Thread: Made two inch perch minnows today

Originally Posted by boat49

Those look awesome!! Makes me want to try making my own!!

Go for it. We have a lot of joy when a fish eats a lure you made yourself.

Originally Posted by boat49

Those look awesome!! Makes me want to try making my own!!

Boat 49. .... I decided to make some special ones for myself. This imitation is tedious because you first have to make a complete orange minnow then cut off the tail and gut area and save them. Then you remelt black plastic to form the eyes and perch stripes. I use a long needle mbedded into a wooden dowel I made to do this. Place the orange tail and belly area back into the mold. Clamp it as tight as you can. I am using my workshop screww press to clamp my molds. Reheat your lime chartreuse with a drop of orange in it to dull it a bit. Heat until is runs faster than syrup. Inject it into the mold and keep pressure on it for 45 seconds so that everything bonds well.

You are very talented! If a guy was wanting to try and start making some where would you start?

Originally Posted by boat49

You are very talented! If a guy was wanting to try and start making some where would you start?

Look at fishing catalogs or tv shows and see what works or what catches your eye. Check places like jaob baits or bear baits or tackle underground for the mold. Try and imitate colors and be sure to follow safety rules.

Oh, this is the simple part. Just ask Ship "How much do you want for some of these new baits."

Those perch look pretty darned good Ship but you need to be careful, what with trying to fool with Mother Nature's minnies or you'll join this guy.....

I will see what crappiefarmer, Snake River and "G" have to say about it CTom. There is always room for improvement such as that fellah should be fishing with a B-n-M or Ugly Stick rod. He would catch more fish. My first thought would be to tinker with the mold and add a top dorsal fin cavity. Then I realized I do not have the skill to do that, not even with a dremmel tool. I would mess up my mold.

To fin....or not to fin....that is the question. Such is life. I will see what responses I get to the question from all you guys and even Mother Nature herself. I will read all responses and post my thoughts. Then I will see if anyone on this forum wants to do the surgery on the mold to get the FINished product. I am betting Bob Hinkle, Crappiefarmer or CTom will step up to the plate for me. I took a paint brush and painted on some fins to show the concept idea.

The surgery will require the eye of the tiger in order to do the job.



When surgery is completed and the patient is out of the recovery room then the minnow should look like the top two on the right hand column in this photo.

Personally Ship I don't see any advantage to adding a fin. I see a bait as answering three questions: 1. is the color what the fish want?, 2. Is the profile/length what the fish want?, and 3. Is the action what the fish want? A fin will not change the answer to any of the three questions, so honestly I'd leave the mold alone and spend more time creating color combinations that are going to work well for you. The color scheme in your perch minnow is very exacting and spot on. I'd leave well enough alone if I were making this little guy.