For years I've been pitching my torn up plastic baits, or sometimes tearing the head off a worm to extend the use after it's been damaged.


But some soft baits like the Senkos and others are kind of pricy, and it's frustrating to see a bait that's ready for the boneyard after only limited use.

I've tried using superglue, but it leaves the bait all crusty and hard.

But the other day I got to thinking. Usually glues made for plastic are specifically developed fora given type of plastic. When I was a kid I built car models which are made of styrene, and styrene glue actually melts and fuses the two parts being glued.

Turns out soft plastic baits are made from PVC (Polyvinyl chloride) the same stuff they make Pvc pipe from. So, I thought I'd try experimenting with doing some worm repairs with standard PVC cement you get at the hardware store (not the purple stuff-that's primer).

I made some cuts in some worms and even cut a few completely in half. Then, using a toothpick I applied some PVC to both halves of the sections to be glued.

Once dry, I was really pleased with the results. The worms were still soft where the repair was made, and the sections where the repair was made were fused together.

It's important to apply a liberal amount of cement to both sides of the tear. I think a small paintbrush would work even better because it would have more cement than the toothpick method.

The is a glue on the market already called Mend-It that is made specifically for repairing soft plastics and it works very well and is pretty reasonably priced. Nice research figuring out for yourself how to repair plastic though, although you probably just figured out a cheaper way to fix your plastics with the same chemical. Well done

Yeah, had heard about Mend-it, in fact that is partly what got me wondering what plastics were made of.

Wouldn't be surprised if Mend-it was in fact PVC cement.

Mend it is a lot more expensive than PVC glue
And you get a lot less

King_Fisher can you post a few pictures of the plastics you fixed? I would like to see what it looks like. Thanks

I'll do you one better; I'll do some before and after pictures and post them.

Mend it will easily pay for itself if you use lots of softer plastics and are willing to take the time to doctor the plastic up. Been using it on the recommendation of someone on here...its paid for itself in re used plastic in less than a few weeks.

How long does it take the PVC cement to dry? Mend It, only takes a few minutes to dry completely.

If I ever get that bad off that I'm gluing senkos back together.....I'll quit fishing.

Thanks for sharing the good find King fisher.

I did 2 drying time tests, one with some small tears in the bait and one by placing a blob of cement on a piece of paper. In both cases the cement was dry in 5 minutes. If a bait is completely cut in half, I'd give it longer - larger surface area. Your mileage may vary

As far as the cost of Mend-it, I found it for $7.99 for a 1/2 oz. and 1 oz. for $11.99. That's $12 an ounce....if you buy the large container.

PVC Cement at Lowes will run you $4.44 for 8 oz., or $.55/oz.

Here are my before and after pictures. I decided it was easier to see the damage if I cut the lures completely in half. The one on the bottom is the only one where I just made a slit:



And here's the after picture. I didn't line it up exactly right on the first worm, but still made a solid repair:



@Chris - well, to each his own. Some people have to fish on a budget. I don't plan on gluing any baits back together - most of the time my baits are just a bit ripped up, and IMHO, that's where this stuff is worth $.55/oz. and < 1 minute of my time.

Good job and a nice report.

I've used Mend-It and like it, but you have probably let there secret out! Thanks for a money saving tip, but you might want to check your vehicle over real careful-like before you start it for a while after they find out you told their secret!

I dont want my plastics smelling like pvc glue or mend it. Talk about losing confidence in a bait.

I understand what you mean and I agree with you for the most part, but what about those $4 or $5 a piece hollow body swimbaits that you caught one fish on and now you can't get it to stay all the way up on the jig head or there is a small rip in the back where the hook comes out? That is what I am most interested in. I feel like repairing those swimbaits could pay for itself in one day on the water.