Price per Bait

Question- As a rule of thumb, when making a senko style bait yourself.. if you had to ballpark... what would your price per bait be? (Including all materials and molds, etc...)

I know this is a ballpark or a guess... but your best guess would be appreciated.

It would depend on how many made. Make 500 and the unit price is way down from say making a dozen. Problem with copying the Senko is the recipe used to allow the same action on a fast drop. I've seen few sold even close to it.

Non-aluminum molds from overseas are the cheapest at about $28 US for the Senko shape.


Aluminum molds go for about $65 on up.
Plastic per gal. is $65 + shipping.
Injectors used for multi-cavity molds are $45

For personal use it's not worth it especially for only one lure shape. In my case I design plastic lure shapes and have made over 500 different shapes and actions over many years and given away over 200, plus I copy lures by making molds in plaster.

Economical - probably not for most Personally satisfying - yep - especially since I have a rainbow of colors to choose from. Catching fish on lures you make is a blast plus knowing you don't have to worry that a lure might be discontinued.

The highest cost is your time.

Plenty of good Youtube videos on how to make your own hand pour and injection molds.
The easiest baits to start with have a flat side--can do a one part Plaster of Paris mold really easily.

With minimal skill, you can make a two part Plaster of Paris senko mold for $2.
The next cheapest reliable option would be a two part fiberglass resin mold.

For a quality DIY two part pour mold, I'd use RTV silicone $18 with Hobby Lobby coupon.
Because a senko doesn't have any significant ribs or turns, you can get decent results without an injector.

If you are looking to sell, make sure you have the proper licensed mold for resale. Copyright and Patent infringement are no joke! They will lawyer up to protect themselves, even against a guy trying to make a few bucks on the side!

To my knowledge the Senko design was never patented by Gary Y last time I looked.

Yup...Only the name.

I don't mean to highjack but bait plastics plastisol is $26 + shipping. Quality stuff

You'll never make a profit considering the number of lures you'd have to make and sell to even cover basic expenses and time. Besides, a few different size Senkos would required different molds;
different colors would require many dye and glitter colors ;
many lures are always left over and sitting unsold (competition is tough)
some states require state tax included;
unless you order 50 gal. of plastic, a gallon is expensive per lure;
to mass produce lures you'd need multi-cavity injection molds which run over $150 each

Senkos aren't cheap - 70 cents each. Will yours be of the same quality?
Where will you advertise and sell them? Sites cost money. Even Ebay charges a fee.

When I make different lures for friends I only charge shipping.