RockNBass Posted November 9, 2009 Posted November 9, 2009 As I collect and fish more balsa crankbaits I was wondering if anyone could chime in on how long they last and tips for keeping them in service for as long as possible. Is there any advantage to keeping them stored in a Falcon FTO style box where they would be a little better organized, rather than piled in a 3700? Quote
wickyman Posted November 9, 2009 Posted November 9, 2009 A bait is only going to last, as long as it is well built. You can get a balsa crank to last years and years, you just have to check for any chips in the epoxy on the surface. I have had a couple of rapalas disintegrate because they had cracks in the paint, then got wet. It's not common, but it could happen. Yes, keep the hooks of other baits off the surface of the lures, and they will last longer! Quote
whittler Posted November 10, 2009 Posted November 10, 2009 Your more likley to lose a bait before you wear it out. The biggest problem with balsa baits is caused by the fisherman trying to slap off weeds, usually causes the bait to break off at the lip and taking the front upper part of the bait with it. When you have a couple feet of line out and slap a bait into the water it hits at about 100mph. Like wickyman said, if water gets under your topcoat it will crack the paint. Quote
BobP Posted November 10, 2009 Posted November 10, 2009 Ditto. They last as long as you can keep water out of them. Once water gets in, the balsa expands and cracks the finish, no matter how strong. Then it's toast. Quote
crank4bass Posted November 10, 2009 Posted November 10, 2009 With today's materials and topcoats they can last a long time, though not indefinitely. I would keep them in a dry environment when not using. I still have many of my grandfathers balsa lures, I don't fish with them of course they are Fred Young "Big O's" but they are still in great shape from the 70's. Quote
bigbaitfisher Posted November 10, 2009 Posted November 10, 2009 I've been applying a thin coat of Dick Nite's clear topcoat on all of my balsa baits. It gives me more piece of mind, protects against the hooks and fish bites, as well as rocks and other things that can crack the stock topcoat. It adds a little bit of weight, but I havn't noticed a performance issue on them. Quote
wickyman Posted November 11, 2009 Posted November 11, 2009 Adding any layers to your baits might hinder performance, but only slightly. If you are a tournament angler, that slight change can be a win, or a loss... I just say, as other have also pointed out, keep them dry. I like to hang mine up in a cabinet, on some kind of styrene foam, like the kind you get your meat in, and really let them dry out. Then, when it's time, and they are dry, I stick them back into the plastic boxes, with silica gel packs. Like the ones you get in jerky packs. I have hundreds of them... They are great for keeping all sorts of moisture out! Quote
BobP Posted November 11, 2009 Posted November 11, 2009 You never know what effect adding anything to bait will have. It could hurt, it could help! On baits with high buoyancy, a little DN is usually not going to affect the performance. Might be a different story on a suspending jerkbait. Quote
BIG M Posted November 12, 2009 Posted November 12, 2009 A well made balsa crank that is taken care of will last for yrs of fishing service. Quote
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