soft plastics and lure fishing

[fishder]

Just wondering have soft plastics taken over lure fishing in the last few years I find that Iam useing them more and more I think mine started with the bulldog lures.

[giantlureguy]

From a manufacture's perspective, they are easy to produce and they dont last long when faced with fish teeth, so clients will have to buy more often. This gives them an incentive to produce and market them.

From an angling perspective, they come in all shapes and sizes and most can easly be rigged to fish at alomst all retreive speeds and depths, this makes them a valuable tool for any fishing situation.

[Mike J]

From the big lure anglers prospective plastics are way to soft to be of any long term use.

I tried the biggest of the SG burbots and had it trashed without moving from the spot, the teeth sliced it open like Id been at it with a razor blade, I also tried their biggest eel and after a few hits that wasn't much better either!

The truth is latex is a much more resilient material but manufacturers will not use it. I have US made latex lures from the 90's that have caught me dozens of fish, you can stretch them twice body length, stamp on them, put hooks and rigs through them and they still stay together and keep catching.

.

[Ratty46]

Just wondering have soft plastics taken over lure fishing in the last few years I find that Iam useing them more and more I think mine started with the bulldog lures.

probably the most versatile lure, can rig it many ways fish, and fish at almost any depth.
i like them for searching when on the move trying to locate fish

[Ratty46]

Just wondering have soft plastics taken over lure fishing in the last few years I find that Iam useing them more and more I think mine started with the bulldog lures.

probably the most versatile lure, can rig it many ways fish, and fish at almost any depth.
i like them for searching when on the move trying to locate fish.

my fave are probably Gunki Gbumps and Line thru's, two very diff soft plastics

[Ratty46]

delete

[Taffypiker]

I like those savage gear cannibal shads

Right hard little buggers

[Mark Phillips]

Just wondering have soft plastics taken over lure fishing in the last few years I find that Iam useing them more and more I think mine started with the bulldog lures.

You're probably right in terms of what's trending these days. Personally, I prefer jerk baits, if I had to name a genre of lures I like using most. I find soft plastics - particularly swimbaits, whilst very effective on the day, a little boring to fish with... plus any idiot can catch on them - not so with lures that require more input from the angler...

[bencarvosso]

Found that with soft plastics fishing for wrasse this summer. Most brands get chewed up and destroyed after a few fish. However found the zman ones are made of far stronger material, possibly latex, not sure.
One lure did me for about 50 wrasse and it's gone back into the tackle box since the season has finished

[keeponchucking]

Found that with soft plastics fishing for wrasse this summer. Most brands get chewed up and destroyed after a few fish. However found the zman ones are made of far stronger material, possibly latex, not sure.
One lure did me for about 50 wrasse and it's gone back into the tackle box since the season has finished

Same as that Ben. Have had dozens of pike and wrasse on a single zman lures and they are still good. Molix seems to be similar. Only time I am buying new packets is due to loosing them in snags.
Most other brands just get tore to bits.

[bencarvosso]

Found molix to be the dogs b******s too. Same sort of material. Been using the stick flex, and apart from losing a couple still have some going strong after numerous fish

[bencarvosso]

Molix do one called the sligo which I have ordered, thought the name was apt seeing I live in sligo lol. Might bring me good luck

[peteren]

I like those savage gear cannibal shads

Right hard little buggers

Seriously?!

I like some of their colours and they catch well, but they're the most frail of scores of shads I've used - loads of tails rip or nip off at the thin, ribbed wrist.

[keeponchucking]

Molix do one called the sligo which I have ordered, thought the name was apt seeing I live in sligo lol. Might bring me good luck

Ah sure why not :). They look decent too, good they come in 4 & 5 inch size

[Taffypiker]

I like those savage gear cannibal shads

Right hard little buggers

Seriously?!

I like some of their colours and they catch well, but they're the most frail of scores of shads I've used - loads of tails rip or nip off at the thin, ribbed wrist.

I like em but wish they did 5 and 6 cm lures , even the smallest sizes are very chunky

[fishder]

cheers for the replys very intresting to know about the type off plastic been used in them.

[Lukemilnes]

Zman use a TPR/TPE plastic that has to be melted and injected by machine under high pressure to make the polymets blend, hence us and most other lure makers using standard plastisol.

That's also why they melt when in contact with other lures and don't fare too well in direct sunlight. Any flexible stretchy lures like that will be manufactured in China, or possibly America. They still use and make a hell of a lot of plastisol lures tho so that shows how tricky/costly it is to produce.

There are other products available, some which we're currently experimenting with and svartzonker have just released sone biodegradable tails which is very interesting.

There's also glues available to repair soft plastics that reactivate the plastic itself and melt it back together. Again I've been experimenting and I'm about to bottle a load up for testing should anyone be interested.

Lots of science involved but as a lure maker it's quite interesting



Luke

[Copey1973]

D.O.A and Lucky John both make edible/ non toxic soft plastics that breakdown.
I wouldn't recommend snacking on them though.