Cheap ,ummm thrifty Yankee tricks ! Cheap was the wrong word, there is nothing cheap about our hobby but sometimes there are much less expensive alternatives to what I consider...

wainemaine Loc: western mountains, Maine

Cheap was the wrong word, there is nothing cheap about our hobby but sometimes there are much less expensive alternatives to what I consider expensive items we use. I loved the idea of using 1 buck Dollar Store fish oil as scent/ chum substitutes. Not looking for pictures and complicated drawings just ideas. I got a few to get the ball rolling. 1. Cheap silver/ gold plastic ware spoons in teaspoon and table spoon sizes, 9 bucks/ 100 free shipping from amazon. iIf you can drill a hole and attach a few mardi gras beads you got a spinner/ spoon drill 2 hol es and pass a leader thru both..., cut in 1/2 you got "leaf" spinners. 2. Cut long strips off potato chip bags the shiney 1s bright colors on the outside, chrome emergency blanket looking on the inside . 1/2-1" wide maybe 2" long for sabiki rigs up to 6" /whatever for stripers/ blue fish. It rips easy but 1 end doubled up and stuck with hotmelt glue lasts a lot longer, its not bucktail or a storebought hulla skirt, but it costs nothing and seems the same colors that atract ppl to chips attract fish too.Make up a few hundred and stick them on stinger hooks, lead head jigs, bare hooks, whatever.

wainemaine Loc: western mountains, Maine

Oh yeah, those shiney seals on Folgers coffee are a lot tougher but no nifty colors:)

jfbanzai Loc: Menomonie, Wisconsin

I use the colored hair extensions for tail material. They come in lots of colors, including metallic, and are pretty tough, and cheap. I buy beads and feathers at the craft store, where they aren't labeled as "fly tying/lure making materials" and are much cheaper and have better variety. I make my own fish scent by cutting fish oil supplements into vegetable oil and letting it sit for several days. Works better and is about 1/10 the cost of store bought.

ZoeyC2000 Loc: Charlotte, N.C.

wainemaine wrote:

Cheap was the wrong word, there is nothing cheap a... (show quote)

Hi Mr. Wainemaine,
I'll definitely try the patatoe chip one thank you.

Zoey :)

ZoeyC2000 Loc: Charlotte, N.C.

jfbanzai wrote:

I use the colored hair extensions for tail material. They come in lots of colors, including metallic, and are pretty tough, and cheap. I buy beads and feathers at the craft store, where they aren't labeled as "fly tying/lure making materials" and are much cheaper and have better variety. I make my own fish scent by cutting fish oil supplements into vegetable oil and letting it sit for several days. Works better and is about 1/10 the cost of store bought.

Hi Mr. jfbanzai,
Not to long ago, I read on here someone else does the same thing. But he also added some Vegetable oil. Let's it sit,
then adds gelatin to it and made small jello cubes. I think he said, he would put it on the hook and slide it above the eye
Then put the bait on. We were considering on trying it. Oh, it was one cup of the vegetable oil for one jar of the Dollar store fish oil.

Zoey :)

jfbanzai Loc: Menomonie, Wisconsin

ZoeyC2000 wrote:

Hi Mr. jfbanzai,
Not to long ago, I read on here someone else does the same thing. But he also added some Vegetable oil. Let's it sit,
then adds gelatin to it and made small jello cubes. I think he said, he would put it on the hook and slide it above the eye
Then put the bait on. We were considering on trying it. Oh, it was one cup of the vegetable oil for one jar of the Dollar store fish oil.

Zoey :)

I wrote about the one cup vegetable oil and one bottle fish oil from the Dollar Store last week. I don't know who wrote about the gelatin on the hook stuff. The oil works really well, as it leaves a nice slimy feel to plastic worms that the fish hold on to.

jfbanzai Loc: Menomonie, Wisconsin

ZoeyC2000 wrote:

Hi Mr. jfbanzai,
Not to long ago, I read on here someone else does the same thing. But he also added some Vegetable oil. Let's it sit,
then adds gelatin to it and made small jello cubes. I think he said, he would put it on the hook and slide it above the eye
Then put the bait on. We were considering on trying it. Oh, it was one cup of the vegetable oil for one jar of the Dollar store fish oil.

Zoey :)

Also about the oil, I found a wide mouth plastic mason jar that fits in the cup holder on my boat. I leave the lid off while I'm fishing so I can just dunk my plastic worm in and keep fishing, without getting it all over the place. Live and learn, the oil works great, but it is a bit messy.

wainemaine Loc: western mountains, Maine

cool idea with the hair extensions.

Big TC Loc: Raytown, MO.

ZoeyC2000 wrote:

Hi Mr. jfbanzai,
Not to long ago, I read on here someone else does the same thing. But he also added some Vegetable oil. Let's it sit,
then adds gelatin to it and made small jello cubes. I think he said, he would put it on the hook and slide it above the eye
Then put the bait on. We were considering on trying it. Oh, it was one cup of the vegetable oil for one jar of the Dollar store fish oil.

Zoey :)

I read that it was 1 pill from the jar of fish oil. Take that 1 pill and cut it in half.

jfbanzai Loc: Menomonie, Wisconsin

T Croft wrote:

I read that it was 1 pill from the jar of fish oil. Take that 1 pill and cut it in half.

Nope. The bottles of fish oil that I bought were 30 to a bottle. I put cut all 30 into the vegetable oil so there would be a decent amount of scent. There is very little oil in one of those capsules. It is still cheap though, since you get a good amount of fish scent for about a dollar.

ZoeyC2000 Loc: Charlotte, N.C.

jfbanzai wrote:

Also about the oil, I found a wide mouth plastic mason jar that fits in the cup holder on my boat. I leave the lid off while I'm fishing so I can just dunk my plastic worm in and keep fishing, without getting it all over the place. Live and learn, the oil works great, but it is a bit messy.

Good Morning Mr. Jfbanzai,
I can see why that is probably better. It would eliminate or hidd any other scent(s) that it may have
picked up.

Thank you!!!
Zoey :)

Brianfishin Loc: Chesapeake VA

Add christmas tree tinsel to the skirts of spinner/buzz baits as well as tied into bucktails. Gives it a little extra flash.

ZoeyC2000 Loc: Charlotte, N.C.

Brianfishin wrote:

Add christmas tree tinsel to the skirts of spinner/buzz baits as well as tied into bucktails. Gives it a little extra flash.

Hi Mr. Brian,
I will remember that, thank you! That would be very easy to do.

Zoey :)

wainemaine Loc: western mountains, Maine

got me thinking about x-mas garland, use the string to tie it on salt water top water plugs.