How to change a crankbait's action without changing the shape

[Fishwhittler]

I came up with this idea the other day. I was trying to find a way to avoid using filler to smooth around the belly line hook hanger/weight, and I inadvertently ended up widening the action; actually the modified action is closer to what I originally intended for this bait.

The following pics show how I did it.

Note: I drilled the pilot hole in the belly before I did any of the following.

Here's the baits completely carved and sanded. The sinker is about 1/4" higher in the bait than in my standard bait which destabilizes the bait somewhat. I could have just drilled a deeper hole in the belly, but that wouldn't have accomplished what I intended (to avoid using filler). Also I think that this method is slightly stronger as I don't have to fill in a big hole in the belly.

The advantages of this method are:

1. You get a different action with the exact same bait profile

2. The weight of the bait stays the same

3. No filling is required around the belly hook hanger

The same thing could be done with a wood bait. You just need to make sure that you don't install the weight too high in the bait. A good place to start would be moving the weight 1/2 of its length up in the bait. In other words, if you have a weight that is 1/2" long, you should move it about 1/4" higher in the bait.

Thanks for reading.

Ben

[.dsaavedra.]

nice job man. looks good!

what type of pvc are you using, is it just the trim board you get at lowes/home depot?

[Fishwhittler]

I'm using PVC trim board; I got an eight-foot 1x4 at Menards for $20.

Here's another pic of a wooden bait that I'm doing the same way. One thing I forgot to mention before is that you should use a finish nail or a piece of wire to keep everything strait while it's gluing. Make sure the nail is completely smooth or the epoxy may stick to it and make it difficult to remove it without damaging the bait.

[.dsaavedra.]

i could never get my pvc very smooth when i sanded it....

[BobP]

Interesting how the action was changed.

[Fishwhittler]

I use three grits of sandpaper: 80, 120 and 220 in that order.  What I do is smooth out the knife strokes with the 80, then smooth it some more with the 120 and finally go over it real well with the 220. You may have to hit it several times with the 120 and 220 before all of the marks are gone but eventually you should end up with a smooth bait.

[Fishwhittler]

Interesting how the action was changed.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think this is how it works:

Moving the ballast weight higher in the bait raised the bait's center of gravity.  This made the bait less stable, and so less force is required to move the bait. However, the lip angle stays the same and so the same amount of force as before is being applied by the bill to the bait.  Therefore, with a less stable bait but the same bill angle and line tie placement, you get a bait with a wider action even though the baits external appearance is the same as before.

[BobP]

Whittler, makes perfect sense to me!  There are so many variables operating on a body moving through water that it can be very hard to predict the effect of a particular change.  I thought of it as "raising the center of gravity introduces more body roll", which might be just another way of saying what you said.