The best gift for an angler who makes (or wants to make) their own soft plastic baits depends on their experience level. For a first-timer, a $70 open pour starter kit is the safest bet. For someone interested in injection, the $389 Premium Injection Starter Kit is the upgrade. For a seasoned bait maker, look at Core Shot molds, a dual injector, or a manifold block.
Not sure which camp your angler is in? Use the quick check below, then jump to their section. Every price here is current as of November 2026.
How to tell what level your angler is at
You don't need to know what plastisol is to buy a great gift. Find your angler in the table below, and you'll know where to shop.
| If your angler... | They're a... | Shop this section |
|---|---|---|
| Talks about making baits but has never poured one | Beginner | Gifts for beginners |
| Pours baits in the microwave and owns a mold or two | Intermediate | Gifts for intermediate bait makers |
| Owns an injector and talks about laminates, cores, and batch size | Advanced | Gifts for advanced bait makers |
Quick tip for gift buyers: if you can sneak a look at their bench, check whether they own an injector (it looks like a large metal syringe with a handle). If they don't, stay in the beginner or intermediate sections.
Gifts for beginners: anglers who have never poured a bait
Beginners need one thing: a complete setup that gets them from box to finished bait without a second shopping trip. Open pour molds are the right starting point because they don't require an injector. You heat the plastic, pour it into the mold, and pop out a bait a minute or two later.
1. An open pour bait making starter kit ($70)
This is the gift we recommend most for beginners, and it's the one we'd buy for our own family. Each kit includes an Angling A.i. aluminum open pour mold, three 4 oz bottles of pre-mixed Dead On Plastix plastisol (Watermelon, Chartreuse, and Pearl for example), a microwave-safe measuring cup, a fast-reading digital probe thermometer, and a QR code that links to a how-to video.
The kits ship in a gift-ready box with the bait-making steps printed on the back, and domestic shipping is free. Pick the one that matches how your angler fishes:
- 5" Jerk Bait Starter Kit: for the angler who fishes fluke-style baits for bass, twitched just under the surface.
- 3.5" Craw Starter Kit: for anyone who flips, pitches, or drags baits on the bottom. Craws are a go-to bass trailer.
- 7.5" Ribbon Tail Worm Starter Kit: for the Texas-rig worm fisherman. Ribbon tails use a soft plastic with tons of action.
Not sure which bait they throw? The jerk bait kit is the most versatile choice.
2. A dedicated microwave and safety gear (about $50 to $80)
The starter kits cover everything except heat and protection, which makes these a smart add-on gift. Your angler will need:
- A 700-watt microwave used only for bait making, never for food. A new one runs about $50 to $60, or grab a used one from a thrift store.
- Heat-resistant gloves. Plastisol has to heat past 350°F to convert from liquid to plastic, so mechanic's or welding gloves are a must.
- Safety goggles to protect their eyes while pouring.
Bundle these with a starter kit and you've given the complete package.
3. A second open pour mold ($46 to $109)
If your angler already got a kit last year, a second open pour mold keeps the momentum going. The 6" Bot Worm Open Pour is $46, and the Ai G3 and G5 open pour swimbait molds ($89 and $109) are two of our best sellers. Browse every option in the open pour collection.
Gifts for intermediate bait makers: ready to level up
An intermediate bait maker has poured a few batches, knows their way around a thermometer, and is starting to want more baits per session with less work. For this angler, the gift is almost always the jump to injection molding. Injection is faster, gives cleaner baits, and opens up to hundreds of mold designs.
4. The Premium Injection Bait Making Starter Kit ($389)
This is the "big gift" for an angler who is serious about bait making. The A.i. Premium Injection Starter Kit includes:
- A CNC aluminum 3-cavity injection mold that makes a 3.8" Rip Rap Swimbait, a 4" Tracer Shad, and a 5" Stick Bait
- The A.i. Premium Single Injector (6 oz) with a PTFE-lined tube and nozzle
- 1 gallon of Dead On Plastix Red Label Medium Plastisol
- 3 colorants (Melons, Electric Grape, Black) and 4 glitters (Green, Blue, Red, Black)
- A probe thermometer, a measuring cup, and AnglingAi Stickers
The pieces retail for $460 separately, so the kit saves $70, and domestic shipping is free. A full gallon of plastisol makes hundreds of baits. For scale, one gallon pours roughly 415 five-inch stick baits, about $400 worth at store prices.
5. The A.i. Premium Single Injector ($174)
If your angler already has plastisol, colorants, molds, and an injector, the Premium Single Injector on its own is the upgrade. The PTFE lining insulates the plastic so it stays at injecting temperature longer, which means less reheating and less wasted plastisol. It fits any two-piece mold with standard 5/8" ports, so it works with molds they may already own.
6. A best-selling injection mold ($109 to $175)
An injector needs molds to feed. These are proven bass producers and the molds our customers reorder most:
- Wacky Wrap Mold ($109)
- 6" Injection Bot Worm Mold ($124)
- 3.8" RipRap ($145), a paddle-tail swimbait
Want to match the gift to the angler's style? Shop by technique: drop shot, Ned rig, finesse, or flipping and punching.
Gifts for advanced bait makers: the angler who has everything
Advanced bait makers already own an injector and a shelf full of molds. What they want now is more control over color and more baits per shot. These gifts deliver both.
7. A Core Shot mold ($139 to $175)
Core Shot molds let your angler make baits with a translucent outer shell and a contrasting colored core, the kind of look you rarely find on a store shelf. The 5" Core Shot Stick Bait ($175) is our top seller: 5 cavities, a 5.25" bait, and core rods included, so no extra equipment is needed. A watermelon shell with a red core makes a "bleeding bait" that pressured bass struggle to ignore.
Other Core Shot favorites include the 4" Core Shot Stick Bait ($160), the A.i. N3D 3" Core Shot Ned bait ($154), the 3.5" Phantom Core Shot Grub ($145), and the 3.8" RipRap Pintail Core Shot swimbait ($139).
8. The Angling A.i. Premium Dual Injector ($459)
The Premium Dual Injector pairs two 6 oz PTFE-lined injectors with a blending block, so your angler can inject two colors into one mold for clean two-tone laminate baits. The PTFE lining keeps plastic hot long enough to fill 10 to 15 molds per load, compared with 3 to 5 for a typical uninsulated injector.
Already own a Premium Single Injector? The Dual Injection Conversion Kit ($174) turns it into a dual setup. Note that it only fits A.i. Premium Injectors.
9. A manifold block ($69 to $89)
This is the gift most bait makers don't know exists yet. A manifold takes one shot from a single injector and splits it into multiple molds, so your angler pours more baits per injection with fewer reheats and a perfectly matched color across the whole batch.
- Quad-Fold Manifold Block ($89): injects up to four standard molds at once. It ships with two dowel pins to block off unused nozzles, so it also runs two or three molds.
- Two-Fold Manifold Block ($69): built for the larger Sweetgum molds, injecting two at once. It also works with other molds.
One tip for gift buyers: the molds must be the same height, and the injector has to hold enough plastic to fill every mold on the manifold.
10. A C-Block for marbled colors ($89)
A C-Block lets a dual injector blend two colors inside one mold to make camo, marble, and swirl like patterns. Angling A.i. makes two sizes to fit popular third-party dual injectors: the C-Block 3.50" for the Ai Dual Injector, BassTackle, N2, and other injectors with nozzles 3.5" apart, and the C Block 2.25" for Do-It Molds dual injectors. Check which injector your angler uses before you buy.
11. The A.i. Tail Cutter ($84.95)
For the bait maker who pours tubes, the A.i. Tail Cutter cuts clean, even tentacle tails without the tedious hand trimming.
Stocking stuffers and gifts under $40
Small gifts that any bait maker (or any angler) will use:
- Angling A.i. Performance Tee ($19.95)
- Angling A.i. OG Hat ($19.95) or the Angling A.i. Hat ($35)
- Hook slot and swimbait inserts ($15). Spare inserts for open pour swimbait molds. Find the right fit in tools and parts.
- Injector O-rings ($5 for 2). A cheap, genuinely useful stocking stuffer for anyone with an A.i. injector.
Still not sure? Give a gift certificate
When you can't tell a Core Shot mold from a craw mold, the Angling A.i. Gift Certificate is the no-miss choice. It comes in amounts from $10 to $500, and your angler picks exactly the mold or tool they've been eyeing. For a beginner, $70 covers a full starter kit. For an advanced bait maker, $175 covers a Core Shot mold.
Frequently asked questions
What is a good gift for someone who wants to make their own fishing lures? An open pour soft plastic starter kit is the best first gift. Angling A.i.'s $70 starter kits include an aluminum mold, three colors of pre-mixed plastisol, a thermometer, a measuring cup, and a how-to video, and they ship in a gift-ready box. Add a dedicated microwave and heat-resistant gloves to complete the setup.
What do I buy an angler who already makes their own baits? Upgrade their process. If they still pour by hand, an injector or the $389 Premium Injection Starter Kit is the biggest step up. If they already inject, a Core Shot mold, a dual injector, or a manifold block gives them new color options and more baits per shot.
Do soft plastic bait making kits come with everything you need? Mostly. Angling A.i.'s open pour starter kits include the mold, plastisol, thermometer, and measuring cup. You'll also need a 700-watt microwave used only for bait making, heat-resistant gloves, and safety goggles. Plastisol has to heat past 350°F, so the safety gear is not optional.
Is bait making a good hobby to give as a gift? Yes. It's affordable to start, it pays for itself quickly, and anglers love catching fish on something they made. One gallon of plastisol makes roughly 415 five-inch stick baits, about $328 worth at retail prices.
What if I don't know which mold my angler wants? Give an Angling A.i. gift certificate, available from $10 to $500. They can choose the exact mold, kit, or tool they want, and you won't have to guess between bait styles or injector sizes.
Give the gift of making baits their way
Whether your angler has never poured a bait or owns three injectors, there's a gift here that will get used all season. Start with our beginner starter kits, browse the most popular molds, or keep it simple with a gift certificate.
New to all of this? Our guide to making soft plastic baits and getting started explains the whole process in plain English, and our swimbait mold review is a great read for intermediate bait makers.
Make your baits, your way, and give someone else the same thrill.
By the Angling A.i. team · Updated November 2026