Like many, I like to tinker with my tackle. When it comes to cranks, there's the usual switching out hooks, or adding a splash of red to the eyes, gills or belly. One of the ones that has really had a noticeable effect on my catch rate is turning a rattling bait into a silent one. Yea, I've ruined a number of baits attempting to do so, but many of the baits I have confidence in aren't offered in a silent version, so what's a tackle junkie to do?  A couple of my confidence cranks are the Bomber Fat Free Shad and most any Mann's crank. After a little experimentation, I was able to silence them without altering their action, or removing the rattles. Unless water clarity dictates a bait with rattles, I reach for the silent ones. I even altered a couple of Mann's Depth Plus baits that get down where there's little, if any, light penetration and they even produce there.

For those that modify their cranks, what is your favorite one?

You fill them with foam?

Interesting. Without removing the ballast/rattles?  

I've glued the lip of some Jabber Jaws so they don't swing side to side.  Turns them into a silent squarebill and I've had good luck with them.

 

I've also put all kinds of paint, glitter, holographic stickers on crankbaits over the years to add a little extra pizazz to them or completely change their look.  

 

Added the tail end of a curly tail worm to the back hook.  It worked when it didn't get caught up in the other hook.  

 

Yeah, I'm a recovering surf rat, so "loading plugs" and bending lips comes naturally. My favorite 2 mods are making a suspending square bill by filling with water, and taking cranks that "won't run true" and shaving one side of the lip, and bending the eye the opposite direction until it hunts crazy. I've quieted a bunch of cranks, but there are so many different ones off the shelf these days, I don't do it very often anymore.

13 hours ago, GetFishorDieTryin said:

You fill them with foam?

No, I drill a small hole in eack chamber, inject super glue and set the lure upright so the rattle sits on the bottom center of its chamber. 

I don't go as far as to drill into baits, but I've been going to soft split rings on the majority of my non-rattle cranks to make them even a little bit quieter.

I often cast mine in to rocks on the shore, causing them to leak, making them sink and quit wiggling.  I can make a floating square bill dive to over 30 feet this way.  It also makes them extremely heavy, making it possible to cast even further on the shore, hitting more objects and altering the action even more.  They never seem to catch bass after this method of alteration, but I will keep on experimenting.

Bait fish colored diving crank baits I paint the rear hook white.

Tom

18 minutes ago, WRB said:

Bait fish colored diving crank baits I paint the rear hook white.

Tom

Are you trying to make it blend in with the belly of the bait to minimize flash Tom? 
 

EDIT: king fisher

I remember guys used to take the floating jerkbaits and drilling holes in them so they can fill bait with water to do exactly what you’re doing @king fisher

White appears to be more like a tail and has increased strikes for me.

Tom

13 hours ago, WRB said:

White appears to be more like a tail and has increased strikes for me.

Tom

Tom, have you compared this alteration against tying feathers and/or tinsel to the back treble?

Anything tied to the rear treble tends to change the lures action so decided paint was the most effective and simple choice.

I do use chicken feathers on several surface lures and structure spoons. Marabou feather tend to tighten into a string and puff out when stopped and doesn’t work well on crankbaits for me.

Didn’t have any advantage trying red treble hooks during that time period, white worked better.

Tom