increasing plug buoyancy and changing action

[BassClassBaits]

This is a two pronged question: 

 

1: There is no shortage of information about how to make abs crankbaits heavier so that they suspend, but how do you modify them so that they are more buoyant, like balsa? I know a lot of people have talked about using spray foam or expanding resin to make them silent or to repair plugs that get thrashed by toothy critters, but I have not seen anything about making them float higher, faster. Interested to know what people have done before I modify any high-dollar plugs. 

 

2: How would I change the action to make a crankbait have a more pronounced action? I have some baby 1-minus knock offs that are nice, the only issue is that when they foul, they lose their action. I am wondering if anyone has had any success making a modification of this sort. I was thinking about sanding/filing the bill so that instead of it being somewhat convex, it was more flat, thereby making it more difficult for water to move around the bill. Has anyone done this? what were the results? 

I am open minded here and was also thinking about gluing the ball bearings and sealing the hole, removing them entirely, or going with smaller hooks. Has anyone done this and noticed any difference with making any of these modifications? Are there any other mods that would accomplish this goal? 

 

[Bankc]

I don't know that there's an easy way to make plugs more buoyant.  You just kind of need to do that when you make the thing.  Like if you were to drill out some holes in it, you'd have to plug up the holes to keep the water out.  And usually whatever you plug it with (epoxy, glue, whatever) will be denser than what it was originally made of.  So it's easy to make a plug heavier, but not easy to make it lighter, once it's already been made.  I mean, I guess you could cut it down the middle and drill out a bunch of relief holes and the glue it back up, but that's about as much work as making it from scratch.  And while you could use lighter hooks, I don't think that would do much if it's already floating.  That type of stuff is more for striking a fine balance in the middle rather than pushing the boundaries out further.  

 

To change the action of a crankbait, you could try modifying the lip.  You could try bending the lip down (usually with heat) or shaping the profile of it.  But again, this becomes problematic, because if you don't get it right, you can wind up with a plug that doesn't run straight.  Then it wants to roll over pop out of the water or just run cooked and tip the fish off to the fact that it's not a real baitfish.  If you attempt this yourself, you'll want to make small changes at a time and test it out in a pool or something so you can see how your changes are affecting the lure.  Honestly, I've only messed with this on crankbaits where they didn't run straight when I first got them, and tried to fix them rather than throw them away.  And even then, I'm probably only running about a 50/50 success rate.  

 

Your best bet is to just buy the plug you want rather than try to turn a plug you don't want into one you do.  

[WRB]

Using larger diameter mono line is the easiest method to change running depth of a crankbait. 
Buying crank baits that are designed to run shallower is what most anglers do,

Tom

[you]

Regarding question #1, this made me think of those adhesive-backed foam pads for furniture/speakers/etc. You could try sticking one or two small ones to the top of a bait. Might not last long but they are cheap.

[fin]

I’m no physics wiz, but I don’t think it’s possible to add any substance to make something more buoyant unless you can add mass. Nothing is lighter than the air that is already inside the lure.

 

I have removed rattles in some cranks and removed ball bearings in some jerk baits. I’ve used old found baits, so there was no investment other than my time. I don’t have any regrets. It always helps a little, just like using lighter/smaller split rings and/or hooks. I have one jerk bait model that I have removed one of the ball bearings to great success on several of them. I wouldn’t do it on any “high dollar baits” unless I had a damaged one to experiment on.

 

I’ve never experimented with modifying lips/bills.

 

Gluing the ball bearing would ruin a jerk bait. In other baits, I can’t imagine how it would be beneficial, unless you were just trying to silence it, and still, you’re taking a big risk that it will never swim right again.

 

I’ve learned to respect designers. They do things the way they do for a good reason, in most cases. In some cases, there is only one way to do things.

[Bdnoble84]

On 4/5/2024 at 8:47 AM, BassClassBaits said:

This is a two pronged question: 

 

1: There is no shortage of information about how to make abs crankbaits heavier so that they suspend, but how do you modify them so that they are more buoyant, like balsa? I know a lot of people have talked about using spray foam or expanding resin to make them silent or to repair plugs that get thrashed by toothy critters, but I have not seen anything about making them float higher, faster. Interested to know what people have done before I modify any high-dollar plugs. 

 

2: How would I change the action to make a crankbait have a more pronounced action? I have some baby 1-minus knock offs that are nice, the only issue is that when they foul, they lose their action. I am wondering if anyone has had any success making a modification of this sort. I was thinking about sanding/filing the bill so that instead of it being somewhat convex, it was more flat, thereby making it more difficult for water to move around the bill. Has anyone done this? what were the results? 

I am open minded here and was also thinking about gluing the ball bearings and sealing the hole, removing them entirely, or going with smaller hooks. Has anyone done this and noticed any difference with making any of these modifications? Are there any other mods that would accomplish this goal? 

 

The only way i know to make a finished bait more boyant is to downsize the hardware. You could try the floating strips that are out there

[Munkin]

On 4/5/2024 at 4:15 PM, WRB said:

Using larger diameter mono line is the easiest method to change running depth of a crankbait. 
Buying crank baits that are designed to run shallower is what most anglers do,

Tom

 

This is the best answer, you can shave down bills to make them run shallower as well but be prepared if the bait no longer runs correctly. For a Baby 1- I don't think there is anything you can do.

 

Allen