Lure Mutations are easy to make and catch fish!

[Senkosam]

Making lures has been as important to me as much as fishing.
1. I can test theories regarding combinations of lure shape/ action/ size/ color
2. I can disprove much of the media crap that's not worth the air time or paper meant to sell lures but labeled as undeniable (kinda like political B.S.)

Anyone can buy stuff to make almost any lure from bass jigs to crankbaits to finesse soft plastics. But what about all the bags of soft plastics you have stored in the basement (like me) for over 15 years? I used to buy more crap I didn't need or would stop casting after one season. Who says anglers aren't fickle?!

Granted, classic lures from Mr Twister, Strike King and others have earned their product status as go-to. But my pocket book limits me from buying and testing new and old lures I don't have. I got bored catching fish on the same lures year after year so I started using my imagination to make and test unique combinations.

So, one day while smoking my pipe (tobacco FYI, watching TV in said basement, I looked at the soft plastics hanging in neat rows on the wall and thought, 'what part of one lure would do well joined to a part of another?' Many times we've seen when lure companies come out with a slight variation of a lure design and make big bucks selling it as something unique and superior at catching fish. Message to lure companies: NONSENSE! The action parts of lures haven't changed much in 50 years. These include curly tails, flat straight tails, spike tails, split tails and swimbait (Sassy Shad) tails. But one thing that hasn't changed much is body texture and shapes. Does it matter to fish? All I know is that fish strike my Frankenstein creations. (BTW, my name is Frank ; ) )
Better yet, others who have cast those creations have also done well with them.

Here are a few that anyone can make using a candle to slightly melt the ends of the parts to be joined.
The rectangular French Fry stick has a unique texture and many lure tail shapes can be joined to it:

 

[Senkosam]

Adding claws from craw lures has done very well.

Sassy Shad body: \/

Variations in color may make a difference, but I can't imagine when.

 

[Senkosam]

Joining two grub bodies with or without tails makes for some unique shapes and actions. One is the wacky rig. The idea came from the wacky rigged Senko that moved in a way that no lure had before.

The ends quiver on the drop or when slight rod tip twitches are used.

 

[Senkosam]

Mini-sticks can also be rigged from either end and may be two grubs joined, the front of or the tapered end of a stick:

(Note the clear plastic)

 

[Senkosam]

Front-end rigs do well with other hybrid shapes. I poured some grubs (company name: Mo Magic), joined them to a grub body with a rounded light bulb shape, the tail.

....or larger grub body was attached to a small grub.

...or a thin worm was cut and the ends rounded using a flame.

The action is a back-and-forth waddle with pauses. Fish clobber it.

 

[Senkosam]

Joker grub tails have also done well when added to another body:

 

[Senkosam]

Spike tails added to grub bodies tick fish off at the slowest speed.

 

[Snopro]

Glad you're having fun playing Frankenstein with little plastics. Ever try it with large baits? I know cutting the tail off and 8" Huddleston and gluing it to a 6" was such a popular mod that Hudd started producing the 68 special. Wedge tail baits were a breakthrough.

 

[Senkosam]

I leave large plastics alone except for the Kut Tail, Flip Tail and Softie worms.

(Bet not too many use a worm with a B.Spin.)

 

[Senkosam]

Catching fish on a huge variety of lure shapes and actions over the last 40 years proves:
1. fish are less selective of what they will attack given presentations that fit with lures cast
2. color doesn't matter at all whereas confidence colors and lures do. Even clear hard or soft plastics catch fish in the murkiest water
3. Slower retrieves get the most fish to bite
4. jig color never important!
5. leaders not necessary except to avoid pickerel or other toothy fish line breaks
6. I qualify a lure as good based on its action and the number of fish caught using it. Many soft plastics are versatile with different presentations and catch many species regardless of season
7. lures may mimic live prey but only by coincidence. Most move and look unnaturally yet provoke bullies to strike, whether 5" or 8 pound fish
8. line diameter important for best lure action and strike detection. Fish are not line-shy
9. to exclude smaller fish biting, I use larger lures and faster retrieves or lure actions
10. the best retrieve for light finesse lures is slow, using slight turns of the reel handle plus small twitches of the rod tip.
11. lures are the ultimate fish-finders - especially in weeds and shallow water. Lures that catch fish help establish patterns, whether locations, presentations and best lure types and actions. In fact, what I find challenging is to catch fish on many of my creations using different presentations in shallow and deep water.
12. catching fish using lures is far simpler than many make it out to be regardless of fishing media claims to the contrary. Fishing media has one function: advertising that focuses attention on specific brand lures regardless of the above tips.
13. fish don't avoid lures because they recognize those that caught nearby fish or any fish caught previously on another day. I change lures only to avoid the boredom of catching fish with just one or a few.