If you’re an avid bass fisherman, you know that Senkos are one of the most effective lures to use when targeting largemouth bass. Unfortunately, they can also be expensive. The good news is that you can make your own Senkos on the cheap. In this blog post, we’ll discuss how to make your own Senkos with simple materials that can be purchased online. You’ll be able to save money and customize your Senkos to your own preference.
The cheapest way to make new Senkos
The cheapest way to make new Senkos is to reuse and remelt the old ones. Think about how many bits and pieces of Senkos laying around your boat, shop, or tackle box that could be melted and reused.
The process is identical to making worms with plastisol. But instead of spending the money on the plastisol, glitter flakes, and color dye you just reuse what you’ve already got.
Step by Step: How to make Senko Worms
This is a really simple process with an almost endless amount of customization.
- first you need to gather supplies: namely plastisol, color dyes, and glitter flakes
- heat up plastisol mixture, or old Senko pieces, in a pyrex measuring cup to 350 degrees in the microwave
- make sure to have a well ventilated workspace and proper PPE like googles and heat resistant gloves
- stir heated plastisol mixture with metal spoon
- add in scents, glitter flakes, or
- add color, you can color different sections of the worm add a different color tail, etc.
- you can also add salt and silica for weight and to change the rate of fall
- pour or inject plastisol mixture with a plunger into the mold
- injecting will eliminate air bubbles and prevent voids in the worm body
- allow the plastic to cool to room temperature
- remove baits from molds and trim excess plastic
- let the plastic bait cure for 24 hours on a flat surface, or dunk in cold water to set
- go fish!
How to make a Senko mold
We watched youtube videos on how to make a worm mold. The process went like this:
- glue new baits onto a piece of glass, leaving a small gap between each bait
- make a box or border around the worms for the mold-making material to butt up against
- mix alumilite 2 base and high strength catalyst for the mold-making mixture
- pour the mixture inside the box and on top of the worms
- make sure the mixture covers the worms entirely
- once the mixture is cooled and solidified
- separate the mold from the worms
- you now have a mold you can reuse over and over to make your own worms
Buying a Senko mold
There are tons of options when it comes to buying a fishing worm mold. You can choose a high quality CNC machined aluminum mold from a company like lureworks or an engineered stone mold. Do-it molds has an officially licensed Gary Yamamoto Senko mold you can buy too. However, the mold is just one part of making a Senko, Gary has a secret recipe for making the Senko mixture. We’ve heard it includes some salt and sand added in.
Conclusion:
Making your own Senkos and other plastic baits can save money. The process can also be fun and addicting when you think of all the possible color combinations that would work for your fishing needs. Start out trying to reuse old Senkos first and then move on to making your own. Have fun and send us pics of your new baits!