Bait restoration 2024
Dirtyeggroll reply :
I’ve been pretty depressed lately because I’ve been too busy with training/work to get out fishing much. On top of that, the lake near my house that just really started producing this year is closed and being drained due to zebra mussels. So now, when I do get a small window of time to fish I can’t. Additionally, its winter in Nebraska and the water about to get hard.
Since the lake by my house is being drained, I thought I’d try to make the best of it. I have lost a dozen or so crankbaits in that lake due to some landscape mat-like material they put around the jetties. Today, since the lake was really drawn I went to go see if I could find any of them. Specifically, I was looking for a 6th Sense Flat 75 in the original Wild Lava Craw pattern that is no longer available.
Long story short, I found it and about 100 other baits including a Deps 175, some megabass jerkbaits and some original wiggle warts!
Now I need your help restoring them.
I plan to replace the hooks on all of them and the split rings on most.
However, I need help figuring out the best way to clean them up. So, I am asking for tips on how to restore these baits. Share your experience down below. Thanks!
soflabasser reply :
Very nice lures you found. I have restored old lures by genty scrubbing them with water. I take away the old rings/hooks and add new ones.
heavyduty reply :
Dag gone, that was a productive day!
I'd remove hooks and soak them in some hot soapy water, maybe agitate the water a bit, then go one by one with a rag to get the heavy crud off. Then a micro fiber rag to clean them up good and polish.
Neat little hobby to see brand/colors others are throwing on your waters, and some quality baits to boot!
WRB reply :
Baking soda mixed in warm water and soak over night to start with. Tooth brush works good to brush off the residue in worm water. You may need to repeat the process a few times.
If the baking soda doesn't remove all the oxidation try white vinegar and water mix, about 2-1 water to vinegar and brush then rinse.
WD-40 may bring back faded color, spray on after cleaning, let sit a few minutes and wipe off. Don't Use WD-40 if you plan to repaint them, it leaves a film.
Tom
Dirtyeggroll reply :
I will try to post before and after pics of each of the baits.
BassWhole! reply :
Remove all the hardware, and soak overnight in laundry detergent and Dawn mixture, not too concentrated. You'll have to rig something to keep them submerged, cause most float. rinse off and go over the remaining gunk with stiff toothbrush and the same mixture (don't get in your eye). Some will loose some or all of the paint, no big deal, the natural plastic, often resembling bone is a great color. For the ones that retain their color, buff out with brown paper bag, and polish with olive oil. I dive, so I get a lot of these things. Often, you can find a whole bunch on a snag made worse by braid.
Harold Scoggins reply :
On 11/18/2018 at 6:58 AM, Dirtyeggroll said:Since the lake by my house is being drained, I thought I’d try to make the best of it.
Take pictures! This will be a good time to make a record of all the structure in the lake, rock piles, etc.
Dirtyeggroll reply :
On 11/18/2018 at 8:05 AM, Harold Scoggins said:Take pictures! This will be a good time to make a record of all the structure in the lake, rock piles, etc.
Already on it. Scanning it with a drone weekly.
Columbia Craw reply :
white vinegar helps clean the body.
Bluebasser86 reply :
Welcome to my winter hobby lol. I use a big bowl full of warm water, or something like an empty ice cream tub if you don't want to get your bowls nasty. Sinking baits I just drop in and let them sink, floating baits I hook a snap or paper clip to the bait and a heavy enough bell sinker to sink them. Let them soak for awhile and then scrub them with a scrub pad. That cleans up most baits pretty good, enough to fish them anyways. That Deps is going to be tough if it has the skin on it, not sure how that one will work. I'd guess you could remove the skin and try to clean the inside with a toothbrush or something.
Finding baits like that is pretty addicting. I've never had a day like that. I've found a few dozen a couple different times but there's never been that many quality baits, usually a lot of cheap BPS, H2O, or Wal-Mart baits in the mix along with lots of SK and Bombers, then a couple higher end Spro, LC, or Megabass. The pre Rapala warts feel like finding a gold nugget.
Dirtyeggroll reply :
On 11/18/2018 at 1:21 PM, Bluebasser86 said:That Deps is going to be tough if it has the skin on it, not sure how that one will work. I'd guess you could remove the skin and try to clean the inside with a toothbrush or something.
Finding baits like that is pretty addicting. I've never had a day like that. I've found a few dozen a couple different times but there's never been that many quality baits, usually a lot of cheap BPS, H2O, or Wal-Mart baits in the mix along with lots of SK and Bombers, then a couple higher end Spro, LC, or Megabass. The pre Rapala warts feel like finding a gold nugget.
The Deps actually cleaned up really nicely with a minimal amount of work.
I really felt like I hit the jackpot. I drive by that lake everyday and everyday since August when they started talking about draining it I’ve been thinking “I’m going to go get my Flat75 back as soon as it’s low enough.”
Well it turns out that the landscape matting they had put down was like fly paper for crankbaits for more than just me! The stuff was just littered with them. There were at least a couple dozen spinnerbaits I left behind because I felt they wouldn’t be worth salvaging. I’ve only even covered a quarter of the bank, albeit the bank most fished. I think there are still more goodies to be found on what’s exposed and some of the most boat-fished areas with snags haven’t been exposed yet.
Bluebasser86 reply :
I usually walk the bank lines, especially the north and south sides near popular fishing spots. Baits that are snagged but eventually float up or are broke of on fish and worked loose will end up on those banks and just be waiting to be picked up. I'll walk productive banks more than once and often find a surprising number the second time through.
Mobasser reply :
Good find! I've found a few over the years, but never that many. As others have said, baking soda and an old toothbrush will clean them up well
detroit1 reply :
What a haul!
tander reply :
Nice find, excited to see all of them cleaned up.
ratherbfishin1 reply :
I don’t think think anyone’s mentioned tooth paste, it seems to work for me.
Dirtyeggroll reply :
So far the baits have seen an overnight in baking soda and a scrub with dish soap and a toothbrush. I got excited cleaning them and forgot to take before pictures of all of them.
Will get more pics later.
Bankbeater reply :
Like others have said baking soda and water. I always let the baits I find soak for a day or so before I try to remove the crud that has built up on them. Makes cleaning them much easier.
the reel ess reply :
Don't worry if some never look great. Fish won't care. I used to work with a guy that hung his hardbaits on the clothesline a few days before using them so they'd look "weathered".
Log Catcher reply :
On 11/20/2018 at 10:42 PM, the reel ess said:Don't worry if some never look great. Fish won't care. I used to work with a guy that hung his hardbaits on the clothesline a few days before using them so they'd look "weathered".
I believe baits that look weathered and worn work better than the bright shiny ones. I saw a story about one the bass pros trying to get the shine off of his baits to make them work better.
TBAG reply :
Cool thread, wish I could find a haul like that! Interested to see more pics of the finished product.
Dirtyeggroll reply :
One thing I have noticed so far is that all of the bills on the crankbaits have changed from clear to a more opaque milky white color.
WRB reply :
Deep divers with polycarbinate (Lexan) bills are clear transparent when new and can be polished to remove etched mate finish caused from being underwater and cleaned.
Bills that are circuit board reinforced fiberglass are opaque when new.
Opaque bills are cosmetic and doesn't affect performance, some are painted to match the lure body.
Tom
Tizi reply :
I would do a test soaking in warm water with Oxiclean.
deaknh03 reply :
On 11/18/2018 at 6:58 AM, Dirtyeggroll said:I’ve been pretty depressed lately because I’ve been too busy with training/work to get out fishing much. On top of that, the lake near my house that just really started producing this year is closed and being drained due to zebra mussels. So now, when I do get a small window of time to fish I can’t. Additionally, its winter in Nebraska and the water about to get hard.
Since the lake by my house is being drained, I thought I’d try to make the best of it. I have lost a dozen or so crankbaits in that lake due to some landscape mat-like material they put around the jetties. Today, since the lake was really drawn I went to go see if I could find any of them. Specifically, I was looking for a 6th Sense Flat 75 in the original Wild Lava Craw pattern that is no longer available.
Long story short, I found it and about 100 other baits including a Deps 175, some megabass jerkbaits and some original wiggle warts!
Now I need your help restoring them.
I plan to replace the hooks on all of them and the split rings on most.
However, I need help figuring out the best way to clean them up. So, I am asking for tips on how to restore these baits. Share your experience down below. Thanks!
Looks like you found a new hobby every year at draw down. Cool stuff.
snake95 reply :
Probably way too late to help out the OP, but I use a sonic toothbrush and baking soda or baking soda toothpaste.
Just don't forget to take off your dedicated "lure cleaning" brush head, and then put your wife's toothbrush head back on once you are done.
Dirtyeggroll reply :
On 11/21/2018 at 8:36 PM, snake95 said:Probably way too late to help out the OP, but I use a sonic toothbrush and baking soda or baking soda toothpaste.
Just don't forget to take off your dedicated "lure cleaning" brush head, and then put your wife's toothbrush head back on once you are done.
If I used my wife’s toothbrush (any part of it), the lake wouldn’t have to be drained for me to end up at the bottom of it.
soflabasser reply :
On 11/19/2018 at 2:40 AM, Dirtyeggroll said:So far the baits have seen an overnight in baking soda and a scrub with dish soap and a toothbrush. I got excited cleaning them and forgot to take before pictures of all of them.
Will get more pics later.
Some good looking lures in that pile. Would be nice to try them out for some river smallmouth bass or somewhere the water is not frozen.
Dirtyeggroll reply :
Oxiclean + laundry detergent for 24 hours really seemed to do the trick. It was a little more aggressive in removing paint compared to dish soap + baking soda, but there was far less residue left with the Oxiclean + laundry detergent.
90 of 100+ of the baits pictured that I found in one day. I have about a dozen Shad raps and rattle traps left to clean.
Crestliner2008 reply :
A 50/50 mix of vinegar & water cleans almost anything. Works on coffee pots, windows, humidifiers, etc.. No reason why it wouldn't work on fishing lures. I like it better than CLR.
Heartland reply :
A very diluted mixture of hot water and simple green can clean a lot of things. The problem is if you mix it too strong, the restoration will very likely require a repaint also.
fin reply :
I love it. Finding lures in the winter time is almost as fun as catching fish. Well, not really, but it is fun to find something really nice when they aren’t biting.
I’ve found several that sell in the $18-20 range that are brand new. I’ve also cleaned up a lot like you’ve got. In fact, I’ve found a lot of the same exact lures you have in your picture.
The great thing about found lures is you cast them into areas you might normally be scared to. Easy come, easy go.
If the lips are frosted, I usually don’t keep them, myself.
On 11/21/2018 at 3:42 AM, WRB said:Deep divers with polycarbinate (Lexan) bills are clear transparent when new and can be polished to remove etched mate finish caused from being underwater and cleaned.
How do you go about polishing bills/lips?
WRB reply :
You can try using white original Colgate tooth paste with electric tooth brush to get a translucent finish. To get clear it takes a lot of jewelry polishing and buffing using a soft cloth, not worth the effort IMO.
Tom
BassWhole! reply :
On 11/21/2018 at 8:38 PM, Dirtyeggroll said:If I used my wife’s toothbrush (any part of it), the lake wouldn’t have to be drained for me to end up at the bottom of it.
Finding the new hiding spots for her nail clippers and nail files keeps the relationship fresh almost as much as my Kobe Bryant/laundry hamper buzzer countdown morning routine... "Kobe for three!" [nothing but net swish sound].
fin reply :
I found a lure today that I lost on the other side of the lake a few months ago.
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