The post about the swimbaits just prompted me to post this...I only have a few swimbaits...8inch and 4inch castaic sinking trout and some megabait charlies...and I dont really have a swimbait rod...so I only use my 8-20lb ugly stick...I like the castaics but right now they are too heavy for me to cast with my current equipment...so on every outing I just bring my megabait charlies...
Anyone of you have any success with "Charlie"?...it has an awkward wobble...I wonder if it attracts fish or if it scares them...havent caught anything on it yet...I am also gonna start pouring my own swimbaits too...trying to make one that is lighter...has anyone poured their own swimbaits with success? I had designed a prototype a while ago(more like 3 or 4yrs ago lol)...just havent made a mold out of it....I was also wondering how can one start selling their own hand poured swimbaits?(dont worry I wont copy the ones already on the market...I am more afraid of people copying my designs hahaha)...how do you protect your design?...I mean I dont have a lot of money and I was thinking its gonna cost a fortune just to have it patented right?
any tips?

You're right, a patent is very pricy. It would cost you several thousand $$$. But the catch there is not the patent, it's having the money for the lawyers to enforce your patent.

One thing you can do is what they call the poor man's patent. Once you have a working prototype, just stick it in the mail and mail it to yourself. You can include a little note inside explaing your invention with dates and whatever else you might want to include. Leave the package sealed and put it up somewhere. That way it's officially date stamped.

I don't pour swimbaits, but I do pour my own baits. As far as making a lighter bait, that's not really possible. The weight depends on the size of the bait. I have used plastic from 3 different manufacturers and it all weighs the same. You could try to make a 2 piece mold with a hollow middle, but then you have to deal with the trouble of making your bait swim straight.

Hi woodsac...I saw some of your posts in tacklemaking forum too...cool...Thats an interesting way to keep a record of your invention...thanks...I's probably just forget about patent...seeing things happening on the market...like Senkos came out and now there are tons like senkos coming out on the market...so my main thing now is if it turns out good...and theres a demand for it...how do you go about selling your lure?...can you sell it without a patent or trademark on the name(trademark is cheaper right?)?...I already have an idea of what I want the packaging to be etc...I would love to just make and design lures...I have tons of designs drawn over the years but never attended on them...It would be great if I can somehow start an earning making custom poured lures...
You must have seen those ads on tv about submitting the design or invention and they will submit it for you for free or something like that...anyone had any luck or bad experience with them?

It would be a good idea for you to search on Google for information on patents, trademarks, and copyrights. They all have different purposes. The US government also has information on these (e. g., the US PATENT Office). Try government websites.

I believe that a patent is for a design for a new way to do something, and a trademark is an officially registered name that only you can legally use to call your gizmo. The two have very different purposes.

Good luck.
Bob

Regarding the megabait charlies,

here's a review of its features and effectiveness. Sounds good to me...

http://www.tackletour.com/reviewmegabcharlie.shtm

http://www.bassfishingusa.com/ProductPressReview/ExtremeLures-PR-2003-09-06.html