Cracked crankbait bill

[stk44]

Stupid question : I have my favorite square bill that I hit off a stump and a corner of the bill is cut off at a clean 45 degree angle. It still looks like it runs true, and may get hung up a little bit more than usual. Is it time to retire this bait or is it still worth throwing? 

[J Francho]

For a few bucks, replace it.

[stk44]

OK, for SEVERAL bucks I'll replace it....LOL

 

[bagofdonuts]

as long as its running true and catching fish, why not use it till you hang it up or the rest of the bill breaks?

[fishballer06]

It may still be fine to fish, but that's not to say that it won't come off on the first nice fish you hook into.  Leaving you to just reel in a plastic bill. Like John said, spend a few bucks and buy another one (and a backup )

[stk44]

12 minutes ago, fishballer06 said:

It may still be fine to fish, but that's not to say that it won't come off on the first nice fish you hook into.  Leaving you to just reel in a plastic bill. Like John said, spend a few bucks and buy another one (and a backup )

 

That's a good point. Although, I think this specific crank (6th sense crush 50x) has the line tie attached to the nose of the bait and not the bill. I'll use this damaged one for some small pond fishing that I know typically have smaller fish.

 

If I go to Arthur or other lakes with a greater chance of big fish, I'll use some of my good crank baits. I seem to have an obsession with trying new colors, then when they get damaged I have to replace that exact color. I never though I would be a lure collector.

[J Francho]

I like to think that what makes a bait a catcher and not a swimmer is it's action, and in the case of square bills, deflection off obstacles is key.  I would want to keep some consistency in that area.  That's not to say, that your "altered" bait will not be a catcher, but how do you replace it if you lose it somehow?  Maybe I think too hard about these things, lol.

[stk44]

19 minutes ago, J Francho said:

I like to think that what makes a bait a catcher and not a swimmer is it's action, and in the case of square bills, deflection off obstacles is key.  I would want to keep some consistency in that area.  That's not to say, that your "altered" bait will not be a catcher, but how do you replace it if you lose it somehow?  Maybe I think too hard about these things, lol.

 

That's a good point. After the damaged bill crank became the ultimate fish catcher, I would then have to buy new lures at $8.99 a piece, only to cut off a section of the square bill with diagonal pliers to get the desired action. 

 

I think if our discussion has made it to this point, I'd be better off just buying a new lure 

 

 

[fishballer06]

16 minutes ago, J Francho said:

I like to think that what makes a bait a catcher and not a swimmer is it's action, and in the case of square bills, deflection off obstacles is key.  I would want to keep some consistency in that area.  That's not to say, that your "altered" bait will not be a catcher, but how do you replace it if you lose it somehow?  Maybe I think too hard about these things, lol.

 

You're not over thinking at all, but others may not understand that each individual crankbait swims a little bit differently. Even the same brand, same model, same color, each one can swim differently.

 

I recently bought a dozen Baby 1 minus crankbaits for an upcoming trip to Canada. I upgraded the hooks on them and took them out and tested them at a local pond. Some of them swam straight as an arrow, some of them needed some tuning and were fine, some of them have that wiggle wart hunting action to them, and some of them just didn't swim well at all. I took a marker and wrote + or Hunt on the good one's, and the dud's got the stock hooks put back on them and thrown into my storage bin. 

 

If you find yourself fishing a lot of crankbaits, I suggest trying this method sometime and you will see exactly what I mean.

[J Francho]

1 hour ago, fishballer06 said:

Even the same brand, same model, same color, each one can swim differently.

 

This always seems more prevalent in certain brands.  The 1-Minus is prime example, as are OG wiggle warts.  Rapala is another that comes to mind, especially their X-Raps.  One of my reasons for my loyalty to baits like Spro, Lucky Craft, XCalibur (now Boo-Yah) is their consistency.  You lose one, and you can buy another and be reasonably assured it will work the same.  It's not a bad or good thing, just different angles.  Finding a killer Wart that actually is "broken" - hunting, inconsistent wobble, etc. - is like striking gold.

[stk44]

I agree- I'm a big LC and 6th sense fan. I haven't had one that hasn't run true out of the package. Although I have had "issues" with the rattle chamber e.g. silents that one-knock and one-knockers that are silent but that's just being picky.