Broken Lures that Still Catch

[Bankc]

Last year I found this little guy floating up next to me on a lake.  The hooks had rusted out, probably freeing it from it's watery prison.  I threw some cheap treble hooks on it that I already had lying around and decided to fish it.  The fish didn't care.  Wouldn't sniff it.  So I decided to keep it for those times where you think you'll probably lose a bait.  

 

Somehow it got cracked, and now it no longer floats.  It's a slow sinker.  The weird part is, almost immediately after the crack, it started catching fish!  Now it's proven itself to be my best producer this spring!  

 

Anyone else got a broken bait that works better broken than new?

[Log Catcher]

You are lucky you can still use it. I had a lure crack one time and I didn't know it. I found out when it broke in half fighting a bass. I only got the front half of the lure in. If it were mine it would be thrown away.

[Bankc]

1 hour ago, Log Catcher said:

You are lucky you can still use it. I had a lure crack one time and I didn't know it. I found out when it broke in half fighting a bass. I only got the front half of the lure in. If it were mine it would be thrown away.

The first time I noticed it was broken was when I was removing it from a 1 lb bass.  It seems he broke it, but I have no idea how.  Anyway, I kept throwing it and it kept catching fish.  If it breaks in two, I figure I'll wind up losing a lure and a fish I probably wouldn't have had otherwise.  I've got other, similar crankbaits like it, and they don't seem to be producing as well.

[Jaderose]

That looks like a Bluebasser86 special.  

 

[Bassin' Brad]

I kept losing bass at a pond so I was trying to bend the hooks out a little bit and accidentally broke one off. Right after that I had another blow up on it and finally stuck em!

[Bluebasser86]

@Bankc it's a Norman's Fatboy if you're looking for another.

 

 

I have a Lucky Craft Slender Pointer that a corner of the bill broke off from a rock during the retrieve. I Dremeled the bill down to the best shape I could get it and it keeps catching fish. 

[Bankc]

11 hours ago, Bluebasser86 said:

@Bankc it's a Norman's Fatboy if you're looking for another.

 

 

I have a Lucky Craft Slender Pointer that a corner of the bill broke off from a rock during the retrieve. I Dremeled the bill down to the best shape I could get it and it keeps catching fish. 

Thanks!  I probably will, since it's done so well for me.  

 

I also have an old Shad Rap where the bill broke in two.  I used Oatley Fusion clear PVC cement to weld the bill back together.  I had tried super glue before, but that never lasted long.  The PCV cement seems to be a permanent solution.  And while that lure doesn't seem to generate much interest from the local bass community after the repair, it also didn't generate much interest before.  You know how balsa baits can be... sometimes you get a good one, sometimes you don't.  This one seems to have been a "don't".  

 

I've also got a frog I found, just like Bassin' Brad's only in white, that won't stay afloat.  It takes on water immediately (which is probably why someone threw it on the ground).  I tried repairing it with some silicone, and that helped, but it still wants to sink pretty quickly if I don't keep it on the move at a pretty good clip.  I don't think I've ever caught anything off of it, but it's so frustrating to use, I rarely ever tie it on.  

 

I like to repair lures and keep them around for those situations where you see something you want to target, but you know you'll probably lose whatever you throw in there.  The way I see it, I'd rather throw a broken lure away into a thick pile of brush than the trash bin.  

[Bazoo]

Pretty interesting stories. I've not caught anything on lures that should have been long ago retired. I generally either lose them or tear them up completely.

 

I do have a crankbait, that the lip broke off, and I rounded it and made a surface crank out of. It swims only 2" below the surface but has a good wiggle still, I occasionally fish it, but I've never been successful with it post lip-o-plasty.

[Munkin]

On 6/14/2021 at 12:25 AM, Bluebasser86 said:

@Bankc it's a Norman's Fatboy if you're looking for another.

 

 

I have a Lucky Craft Slender Pointer that a corner of the bill broke off from a rock during the retrieve. I Dremeled the bill down to the best shape I could get it and it keeps catching fish. 

I did the exact same thing on a slender pointer. Now it's a shallow diver and still works.

 

Allen 

[FishTank]

I have an original Megabass Vision 110 with a straight eye that has a crack on the bottom . It will take on a little water but it still casts great and catches fish.

[Fishing_Rod]

Greetings All,

I had a wonderful experience continuing to catch fish after the curly tail portion of the grub separated from the body. The bite was on, so I just continued using it successfully. Interesting enough, without the tail casting was easier and bit more consistent. I also noticed that using just the grub body there was very little damage catching fish after fish. It was great catching fish all afternoon on the same bait.

 

 

Keep on catching! Be well and cheers!

[Bankc]

This thread makes me sad.  I lost that lure about a year ago and wound up buying three more replacements.  Of course they were discontinued, so I had to find them online, but they weren't ridiculously priced... yet.

 

And wouldn't you know it?  The new lures that aren't cracked don't seem to catch fish nearly as well as that old one did.