No, not looking for a new fashion statement. :o

I'm actually looking at building a few plugs. There are some sites around the internet where you can buy plug bodies in bulk, add some hooks and split rings and you just saved yourself a ton of money. Not to mention that you are putting better hardware on than what would normally come on the lure.

Well, I'm just wondering. Should I go with the nose split ring or what? I use a snap on my line anyways. So is the split ring on the nose over kill? Sometimes I feel the snap is overkill and I should just go with a loop knot.

What are the opinions of the board?

--- So you think you' save money and build a high quality plug, right? You'll paint it the way you want, put good hooks and such and this and that... In some case you might actually improve the quality but as far as the action, some trial and error will be needed for some plugs. THAT will be more costly than off the rack...

Here's a question for you:

How will you modify the action of a plug that has no action? One "bare" plug may look like a danny style swimmer but will it swim like a Gibb's or the far superior wobblin' BEACHMASTER (I love that plug - it's the best danny I've ever seen)...

Well, in answer to your question, some plugs will work better if they swing freely on a split ring but other plugs that you would normally adjust the angle of the eye might loose some of that benefit. Keeping the line tight on the eye will have a different effect when tied tight rather than swinging loosely on a snap (another piece of hardware to fail when a fish is on!!!)

... did I make any sense or did I reply as disjointedly as I'm thinking right now???

Best way in my opinion is a loop to the plug eye. No split ring. Don't tie directly to a split ring. Sometimes I like a snap if I plan to keep changing lures. A snap to a split ring is OK.

Allright, no split ring.

John, these things actually don't even need to be painted. They come painted already. You can even get them with this mirror prism finish that looks pretty cool. They look pretty damn close to Mambo minnow bodies. They have them in 3, 5 and 7 inches for normal colors and 5 inches for the Mirror Scale finish. Rattles in each body.

It's actually pretty affordable. It's $45.69 for 25 5 inch normal colors. That comes out to a 1.83 a lure body. Then, you need two split rings a lure. If you search around, you can get 100 split rings for $6.15. Since I am getting a bunch of lures using the same split rings, a 100 pack is a deal for me. 2 split rings winds up costing me 12 cents.

Then there are the hooks. Two hooks, if purchased in bulk, come out to 17 cents.

$1.83
$0.12
$0.17

Grand total of $2.12 cent per lure.

The price of a mambo minnow is probably going to cost me 5.50-6 bucks. Assuming the worst, or in our case, the best, You have saved 3.38 dollars. Enough for another lure.

Here's the low down. You get a better quality lure at a really low price.

I didn't include shipping and handling in all of this because I'm ordering a lot of stuff and it would be way too hard to factor it all in.

This is exactly why I plan everything out. Some things turn out to be real bargains, some don't. I can the ones that don't turn out to be bargains. Then again, some turn out to be lemons after trial and error. These look like a good deal but they might not be. If they aren't, I'll post my findings and learn from my mistakes.

Good trebles for 8 1/2 cents each?

I'm sorry, I must have messed up somewhere along the lines.

The two hooks cost a whopping 37 cents.

The real price is $2.32 a plug. Now I'm pretty sure this is correct. I just double checked all my figures and the rest of them are on the money.

Just so no one doubts the power of the hooks and split rings and hooks, the split rings break 50% higher than what other split rings of that size break at. And the hooks are Mustad 3X trebles. I don't see how I can lose!

Brainfart on my part - being a snob, I associate "plug" with wood, not plastic... plus I assumed you were adding the eye plus split ring, again necessary for WOOD plugs. I've seen some of those plastic bodies at shows before. Yes, in some cases, you can buy a plug body that works as well as a Gag's but in some cases they are different and don't swim as well. If you get a handfull to test out and they work like the real thing - go for it...

We'll.... :) You are correct that you can save money on making your own lures. Smokey and I make our own jigs.
However , by the time you add shipping and bad hooks (not all 100 in the box will be good) , all the things that fall through the cracks , you are up to $3 per lure. that's actually outstanding if they catch fish.

So you spend $75 and you have 25 lures , all the same though. can you afford &75 for all the smae lures? maybe a 4 Mombo's (black and olive) , 2 tobis (silver with blue back) , 2 poppers ( Habs) , 6 Bucktails in Different sizes. Thats 14 lures for the same money but now you can cover almosr any fishing situation.

I'm not trying to discourage you , just giving you something to think about.

Now , you could make it work by getting three other guys to chip in. Now you all get 6 lures for $19. That sound good?

Anyway , I'm obviously a big proponent of make your own as witnessed by the 1300 jigs Smokey and I made this year. However , you have to think and come up with a good plan that fits into your overall fishing scene. You also have to do it in the context of your overall situation.

Since I only have time to fish 1 or 2 days a week but have virtually no limits on the money I can spend for my meager fishing habit , I need a strategy that says i must be ready to fish anywhere successfully or I lose a precious asset , my time available to fish. You on the other hand Patrick can fish every day but have no job and therefore limited money. Your strategy should be to figure a way to be able to at least fish certain places with certain gear for a lot of days. That means being real smart about what you spend your limiting resource on.

Anyway , making lures is a great idea but you have to look at the whole picture.

Good choice of hooks BTW. I like Mustad Hooks.

I'll keep pouring my plastic, 0.01-0.03 cents per bait, depending on how many times I've melted them down. Come to think of it, I finally used the last of my $30 gallon I ordered back in 1999...lol. Want to talk economy in your fishing, plastic beats everything else hands down :).

Plastic also catches more fish IMO. More natural action... more natural feel for the fish. Maybe its just a confidence thing for me.

Certainly they don't cast as well as plugs, but man the jerkbaits have produced for me in tough conditions this year... I've been diligent in rotating between different plugs, poppers, shads, grubs even when the jerkbaits are working. No contest.

Patrick, if things are slow, my money says they'll outproduce plugs...unweighted if distance isn't an issue... if distance is necessary, there are a few ways to weight them without screwing up their action too much... see GS's method. There are also belly weights and lead inserts that I've been using for a bit of extra weight.

Like I've said before, I'm no salt crusted striper veteran, so any ol' pluggers out there, this is just my opinion based on this year... so don't be jumpin' on me. But before I spent a bunch of time and money on a thousand plugs, I might try a bunch of stuff and see what's actually catching fish.

And for bigger fish... I'd definitely stick with E-E-L-S.