Then there’s the Umbrella rig, which is a whole other beast of its own. All of these different rigs are worth taking a look at, and most are worth incorporating into your arsenal, as several of these can be used to catch bass in a wide variety of different situations.

Think of a Carolina rig as a Texas rig’s big, more stretched out brother. With this rig, a large weight is slid up onto the line, followed by a bead or two, and then a swivel is tied on to hold these in place.

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An Umbrella rig, and the more commonly used castable version for bass fishing called the Alabama rig, differs from the rest of the rigs on this list drastically. For starters, there are typically at lease five soft plastic swimbaits used on an umbrella rig. Each swimbait is slid onto a jighead, which is then hung from one of the fanned out metal arms of this rig.

In this collection, which is part one of a series representing some of John’s finest work, we present you with five articles that we think you will refer to time and again as you look to solve problems, cut cycle times and improve the quality of the parts you mold.

Mike Sepe has authored more than 25 ANTEC papers and more than 250 articles illustrating the importance of this interdisciplanary approach. In this collection, we present some of his best work during the years he has been contributing for Plastics Technology Magazine.

Introduced by Zeiger and Spark Industries at the PTXPO, the nozzle is designed for maximum heat transfer and uniformity with a continuous taper for self cleaning.

Despite price increase nominations going into second quarter, it appeared there was potential for generally flat pricing with the exception of a major downward correction for PP.

The best online fishing resource to learn and stay current on the latest fishing gear, news, techniques, trends and more.

This Knowledge Center provides an overview of the considerations needed to understand the purchase, operation, and maintenance of a process cooling system.

Learn about sustainable scrap reprocessing—this resource offers a deep dive into everything from granulator types and options, to service tips, videos and technical articles.

Next, a fluorocarbon or monofilament leader line is tied to the other end of the swivel and a hook is tied onto the tag end of that leader line. Slip a soft plastic on and you’re ready to slowly drag a C-rig along the bottom, putting one of the best bite-getting rigs on earth at your disposal.

Mixed in among thought leaders from leading suppliers to injection molders and mold makers at the 2023 Molding and MoldMaking conferences will be molders and toolmakers themselves.

While the major correction in PP prices was finally underway, generally stable pricing was anticipated for the other four commodity resins.

Slip a soft plastic bait like a lizard or trick worm up onto the hook, rigging it weedless, and now you have a Free rig. The term “free” is a reference to the bell weight, which is allowed to move freely up and down your line. This allowance creates more subtle movements in the bait as it washes along on the bottom, the bell weight not being as restrictive as the bullet weight of a Texas rig would be.

Thanks to process monitoring with sensor technology specially designed for the RTM process, users can identify defects during production so as to avoid further processing of faulty parts.

Performing fundamental maintenance inspections frequently assures press longevity and process stability. Here’s a checklist to help you stay on top of seven key systems.

Successfully starting or restarting an injection molding machine is less about ticking boxes on a rote checklist and more about individually assessing each processing scenario and its unique variables.

More and more, injection molders are confronted with new, complex tasks, such as multi-component systems with complex process technology, for example, in lightweight composites for the automotive and aerospace industries. To support such applications, ComoNeo can also control multi-component and RTM processes as of version 2.1.0. Two or more processes, depending on the component, would previously have to be recorded and evaluated separately. With ComoNeo 2.1.0 it is possible to monitor up to four components in various tool technologies.

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Shaye Baker grew up fishing with his father in the state of Alabama. While in college, he was involved in the creation and early years of the Auburn University Bass Team, which expanded his testing grounds to the southeast. After college, Shaye began to fish the semi-pro circuit while simultaneously starting a freelance journalism career, providing content for Wired2Fish, FLW, B.A.S.S. and a few other publications. As Shaye has transitioned from in front of the lens to behind it, his career has taken him to fisheries throughout the country and provided him intimate access to some of the best bass anglers to ever wet a line. Shaye now enjoys fun fishing and local tournaments with his father and friends, while working fulltime in the fishing industry as a freelance journalist shooting pictures and video, editing and writing.

There are dozens of ways to rig a soft plastic bait for bass fishing. But most of the best bass rigs are comprised of three main parts: a weight, a hook and a soft plastic lure. Some rigs, however, can be a little more complex, like the Donkey rig (Double Fluke rig) which uses uses two hooks, two soft plastic jerkbaits and two swivels.

The Texas rig is among the more simple and likely the most versatile of all these bass rigs. Take a simple bullet weight, 4/0 round bend worm hook and a soft plastic worm and put them together and you can travel the whole country catching bass everywhere you go. This a great rig to fish in 2 feet or 20 feet, along a clean bottom or in thick cover, and amidst any water color. It’s easy to rig. Easy to tie and just flat out catches them from coast to coast. Arguably the best bass fishing lure is a worm and the best way to rig it of all time would have to be a Texas Rig.

The chicken rig is bit of a different breed again, its closest cousin being a Neko rig—think weedless Neko rig standing on its head and you’ll be getting pretty close. Start off by tying on an offset shank worm hook and then stick the hook into the midsection of the worm (hook pointed towards the head of the worm), running the worm up onto the shank of the hook about 2-inches.

Take a coffee stirrer straw and cut a 45 degree angle on one end. Stick the pointy end of straw through the top of the head of the trick worm at an angle, then bring the belly of the bait up to the sharp point of the straw and stick it through at an angle again. Then go back through the back of the worm one last time as you pass the straw through the tail end of the bait.

Again, like a drop shot, there’s a weight at the bottom of this rig that keeps it on the bottom, but this weight is held in place by bending the tip of the wire after the weight has been slid on. Upward facing bullet weights work well with Tokyo rigs, as the pointed ends slip through rocks and other debris better than rounder weights would.

In this three-part collection, veteran molder and moldmaker Jim Fattori brings to bear his 40+ years of on-the-job experience and provides molders his “from the trenches” perspective on on the why, where and how of venting injection molds. Take the trial-and-error out of the molding venting process.

Gifted with extraordinary technical know how and an authoritative yet plain English writing style, in this collection of articles Fattori offers his insights on a variety of molding-related topics that are bound to make your days on the production floor go a little bit better.

While the melting process does not provide perfect mixing, this study shows that mixing is indeed initiated during melting.

The aim of this presentation is to guide you through the factors and the numbers that will help you determine if a robot is a smart investment for your application. Agenda:  Why are you considering automation? What problems are you trying to solve? How and why automation can help Crunch the numbers and determine the ROI

Multiple speakers at Molding 2023 will address the ways simulation can impact material substitution decisions, process profitability and simplification of mold design.

After successfully introducing a combined conference for moldmakers and injection molders in 2022, Plastics Technology and MoldMaking Technology are once again joining forces for a tooling/molding two-for-one.

Join Engel in exploring the future of battery molding technology. Discover advancements in thermoplastic composites for battery housings, innovative automation solutions and the latest in large-tonnage equipment designed for e-mobility — all with a focus on cost-efficient solutions. Agenda: Learn about cutting-edge thermoplastic composites for durable, sustainable and cost-efficient battery housings Explore advanced automation concepts for efficient and scalable production See the latest large-tonnage equipment and technology innovations for e-mobility solutions

In this collection of content, we provide expert advice on welding from some of the leading authorities in the field, with tips on such matters as controls, as well as insights on how to solve common problems in welding.

Core Technology Molding turned to Mold-Masters E-Multi auxiliary injection unit to help it win a job and dramatically change its process.

Now, run your line through the eye of the hook, but don’t tie the hook on. Continue running the end of your line through each section of straw in the same direction that you pushed the straw through to begin with. At the end of your line, you now tie on a split ring using whatever knot you have confidence in. The split ring is there to ensure that no matter what, the free swinging hook can’t slip off the line during a fight. You could also use a drop shot or bell weight at the bottom of this rig to fish it in deeper water.

Plastics Technology’s Tech Days is back! Every Tuesday in October, a series of five online presentations will be given by industry supplier around the following topics:  Injection Molding — New Technologies, Efficiencies Film Extrusion — New Technologies, Efficiencies Upstream/Downstream Operations Injection Molding — Sustainability Extrusion — Compounding Coming out of NPE2024, PT identified a variety of topics, technologies and trends that are driving and shaping the evolution of plastic products manufacturing — from recycling/recyclability and energy optimization to AI-based process control and automation implementation. PT Tech Days is designed to provide a robust, curated, accessible platform through which plastics professionals can explore these trends, have direct access to subject-matter experts and develop strategies for applying solutions in their operations.

Sustainability continues to dominate new additives technology, but upping performance is also evident. Most of the new additives have been targeted to commodity resins and particularly polyolefins.

Now, snip off all the pieces of straw that are exposed. Add a touch of glue to each place where the straw went through the bait to secure the pieces of straw. Now, you’re left with a worm that has three small segments of straw running through it. Skin hook a Neko hook through the back off he head of the worm, so that the hook points up and the eye of the hook is positioned directly over the first straw hole.

Exhibitors and presenters at the plastics show emphasized 3D printing as a complement and aid to more traditional production processes.

A Neko rig looks a lot like a Wacky rig at first glance, but these two differ in a couple key ways. For starters, the orientation of the hook point is different. Instead of running the hook perpendicular to the worm like you would a with a Wacky rig, you want to rig the hook in-line with the worm, with the hook point facing up. “Up” is determined by which end of the worm you intend to add a weight to—which is the “down” end and the second key difference.

Take a deep dive into all of the various aspects of part quoting to ensure you’ve got all the bases—as in costs—covered before preparing your customer’s quote for services.

Ultradent's entry of its Umbrella cheek retractor took home the awards for Technical Sophistication and Achievement in Economics and Efficiency at PTXPO.

Say “manufacturing automation” and thoughts immediately go to the shop floor and specialized production equipment, robotics and material handling systems. But there is another realm of possible automation — the front office.

Since its initial launch three years ago, the ComoNeo system has continued to evolve. Based on measurement of cavity pressure, it controls the switchover point from speed to pressure control in mold filling within each cycle, analyzing the difference between current and reference pressure curves. The switchover point can be set manually or determined automatically by the system through analyzing a sequence of five test cycles.

Resin drying is a crucial, but often-misunderstood area. This collection includes details on why and what you need to dry, how to specify a dryer, and best practices.

In a time where sustainability is no longer just a buzzword, the food and beverage packaging industry is required to be at the forefront of this innovation. By adopting circular packaging processes and solutions, producers can meet regulatory requirements while also satisfying consumer demand and enhancing brand reputation. Join Husky to learn more about the broader implications of the circular economy — as well as how leading brands are leveraging this opportunity to reduce costs, increase design flexibility and boost product differentiation. Agenda: The cost and operational benefits of embracing circularity Key materials in circular packaging — including rPET and emerging bioplastics How to design a circular food and beverage package Strategies for selecting sustainable closures to future-proof packaging solutions Optimization and streamlining of production processes for enhanced efficiency How Husky Technologies can enable your sustainable success

ComoNeo now also offers a model-based prediction of part quality based on specified tolerance limits. The integrated software calculates the optimal process parameters to ensure higher quality, especially in demanding applications.

Additive technology creates air pockets in film during orientation, cutting down on the amount of resin needed while boosting opacity, mechanical properties and recyclability.

A Tokyo rig can be thought of as a little power fishing drop shot. Similar to a drop shot, a Tokyo rig keeps the soft plastic up off the bottom a bit—but the gap between bait and bottom is much smaller with a Tokyo rig. This gap is also maintained by a rigid metal wire as opposed to fishing line.

Formnext Chicago is an industrial additive manufacturing expo taking place April 8-10, 2025 at McCormick Place in Chicago, Illinois. Formnext Chicago is the second in a series of Formnext events in the U.S. being produced by Mesago Messe Frankfurt, AMT – The Association For Manufacturing Technology, and Gardner Business Media (our publisher).

Or, you can buy technique specific Wacky tools and hooks (some even with weed guards) as well as little rubber or silicone rings to go around the worm, which will help cut down on lost baits. Irregardless, a Wacky rig is one of the best bass rigs out there when fish are finicky and positioned near the surface.

Processors with sustainability goals or mandates have a number of ways to reach their goals. Biopolymers are among them.

A Wacky rig can be assembled using a simple straight shank hook and a trick worm if you like, rigging the hook perpendicular to the worm with the hook going completely through the soft plastic near its midsection, and the bait resting in the bend of the hook when it’s all said and done.

A free rig again takes these three elements we keep seeing, but puts them together with a twist. This time, run your line through the ring of a bell weight, and then tie on the hook of your choosing—round bend, EWG and straight shank hooks all work well here.

Plastics Technology covers technical and business Information for Plastics Processors in Injection Molding, Extrusion, Blow Molding, Plastic Additives, Compounding, Plastic Materials, and Resin Pricing. About Us

When, how, what and why to automate — leading robotics suppliers and forward-thinking moldmakers will share their insights on automating manufacturing at collocated event.

Discover how artifical intelligence is revolutionizing plastics processing. Hear from industry experts on the future impact of AI on your operations and envision a fully interconnected plant.

Join Wittmann for an engaging webinar on the transformative impact of manufacturing execution systems (MES) in the plastic injection molding industry. Discover how MES enhances production efficiency, quality control and real-time monitoring while also reducing downtime. It will explore the integration of MES with existing systems, emphasizing compliance and traceability for automotive and medical sectors. Learn about the latest advancements in IoT and AI technologies and how they drive innovation and continuous improvement in MES. Agenda: Overview of MES benefits What is MES? Definition, role and brief history Historical perspective and evolution Longevity and analytics Connectivity: importance, standards and integration Advantages of MES: efficiency, real-time data, traceability and cost savings Emerging technologies: IoT and AI in MES

While prices moved up for three of the five commodity resins, there was potential for a flat trajectory for the rest of the third quarter.

technotrans says climate protection, energy efficiency and customization will be key discussion topics at PTXPO as it displays its protemp flow 6 ultrasonic eco and the teco cs 90t 9.1 TCUs.

One of the best bass rigs for vertical fishing, a drop shot rig consists again primarily of a weight, a hook and a soft plastic; but this rig reorders the three. For starters, tie your hook onto your line, being sure to go through the face of the eye first (the hook-point side of the eye). Also during this process, you’ll want to leave a long tag end (roughy 10- to 24- inches depending on how high off the bottom you want your bait to be).

Pop the hook point out and then let the worm come to rest on the sharp bend in the shank near the eye of the hook. Stick your hook point though the worm, leaving it slightly exposed or skin hooked on the other side. Add a Neko or nail weight to the head of the worm and you have yourself a chicken rig.

Across all process types, sustainability was a big theme at NPE2024. But there was plenty to see in automation and artificial intelligence as well.

A very simple rig, just slide a minute soft plastic up onto a flat-headed Ned head and you’re ready to go. Even though the hook is left exposed on a Ned rig, it’s surprisingly snag resistant. And there are weedless Ned heads as well that incorporate a weedguard for even slippery setup when it comes to sneaking through cover.

A Ned rig is another great technique when the fishing is tough and you’re just looking to get a bite at any cost. But, this rig isn’t just for tough fishing, it catches big ones too—especially spotted and smallmouth bass.

August 29-30 in Minneapolis all things injection molding and moldmaking will be happening at the Hyatt Regency — check out who’s speaking on what topics today.

Join this webinar to explore the transformative benefits of retrofitting your existing injection molding machines (IMMs). Engel will guide you through upgrading your equipment to enhance monitoring, control and adaptability — all while integrating digital technologies. You'll learn about the latest trends in IMM retrofitting (including Euromap interfaces and plasticizing retrofits) and discover how to future-proof your machines for a competitive edge. With insights from industry experts, it'll walk you through the decision-making process, ensuring you make informed choices that drive your business forward. Agenda: Maximize the value of your current IMMs through strategic retrofitting Learn how to integrate digital technologies to enhance monitoring and control Explore the benefits of Euromap interfaces and plasticizing retrofits Understand how retrofitting can help meet new product demands and improve adaptability Discover how Engel can support your retrofitting needs, from free consultations to execution

Though this isn’t an exhaustive list, we have compiled some of the best bass rigs below for your consideration, along with brief descriptions of them as well as in-depth articles on how to rig and fish the vast majority of these best bass rigs.

Join KraussMaffei for an insightful webinar designed for industry professionals, engineers and anyone interested in the manufacturing processes of PVC pipes. This session will provide a comprehensive understanding of the technology behind the production of high-quality PVC pipes: from raw material preparation to final product testing. Agenda: Introduction to PVC extrusion: overview of the basic principles of PVC pipe extrusion — including the process of melting and shaping PVC resin into pipe forms Equipment and machinery: detailed explanation of the key equipment involved — such as extruders, dies and cooling systems — and their roles in the extrusion process Process parameters: insight into the critical process parameters like temperature, pressure and cooling rates that influence the quality and consistency of the final PVC pipes Energy efficiency: examination of ways to save material and energy use when extruding PVC pipe products

Across the show, sustainability ruled in new materials technology, from polyolefins and engineering resins to biobased materials.

Once the knot is secure (a simple Trilene knot will suffice), take the long tag end and run it back through the face of the hook eye. When you pull on that tag end and your mainline simultaneously, your hook should stand straight out. You can either nose hook a soft plastic onto the hook, or rig it weedless, and then finish off your dropshot rig by adding a drop shot weight to the bottom of your tag end.

A nail or Neko weight is slipped into the nose of the soft plastic, with the hook point facing up and away from it. This creates a fairly snagless rig with a vertical orientation of the worm, that can be fished along the bottom with the hook pointed up, poised and ready to lock into an unsuspecting bass.

In this collection of articles, two of the industry’s foremost authorities on screw design — Jim Frankand and Mark Spalding — offer their sage advice on screw design...what works, what doesn’t, and what to look for when things start going wrong.

Online quality prediction in the new version of ComoNeo directly predicts the component characteristics and evaluates quality on the basis of measured process values.

This month’s resin pricing report includes PT’s quarterly check-in on select engineering resins, including nylon 6 and 66.

In addition to predicting production quality, all collected data can be stored in the central ComoDataCenter database for further analysis. ComoNeo also controls the transfer of proven tool configurations to other machines, as well as balancing the hot runner in multi-cavity molds. To accomplish the latter, ComoNeo now incorporates the OPC-UA interface that is becoming the standard for Industry 4.0 machine-to-machine data connectivity.

Second quarter started with price hikes in PE and the four volume engineering resins, but relatively stable pricing was largely expected by the quarter’s end.

Mold maintenance is critical, and with this collection of content we’ve bundled some of the very best advice we’ve published on repairing, maintaining, evaluating and even hanging molds on injection molding machines.

Put this rig together by sliding a swivel up onto your mainline and then tie another swivel to the end of that line to keep the first swivel from slipping off. Then, tie a 2-foot piece of leader line onto the open end of the first swivel and a 3-foot leader line onto the open end of the second swivel. Tie a 4/0 offset shank hook onto the end of each piece of leader line and slip a soft plastic jerkbait on each, and you’re ready to.

The Plastics Industry Association (PLASTICS) has released final figures for NPE2024: The Plastics Show (May 6-10; Orlando) that officially make it the largest ever NPE in several key metrics.

A donkey rig (or double Fluke rig) differs from all of the other rigs we’ve discussed so far as well in one key way, there’s no weight involved. Two weightless Texas-rigged soft plastic jerkbaits are used with this setup to create a mesmerizing dance as the two baits dip and dart just below the water’s surface.

An Inu rig is one of the latest oddball rigs to come out of Japan. Here’s a quick and dirty way to do it with a trick worm, Neko hook, split ring and straw.

Today, more than ever, granulation is an important step in the total production process. Our expert explains a few of the many common traps to avoid when thinking about granulators

The Kistler Group is demonstrating a wide range of modular functionalities for the newest version (2.1.0) of ComoNeo, its process-monitoring and control system for injection molding that now includes integrated part-quality prediction.

While prices moved up for three of the five commodity resins, there was potential for a flat trajectory for the rest of the third quarter.

An umbrella rig can also be used to target suspended fish far better than most of these other rigs, which are better at catching bass at or near the bottom. Big baitcasting gear is also needed for this rig, as the conglomeration of metal and plastic can quickly add up to a lot of weight.

ComoDataCenter can manage and analyze data for injection molding processes and allows networking of all ComoNeo and CoMo Injection systems.