Sunbaking Crankbaits

[(='_'=)]

hey. has anybody tried this??

blog.another site.com/blog/bid/80074/How-to-Sun-Bake-Your-Crankbaits-for-Improved-Color

i just got an old firetiger crankbait to try it... i covered the red belly with black electrical tape, and also put a little strip on each side, and hang it outside where it will get sun from every angle... i plan on leaving it there about a month to see how the color is fading.... i think the sunbaked crank in the link looks more real than the bright chartreuse new one, i know chartresuse is a good color but since i have several firetiger cranks, i thought about trying this to see what i can get...

what do you think??

[SAC2]

really cool! i think it would dull down a firetiger color nicely

[WRB]

Most crank baits are not UV stabilized plastics and extended hours in direct sunlight may fade the paint and also weaken the plastic....a double edges sword! Action is far more important than muted colors with crankbaits, no 2 crankbaits have the same identicle fish catching appeal.

This is an old trick that's been around for decades with no lure maker offering muted painted series crankbaits to date. On the other hand brighter crankbaits with more flash has gained in popularity.

Tom

[kylek]

Rapala offers their DT line in the Ike series. They are muted colors. These are the notes per the website:

First, it’s their purposefully muted colors. Before these baits came along, Ike used to "bake them in the sun" on his Toyota’s dashboard, even line his windowsills with baits for months to get that lifelike, muted skin tone. Typical crankbait colors, says Ike, sometimes need to be toned down, made more subtle to mirror reality. The subtler colors can be fantastically effective when bass aren’t attacking conventional patterns, too.

[(='_'=)]

on the article it mentions about a possible damage to the material, weakening, expanding, softening... thats why i used an old crankbait i had laying around.... right now the temperature here is getting colder, so i think even ig its in direct sunlight i wont be really hot...

i have several really bright firetigers, and i like that color, but i thought fading one would make for a nice addition... it it works i may even purchase some duplicates of the ones i already have and fade them to see if i notice a difference in the number of strikes VS the same crank in original bright color...

[MCS]

on the article it mentions about a possible damage to the material, weakening, expanding, softening... thats why i used an old crankbait i had laying around.... right now the temperature here is getting colder, so i think even ig its in direct sunlight i wont be really hot...

i have several really bright firetigers, and i like that color, but i thought fading one would make for a nice addition... it it works i may even purchase some duplicates of the ones i already have and fade them to see if i notice a difference in the number of strikes VS the same crank in original bright color...

Yup, I think Bradon Palanuik used the muted rapalas a lot during the bass master event he won this year. So guess their on to something with these faded colors. I think Ike picked the color combos out himself.

[(='_'=)]

thanx! unfortunately its a very slow process, ill take a pic today and will be updating every week to see the progress....

[retiredbosn]

I lost the biggest bass I ever hooked while fishing an old plastic crank. I guess the plastic had weakened with time and the bass actually split the crank and the rear hook pulled out. The bass had wrapped around a limb and I guess got the leverage needed, it was wierd. I kept the crank to show ppl, now if its an old plastic or wood that the paint is cracking they never see the water.