee caps kicking myself in the bottocks for letting SOOOOO many weeks of good bass fishing in the past 30 years escape me because the spring in my area was not unseasonably warm by any means and if anything was a little on the cold side.

Next March 1st you will see me chasing bass for sure. 

I can not see me ever buying another hard sided crankbait or inline spinner as I have dozens that haven't even seen a single use. I had a habbit of buying a BUTT load of any bait if it worked well as being a shore fisherman it's never a case of IF you will lose your favorite bait only WHEN you will lose your favorite bait. Or once you have kids when THEY will lose your favorite BAITS, lots of them.
This spring I was down to my last three duel Colorado spinnerbait made by War Eagle spinnerbaits. No one I know of made a duel colorado SB with such huge blades. Bass in my lakes murdered them in the spring from pre-spawn to post spawn and while not quite as great still worked well all summer long.
Youngest son and I were fishing a local shore access only lake, absolutely murdering the bass on with 3/8oz duel Colorado war eagle SBs in BLK and Chart with a 4" White Ice trailer. Lake is LOUSY with submerged tree limbs and stumps. Sure enough first he loses his then he ties on my only reserve and loses that one. Now I'm down to only one.
Unfortunately this was a rare acception where I didn't load up on this particular bait and of course War Eagle stopped production of that particular spinnerbait with the huge colorado blades and I believe no longer makes a SB with duel colorado blades.  Single yes but not double.