different plastic hardness in the same bait

[no1son]

Does anybody pour plastics with a harder head over a softer body against hook tearing?
Or doesn't that work?

[snake River]

Does anybody pour plastics with a harder head over a softer body against hook tearing?
Or doesn't that work?

I have not tried this yet myself may be one of the other guys have but it definitely sounds interesting we may have to give that a shot to toughen up some of our bodies if need to be.

[baitman]

yes, I have done it and still do at times. Mostly just for me in the winter for a soft tail and med. to hard body but best way to keep any of them from tearing is a collarless head glue the bait to the head. its the barb that tears the baits.

[no1son]

I don't know what I am doing differently from everybody else, but I don't have a problem with the barb tearing my plastic tubes. What gets torn off for me are the legs and the tails, especially if there are sunnies around. I only use that kind of head for the hollow bodies, but the real problem is with particular solid bodies on collarless jig heads, the rounds and the ice jigs. Those are held up well enough without the barb until they tear. Not on the plastics I have gotten from baitman or Ctom, that is very tear resistant, especially in cold weather. Fabulous stuff. I like soft plastic baits, but I do not like when they tear loose and wear their bloomers around their ankles.

Other very good baits however tear off real easily such as the Little Atom Teaser. Me and superglue do not always get along as the best of friends either... For that matter I tend to switch out tubes and tails far more often than I change jig heads. If I glued I would have to be retying all the time, which I don't have to do now. Normally that is all the adjustment needed, when I find the fish. If I glued them all down I would probably end up glued to the dock rail before the first evening was over anyway. In the winter I carry a variety of head colors, but in the summer just about all I ever use are black or very dark heads. I will change hook size but very seldom jig head color or weight.

So does the harder head hold hooks better without tearing? Or is that just another guess that is off target? Or maybe just a harder core in the head? Maybe I'm over-thinking this. The ice around here isn't quite ready for my 225 pounds yet, at least not in my opinion, although I saw a portashack out on one of the Metro lakes this afternoon. It's been a couple of weeks now since I wet a line and I'm getting a little antsy.

[WhiteMeat]

I've heard of guys dipping the head of tubes in extra hard plastic, but that is usually for a bass technique where they're trying to dance that tube around and the added plastic at the head helps that effect. I've never tried pouring with different hardnesses, but when you're pouring your own you don't tend to worry as much about going through them...tearing my baits up just means it's time to go pour some more! :D

I'm with you on the superglue thing though. I'm a bit clumsy and tend to be REAL good at finding ways to get hung up or stuck with a hook, so adding extra strong adhesive has not added enjoyment to my outdoor experience. I have used a lighter a time or two to repair baits, but suggest that if you do so be very careful not to drip melted plastic on yourself...it hurts...

[genec]

I bought a hardner to add to my plastic but each time I mix it with other plastic ,it burns and have to throw away. I heat it up in mircowave at 25 second at a time and stir. So I just let it set on shelf. I supper glue but mostly use the kind with a brush, less chance for a mess. Barely can see glue come out of squeeze bottle. Oh ,that was my intention was to make head harder than body.

[gabowman]

I thought about that before too, but no more than they cost and no more than what gets torn up on a normal fishing trip I dont let it worry me. The plastic baits are relatively inexpensive for the number of fish that can be caught off one. Theyre cheaper than buying minners all the time, that's for sure.Thumbs Up

[no1son]

I thought about that before too, but no more than they cost and no more than what gets torn up on a normal fishing trip I dont let it worry me. The plastic baits are relatively inexpensive for the number of fish that can be caught off one. Theyre cheaper than buying minners all the time, that's for sure.Thumbs Up

It's not the cost that concerns me. That is peanuts. It is the delay in getting back to an active bite that comes from having to dig out another tail and put it on.

[JSC]

You pour the soft then finish up pouring with the hard ... (if it is a head pour bait)

[skeetbum]

I sometimes take my clippers and remove the sharper point of the barb as some of them are large enough to damage my smaller plastics. A nail file might soften the point enough to make a difference. Haven't used the glue yet, but it's in the boat.