Modifying Lures

[hatrix]

So I took a crappy cheap wake bait lure and made it way better. Drilled a couple holes and threw in some weight. Moved the line tie and glued the back section together. Now it rocks on and swims an glides like a champ. I just threw it together in no time and that's the funny part. If I spent a good amount of time it would be even better.

[the reel ess]

I've painted a few cranks and got my daughter to color a white X-Rap to make it look like a gold shiner. That's about it.

[einscodek]

I do that alot and if you spend more time and ends up catchin fish, even the more satisfaction.

I've been meanin to glue some of my 3 jointed lures into 2 as well for a glide action..

Thats a good lookin lure .. with the right action that things gonna catch fish

[Brnnoser6983]

My new trend is taking my lip less red eyes and removing the back hook. I replace it with a small silver willow.

Just nailed my personal best on opener with this mod. It's simple and easy. Plus I think it gives it that extra flash.

[Sam]

Good post.

 

We have to realize that the pros modify their baits and keep their modifications secret.

 

I know pros who always modify their crankbaits and one pro even puts rattles inside his frogs.

 

Removing the rear hook from a lipless crankbait; painting crankbaits with "orange" dots on their bottoms; adding a feather to a rear treble hook; drilling into a crankbait and adding some BB's; and the list goes on.

 

Don't be afraid to experiment with bait modifications. Even plastics can be modified.

 

If it works - great.  If not, at least you tried.

[hatrix]

It works and I caught 1 on it but haven't had much time to fish. It has a really good glide but a little roll because I had to add weight to the top. I could of drilled out the weights that came in it and added more. That would of fixed any roll but I was just messing around and didn't expect it to work no where near as well as it does.

[Crestliner2008]

About the only lure mod I religiously practice is removing the center hook on any 3 treble lures. Safer for the fish and the fisherman. I also crimp down barbs on all hooks, with the exception of the ds hooks.

[WRB]

Tinkering with bass lures is a big part of bass fishing.

These green fish we pursue are interesting critters and will strike a variety of lures and a lure that doesn't look or act like others sometimes can be the key to success. Tinkering away, you never know what you may discover.

Here are a few of my past successes;

Bagley Bango musky lure painted to look like a rainbow trout with feathered treble hook, era Late 1970's.

Hair jig using a combination of 3 bucktail deer hair colors; black, purple and brown, era early 1970's.*

Using a spring to attach a worm segment to a jig for weed gaurd, era early 1970's.*

Scrounger jig modified to add a 5/0 syraight shank worm hook with Sluggo trailer; era early 1980's

Don't always use lures out of the box, experiment to improve strike ratios.

Tom

* still use this hair jig and weed guard spring.

[bigbill]

I took a Mann's hank Parker classic spinnerbait 1/4oz and took a 3/8oz spinnerbaits and put the 3/8 Colorado blades on the 1/4oz spinnerbait. I put the blue glimmer skirt and a white mister twister 4" split double tail grub. First time out it was catching bass after bass. I looked like a pro. Then the worst disaster that could happen a 30" pickerel came out of the water as I pulled to the shoreline and ripped it off my line. I guess the vibration and flash was too much to resist he was fully out of the water on the rocks on the shoreline. I swear it smiled as it left.

The spinnerbaits with the mister twister 4" split double tail grub used as a trailer rocks.

I have changed the treble hooks on the rear of my crankbaits to a larger red one. Questioning the success everyone else was having that I red about. Sure enough I found out it works.

Short strikes. One shot of scent covers any foul oders on your baits. Changing size and colors matters too.

[hatrix]

I would say what I did was a bit more then just slightly modding a lure as it totally transformed it into something else. As for using a screwlock and piece of worm on a jig that works awesome. That was what I origanlly did before I developed a much better method.

[primetime]

I like to take some sandpaper to most of my lures to break them in, give them a scale feeling, and take off too much flash for a matte finish on many lures..I am alway's modifying lures on the water and love my Markers to add a streak of pink or chart down the middle of a crankbait for flash, file lips, take a silent lure and add a rattle either lead or bb's, usually a split shot that slides helps with casting and will often help a walking lure walk better by giving it a tail down posture...

 

I also add willow blades to the end of lipless cranks, or put a double hook in the front for weeds, shave off barbs at times, but most of the time good quality lures are pretty good out of the package but I believe a different sound or look is key. I was once outfished 5 to 1 using the exact same lure (Bomber Long A) but mine was not as buoyant and he had silicone on this line for more buoyancy, and also sanded off the paint, filed the lip and it looked like a bomber but had more of a Red Fin action, now I mess around in ponds with modifications, some work, some don't, but adding a teaser in front of a floating minnow is a good way for double headers or fish that are short strikers....Tail feathers seem to always help as well, some days they want a white or black feather hanging in the water or even behind a fast moving lure like a lipless crank can use a deer hair dressed treble....

[hatrix]

I have been adding some feather rear hooks on some lipless cranks lately with good success.

[BASSPATROL247]

depending on the brand of lipless crankbait I like to swap the front treble for 1 size bigger and replace the back hook with a small baitkeeper hook and barrel swivel and put a grub on it. it works very good for me at times when I yo-yo/lift drop it and with a stop and go retrieve and gets bit on the drop 95% of the time. baits that will drop or dive nose first when you stop reeling  or after a lift work great but say like a bill lewis that tumbles instead of diving do not work with this presentation for me. ive also tried the willow leaf blade on back and has its days too but ive found that a very small Colorado blade works better, I could be totally wrong but I think the change in sound/vibrations from the rattles when its swimming to the thump from the little blade when it dives triggers a lot of the strikes... and like the poster above, im a believer is roughing up baits a little bit to take some of the shine and dull the colors looks more natural...

[Big C]

I have been adding some feather rear hooks on some lipless cranks lately with good success.

 

 

Putting feathers on lipless cranks is awesome, it gives it completely different swimming action.  I like using marabou, it gives it a more "fluid" action. 

[scaleface]

When I want a lure to do something I can usually figure out a way to modify it on the spot. Thats what my terminal tackle box is for . Theres things in there that I have never used , like pieces of wire .

[primetime]

Whenever I fish a tournament as a non boater, I bring 60% terminal tackle and I get more use out of my dressed trebles, suspend dots, split shots in all sizes, weights and colors in all sizes, treble hooks, keeper barbs, sandpaper, marker's, hook sharpener, fly fishing line floatation, walleye slip floats, floating worm weights, leader of every type and size, swivels, and I could go on for hours...

 

I don't like to mess around with the balance of a lure on the boat by adding a willow blade to a lipless crank unless I tested it ahead of time because if the blade does not balance with the rest of the lure, then it will not perform. If you are fishing 20 feet of water and you need a crank that runs 20' but you don't have one, then just go ahead and Carolina rig and square bill and you will be just fine....

[hatrix]

As for suspend strips you can buy golf tape. Also sticky tack rocks on and can be useful.