# Rubber dipped minnows.



## TIGGER (Jan 17, 2006)

Well I like to perch fish and there is always times on Lake Erie during bad weather or full moon phases where the emerald shinners are hard to come by. They can't net them in the full moon phase because they will not come to netting lights (the moon is to brite). I was thinking the last time out fishing I wished someone had a niced sized rubber minnows to use as a back up. That got me down in the shop playing around with some liquid worm making material that I got a while back.

Well I thought I would make a mold and pour them as body baits. I made the mold and made a couple that are just a little big I think for perch. Then for what ever reason I dipped something in the hot pot to fish out that had fallen in and it hit me! Dip the minnows! I was putting some foil on a walleye bait and a scrap piece was laying on my bench. I dipped it in and started trying different materials. I was using peal and stick stuff for spoons and warm harness blades. Wrapping paper and small pieces of fabric. You have to dip the bait like your doing a candle. Dip and let cool and then repeat. Here are some test ones that tried this week using different materails.












We went out fishing out on Lake Erie yesterday and got to try some of them. After the test I see that there is a certain size that works better the larger ones. Thinking that the bigger ones would catch the bigger fish I was wrong. It is the medium / small that work the best. The blue one caught 7 nice solid keepers. The biggest was 13". For this trial run I had a triple hook set up with two live minnows on the bottom two hooks and the rubber on the top hook. I never lost a bait in the two hours it took to catch our 60 fish. When we got close to our limit I switched to all rubber minnow and caught a triple header on three rubber baits. It looks there may be some upside to these.











































I will do a "How to" do this step by step this week. I think this will be great for crappies and steelhead in the rivers. While testing these this week in my pond out back I have some very large bull bluegills that are very smart. They have seen me throw thousands of baits in the pond over the last 4 years. I caught all three of them in the first 5 casts of trying these! They have that bango minnow type of twitch with casting them only with a hook in the nose Something you could have in the boat as a back up on those hard to get minnow days!

More to come!

John


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## "Big" mark the shark (Jan 21, 2010)

Great idea I bet they would work great on just about any pan fish.


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## puterdude (Jan 27, 2006)

WOW Tigger amazing idea.Glad it turned out great for you.When can we find them on the market


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## ParmaBass (Apr 11, 2004)

Pretty slick man, pretty slick!


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## donkey (Aug 28, 2004)

Looks like a great idea!Hope you will list supplies needed and sources.Thanks in advance.


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## TIGGER (Jan 17, 2006)

Thanks guys!

Parma I know you pour your own worms. I bet you'll even come up with some neat twists to these.

Well here is how I did these. I have just started to play with the rubber making this year. I am far from an expert in this field. I used the Alumilite because that is what I make hardbait bodies with. Not sure how it compares to other plastics but it has worked nice for me. 

The three things that I have been using for my mixture is the base rubber, a stabiler , and a rubber softner. The rubber is white in color before it heats up. It turns clear when it reaches temperature. The stabilizer makes the rubber stay clear while heating. If you don't have it will turn orange. It also will let you remelt the rubber after it cools down. I have taken bad pours and thrown them back in the pot to use again. The softner will make the rubber super soft the more you add. Nice for the minnows.






















I get my strips ready. You can use all kinds of materails. I like the wrapping mylar paper. Hvac metal tape works well also. Cut very thin strips making them thinner at one end.












Take the strips and place them into a pair of pliers on the thinner end of the strip.












Next you need to start heating the mixture. You can heat the mixture in two ways. The first is on a hot plate and the second is in the microwave. I have been doing it in the microwave. I start the heating at 2 minutes on 70% power. I then mix it and put back in for 2 more minutes at 70%. You will see the batch start to turn clear. Have good ventilation while doing this. It does smoke a little and has an odor. When the mixture is completely clear you are ready to start the dipping.











I dip it twice before I put the eyes on. You can buy 3D eyes or just prism eyes from all kinds of suppliers.











Let the strips cool down between dipping. I will let them sit for about 3 minutes or longer. Be very carefull about the not getting the hot liquid on your skin. Not good! Take the eyes and place them on the head area. My eyes have a sticky back and will hold in place untill you dip again. The dip will seal them in place.











I will dip one or two times after placing the eyes. The minnow will grow fast in size fast if your liquid starts to cool down. You may have to reheat the batch before the last dip the keep the build-up thin and clear. After your last decided dip just trim the tail and nose with scissors and you are good to go!












There are all kinds of color additives to make the rubber anything you would like. You can also add glitters and scents. I want to try some scents. If anyone has any ideas for that let me know. I have no clue about that. I have been reading about a salt additive. Iodine salt is bad I hear. I believe the pickling salt is better. I can't wait to try these again soon. I may try some little shads next! 

John


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## freyedknot (Apr 10, 2004)

great lookin baits john. do you think they would also hit on poboys goby baits? way better than messin with salted minnows.


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## ParmaBass (Apr 11, 2004)

Now I know what I'm gonna be doing this Winter! 

It looks like you have enough plastic to last you a while, but Lurecraft makes a soft plastic it's called #536. It was really soft and flexible without adding any softener. It also melted extremely clear without any additives. Might wanna try a pint out and see how you like it for future pours 

It's pretty slick pouring your own baits, once you find a color that works you use it, catch as many fish as the bait allows, toss it in a bag and when you have enough just remelt em and re-pour. VOILA, like new! Saves a lot of $$$ in the long run and it's very satisfying catching fish on a bait you made, as you know TIGGER!


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## ParmaBass (Apr 11, 2004)

I missed the last paragraph...

I used all types of scents, but had my best success with Garlic or Anise. Lurecraft also sells a fine salt, not sure if it's special in any way, but it works well. The scents are very strong, just a few drips goes a loooong way. And if you decide to use glitter here's a tip... Don't buy the cheap stuff at walmart! It'll melt in the plastic and cause all kinds of headaches. Buy the legit stuff from Lurecraft or whatever supplier you buy from.


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