Lure Modifications...hard Baits Or Soft Plastics

[shootermcbob]

Ok, time to give up the "secrets"...what lure modifications do you guys perform?

about the only one that I do is I trim the legs of the rage toad when the water is very calm.

[ww2farmer]

Not a ton, if any really. Depends on if you want to call changing size/style of trebles on hard baits, trim/thin jig skirts, trim hollow body frog legs and adding scent to soft plastics "modifications". I keep it simple. There are no "magic" modifications IMHO to stock baits that will load the boat. Most of the mods I make are to enhance an allready productive lure.

[kickerfish1]

I am not sure any of these are necessarily secrets but I will play...

1. Buy a large pack of sharpies with many color options. Use them on soft plastics to add more color. A few examples are adding eyes, gills, or bars/stripes. You can shade colors especially on light colored baits.

2. More mileage out of baits...

- use mendit to repair used soft plastics. You can get more fish out of the same bait and save some $.

-re-rig stick baits like senkos at the opposite end or rotate the bait and run the hook through untouched plastic.

-bite/cut a 1/2 inch to and inch of the tip of plastic worms so you can re-rig them again for a few more fish.

3. Try a mono leader and floating soft plastic bait on a c-rig to help keep the bait off the bottom.

4. Add a drop of your favorite scent to your baits. A good example would be adding smelly jelly in baitfish scent to hollowed out underbelly section of a fluke.

5. Stick cotton in tubes or other hollowed out baits and soak them with scent. It will last longer this way.

[Sam]

Shootermcbob, each professional bass fisherman twinks their baits.

Kevin VanDam in his books tells you one or two things he does but not everything.

I learned a few of his tricks from a pro a number of years ago but I don't share them with anyone.

One of the tricks that VanDam published is that he will change out his treble hooks on all crankbaits to one size larger.

Another is that VanDam will remove the rear hook from lipless crankbaits to reduce the amount of gras and slop they will attract.

I know how to modify a Chug Bug like the pros, too, but don't tell anyone.

May I suggest investing in some DVDs and books to find out what the pros do to some of their baits and presentations. Or, you can attend a Bassmasters University program and learn from the pros and ask them specific questions on how they modify their baits.

Modifing baits makes bass fishing more fun. Sometimes the modifications work and sometimes they don't. You just gotta take a whack at doing it now and then.

[5fishlimit]

For buzzbaits I will chew up the back edges of the blades. I've even drilled holes in the blades to make more noise. I also make sure to smash down the collar just in front of the blades. I've found this help create a squeaking sound as the blade spins.

On spinnerbaits I'm not producing with I'll swap out blades and skirts.

With jigs I thin out the weed guards, and trim them down to just above the hooks point.

[5fishlimit]

5. Stick cotton in tubes or other hollowed out baits and soak them with scent. It will last longer this way.

I've never thought of this. Thanks! I'm going to try this the next time out.

[drew4779]

I have a couple cranks I've added about 6 coats of automotive clear coat to. It seems these rise much slower on pauses, keeping the bait in the strike zone longer.

I also trim weed guards on jigs, about even with the tip of the hook. I've also removed the tail treble from rattle traps but i don't know if this actually improves anything or not.

Outside the box: I have a cousin who swears by covering his hand in mud before touching any lures. He says that this reduces the human smell on his baits. I don't do it and I always catch more fish than him so I can't say for sure that this actually works.

[jhoffman]

You wanna try something that for sure works, ive proven it to myself in fly fishing. After you catch a fish, take all that slime on your hand and smear it on your bait.

[Jigfishn10]

Here's the spinnerbait I modified and caught my current PB on a week and a half after ice out:

I replaced the rear split ring on the swivel and installed a snap. This way I can change blades quickly. I also added a rabbit strip (Zonker Strip) for a trailer. I have a lot of success with these mods.

[A-Jay]

Here's the spinnerbait I modified and caught my current PB on a week and a half after ice out:

I replaced the rear split ring on the swivel and installed a snap. This way I can change blades quickly. I also added a rabbit strip (Zonker Strip) for a trailer. I have a lot of success with these mods.

Nice Zonker Mod ~

A-Jay

[A-Jay]

After rigging a hollow body or solid body style swimbait onto a jighead, insert a toothpick all the way through the bait, right against the hook where it starts to bent upward (directly in front of the hook bend). Then trim the excess off closely.

This is quite effective at helping to hold the bait onto the jighead.

A little super glue at the head helps too.

A-Jay

[shootermcbob]

Good tips...Thanks to all.

Keep them coming please.

[Jigfishn10]

Here's a spinnerbait mod I don't see anymore, but works great...Sorry no pics:

Take a tandem spinnerbait - small colorado on a clevis and big willow on a swivel. Switch them, willow on the clevis and colorado on the swivel. The willow starves the colorado of water and the colorado lazily spins making the colorado look like a dying baitfish.

Give it a whirl, you'll love it.

[shootermcbob]

I saw a video on youtube where a fellow who was a dropshot fisherman trimmed a "french fry" type of bait when the bite was tough. It was not really a complicated modification, but he said it was effective.

All he did was split one end of the french fry twice...making 4 separate "tentacles". I have not had the chance to try it, but it might help somebody with warm weather.

[Sam]

I've never thought of this. Thanks! I'm going to try this the next time out.

And don't forget to insert part of an Alka Seltzer in the tube to get the bubble effect.

[WRB]

Tinkering with bass lures is a big part of bass fishing, use your imagination and go for it!

Pro bass anglers are always tinkering with lures to get an edge over their competition, anything you read may be no longer a useful "secret" for the pro, may help the recreational anglers.

Soft plastics are fun to modify, take a look at Wormizer a worm welding kit that comes in usefull to weld damage soft plastics and adding additional tails, appendages, etc. SpikIt dye pens are also useful. Lead or tungsten nail weights come in handy. A sharp thin blade fillet knife and flat board comes in handy to cut or split worms. Sharpie pens work good to add color, dots or stripes.

Hard lures like spinnerbaits, crankbaits and spoons have endless modifications that can improve strike ratios.

Feather hooks, storm dot weights, colored hooks, craft glitter, blades like Colorado, Indianna, willow in different sizes.

Make up a kit with split ring pliers, small needle nose pliers, small wire cutters, filler knife, clear nail polish, glitter, sharpies and feathered treble hooks, plus the Wormizer kit and start tinkering.

Tom

PS; Shad colored crankbait or jerk baits with white read treble hook.

[detroit1]

I have glued a stem of red maribou on the belly of a dropshot fluke to imitate a blood trail. I have noticed no catch differance, but it can work on your buddie's mind a little. I split my jig weedguards to form a vee, so the hook has a clear path. Also trim soft plastics to snug up to jigheads better, and add a drop of glue.

[OkobojiEagle]

I fish 3", 4" & 5" curly tail grubs ALOT and want the tails to wave fluidly when retrieved very slowly on a very light jighead. To date I've found no company molding a grub with a tail thin enough to satisfy me, so I spend my winters thinning grub tails with an emery board. Another winter project is to file the barbs off any new baits or hooks before I used them.

oe

[*Hootie]

Rather than spray every bait with scent all day, I just spray my hands and rub it in like lotion. You are just trying to cover human scent.

On a side note, the only scents I use are coffee, or garlic. Don't know if I would want to do this with the stinkier scents. I guess if you could stand it, why not?

Hootie

[Jigfishn10]

I fish 3", 4" & 5" curly tail grubs ALOT and want the tails to wave fluidly when retrieved very slowly on a very light jighead. To date I've found no company molding a grub with a tail thin enough to satisfy me, so I spend my winters thinning grub tails with an emery board. Another winter project is to file the barbs off any new baits or hooks before I used them.

oe

Good idea...I wonder if you could sandwich the tail between 2 pieces of parchment paper and melt the tail with a cloths iron....hmmm, I may have to try that.

[PABASS]

In order to use some tubes with a screw lock, cut a piece of stick worm and place it in the tube and move to the top and screw lock into it.

You can bend the blades of a chatter bait to make it run deeper/shallow.

Hula grubs super versatile bait, cut the skirt off and you have a twin tail grub. Caught my largest and PB smallmouth using this on the fly modification this year.

When nose hooking a fineness bait come in with the hook so it comes out the nose, it’s a different action that might produce more fish.

Keep crank baits bill sharp by gently filing them to a sharp edge, saw that on BPS.

When a stick bait has been beaten when using it normal, rig it wacky and or save for the above tube trick.

Use trailer hooks – simple and effective

Love using dyes to change the contrast and look of plastics.

[The Young Gun]

Rather than spray every bait with scent all day, I just spray my hands and rub it in like lotion. You are just trying to cover human scent.

On a side note, the only scents I use are coffee, or garlic. Don't know if I would want to do this with the stinkier scents. I guess if you could stand it, why not?

Hootie

When you say coffee scent, could you just use straight coffee grounds on your hands?

[*Hootie]

When you say coffee scent, could you just use straight coffee grounds on your hands?

Yes, I have done that, also, I have just poured some of my coffee on my hands. You are just trying to mask human scent. Why not mask it at the source.

Hootie

[CoBass]

I saw a video on youtube where a fellow who was a dropshot fisherman trimmed a "french fry" type of bait when the bite was tough. It was not really a complicated modification, but he said it was effective.

All he did was split one end of the french fry twice...making 4 separate "tentacles". I have not had the chance to try it, but it might help somebody with warm weather.

I've done the same thing with a wacky rigged senko. You can alter the appearance and fall rate of the bait by splitting one or both ends. Lengthening or shortening the splits will also change the appearance/fall rate.

[shootermcbob]

Thanks to all. Anyone else????