Once, having arrived in the summer on a reservoir where there are a lot of pike, I walked along the coast for about three hours and did not see a single bite. It was quite hot, the air temperature was about 28-30°C. The grass reached the very surface of the water, not allowing the bait to be held without hooks. Wobblers, turntables, poppers - any bait clung to vegetation.

After a little thought, I decided to try fishing with silicone vibrotails without a weight, but with an offset hook. And here things got off the ground - the first bites began. But the trouble was that with such a bait you can check only the upper and middle layers of the water, but the bottom one remains untouched. After casting, the bait slowly sinks, but due to the abundant high underwater vegetation and low own weight, it, unfortunately, does not reach the bottom, where the predator is just standing.

What to do in such a situation? The answer to this question turned out to be quite simple. I will tell you about a fast-sinking vibrotail and how to make it at home - it will help you out more than once when catching pike in thick grass in the hot season.

To make the bait, you will need any pot-bellied or wide-bodied vibrotail, Moment or Superglue glue (the latter is less desirable, since it becomes very hard after drying), a blade or a sharp knife, pellets of different sizes (photo 1).

We take, for example, a 10-centimeter vibrotail, make an incision on the abdomen no more than 4-5 cm long exactly in the center (photo 2). The depth of the cut should be a maximum of 3/4 of the total height of the lure. What happens next depends on how fast-sinking we want to make the bait. It can sink very smoothly, or it can literally sink to the bottom like a brick. It is the last option for fishing in thick grass that suits us best, poet) "it is better to stock up on pellets weighing from 0.5 to 1 g. We take several pellets of different sizes (from 3 to 7 pieces) and place them in the abdomen. Best of all arrange them in one line, so that later it would be easier to tighten and glue the bait (photo 3).

Now let's start gluing the bait. It takes place in two stages. The first is the gluing of the shots themselves, the second is the gluing of the silicone. We put a little “Moment” on the pellets and squeeze the bait along with them for about 10-15 minutes. During this time, the pellets will have time to pull together a little and stick together. Then it was the turn of gluing the upper part of the abdominal incision.

I note that the glue should be used in small quantities (photo 4), because the more glue is applied to the silicone, the longer it will dry, and this is undesirable. At this stage of gluing, you will have to hold the silicone compressed a little longer (photo 5), since the pellets that are inside the bait will burst it from the inside. And the edges of the bait will diverge until the glue grabs.

In order not to hold the bait with your fingers, you can use ordinary clothespins (photo 6).

After the baits are completely stuck together (it will take 3-4 hours), put them in a deep plate or bowl and pour boiling water over them. And you can put them in a pot of boiling water for 30-60 seconds. (photo 7). I note that this must be done, because the silicone into which the foreign object was "implanted" becomes much tougher, the body of the vibrotail ceases to bend as much as in its original form. But due to the treatment of the bait with boiling water, we slightly compensate for the lost elasticity, and first of all - in the tail section, which will only positively affect the operation of the bait. It remains for us to insert an offset hook into it - and we can safely go to catch pike among the thick grass!

A simple way to make vibrotails with your own hands, at home. Using this technology, it is possible to manufacture various forms of silicone fish for catching a predator. A large field for creativity in terms of a variety of colors and aromas.

How to make a vibrotail with your own hands

The method of making silicone fish (vibrotails, etc.) with your own hands is quite simple and does not require large expenses. The form is also made very quickly.

For the form we need:

• Fill frame
• Lures we're about to cast
• The silicone itself

The frame can even be made of thick cardboard, but it can also be made of metal, then the gypsum will last longer.

We take silicone from old vibrotail baits, twisters, worms, etc. , torn and bitten by fish. If someone throws out vibrotails, then it's time to collect. I usually leave it at home and roll around in a bag.

We take our frame and set it on a flat surface. We lay prototype vibrotails inside and fill it with liquid gypsum

You can not fill the mold to the end, just close the bait, saving gypsum.

After drying, turn the mold over and remove our baits. The form is ready.

Now we are preparing the silicone for pouring.

We take the whole battle of our rubber and put it in a ceramic mug. We put it all in the microwave. Time is found out empirically, it is necessary that all the rubber melts and becomes liquid.

For an experiment, you can try adding an attractant and try to make edible rubber with your own hands.

Let's tweak our pieces a bit.

They are considered one of the cheapest types of non-natural baits. Silicones are divided into several types:

• vibrotail is a bait that imitates a small fish. On the tail of the bait there is a "nickle", which gives the fish its own game.
• twister similar to a vibrotail, however, instead of a “penny”, the bait has a long twisted tail, similar to a question mark.
• Worms basically do not have their own game. Their main difference is the length, which can reach 30 centimeters.
• Separately, silicone baits are distinguished, which imitate a variety of frogs, crayfish etc.

To make silicone baits with your own hands, you will need:

• baits to be cast
• fill frame
• silicone

content

How to melt silicone?

There are several ways to melt silicone at home. Quick melting of silicone is possible when using a gas stove. To melt silicone on fire, you need a tin can. It can be a cut-off beer tin, or a canned food tin.

However, when melting on fire, several problems arise:

• silicone burns quickly;
• smokes;
• silicone changes its color, and when burned, it completely turns black;

These shortcomings are completely devoid of melting in the microwave. In order for the baits to turn out the same color as the original color of the silicone, it must be melted in the microwave.

When melting silicone in the microwave, there is one subtlety so that it remains in a fluid state for as long as possible. It is necessary not only to wait until the silicone melts in the microwave, but after melting, keep it in the microwave for another one and a half to two minutes. The container in which the silicone is melted must be thoroughly warmed up. Under these conditions, silicone remains in a liquid state much longer.

Mold for silicone baits

The most readily available material for making molds is gypsum. This form is quite easy to make. It is necessary to dilute the gypsum to the consistency of liquid sour cream and pour it into a plastic or cardboard mold. Then lower the silicone bait of the desired shape into the plaster. Gypsum should harden in an hour and a half. After that, you can remove the bait.

However, when using gypsum, there are also many problems.

• Firstly, the manufacture of such a form takes a lot of time, because. plaster must be thoroughly dried. If the mold is not sufficiently dried, then when pouring silicone, bubbles may form, which significantly spoil the appearance and quality of the bait.
• Secondly, it is quite difficult to print small parts of the bait on a plaster mold.
• Thirdly, gypsum molds are very fragile, if gypsum molds are pressed a little harder against each other or accidentally dropped, they burst instantly.
• The fourth disadvantage is that the bait is difficult to get out of the plaster mold.

And if this method is still suitable for the manufacture of vibrotails and worms, then the manufacture of twisters in a plaster mold is problematic.

Epoxy resin will help solve these problems. Using a brush dipped in epoxy resin, it is necessary to lubricate the plaster mold so that the resin layer is as thin as possible. After that, the form should be thoroughly dried. After covering the plaster mold, the baits are simply removed from it, sharp corners are smoothed out, and the problem with the appearance of air bubbles disappears. However, due to the coating, the size of the bait will decrease slightly.

Making silicone bait

The ideal color combination for artificial bait is a combination of yellow and red. In this case, the yellow color should be very bright and have a light green tint.

The step-by-step process of making baits looks like this:

1. melting silicone;
2. pouring silicone into a plaster mold;
3. silicone cooling;
4. soaking the bait in cold water;

After the silicone has cooled down, which takes about 5-10 minutes, it should be lowered into cold water. This procedure is necessary so that the silicone does not lose its plasticity. If this step is skipped, the silicone will become soft.

Methods for mounting silicone lures

Loaded and unloaded offset hooks - non-engaging options for rigging twisters and vibrotails

For mounting the bait, the method of mounting to the hook of the jig head is most often used. The choice of head weight should be based on the depth of the reservoir. When choosing the length of the hook, you should focus on the size of the bait. Novice fishermen believe that the larger the hook, the fewer empty bites. This is partly true, but it should be understood that if the bait is hooked with the whole body, then its vibrations are significantly limited. Silicone bait can slip off such a hook. Some fishermen use super glue to secure the bait.

An equally popular way to rig silicone is to equip with a double hook. The hook should be in the center of the body of the lure. To attach the hook to the bait, you must first determine the level of the place where the sting should come out. After that, one of the hooks of the double bait is pierced through. Then the tail of the hook is pulled through the silicone bait, the tail must be pulled through the body of the bait to the end part. The hook must be completely in the body of the bait.

Silicone bait can also be equipped with offset hooks. There are two forms of offset hooks:

• curved oblong shape;
• straight form.

The straight bowl shape is more commonly used with worm bait, and it has become obsolete lately. To set the bait, it is necessary to pierce the end part with the sting of the hook and immediately withdraw it. After that, the bait is carried to the hook step and turns around a little. To fix the sting of the hook in the bait, it is necessary to bring it through the end of the body of the bait. Then slightly lower the bait and insert the sting of the hook into the body of the bait. The silicone should not be too tight.

The bait can be equipped with a tee. In the body of the bait, approximately in the middle, a small hole should be made using a tube from the handle. Excess silicone is squeezed out with a wide circle of the handle, after which a hole remains in the bait. Then the body of the bait is pierced with a triple tail of the hook and removed in the mouth. After that, one of the stings is threaded through the hole so that the hook is located exactly along the body of the bait.

We choose the right shape for future silicone baits - the rating of the best edible rubber from top brands.

- an overview of the most catchy edible baits in the budget segment.

Silicone lure equipment.

Silicone lures are one of the cheapest types of artificial lures. Their production will not be difficult. For the manufacture of bait, only a plaster mold and silicone itself are required. The easiest way to melt silicone is in the microwave. After hardening, silicone must be placed in water for two hours to maintain its structure.

In each individual reservoir, fish have their own taste preferences and their own diet. If the diet can be determined experimentally, then even a large fishing store may not have enough assortment in order to find fish delicacies.

Size, color, shape, smell, game, all affect the attractiveness of the bait in a given reservoir.

Introduction to silicone baits

soft silicone lures- twisters, vibrotails, worms, slugs, frogs, creatures are in the box of any angler. Gained particular popularity edible baits- baits with smell and taste. The smell attracts fish from a distance, the taste makes the fish hold the bait in their mouth longer, giving the angler extra time to strike.

Silicone baits can be used to catch not only predatory fish. Nano and micro silicone edibles can be used to successfully catch peaceful fish that feed on small animals - crucian carp, carp, tench, bleak. For them, dark-colored baits with the taste of salt, garlic, bloodworms, and worms are more suitable.

For predators, silicone baits in the form of small fish are suitable.

For pike, baits in the form of small fish from 3 to 5 inches, which have a bright game, are more suitable:

• Mann's Predator– soft silicone, live active game;
• Relax Shark- stable game with any posting;
• Relax Kopyto– silicone with transverse notches for pikes of all sizes.

Salty silicone will additionally attract even passive pike.

Twisters, vibrotails, small fish with a swallow tail are suitable for pike perch:

• Bugsy Shad 72 with the aroma of mackerel;
• Tioga 100- 10 cm bait for catching large specimens;
• LONG JOHN 07.90/PA03 with the smell of mackerel.

For perch:

• Lucky John Ballist- a mixture of twister and worm with shrimp flavor;
• Crazy Fish Angry Spin- twister for micro jig, able to attract even peaceful fish;
• Reins Fat G-Tail Grub– a vibrotail from 2 to 3 inches will not leave indifferent even a passive minke whale.

Self-manufacturing

There are silicone baits of various shapes, colors, sizes, with any tastes on sale, but sometimes it seems, and not without reason, that one or another silicone bait lacks an additional smell, a twister or vibrotail is more suitable for a different size, the coloring for this reservoir does not match optimal…

What to do?

Buying the entire assortment of the store, despite the fact that silicone is short-lived, and sometimes a dozen silicone lures are not enough for good fishing? Even if there is enough money, there will not be enough space not only in the boat, but also in the trunk of an SUV.

There is an exit. Making homemade silicone baits yourself at home with your own hands, especially since this process is not too complicated. Silicone (construction) easily melts and takes any shape, any attractants can be added to it, it can be painted in any color.

Method 1. Method of sintering different parts of silicone lures.

From torn silicone baits, you can make one whole by gluing or sintering. It is better to use the sintering method, since the silicone hardens at the place of gluing, which can disrupt the play of the bait. This method is suitable if there is no other way out - all the catchable silicones on the fishing trip are torn, and there is nowhere to take others.

1. Trim the front whole part of the silicone spoon evenly.
2. Trim the back whole part of the silicone spoon evenly.
3. With a match or a lighter, carefully heat both parts of the spinner at the junction.
4. Connect both parts of the spinner and hold for 3-4 minutes.
5. In the back of the bait, inside it, you can make a narrow incision with a thin blade, expand it with tweezers and fill in a fine attractant. When the hook tip comes out of the back of the bait, the attractant will be released little by little.

Expert opinion

Knipovich Nikolai Mikhailovich

Important! It is important to be careful when heating silicone parts. Silicone can easily catch fire and darken.

Method 2. The method of pouring silicone into matrix molds.

In order to make silicone baubles using this method, you will need:

• form for manufacturing;
• silicone;
• capacity for melting silicone;
• syringes for pouring silicone into molds;
• paints and glitters;
• attractants.

In this case, attractants are added to the silicone melt before pouring into the mold.

Form for making

Finished forms can be purchased at fishing stores. Molds with a sprue hole and channels for air outlet during pouring are designed for the manufacture of from one to several dozen lures. Forms can be purchased at prices ranging from 300 to 5000 rubles.

Exist centrifugal molds for the manufacture of from several dozen to hundreds of lures at a time costing from 8,000 to 15,000 rubles.

You can make a mold from plaster yourself.

One-sided molds

They are used for the manufacture of baits with a smooth back.

1. A container for a plaster mold is cut out of a juice or milk bag. For large baubles, the package can be cut lengthwise.
2. A gypsum mixture is prepared by gradually pouring gypsum powder into water with constant stirring. The gypsum mixture should have a creamy
   consistency. In order for air bubbles to come out of the plaster, the mixing dishes need to be hit sharply, but not hard, on the table several times.
3. The gypsum mixture is poured into a gypsum mold container.
4. The bait sample is coated with silicone grease or petroleum jelly.
5. After a slight thickening of the mixture, a sample of the bait is pressed into the gypsum with a flat back up to the very back.
6. After the plaster has hardened (on average one day at room temperature), the sample is removed.

The one-sided plaster mold is ready.

Double-sided mold for making one lure

Suitable for all types and sizes of silicone lures.

1. Repeat steps 1-3 to make a one-sided mold.
2. We insert cone-shaped pins at the corners, having previously coated them with petroleum jelly or silicone grease.
3. We insert a cone-shaped pin in the head part up to half, having previously coated it with grease, to form a filler neck.
4. We insert wires of small diameter in the head part to form channels for air to escape during filling. Two channels of small diameter should form at an acute angle to the axis of the bait.
5. We insert the sample into the gypsum mortar up to half.
6. After the gypsum of the lower platform has dried, we take out the cone-shaped pins from the corners.
7. We coat all open surfaces of the lower platform with petroleum jelly or silicone grease.
8. Pour a solution of gypsum on top of the consistency of liquid sour cream.
9. After the gypsum has hardened, we take out the gypsum mold from the container, separate both halves, remove the copy sample and the wire from the gypsum mold to form channels for the air outlet.

The double-sided form for one bait is ready.

Double sided mold for making multiple lures

1. We repeat steps 1-2 from the previous section.
2. The baits will be placed in parallel. Along the location of the spinners from above, we insert a cylindrical pin of a sufficiently large diameter along the length equal to the distance from the first bait to the last, to form a filling channel.
3. In the middle of the pin, we insert a cone-shaped pin from above to form a filler neck and pins for pouring silicone from the main channel to the heads of the baits. All pins are pre-lubricated with grease.
4. Insert the wires.
5. We insert up to half of the samples of spinners.
6. We repeat steps 6-9.

A double-sided mold for several baits is ready.

Silicone

Liquid silicones in strong, standard and soft hardness can be purchased at the fishing store along with heat stabilizers to increase the melting point of the silicone. Heat stabilizers improve the fluidity of silicone, are used for pouring shapes with multiple patterns.

In fishing stores you can buy both imported liquid silicones: “SILICON FISH “ABSOLUT” at a price of 600 rubles per 1 kg, or Jig 650 rubles per liter, as well as domestic silicone “Eleplast (TV 25)” and Elastolux-M (two-component silicone) at a price of 800 rubles per kg. Silicone hardener can be added to any silicone, for example, Harter (380 rubles 100 ml) to increase rigidity.

An economical option - melting torn silicone baubles

1. The rest of the silicone spinners are cut into small cubes.
2. Cubes are placed in a container. You can use a tin can to melt the silicone.
3. They are heated on fire until a liquid transparent melt is obtained.
4. Paint, glitter, attractants are added.
5. The melt is poured into the mouth of the mold for casting silicone baubles.

After the silicone has cooled and hardened (from 12 to 48 hours), the bait is removed from the mold, the excess silicone is cut off with scissors.

Expert opinion

Knipovich Nikolai Mikhailovich

Zoologist, hydrobiologist. I am a professional fisherman.

Interesting. As a model for making your own, not yet tested baits, for the sake of experiment, you can buy a children's set of plastic insects, which contains various insects from worms and centipedes to bats.

Paints and glitter

Paints and glitters are added to the silicone melt before it is poured into molds.

Making your own paint or pigment for coloring silicone will not work.

It is better to use purchased ones, especially since they are inexpensive. One has only to choose the best value for money.

From imported ones, we can recommend paints from "Plastikfarbe" (about 350-400 rubles for 35 ml), which give silicone baits bright and saturated colors, fluorescent pigments from FisherGel (a set of 5 pcs. 7g. Can be purchased for 450 rubles).

Paints are also sold in dry form for dilution in water. Fat-soluble fluorescent dye BRB at a price of 3500 rubles per kg is enough for years of fishing.

Sequins are cheap stuff. You can use any glitter bought in children's stores.

Attractants

Attractants can be applied by placing the bait for several hours in a closed bag with liquid. Silicone absorbs odor well and retains it for a long time.

silicone bait must be placed in a closed cellophane bag- a container richly moistened with an attractant for at least 2 hours. For 4 hours of active fishing, it will not lose its properties in water with any temperature. After each fishing, silicone baits should be placed back in closed bags, richly moistened with an attractant.

A more reliable option that does not require constant wetting of the spinner, adding an attractant to the silicone melt.

Priming syringes

Single and double special syringes for pouring silicone melt into molds are manufactured from heat-resistant fluoroplast, are very convenient for the direct introduction of the melt through the neck. High-quality syringes can be purchased from 800 to 2500 rubles.

Mounting methods

There are two main ways:

1. Mounting on a jig head. The bait is put on a hook and fixed with a special ledge on a lead sinker.
2. Hinged mounting. The bait is attached to the lead weight using double rings or a collapsible structure.

Hinged mounting

Equipment types:

1. The offset hook is attached to the sinker in the form of a bullet, the sting of the hook is pressed against the bait. Used for wiring without a hook.
2. A swivel is tied to a sinker in the form of a bullet or an olive through a short branch with a bead. The bead creates additional sound vibrations during wiring and protects the nodal connection. A leash with an offset hook is knitted to the swivel.
3. The offset hook is tied to the main line with a knot perpendicular to the axis of the line at a distance of ½ - 1 meter from the sinker.
4. A long leash 0.8-1.2 meters departs from the main line, fixed at a distance of 0.5 - 1 meter from the sinker.
5. wacky. Offset hook in open form clings to a rubber ring, dressed on the body of the bait in the form of a worm. The worm's head is shipped with an inserted nail.

Silicone bait is applied using:

Knipovich Nikolai Mikhailovich

Zoologist, hydrobiologist. Graduated from Leningrad State University named after Zhdanov, Faculty of Biology and Soil. I am a professional fisherman.

With active fishing, silicone baits are consumed quite actively. Silicone wears out quickly, clinging to the bottom and other underwater obstacles. In addition, such a bait is quite damaged by the fish when biting. In this regard, it makes sense to learn how to make vibrotails on your own, besides, this is a rather interesting process.

Using the approach discussed in this article, vibrotails of any shape, size and color can be made. You can also experiment with attractants and make edible bait.

Tools and materials:
- old vibrotails, silicone worms and other baits that have become unusable (or pure silicone);
- baits, copies of which will be created (that is, baits for creating forms);
- gypsum;
- frame for pouring (cardboard or tin)

Manufacturing process

Step 1. Create a Form
To create a mold, the author puts silicone baits in a frame, and then fills them with plaster. It is not necessary to fill the entire form to the end, it is enough just that the gypsum covers the baits, this will save gypsum.
After the mold has hardened, the silicone baits can be removed. Now the forms are ready and you can start pouring.

Step 2. Filling in new vibrotails
To melt silicone, you need to use a ceramic mug. All the old silicone baits are put here and then sent to the microwave for remelting. The temperature is selected experimentally. It is necessary to melt the silicone until it becomes liquid.
After the silicone has melted, it can be poured into plaster molds. Before pouring, it is best to mix the silicone thoroughly to avoid getting air bubbles into the bait.

Step 3. Removing new vibrotails
When the silicone hardens and cools, new vibrotails can be removed from the molds. But before that, you need to work a little with a knife, cutting off the extra edges of the silicone.

That's it, the homemade silicone lure is ready to go fishing. It remains only to test how the new vibrotail will behave in practice.