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  1. #1
    Member DrewFlu33's Avatar
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    Heat shrink "hot buy"

    Just came across these on Amazon. Should be helpful for those who like using heat shrink in different applications and want to pick up what will likely amount to a several year supply.

    4 feet of 3:1 shrink rate, clear 1/4" for $5.81 - perfect for finesse and trick worms. Try it for wacky and Neko rigging as well as nose hooked drop shot baits!

    4 feet of 3:1 shrink rate, clear 3/8" for $6.59 - the size for senkos! Also works for nose-hooked drop shot baits with a fatter head like the Berkley Flat Nose Minnow. Definitely will not work for nose hooking flukes, though.

    Only thing missing is 1/8" for tungsten inserts, closing up R-bends in spinnerbait and buzzbait wires, and straight shank hook keepers. (For the record, I like adhesive lined 3:1 for hook keepers and closing R-bends, and non-adhesive lined 2:1 for tungsten inserts).
    2011 Skeeter ZX225
    225 Yamaha HPDI Series 2
    Minn Kota Ultrex 112 52"
    Console: HDS 16 Carbon
    Bow: HDS 12 Carbon, Solix 12 G2, Mega 360

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    #2
    Was just looking at page after page of shrink tubing...thanks for the links!

  3. Member mnmike59's Avatar
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    #3
    Quote Originally Posted by DrewFlu33 View Post
    Just came across these on Amazon. Should be helpful for those who like using heat shrink in different applications and want to pick up what will likely amount to a several year supply.

    4 feet of 3:1 shrink rate, clear 1/4" for $5.81 - perfect for finesse and trick worms. Try it for wacky and Neko rigging as well as nose hooked drop shot baits!

    4 feet of 3:1 shrink rate, clear 3/8" for $6.59 - the size for senkos! Also works for nose-hooked drop shot baits with a fatter head like the Berkley Flat Nose Minnow. Definitely will not work for nose hooking flukes, though.

    Only thing missing is 1/8" for tungsten inserts, closing up R-bends in spinnerbait and buzzbait wires, and straight shank hook keepers. (For the record, I like adhesive lined 3:1 for hook keepers and closing R-bends, and non-adhesive lined 2:1 for tungsten inserts).
    Huh? ok, I'm new to Bass fishing (3 years) How can you use shrink tubing as you explained? call me dumb, But I'd appreciate an education.

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    #4
    Quote Originally Posted by mnmike59 View Post
    Huh? ok, I'm new to Bass fishing (3 years) How can you use shrink tubing as you explained? call me dumb, But I'd appreciate an education.
    If you're familiar with wacky rigged baits (search if not), then usually the hook runs right through the soft bait crossways. Nose hooked baits have a tendency to rip pretty easily after a bite. Using heat shrink over the bait in the hook area provides a much longer lasting place to run the hook through. Thus saving a bunch of plastics! If you search heat shrink I bet you find all you want to read.
    1998 Tr-21, 2001 Yamaha 225 OX66

  5. Member mnmike59's Avatar
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    #5
    Awesome! I use an Oring on my wacky's. but the heat shrink on the nose hook baits sounds like a great idea. Thanks!

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    #6
    Quote Originally Posted by mnmike59 View Post
    Awesome! I use an Oring on my wacky's. but the heat shrink on the nose hook baits sounds like a great idea. Thanks!
    i use o rings for wacky rig too, but many swear by heat shrink. Shocker, but I don't throw wacky rig all that much. I know, I have only caught 1/3 of the fish I could've........... Lol
    Last edited by rat0502; 07-27-2018 at 09:24 AM. Reason: Can't spell for chit
    1998 Tr-21, 2001 Yamaha 225 OX66

  7. Member Quillback's Avatar
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    #7
    Thanks for the links. my stash is low, need some more.

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    #8
    So . . . do you put the heat shrink on the worms before heading out to fish? Or do you do it on the water while fishing? I'm assuming you do it ahead of time, but just wanted to confirm. Thanks in advance for the reply.

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    #9
    Quote Originally Posted by illiniturf View Post
    So . . . do you put the heat shrink on the worms before heading out to fish? Or do you do it on the water while fishing? I'm assuming you do it ahead of time, but just wanted to confirm. Thanks in advance for the reply.
    Ive found shrinking isnt needed. If you hook thru it and the worm without it shrunk tight it still adds a tremendous amount of support and make the worms last, then you can pull the hook slide it off and onto the next worm. I use it on senko and zoom finesse worms like this, no shrinking. Thats for whacky...

    If I were to fish a method like neko Id probably shrink it and just put the hook thru the shrink wrap.

  10. Member DrewFlu33's Avatar
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    #10
    Quote Originally Posted by mnmike59 View Post
    Huh? ok, I'm new to Bass fishing (3 years) How can you use shrink tubing as you explained? call me dumb, But I'd appreciate an education.
    Several good answers already. I think the simplest way to think about it is to put a short length of it on the bait where you'd hook it if you weren't using it, heat it up to shrink it down if you'd like (makes it stay in place and improves durability even further), then hook the bait as if the heat shrink weren't there. Will make soft plastics last orders of magnitude longer.

    The only caution is to not use it in a situation where the hook point would need to come through a piece of heat shrink when setting the hook, for obvious reasons I think. So if wacky rigging, make sure the hook is run completely through the heat shrink. Or if nose hooking, run the point through the heat shrink and hide it in the nose of the bait as usual where it can penetrate an area at the tip of the nose where it's not reinforced with heat shrink, or if nose hooking with the hook exposed make sure the hook is actually exposed.


    Quote Originally Posted by illiniturf View Post
    So . . . do you put the heat shrink on the worms before heading out to fish? Or do you do it on the water while fishing? I'm assuming you do it ahead of time, but just wanted to confirm. Thanks in advance for the reply.
    I usually do up a bunch in the garage when I'm running low and just stick them in a separate bag. For example, I usually Neko rig Trick Worms, so I'll just sit down and heat shrink up a bag of them and put them in a clear zip lock so it's obvious which have been done. You can do it on the water if you want, doesn't take that long. The biggest problem is getting out of the breeze enough to put a flame to it if you decide to shrink it down, though as Travel to fish said, you don't have to shrink it for it to work.


    Quote Originally Posted by mnmike59 View Post
    Awesome! I use an Oring on my wacky's. but the heat shrink on the nose hook baits sounds like a great idea. Thanks!
    Nothing wrong with the o-rings, but you might find the heat shrink to work even better! I like heat shrink over o-rings for wacky rigging for several reasons, the biggest of which is that it gives the option of hooking the worm with the point perpendicular for best hookups without having to try and cross 2 o-rings, or you can still hook it with the point parallel like you'd do with a single o-ring. It also makes a worm last at least twice as long as with an o-ring, and doesn't "crease" the worm and cause it to fold half ruining the fluttering action like an o-ring can do.
    2011 Skeeter ZX225
    225 Yamaha HPDI Series 2
    Minn Kota Ultrex 112 52"
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  11. Better Lucky Than Good! Casslaw's Avatar
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    #11
    I am super interested in your method of closing up R bends on spinnerbaits, buzzbait, etc? And the purpose? Pretty please!
    2006 Triton SP-185, 2006 Evinrude Etec 90, PowerTech NRS3, Garmin Echomap Plus 73CV & 93SV

  12. Member DrewFlu33's Avatar
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    #12
    Just take a piece of 1/8 inch adhesive heat shrink, maybe 1/8 to 1/4 inch long, slide it over the line tie portion far enough to leave a gap above it big enough to thread your line through, and heat it up to shrink it down. It makes a closed line tie and keeps your knot from sliding around, and by extension seems to at least delay the wire getting loose in the bait's head on baits where that's known to happen. For example, anyone who's thrown a War Eagle enough has seen that wire get loose then eventually break right at the head. This is compounded when you have a knot slide down the arm when fighting a fish as it puts more pressure at the point where the lead and wire meet. Smallmouth especially seem to find ways to make that knot take off sliding down the arm, no matter how tight you think you've got it. It also seems to prevent breakoffs as there's not the friction created when the knot slides.

    You can also do this on baits where the line tie is twisted to seal it up and stop your line from working its way into the twists of wire.
    2011 Skeeter ZX225
    225 Yamaha HPDI Series 2
    Minn Kota Ultrex 112 52"
    Console: HDS 16 Carbon
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  13. Better Lucky Than Good! Casslaw's Avatar
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    #13
    Thank you sir, that is something I’m definitely going to try.
    2006 Triton SP-185, 2006 Evinrude Etec 90, PowerTech NRS3, Garmin Echomap Plus 73CV & 93SV

  14. Member DrewFlu33's Avatar
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    #14
    Good luck!
    2011 Skeeter ZX225
    225 Yamaha HPDI Series 2
    Minn Kota Ultrex 112 52"
    Console: HDS 16 Carbon
    Bow: HDS 12 Carbon, Solix 12 G2, Mega 360

  15. Member DrewFlu33's Avatar
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    #15
    Speaking of 1/8" adhesive 3:1 shrink rate.... Listed $6.45 for 4 feet, but I *think* I've got it for $4.50 with this link. If not, adding the "Wikibuy" plug-in to Chrome and clicking the logo it adds next to the price will get it for you.
    2011 Skeeter ZX225
    225 Yamaha HPDI Series 2
    Minn Kota Ultrex 112 52"
    Console: HDS 16 Carbon
    Bow: HDS 12 Carbon, Solix 12 G2, Mega 360