Wake Bait Additions/modifications

[shootermcbob]

Hi all. I read ...somewhere....that Brent Ehler adds a cut tail worm to the back of his lucky craft wake baits? I remember that he added a hitchhiker or owner CPS pin to the split ring...but I don't remember if he left the back hook on? I

 

If so, does the worm go over or under the hook? 

 

Any other modifications you guys make with your wakebaits? 

[a1712]

The only modification I do to mine are I have a habit of hanging a 3-4 lbder. off the front hook.  Brian.

[papajoe222]

I opt for upsizing the belly hook and have a few baits that I've removed the rear hook and added a small willow blade with a swivel snap.  Both will change the lure's action slightly, but the added hooking ability and/or flash are the reason behind the modifications.

[everythingthatswims]

I saw one recently with a skirt on the back treble.

 

As in full sized jig/spinnerbait skirt

[primetime]

I add suspend dots to the red fin to cast it further and add an oval line tie to all of them as well. I also will mess with treble hooks and dressed trebles, often removing the middle one, or clipping off the bottom hook point on each treble hook.

[rangerjockey]

I add 3 or 4 suspend dots in front of the joint on the red fin to keep it from diving ,also add a feathered treble on the back and hope for the best.

[primetime]

I find with most wake baits if you add weight to the tail end or drag it will keep it higher and also give it more of a wobble & different look which sometimes helps. Adding a larger treble to the rear helps, but a feather helps create added action and gets more strikes imo on the pause or as soon as it hits the water. People do all kinds of modifcations to wakes like melting the lip of the long A so they can keep it higher while fishing it faster.  I like a dressed rear treble on most topwaters or wakes, even some square bills, it messes up the acton of a lot of lures so you usually have to make a trade off, go smaller on hooks, or removing a treble,but sometimes adjusting the split rings helps. I like to fish them over heavy grass on heavy braid and if I am throwing a small Manns Baby Minus or 2" version, I like to put a 3x strong treble on the bait and it only seems to run well with 1 treble since the extra weight makes a big difference, plus I beef up the split ring as well.....

 

With the Red Fin, I some times change out the #4 Silver Hooks to #4 VMC Inline in Nickel and that makes it even lighter so I compensate by putting a much larger Treble on the rear which gets more hook ups

 

 

I have never tried to do the worm on the Roumba deal, but it looks cool, I would think a small 2" curly tail behind a small wake would maybe help as well.

[rangerjockey]

I've heated the bills on red fins as a last resort, if that doesn't work, in the trash they go.

[primetime]

I melt the older Bomber Long 15A's that were 3/8 instead of the heavier 1/2 ounce they are today. I prefer the newer ones after I do my modifications for fishing like a Ripbait and making sure it holds that Long A roll and action on the pause and rise which is what makes it so good imo. I ruin about 30% of lips I try to melt and bend, and a few get ruined from drilling and loading, sealing is never 100% and it takes me a long time finally get them to where I like them so I buy as many as I can when I find them and I hoard the older models, and I try to do all modifications at one time on a large batch, they are sensitive and a feather just a bit too long can ruin the action, same with weight distribution and making the bill more like the XCALIBUR Bill Dance Floating Minnows from a long time ago since they have a square bill, and rise slower, but are thin and cast far, I love that lure for working fast since it has an awesome darting action and deflects nicely, and has more of the Buckeye Wake up body style as far as being thin, but it actually looks identical to the Rapala Max Rap which is a great shallow suspender to go hand and hand with the flash minnow.

 

I fish topwater and jerkbaits as often as possible, I have been throwing Ref Fins from the surf since I was in Elementary school for Stripers and learned how to load them with water and die it to notice leaking to keep them realistic in the cold and also not roll in the wind. I just trust them to come through, plus the Buckeye is $25 which is steep for a lure that are all essentially easy to fish and action is something not really built in but given, although maybe it has a long cast system which would make it worth it actually.

 

I am convinced that bigger fish will strike a hardbait over grass in pressured lakes, especially after the early spring compared to say a fluke or sluggo, Senko, or Frog, I figure they are sick of seeing the same colors and baits coming buy all day, I think subtle changes are key as well since a lot of guys use minnow baits on the Florida lakes instead of soft baits all day, and I only hear a few colors ever mentioned or thrown.