What Do You Do With Old Baits?

[hatrix]

So I had thought about this a while back and was going to make a post about it but just never did. So my question is what do you do when you have a old bait that is just wore out. Like for example a rigged bait that you can't change the hook out on or the finish on a crank or something is just wasted. Do you just say ok this one is beat and throw it away? Do you donate them? If so where do you donate them or to who? I have bunches of lures that have just seen better days and now have super dull hooks so I don't really use them any more. There isn't really any thing wrong with them but the hook is dull. Do you ever try to sharpen a hook on something like say a chatterbait or a buzzbait. As for cranks I just change the hook out and even if the paint is wasted I will still use them. I have some red eye shads that are now "ghost" color. They are basically pure white and have almost 0 paint left on them but they still catch fish as good if not maybe better then when they were new. I will pick one of my ghost RES over a brand new one any day. I feel like they are almost lucky and proven fish catchers. I have given some old baits to friends who have less tackle then I do just to try and help them out. Other then that I just cant bring my self to throw beat up lures away. The only thing I ever really pitch is plastics since they really are garbage. Also what do pros do with there old stuff I would like to think they donate it somewhere to like needy children or something. I know those guys have to have razor hooks and new baits constantly since $$$ is on the line. I would like to think they give there used stuff away including rods and reels. Whats garbage in there eyes might be gold in another persons. One mans trash is another mans treasure.

[Scorcher214]

If it still runs right, why throw it away? Replace the hooks and slap a fresh coat of paint on it.

[Sam]

_{I KEEP THEM ALL!}

_{You can't get them from me. I store them and look at them.}

_{Am I nuts or what???}

_{Actually, I do keep all hard baits. I do throw away old used and torn plastic baits.}

_{You never know when you want to go fishing in a place that you know you will lose your hard baits and you will not be upset if you do lose them.}

_{I also offer them to others fishing with me to see if they catch fish again.}

_{Only problem is trying to find one specific bait to use among all of the ones I have no matter whay filing system I use.}

[mikey5string]

you can change hooks if the hooks are dull.

If they are cheap I would toss them. I have no problem tossing old hard baits. Now if I could just thin out my collection of soft plastics....

[RyneB]

i give my baits away that i dont really use. I give them to my local high school bass team or donate them to a local animal shelter store that all the proceeds goes to stray animals. I have a plano box with some random stuff in it that i let my little nephew play with, hes already found out about the bait monkey. I will never throw away a hard bait unless its cracked. I remember when i was 8 i was fishing a river bank with my dad. A guy had walked by with a big box of lures. I asked him what he had. He let me look through his tackle (i was obsessed with lures). He ended up giving me a few Little Cleo spoons,a Rattle Trap, a couple beetle spins and inline spinners. They were all worn out and used, but they were the greatest things ever to me.

[iabass8]

Some of my lipless cranks and squarebills are just beat to death with eyes missing and half the pait chipped. Lots of these baits are my best producers. Dont ever throw them out. Easier to change the hooks. As for plastics, they just get tossed usually.

[Bigbarge50]

I have sine beaten up hardbaits. I am getting them all together and going to send them to a painter to give em new life. I will either use a company I found in bassmaster or go with a guy on here who might want to give em a shot. They have caught plenty of fish, so gotta keep em heading out there to bring back mr greenback

[Bassfishing375]

I find out that many types of lures catch more bass once they are teared up.

[Bankbeater]

I keep all of my old cranks. If the plastics are not too beat up I will use them as jig trailers. When they get to torn up to be used as trailers I pitch them.