Tricks, Tips, and Modifications 2024

Bass XL reply :

Trust me guys, I know there has been several threads about modifing your lures, but I cant seem to find a link to any of them. But basically, I am writing somthing about modifing your lures and need some input on some tips and tricks. Thanks a ton!

The_Natural reply :

This is something I do frequently. I'm assuming you are talking about crankaits. I modify probably 1/4 of all cranks I fish with, not including changing the hooks). Don't be afraid...sometimes you will end up with a bait that just kills. I've been shaving bills on crankbaits for some time. I won't post all the picks of the bass I caught on the slender pointer I modified, but I will show you the mod I did for the slender pointer (I posted all the keepers I cuaght last week on my modded bait on Bass Pro's website). To keep the action of the bait, make sure you duplicate the curve or shape of the lip/coffin bill/etc.; otherwise you will ruin a bait.

The shell white bait is just up for comparison...I don't own any flashminnows or I wouldn't have taken these measures, but it slayed the fish. The Slender Pointer is THE jerkbait IMHO....here is the one I modified versus a stock bill.

T-rig reply :

So it's not only me that does that with the slender pointer 8-)

.dsaavedra. reply :

you guys got balls (or a big wallet) to be tampering with lucky crafts! lol ;D

this is so ironic that you started this thread because before i got on today i modded my frog to get better hookups and was gonna make a thread of it. well i guess i'll post it here.

this is a snagproof tournement frog...known for a bad reputation of hookups. i removed the double hook and put on a single hook, hoping for better hook up ratios...i'll let you guys know how it does when summer rolls around :

Bass XL reply :

Thanks guys! This is just what I want, Keep them coming!! Tell me any modifications to ANY lures you do. Thanks agian.

---if you guys dont mind, I might use the pic's too.

.dsaavedra. reply :

thats cool with me. what exactly are you writing though?

Tin reply :

Put BB's in the frog so it is "butt heavy". I noticed a lot of times in shallow water when the fish comes for it, the wake of the fish will push the bait infront of it, thus, a lot of the time a fish misses it. I have noticed a I get a lot more hook-ups and frog fishing doesnt get as frustrating.

.dsaavedra. reply :

thats a good tip rite there mike!

im gonna go put two lead pellets in mine

Tin reply :

Not so much thats it sinks, but ya know, heavier. So dont overload it.

.dsaavedra. reply :

yea i gotcha.

i figure two lead pellets is better than half a dozen copper bb's

Bass XL reply :

great idea with the bb's....Well, I'm writing an article that i can submit to a local newspaper...and maybe some websites...I wrote a few a while ago, and i figured that I would start writing again. So, the more tips i get, the more I can write....Thanks agian

.dsaavedra. reply :

i have a tip that doesnt quite apply to lures:

if you take a brown sharpie marker, and make little 1/2" marks spaced about 1/2" apart on the first few feet of line or so, it makes the line alot less visible, especialy on moving baits. it breaks up the profile of the line and camoflages it.

Tin reply :

Doubles split ring trick? 360*'s of rotation instead of 180* on trebles

.dsaavedra. reply :

shall i disclose the senko trick? ;D

.dsaavedra. reply :

heres one:

take a finesse worm (any long skinny straight worm will work) and then take a razor and slice the back half of the worm in half length wise. then rotate the worm 90° and slice it lengthwise again...so you end up with 4 "tentacles". use it on a dropshot or shakey head and the tentacles will go wild and trigger strikes.

Tin reply :

Quote
shall i disclose the senko trick? ;D

Remember I know where you live. lol

.dsaavedra. reply :

got it

luckyinkentucky reply :

1) You can attach a willow leaf blade to the end of the wire that hold the 'buzz' on your buzz baits, and this will add more flash to your presentation.

2) You can turn a bullet weight backwards when you T-Rig your worms or crawdads. This stirs up more bottom debris and mimics a crawdad digging.

3) You can use a 10 penny nail cut in half and insert it into your tubes. This adds weight that will allow it to fall horizontally.

4) Breaking off toothpicks or pulling through rubber bands offer a cheaper solution for weight pegs than paying $5 for 10.

5) In a pinch you can burn the head end of a worm back together if you run out of a color on the water. I've done this plenty of times. Use a bag of a particular color in a days time, and at the end of the day I have 8 worms on the bottom of the boat with ripped heads. If I need another before I go in I just do this to save me the frustration of using another color.

That's all the 'Free' advice I can give for one night. ;D

.dsaavedra. reply :

custom baits w/ woodburning tool:

get a woodburning tool (8 bucks at walmart...might as well get some wood too and try your hand at artwork...its pretty) and a bunch of torn up plastics. you can mend plastics together by melting the two surfaces and sticking em together, then once it cools, melt the seams closed. an example of what you can do is make a lizard by adding 4 tiny curly tail grubs to a ribbon tail worm like legs. also (ive done this) melt together multiple worm bodies and one tail at the end for a long worm for big bass.

.dsaavedra. reply :

get a topwater popper and remove the rear trebble. tie about 2 feet of line and a hook at the end. wacky rig a senko and work the popper like normal. either the popping action will trigger a strike, or it will get the bass' attention and then the wacky worm scootin' by behid it will trigger them.

.dsaavedra. reply :

remove the rear trebble of any crankbait and add on a small spinnerbait blade for some flash.

.dsaavedra. reply :

to prevent trebble hooks on crankbaits from tangling on each other/the line, take a small o-ring and take the hook off, slide the o-ring on the shank, put the hook back on, slide the o-ring up so it covers the split ring...this will prevent the hooks from swinging around so easily and tanglinng.

.dsaavedra. reply :

a thin coat of clear nailpolish will get rid of tooth scratches on your hardbaits.

Bass XL reply :

Thanks a ton guys, this is really going to help me out!

Gatorbassman reply :

As many of you know I'm an x-ray tech. So, yes I have x-rays of several of my cranks. I use these so I won't mess up a good bait when modifying the sound and weight of the lure. It's amazing what a silent Rat-l-trap will catch.

.ghoti. reply :

Quote
As many of you know I'm an x-ray tech. So, yes I have x-rays of several of my cranks. I use these so I won't mess up a good bait when modifying the sound and weight of the lure. It's amazing what a silent Rat-l-trap will catch.

That's something I've experimented with, but I can't seem to get a trap to run straight with the BB's removed. How did you do it, if you don't mind me asking?

Cheers,

Tokyo Tony reply :

Shave down the lower lip on poppers so it doesn't pop as much, and spits more.

Add feathered trebles to jerkbaits.

Add the oval split rings to all baits - reduces the chance that the line will get cut from the ring.

I like using white flukes and coloring my own stuff on them, different colors and patterns. Not sure it does much, but it's fun and satisfying when you get them to hit it.

Bassinfreak2 reply :

To get a rattletrap to run quiet turn it upside down and drill a small hole big enough to pour a little superglue in the chamber. Make sure the BBs are in the head before gluing. Reseal the hole and you have a very effective trap that works well in heavily pressured water.

Tin reply :

Quote
To get a rattletrap to run quiet turn it upside down and drill a small hole big enough to pour a little superglue in the chamber. Make sure the BBs are in the head before gluing. Reseal the hole and you have a very effective trap that works well in heavily pressured water.

WOW! Never heard of that. Definatley gonna have to try that out.

BassinWill301 reply :

What do you reseal the hole with after you drill it?

fishfordollars reply :

I drill a lot of rattletraps and fill the rattle holes with super glue to make them silent. Can't tell you how many times I have followed someone down the same spot both of us fishing traps and caught a ton of fish. I believe that the fish become acustom to the sound and a silent bait keeps them from becoming lure shy. Messed up a few traps before I got it right but it has been worth it.

HesterIsGod reply :

This is something i do that not many people do.

When Im drop shotting I sometime use a jighead/crawdad or spidergrub instead of the weight. This way I can mimic a minnow or a worm in the normal spot, as well as a crawdad on the bottom. It is also great if you hit an aggressive school. One time I a hit a big prespawn school and they hit the worm and then they would crush the spidergrub as i was reeling it in! I had like 4 doubles.

.dsaavedra. reply :

that ratltrap trick is pretty cool. i think im gonna try that. so, when i drill the hole, so i pout all the bb's out of the hole so its empty?

bassinwill, you can seal the hole w/ epoxy or maybe hot glue. if you use hotglue you might wanna add a layer of superglue over it so it doesnt fall out.

thats clever using a crawfish instaed of a weight on a dropsot.

heres a few tricks:

when using any softbait, use as small of a hook as you can get away with. by using a smaller hook, less of the worm is held taut by the hook (less of the worm is between the point and eye) this will give it more and better action.

try wacky rigging a fluke or fin-s. bass dont see this often and if you let it sink, then start twitching it very rapidly for short bursts, it looks JUST LIKE dying minnow spazzing out.

Bassin_Fin@tic reply :

maybe it went over my head... Do you pour all the bbs out or glue them in place??

Bass XL reply :

What i got from it, is tilt the rattle trap so that the bb's are at the nose of the bait, then glue them...correct me if i'm wrong

Catt reply :

Here's one I've done for years

I use a tiny zip tie on all my spinner bait & jigs skirts; faster than hand tying 8-)

Bassinfreak2 reply :

I Leave the BBs in the head and superglue them in place. You still have the same weight as the original but it runs quieter. As for sealing the holes, I just use a 2 part epoxy. Mix untill it starts to harden and seal the hole. Sand down the rough edges and you are good to go. You can paint it if you want but I usually leave it alone. Doesn't seem to matter if its painted or not. Practice on old ones 1st because you will probably ruin a few before you get it right.

Bassin_Fin@tic reply :

Quote
Here's one I've done for years
I use a tiny zip tie on all my spinner bait & jigs skirts; faster than hand tying 8-)

I use the zip ties too,also try a piece of 80-100 lb braid secured with square knots.

Matt Fly reply :

Granted, there are some good floating baits out there, but some craws I like don't float, so I like to break toothpicks into 1/3's and push tooth pick up each pincher on the craw.

Do them in the sink and look how it raises the craws off bottom into defensive posture. Some picks are more bouyant, so experiement.

Study premium cranks. Most detailed cranks have some red gill flash on the sides. The cheaper ones that don't, you can take red fine tip sharpie and add the gill flash on the sides as such ).

I spray paint all my bullets to match worm colors. Why throw a green worm with lead color or black bullet. Go natural with green head to match the worm.

I carry green, black, reds, browns, in assortments of weights.

I even will garlic marker my specialty hooks that have lead on them. Such as fluke hooks with 1/8 of weight, I'll camo that lead also.

Don't be aftraid to throw old school lures. Its something the bass haven't seen in along time. Old hellbenders!!!!! I still use the orange Bomber with success.

I like to throw Cotton Cordells hot spot on days I might be trailing another boat that is throwing traps and such in front of me.

I like to throw the Pico Perch just like you do the trap, its an old style lipless that works for vertical fishing, but I also like to rip that bait like a trap in shallow.

What a change of pace for traps. Very effective.

BB's will eventuall fall out if you don't hot glue them in. again, make your adjustments and put them in a sink to see the balance and keep adjusting till you like the results.

I like to use soldering wire. Very soft, can be broken by hand. I like to pull the double hook out of a frogs back and wrap some on the shank of the hook. This gives the bait some weight. I use the weight because when sitting on grass mats, the weight helps give off some depression waves under neath. Weight helps disturb the grass some on thicker mates that aids in locating the bait.

Got some others, but will wait till that season is upon us.

Matt

Matt Fly reply :

You want to get a 15 foot crank to 20 feet. Remove the bellie hook, yes your odds just shrank, but you increased your odds by getting a swimming bait down someplace you couldn't go before. This is why STorms swimbaits became so popular for me. Has lead head that sinks to where you want.

Replace the hook with a bell sinker, if you use a DD 22, use a half ounce bell sinker attatched to the bellie with split rig on most. You will scrap bottom on some depths you never reached with typical baits.

I can promise you that I can put some big bass in the boat with this trick.

armesjr reply :

What size drill bit do you use for silencing the rattletrap. Also do you drill into the side of the rattletrap or on the top or the bottom.

mpharris1989 reply :

i use a red sharpie to add bleeding effects to hard plastics.

also use a black sharpie to circle the eyes on cranks ect. to make it a bigger target

Bass XL reply :

Quote
also use a black sharpie to circle the eyes on cranks ect. to make it a bigger target

wow, so i'm not the only one that does that?

F15HGuy reply :

Quote

Quote
also use a black sharpie to circle the eyes on cranks ect. to make it a bigger target

wow, so i'm not the only one that does that?

Cool! I use a yellow acrylic paint pen for that Storm Wiggle Wart look on some of my cranks.

.dsaavedra. reply :

take cotton balls and soak them in fish attractant. then shove the cotton balls inside of tube baits for a scent dispersing bait, or throw a bunch overboard for added attraction (theyre natural, biodegradable, so it wont hurt nothin)

add a swivel to a spinnerbait hook as if you were adding a trailer hook. then put an extra blade on the hook for added attraction.

for you lead-pourers, hold the mold over a candle to get soot in the mold, this will keep the lead from sticking to the mold.

if you cast your lure over a tree limb, and it is swinging back and forth, wait till it is pointed at you in its swing and pull sharply downward. this will cause it to do a big arc over the limb, whereas if you pulled when it was away from you, it would pull in a straight line, snagging into the limb.

rub unscented candle wax on the first few feet of your line to make it float. this gives topwater lures superior action.

use some glitter glue on your baits for some added attraction (make sure it isnt water soluable)

all of those came from the NAFC Resource Directory Guide (15th addition)

Matt Fly reply :

When bass are susupended under docks, I also like to add a barrell swivel with at least a #3 colorado blade to my jig hook secured with a piece of surgical tubing. This slows the fall rate of the jig way down. Also the added blade aids in stained water by pushing more water so bass can locate using lateral line.

I like this set up on deep boat docks. The bait pendulums back to the boat due to water depth. this bait has nice flutte to it. Works well.

Bass XL reply :

wow, I've never tried that jig/blade trick...i'm going to make one now.

Munkin reply :

Don't eat yellow snow!

Allen

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Tricks, Tips, and Modifications 2024

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